Andrea Horwath stepping down as Ontario NDP leader

Andrea Horwath has announced that she is stepping down as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party.

The NDP retained Official Opposition status in the 2022 election but saw its seat count reduced by about a quarter. The Doug Ford-led Progressive Conservatives were re-elected with a stronger majority than in 2018.

The 2022 election was Horwath's fourth as leader. She's led the party since 2009.

In Horwath's three previous elections atop the NDP, the party increased its seat count each time. That streak ended Thursday.

In light of the outcome, a smiling Horwath danced her onto the stage at her party's election night celebration at the Hamilton Convention Centre in her downtown riding.

Before announcing in her speech that she would step down as leader, Horwath gave a long list of thanks — including to her opponents, her parties' members, supporters, candidates, staff, family, friends and Hamiltonians — and talked about the importance of New Democrats' work in bringing attention to issues like climate change, affordability, Indigenous reconciliation, and more.

She then shared that Thursday's election marked the night she would "pass the torch."

"It's time for me to ... pass the baton, to hand off the leadership of the NDP,” a teary-eyed Horwath said.

“But you know what? It makes me sad, but it makes me happy because our team is so strong… I’m not shedding tears of sadness, I’m shedding tears of pride," she said.

"Because look at you — look at all of you — look what we’ve done together… Together, my friends, we have built a party that is stronger and more ready to govern than ever before.”

A few times during the campaign, Horwath hinted that she would make a decision about her future in politics after "the people of Ontario" showed what they wanted on election day.

Leading up to when the election results were revealed just after 9 p.m. on Thursday, the mood inside the Hamilton Convention Centre was one of resignation to the inevitable, as polls predicted.

"Job No. 1," as Horwath had said, "to get rid of Doug Ford," was not accomplished.

The mix of staff, candidates and supporters in downtown Hamilton were both surprised and accepting of Horwath's announcement. After making it, the soon-to-be former leader cried, hugged and danced with her election night party attendees.

NDP staff on hand either wouldn't or couldn't say what the party's way forward would be without their leader of 13 years at the helm.

Horwath won her own seat in Hamilton Centre by a landslide. She led her PC challenger by a 40-point margin with most votes counted. She did not say in her speech whether she planned to step down as an MPP.

As of early Friday morning, when most votes were counted, the NDP were positioned to come out of the election with 31 seats — most of which they won in the last election, too.

Its most significant shortcoming in the 2022 election was in Brampton, where the NDP had high hopes. The PC sweeped its seats, as well as those in the rest of Peel. Deputy NDP Leader Sara Singh was not re-elected.

The 'Steeltown Scrapper'

Horwath has spent her adult life fighting for progressive political causes.

The daughter of an autoworker and school cleaner, she has said she didn’t grow up wanting to be a politician. She took labour studies at McMaster University in her hometown of Hamilton. She later taught English to immigrant workers and worked at a legal clinic in the city. 

She was an activist as well before she ran in any campaign.

Her first run for elected office was in Hamilton West in the 1997 federal election. She placed second to the Liberal incumbent of almost 10 years.

A few months later, Horwath ran for city council and won.

Seven years later, in 2004, she shifted her ambitions toward Queen’s Park. In a byelection that year, she flipped the seat of Hamilton East, winning an upset over her Liberal challenger by a landslide margin of almost 40 points.

Horwath’s 2004 victory made her the NDP’s eighth MPP in the Ontario legislature, returning its official party status.

After the NDP's disappointing result in the 2007 general election, leader Howard Hampton announced his resignation, clearing the way for Horwath. 

Under her leadership, the NDP won 17 seats in the 2011 election, 21 seats in 2014, and 40 in 2018 — returning the New Democrats to Official Opposition for the first time in 31 years.

"Since (2009), our party ... has really grown," Horwath told QP Briefing early in the election campaign this spring.

"We have so many more young people engaged. We have people from every ethno-cultural, faith-based, racial group. We have women. We have people with disabilities. We have LGBTQ people. We have Indigenous folks in our party.

"I'm proud of it as the leader. I didn't do it on my own; I certainly did it with the help of other people, but the party itself not only has grown, but it's grown into the organization I think it's always aspired to be, and I'm very proud of that."