Scott Stinson: An outsider again, federal MP Nate Erskine-Smith appeals loss in Ontario Liberal race

Not winning the Scarborough nomination, and not winning a byelection there, does not preclude Nate Erskine-Smith from seeking the Ontario Liberal leadership. Photo by Blair Gable/Postmedia

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Nate Erskine-Smith is, evidently, unbothered by the maverick label.

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The federal MP has filed an appeal of the Liberal nomination vote that he lost narrowly in the provincial riding of Scarborough Southwest on Saturday, throwing a big old wrench into the party’s efforts to move on from an often bitter contest and rally around the winner, businessman Ahsanul Hafiz, in a byelection later this summer.

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Erskine-Smith, who was accused of not being enough of a team player in Ottawa when he complained publicly about feeling “disrespected” upon his demotion from cabinet after Mark Carney became prime minister, cites “serious irregularities” in the vote, which saw him finish 19 votes behind Hafiz, a political novice, on the third ballot. Erskine-Smith has represented Beaches-East York, which borders Scarborough Southwest, for 11 years.

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His appeal reportedly claims that there were 34 more ballots in boxes than counted votes, and says his scrutineers witnessed “serious inconsistencies” related to the proof of identification and residency of some voters.

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Erskine-Smith had briefly mentioned such concerns in a scrum with reporters after the vote result was announced on Saturday, but he declined to get into specifics and said he would need to do a “full debrief” with his team before deciding on a possible appeal.

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Hafiz, a member of the Ontario Liberal executive who owns more than two dozen Domino’s Pizza franchises, is originally from Bangladesh and gave thanks to the Scarborough riding’s large Bengali community for its support during the nomination race.

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Canadian citizenship was not required to vote in the nomination race, but voters had to be residents of the riding.

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Erskine-Smith’s appeal reportedly says he does not intend to run again if the party voids Hafiz’s nomination, “to avoid the perception of self-interest.”

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This leaves the somewhat curious possibility that Erskine-Smith could be successful in torching Hafiz’s nomination, leaving Scarborough Southwest without a Liberal candidate in a byelection that could be called anytime, while also leaving Erskine-Smith without a path to a seat in the provincial legislature, which he had hoped to obtain before he sought the Ontario Liberal leadership this fall.

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Whatever the fallout from this point, it will do little to dispel the notion that Erskine-Smith is an outsider in Ontario Liberal circles, even as he is trying to lead the party for the second time. (He lost a previous provincial leadership contest to Bonnie Crombie, who never had a seat at Queen’s Park and lost to Doug Ford in the last Ontario election.)

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Erskine-Smith had charged that the party establishment did not want him to succeed, and in the days leading up to the nomination vote he raised concerns that party staffers had been seen working for rival campaigns in Scarborough Southwest.