Don Valley East MPP Adil Shamji to seek Ontario Liberal Party leadership: sources

A fifth candidate is set to join the leadership race for the Ontario Liberal Party.

Sources tell CityNews Don Valley East MPP Adil Shamji is expected to make a formal announcement next week.

Shamji, an emergency room physician at Michael Garron Hospital, became an MPP in last June’s provincial election. He currently serves as the Liberal critic for health, northern development, Indigenous affairs, and colleges and universities.

Shamji will join a field that includes Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, former Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi, Kingston and the Islands MPP Ted Hsu, and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP for the Beaches-East York.

The deadline to register for the leadership contest is Sept. 5.

Party members will cast their votes by ranked ballot on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, with round-by-round results and a new leader announced the following weekend on Dec. 2.

The new leader will replace Steven Del Duca, who resigned after the party failed to win enough seats in last year’s election to have official party status — for the second campaign in a row.