Ted Hsu wins provincial Liberal nomination for Kingston and the Islands

Ted Hsu has won the nomination to run as the Liberal contender for Kingston and the Islands in the next provincial election.

Hsu, a physicist and former Member of Parliament for the riding, was nominated on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, winning the nomination over previous MPP Sophie Kiwala. The next provincial election is expected to take place in June of 2022.

Hsu will be looking to be the successor to NDP MPP Ian Arthur, who won the seat from Kiwala in 2018. Arthur was Kingston’s first NDP, and non-Liberal representative, since 1995.

In a previous interview, Hsu said he was motivated to return to politics both by his children and the pandemic.

“As my kids and their young friends have grown up and become aware of their world, they tell me how worried they are,” Hsu said. “They believe they are inheriting all our problems, but not the resources to deal with them.”

Hsu said that as he witnesses the human and economic costs of the pandemic, as well the retreat of democracy world-wide, strained international relations, workplace automation, social justice issues and climate change, he too is concerned for the future.

“I want to make sure our economy and social fabric are strong enough so that we have the resources to support and protect the people of Ontario,” he said.

Hsu was first elected to public office in 2011 as a Member of Parliament (MP), one of only 34 Liberals elected to parliament that year.

Hsu decided not to run for a second term in 2015, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. He was replaced by current Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen.

Following his term as Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, Hsu served as co-chair of Kingston Mayor’s Task Force on Housing. Hsu currently serves as a board member for the Fields Institute for Research in the Mathematical Sciences, Chinese Canadian Association of Kingston and District, and SWITCH Sustainable Energy Association.

“Having served four years as the Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands, Ted has proven himself to be a tremendous representative for his community,” said OLP Leader, Steven Del Duca. “I’m very happy to have him on our team and I know Ted will make an excellent advocate as we work to get ready for the next provincial election.”

“I look forward to joining our new Liberal leader, Steven Del Duca, as we rebuild our party and present a fresh team to the voters of Ontario,” said Hsu. “I believe that the next election will be about big issues, because the pandemic, with its human costs and economic damage, has laid bare existing inequities and inadequacies and brought us to a critical juncture. Liberals need to be ready to share a new direction for Ontario as we recover from our current disruption.”

“Thank you to Ontario Liberal Party members of Kingston and the Islands who have chosen me as their candidate in the 2022 provincial election,” Hsu continued. “I salute former MPP Sophie Kiwala for her continued hard work in this community and a race well run. Her passion for helping others will always be an asset to our community.”