Our Meeting With Marit Stiles

Earlier this month, the OLIP Interns had the chance to meet MPP Marit Stiles, Leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition. We were also joined by Jad El Tal, a fellow OLIP Alumni and Executive Assistant to MPP Stiles. MPP Stiles has represented Davenport as their elected official since 2018, only the second NDP MPP ever in the riding. From 2018-2022, she served as the NDP’s education critic and has been the provincial NDP’s leader since February 2023. As part of the programme, the interns have the chance to meet with each party leader in Ontario to hear first-hand about their responsibilities and experiences in public life. 

We had a fruitful discussion with MPP Stiles, ranging from electoral politics to public speaking, to intraparty dynamics within the NDP. With respect to the electoral politics, we did a deep dive into the recent federal and provincial elections. We discussed lessons learned for the NDP in Canada and Ontario, particularly about shifts in youth political narratives and political narratives within the labour sector. We also considered the topic of electoral reform, exploring strengths and drawbacks to different systems. 

MPP Stiles also answered our question about her approach to speaking engagements, framing issues, and creating political messaging. For example, she shared the various strategies she employs during Question Period to create engagement from the media and the public while trying to efficiently extract information from the government, and the role of storytelling in her own personal speaking style. MPP Stiles emphasized how she strives to make heard all their, often-varying, interests heard based on the party’s diverse membership along lines of geography, industry, and life experiences. 

We want to thank MPP Stiles, Jad, and the office for coordinating an opportunity to meet with the OLIP interns, especially during these dynamic political times. We also appreciate MPP Stiles' longtime support of OLIP. Meeting with the various provincial party leaders is always a highlight for the OLIP interns, and we appreciated the chance to hear MPP Stiles’ perspectives on leadership in Ontario politics.