Ottawa MP Yasir Naqvi enters Ontario Liberal leadership race

Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi has officially entered the race to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.

Liberal Party spokesperson Carter Brownlee confirmed to CBC that Naqvi submitted his paperwork on Friday. A Naqvi campaign spokesman later confirmed that the campaign will formally launch on Saturday. He has scheduled appearances in Ottawa that morning, and in Mississauga in the afternoon.

He joins Beaches—East York MP Nathaniel Erskine Smith and Kingston and the Islands MPP Ted Hsu as an officially declared candidate in the leadership race, which will be decided in a vote by party members in November.

Naqvi was first elected to Parliament in the 2021 federal election, replacing Catherine McKenna as the MP for Ottawa Centre. He previously served three terms as the MPP for Ottawa Centre, and held several cabinet posts in Kathleen Wynne's government, including as attorney general.

Naqvi stepped down from his parliamentary secretary role in Parliament in March in anticipation of a possible bid for the provincial party leadership. He remains an MP, and is not required to relinquish that role during his leadership bid.

The Ontario Liberals have only seven MPPs at Queen's Park — four of those from eastern Ontario — which is short of official party status.

While only three candidates are officially in the race, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has also set up an exploratory committee to consider a possible run.