OTTAWA — Senior Liberals are recruiting a Toronto doctor to be the party’s candidate in University—Rosedale in an upcoming byelection to replace Chrystia Freeland.
Dr. Danielle Martin, chair of the University of Toronto’s family medicine program, has become a preferred candidate for senior Liberals who believe she would represent the party well in the downtown Toronto riding.
Freeland stepped down in early January to take on an economic advisory post with the government of Ukraine. Prime Minister Mark Carney has until early July to call the byelection but a senior Liberal, speaking on background because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the prime minister is unlikely to wait long.
In a statement to the Star, Martin acknowledged she has been approached and said she will be considering her options in the coming days.
“Our community and country are facing a critical moment, and good people need to stand up for our values and our democracy,” she said. “It’s an honour to be encouraged to take on a new kind of public service. I’m grateful for the strong support I have been hearing from grassroots Liberals and community leaders throughout Toronto and beyond.”
Martin is a strong advocate of public health care, and her defence of Canada’s system before a U.S. Senate committee in 2014 went viral online. She has also advocated for expanded pharmacare and wrote a book entitled, “Better Now: Six Big Ideas to Improve Health Care for All Canadians.”
Freeland’s resignation came as the minority Liberal government was almost within reach of a majority in the House of Commons, after two Conservative MPs crossed the floor last fall.
The Liberals now hold 170 seats in the 343-seat chamber, and University-Rosedale is considered a relatively safe riding for the party. A Liberal victory in the byelection would leave them just one MP short of a majority.
Freeland had represented the riding since 2015 and was re-elected with 64 per cent of the vote in last year’s election.
