Former Ontario Conservative Party MPP Roman Baber announced Sunday he will run for the federal Conservative nomination in the Ontario riding of York Centre.
“I’m seeking the Conservative nomination for the riding of York Centre. Life is unaffordable and Canada’s democracy is at risk,” Baber announced on Twitter. In an interview with the
Toronto Star, Baber said he wanted to represent York Centre in order to “steer our country back on the right path,” adding he is “optimistic” about his prospects of winning the seat.
Baber will attempt to unseat the Liberals from the riding of York Centre, which they have held since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first came to power in 2015. The riding was narrowly won by MP Michael Levitt back in 2015, who secured 46.8 percent of the vote to Conservative MP Mark Adler’s 43.9 percent. After winning reelection in 2019, Levitt announced he would resign in 2020.
Liberal MP Ya'ara Saks ran to replace Levitt in 2020, winning 45.7 percent of the vote compared to Conservative Julius Tiangson’s 41.8 percent. Saks was reelected by an even larger margin in 2022, winning 47.3 percent to Conservative Joel Yakov Etienne’s 37.8 percent.
On the provincial level, Baber has had success in York Centre, capturing 50.1 percent of the vote compared to the NDP Andrea Vásquez Jiménez’s 23.4 percent in the 2018 provincial election.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Baber gained notoriety for speaking out against public health restrictions, which eventually led to him being ousted from
his Conservative seat by Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Jan. 15, 2021. In an open letter, Baber argued that lockdowns were “deadlier than COVID” and that most deaths from COVID-19 were happening in long-term care homes.
Ford accused Baber of “undermining the tireless efforts of our front-line healthcare workers at a critical time.”
“I will not jeopardize a single Ontarian’s life by ignoring public health advice. There is no room for political ideology in our fight against COVID-19—rather, our response has been and will always be driven by evidence and data,” Ford said.
Baber sat as an Independent MPP, but was barred from running for the party in Ontario’s June 2021 provincial election. The riding was then won by the Progressive Conservatives’ Michael Kerzner, who secured 45.7 percent of the vote to Liberal Shelley Brown’s 31.9 percent.
Run for Conservative Leadership
In 2022, Baber took a shot at becoming the leader of the federal Conservatives. The MPP promised that if elected, he would cancel the federal carbon tax, repeal anti-pipeline decisions,
amend the Canada Health Act to ensure Canadians cannot be discriminated against because of their vaccination status,
and fire Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam.
Baber also promised he would
defund the Canada Broadcasting Corporation and end media bailout subsidies. During a fireside chat hosted by the Western Standard, Baber—who spent part of his life in the Soviet Union—said some of the CBC’s articles reminded him of Soviet propaganda.
“I know what real propaganda is. I lived under a communist regime for the first nine years of my life. Now I am seeing propaganda in Canada, in full force and like its definition, funded by Government,” he said.
During the 2022 federal Conservative leadership race, Baber finished second last. Pierre Poilievre won in the first round of voting with 68 percent of the vote, followed by Quebec Premier Jean Charest at 16.1 percent, Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis at 9.7 percent, Baber at 5 percent, and Conservative MP Scott Aitchison at 1 percent.
When announcing his intention to run, Baber said Poilievre is “
smart, kind, and will make a great prime minister.”
“I’m very bullish on Pierre and I cannot wait for the next general election to form a Conservative government that will address the cost of living,” he said.
