Dufferin-Caledon NDP candidate named, aims to reach community in different ways

February 6, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

“It’s almost unthinkable,” said George Nakitsas, the recently named Dufferin–Caledon candidate for the provincial NDP party, “to call an election, with such a majority and two years from [when it’s] needed.”

He told the Citizen the saddest part is how people are trying to find a doctor and “the sad thing is when our grandkids have to wait seven hours in the emergency ward.”

Nakitsas has been a member of the NDP for decades. Indeed, he worked for Ed Broadbent for seven years and was called to join Jack Layton in the notable race in Quebec in 2011, when the NDP won 50 seats.

He told us he has known NDP Leader Marit Stiles for 25 years. She is clear that she wants to be the Premier of Ontario, he said.

“She made the case at this time, when you need a Premier and this one quit, she is ready,” observed Nakitsas. “So, what I’ve been picking up is a shift, where the current MPP [Sylvia Jones] has been absent quite a bit.”

Understanding how important it is, as a candidate, to be a familiar face, Nakitsas is making a point to be around on Saturdays during the weekly Orangeville Famers’ Market, handing out flyers and introducing himself to people.

With such short notice of the election day, Nakitsas and his team are canvassing but not door to door. A series of “meet and greets” are being planned, to go all around and meet as many people as they can.

He pointed the finger at Ford directly by asking, “Why call a snap election? To deflect what the records on the new data show?”

The number of Ontarians without a family doctor has reached 2.5 million, up from 1.8 million in 2020. More than 160,000 people were added to the list of those without a family doctor in a six-month period alone, according to The Ontario College of Family Physicians.

“During the pandemic, wages of medical staff were frozen,” Nakitsas said.

As for buildings, developers are picking up housing real estate as quickly as they can.

Along with the NDP, Nakitsas is concerned for the Greenbelt and was part of the protest and pressure that came against Ford when he declared his plans to bury it under housing.

Stiles has promised that immediately after she is elected, she will have the 407 open to trucks and begin to negotiate to purchase the 407 rather than spend billions of dollars on the 413.

Nakitsas made the point further as to why we are having this election: pressure from developers and big box stores.

Looking back on his own work life after his life in politics, Nakitsas worked for the steel industry.

“When I retired and left Parliament Hill, I established a Steel Trade and Employment Congress after the mid-80s steelworkers union, after free trade, thousands lost their jobs. In the 90s, there were not many apprentices. So, we got together with colleges and then there was something that made sense. We went to the colleges to retrain workers through the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress (of which he was the Executive Director.) We went into the workplace and talked, determined that politics should not be a dirty word and the magic happened.”

It was from 1982 that Nakitsas worked for Ed Broadbent for seven years. An uphill battle is a difficult one, but he had one of the best campaigns with Jack Layton who said, “If you keep never giving up, you can do impossible things.”

They took the classic approach to how you make things work when you work together.

He met Marit Stiles at a meeting with ACTRA, where she was involved in looking at the digital industry.

“I was always impressed with her and when this election came I said yes,” he said.

Nakitsas is happy to serve the community and riding, to help younger people.

He is big on community, having coached girls’ sports teams, saying that helping young kids is critical.

The healthcare issues are what fuels Nakitsas most. On March 18, 2024, the NDP introduced the motion noting that healthcare workers have to spend too much time on administration and that staff should be hired to expand support among each three patients, to free up the medical workers. The motion was turned down.