Liberal party under fire as more questions raised about Nate Erskine-Smith’s nomination fight

[Dr Strangelove]

Liberal MP challenges nomination loss for Scarborough Southwest byelection
Nate Erskine‑Smith lost the Ontario Liberal nomination to Ahsanul Hafiz by 19 votes out of more than 1,400 cast. He immediately raised concerns about:

Voter ID irregularities

Scrutineer reports of unusual activity

Possible discrepancies between ballots counted and voters registered

He has now filed a formal appeal

What Erskine‑Smith is alleging
Across multiple filings and public comments, Erskine‑Smith and his team claim:

There were more ballots counted than registered voters.

Numerous voters had ID problems, including people unable to state their address or using unconventional proof of address (e.g., Amazon orders).

Scrutineers reported they had “never seen anything like it.”

He says the appeal is about process integrity, not personal ambition, and even offered to remove himself from any future nomination process if it ensures a proper investigation.

Why this is politically explosive
This dispute lands at a sensitive moment:

Erskine‑Smith was widely viewed as a potential frontrunner for the Ontario Liberal leadership.

He intended to resign his federal seat once the byelection was called — now uncertain.

Some local Liberals accuse him of trying to use the riding as a springboard for leadership ambitions.

The party is months away from choosing a permanent leader in November.

The controversy is exposing internal rifts between grassroots members, local candidates, and the party establishment.

[Dr Strangelove]

The Core Controversy (0:30–2:12):

Nate Erskine-Smith's campaign released a video featuring Mark Carney that appeared to support his nomination race bid in Scarborough Southwest.
The Toronto Star subsequently reported that the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) claimed the video was not an endorsement and characterized the interaction as a simple photo-op.
The host notes that this reporting contradicted private conversations where Carney had reportedly agreed to the video with the understanding it would support Erskine-Smith’s candidacy (2:13–2:47).
The Toronto Star later issued a correction, admitting the PMO made no such statement and had actually declined to comment on whether the exchange was an endorsement (2:56–3:20).
The Editorial Fallout (3:34–6:30):

The video further examines the aftermath of this erroneous reporting, specifically focusing on freelance columnist Supria Dwivedi.
Dwivedi publicly criticized the Star's reporting on Twitter (3:41–4:06).
Shortly after, Dwivedi had a planned column cancelled. She alleges this was due to complaints from the Star’s Queens Park Bureau regarding her public criticism of their work (4:07–5:26).
The host highlights a disconnect between the Star's social media policy and the treatment of freelance contributors, noting that the Star's opinion editor, Jordan Himlfarb, denied that the policy enforcement stemmed from an internal complaint despite Dwivedi’s account of the situation (5:27–6:30).