NDP Leader names Pasma new Education critic

QUEEN’S PARK — Interim Ontario NDP Leader Peter Tabuns has named MPP Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West-Nepean) to be the Official Opposition Education critic, taking over the portfolio from MPP Marit Stiles (Davenport), who has announced her bid for the party’s leadership.

“I extend a tremendous thank you to Marit Stiles for her hard work as a thoughtful, fierce and compassionate fighter for public education,” said Tabuns. “I have boundless confidence in Chandra’s ability to step into the role of Education critic. She has already shown Ontario that she’s a powerful and caring advocate. She’s ready to help lead the fight against Doug Ford’s cuts to classrooms, and push for smaller class sizes, more teachers and education workers, and more in-school supports for students.”

Before being elected in 2022, Pasma was a researcher focusing on high-quality public services. She is also a mom with three kids in public school.

“I’m proud to be appointed Official Opposition Education critic, and I’m really eager to get to work fighting for our kids’ education,” said Pasma. “As a parent, I see the impact of Conservative cuts in our schools. I see students sitting in classes that are too big. I see underpaid, understaffed education workers and teachers, and staff shortages getting worse. I see that kids can’t get enough help from an educational assistant, no matter how badly they need it. And I see the impacts of kids going without in-school supports to help them recover — academically or emotionally — from two years of disruption. Conservative cuts are costing our kids.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can turn things around — we can build up our kids’ well-being and their future by investing in teachers, education workers and in-school supports now.”

Pasma will retain her role as Official Opposition critic for Poverty and Homelessness Reduction. As is the common practice in leadership races, Tabuns will re-assign the critic portfolios of MPPs who enter the contest.