Kingston’s own Ted Hsu has a vision for the Ontario Liberals and he’s ready to share it with the rest of the province.
A large crowd gathered on May 28 to hear Kingston’s Member of Provincial Parliament, Ted Hsu, launch his campaign to become the next leader of Ontario’s Liberal Party.
“The Ontario Liberal Party needs to change,” Hsu said during his speech. “I think the right question to ask is whom are we not serving?”
According to Hsu, Ontarians are having the same problems—they are struggling to afford housing and access healthcare, and they worry about sustainability. Hsu plans to address all these crises.
Hsu disagreed with Premier Doug Ford’s greenbelt development plan, arguing Ontarians need homes close to where they work, and attached to public transportation.
“We will be living closer together with more and different neighbors but we’re in a housing crisis and that is how we’re going to beat the housing crisis, preserve our green spaces, and give people a chance to afford a place to call home,” Hsu said.
Despite his dissent with Ford’s plans, Hsu wants to ground his campaign in trust and hope.
“If you came here to hear jokes and cheap shots at Doug Ford, I’m not your man,” Hu said to the crowd.
In an interview with The Journal, Hsu acknowledged graduate students are underfunded, and are deserving of leaders who will invest in them. The current provincial government’s 2023 budget didn’t increase funding for graduate students.
“There’s a lot of payback later on in having talented people in the economy, if we them early,” Hsu said. “Having been a graduate student and a postdoc myself, I know the value of ing the graduate students.”
Hsu told The Journal he believes he’s the right man for the job because of his background in science, business, and sustainability. He has political experience, having been the federal Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands between 2011 and 2015. He’s been Kingston’s representative at Queen’s Park since 2022.
A Queen’s alumni, Hsu encouraged Queen’s students to embrace change and adopt new skills.
“You should try to learn skills, because skills are transferable,” Hsu said. “Don’t worry what your first job is, it will change.”
At the event, Rob Baker, the guitarist for Kingston-born band The Tragically Hip described Hsu as ethical, principled, intelligent, and as wanting a more equitable society for all Ontarians.
In Hsu’s opinion, Ontario’s fresh start is going to start with finding common ground between different communities.
“I think it’s the role of the Liberal Party to find common ground; the Liberal Party is at its best when its finding common ground between different communities. We’ve got to find common ground between rural and urban and suburban in northern Ontario,” Hsu said.
A common thread in Hsu’s speech was maple syrup, which was given to him by a local who promised free maple syrup to every politician who knocked on his door—according to Hsu, he’s the owner of the only bottle so far.
“If we go out and find that maple syrup,” Hsu said, “We will together taste
sweet success.”
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