Trudeau resignation raises questions about the Liberal legacy in Mississauga ahead of election 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was a common sight over the last three election campaigns, stumping for candidates across Mississauga while securing critical seats to form his government. 

His Liberal candidates managed to keep all six seats red for a decade. 

With the PM’s resignation announced this morning, and support for the Liberals at an all-time low across Canada—the most recent Angus Reid poll shows just 16 percent of leaning and decided voters would choose the Party, its lowest level since 2014—the future of Mississauga as a reliable source of Liberal seats is uncertain. 

A possible shift in representation comes at a time when the importance of a strong relationship between municipalities and the federal government has never been more important.

As Mississauga continues its rapid growth—the provincial government has mandated 120,000 housing units by 2031—it will need assistance from Ottawa to ensure the rapid development is accompanied by infrastructure such as high-order transit and other features to make the city a desirable destination. 

In December 2023, Mississauga was given $112.9 million through the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund, which will support this development. But the figure represents a fraction of what is needed to support some 200,000 new residents. 

Mississauga, along with the rest of Peel, has been grappling with an influx of asylum claimants in recent years with the Region developing a long-term strategy including a permanent GTA reception centre near Pearson International Airport with $135 million of funding from Ottawa. Local MPs will be expected to continue advocating for more support to address the ongoing demand to help refugees from around the world who find safe harbour in Mississauga.

The city is already having trouble finding hundreds of millions of dollars to cover the municipal share of operating costs for the Hurontario LRT and to help fund the local share of its new hospital (due to a lack of money councillors had to reject a $450 million request from Trillium Health Partners). Pressure from an unprecedented increase to the budget for Peel Regional Police and a growing gap in critical infrastructure projects that require funding would be eased with grants from Ottawa for a range of other needs. 

But the city’s six Liberal MPs have not been able to attract much in the way of investments for their own constituents, from the government they represent.

They have faced criticism for failing to deliver equitable per-capita funding for projects such as the redevelopment of Port Credit (which the Liberals chose not to fund) but Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre, widely viewed as the prime minister in waiting, has provided few details of how he will help high-growth cities like Mississauga, which are in desperate need of infrastructure help.

The Pointer previously reported that a total of $65.2 million in federal funding was sent to Mississauga over a four-year period to help with around 70 infrastructure projects, according to data from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Plan website. The figure represents a mere fraction of the per capita infrastructure funding — about $1.5 billion over the four-year period from 2015 to 2019 — Mississauga should have received.

Iqra Khalid, MP Mississauga—Erin Mills says she will seek reelection when the election is announced this year. (The Pointer Files)

While there have been other funding envelopes since, including money to support major transit expansions, for a city of almost 800,000 residents that is set to reach a million within a decade under the PC government’s housing target, Mississauga has not had effective representation in Ottawa to secure fair-share funding. 

It is unclear how the federal Housing Accelerator funding or the $30 billion Canada Public Transit Fund will be managed for Mississauga after an election that will likely happen in the spring.

Speculation about Trudeau’s departure has been swirling for months and grew after the resignation of Chrystia Freeland, the minister of finance and deputy prime minister in mid-December, the day she was meant to deliver the fall economic statement.

With the Canadian Parliament now prorogued until March 24th, an election might happen two or three months later.

In the meantime, Mississauga’s six Liberal MPs will be considering their political futures. Omar Alghabra (Mississauga Centre) who had served as transport minister, has already said he will not be seeking re-election. 

Below is a summary of Mississauga’s federal representatives and what the future might hold for them. 

Peter Fonseca, Liberal Mississauga East—Cooksville

Fonseca, who has represented Mississauga East—Cooksville since 2015, mentioned his riding or the municipality the most out of all the Mississauga MPs over a two-year period tracked by The Pointer, speaking 39 times in the first two years following the 2019 election. He defended Bills while routinely going head-to-head in heated debates about the environment, human rights and other topics while defending his Party. There has been no indication that he will not be running in the upcoming election (he did not publicly call for Trudeau to step down) and his support has remained steady throughout his time in office, winning more than 50 percent of the vote during each election since 2015. The Liberal candidate sat on the foreign affairs and international development committee and also co-chaired the subcommittee on international human rights of the standing committee on foreign affairs and international development. 

Iqwinder Gaheer, Liberal Mississauga—Malton

First-time Liberal MP, Gaheer replaced Navdeep Bains in Mississauga-Malton in the 2021 election, claiming the riding with over 52 percent of the vote. He was 28 and entered the political arena to tackle the housing crisis, his top issue. With many pressures facing his complex riding, cut off from the rest of the city by Pearson Airport, there has been no indication he will not be running in the upcoming election.  
 

Iqwinder Gaheer (right), replaced Navdeep Bains as representative for Mississauga—Malton in 2021.

(The Pointer Files)

Iqra Khalid, Liberal Mississauga—Erin Mills

Khalid has held her seat for the Mississauga—Erin Mills riding since 2015 and currently acts as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue. She has since become a critical voice for women’s rights, confronting gender violence and fighting inequities. Khalid made her priorities around tackling discrimination known, speaking frequently on committees that confronted equality, injustice and human rights abuses. A spokesperson from MP Khalid’s office confirmed to The Pointer on Monday, that “she will be seeking re-election in the next federal election.”

Omar Alghabra, Liberal Mississauga Centre

Alghabra, Peel’s most senior federal politician and a key member of Trudeau’s cabinet during the Covid-19 pandemic, announced in 2023 he would not be seeking re-election and subsequently stepped down from his position as transportation minister. In the absence of a Liberal candidate, the Conservatives named Muhammad Ishaq as their candidate for Mississauga Centre in the upcoming election.

Charles Sousa, Liberal Mississauga – Lakeshore

Sousa won a 2022 by-election in Mississauga – Lakeshore after a six-month period when residents were without representation following the resignation of Sven Spengemann. He won the seat with just over 51 percent of the vote, beating out Conservative candidate Ron Chhinzer by approximately 3,300 votes. Sousa, who served the area provincially for over a decade from 2007 to 2018, is currently the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement. The riding—which covers the southern part of Mississauga—includes the neighbourhoods of Clarkson, Lakeview, Lorne Park, Mineola, Port Credit, Sheridan, Sheridan Park, Southdown and parts of Erindale and Cooksville. Tom Ellard is the Conservative candidate in the upcoming election. It is unclear if Sousa will be seeking re-election. There has been no indication that he will not be running.  

Rechie Valdez, Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville 

As a first term MP elected in the 2021 federal election, winning more than 47 percent of the vote, Valdez is the first Filipino-Canadian woman elected as an MP in Canada. Formerly an entrepreneur, having owned and operated a small business, Valdez also serves as the Minister of Small Business representing a riding with a significant entrepreneurial footprint. There has been no indication from Valdez that she will not be running in the election now on the horizon. The Mississauga—Streetsville race could be crucial for the Conservatives with a well known candidate, current Mississauga Ward 11 Councillor Sue McFadden.

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