NDP makes its choice in Oshawa

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

A week after receiving heavy criticism from former labour leader Sid Ryan, the NDP has chosen its candidate in Oshawa.
Shailene Panylo received the party’s local nomination nod on Sept. 6.
As previously reported by The Oshawa Express, Panylo has received past recognition for her efforts to improve multiculturalism in the community.
In 2016, she was named one of three winners of the Lincoln M. Alexander Award, an annual award recognizing youth in Ontario who strive to make the province a more inclusive and open place.
In a Facebook post after her win, Panylo called it one “of the most incredibly humbling experiences of my life.”
“We did it. Thank you to all those who believed in me, supported me, and helped me get to this place,” Panylo wrote. “Without you this wouldn’t be possible, and I’m grateful to be surrounded by such power and positivity.”
At the end of August, Ryan, the former president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, blasted the party’s handling of the local candidate selection process.
He claimed the NDP had delayed vetting potential candidates, keeping them and the local riding association in the dark.
Ryan went on to state he had repeatedly brought his concerns to local party officials.
“But their hands are tied by the lack of a response from Ottawa. To be fair, the entire process is [in] shambles, and has all the hallmarks of an unfair and rigged nomination meeting,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
Ryan would eventually withdraw his intention to run, and called on party leader Jagmeet Singh to address the situation.
Canada’s 2019 federal election will take place on and before Monday, Oct. 21.
Under candidate Mary Fowler, the NDP finished second in the 2015 election, with Fowler receiving 31.87 per cent, or 19,339 votes.