Federal NDP candidate for Oakville East, Hailey Ford Credit: Trudi Ford
Hailey Ford has lived in Oakville since birth. For as long as she can remember, she’s been driven by a desire to do good in her community and country. To that end, Hailey Ford is running in the current election as the federal NDP candidate for Oakville East.
It’s important for Small Change listeners to know more about this young politician who is determined to fight for her constituents, and all Canadians, to help make life more affordable while safeguarding and ensuring democratic rights.
As a student, Hailey attended public elementary and high schools in Oakville. As a patient at local hospitals and as a user of public transit, Hailey had the opportunity to meet, speak, and listen to people in the Oakville community making note of their concerns, ideas for improvements as well as existing services that meet their needs.
As a volunteer, Hailey has worked heavily with the United Way as well as the Ontario Health Coalition and is the current youth representative for the Oakville North-Burlington and Oakville East NDP.
Federal NDP Oakville East candidate Hailey Ford addressing the privatization of health care Credit: Photo provided by Hailey Ford
Hailey was a founding member of the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) New Democrats where she is a third-year journalism student and president of the Journalism Course Union.
An article Hailey co-authored on student labour organizing was shortlisted for the 2025 Canadian University Press’ John H. McDonald Awards for Excellence in Student Journalism CWA Labour Reporting Award. Hailey’s writing and labour activism is borne from her belief in the importance of accessible, factual information and in maintaining reliable journalism and reporting.
Hailey believes strongly in electoral reform maintaining that Canadians deserve to vote for a candidate and a party, not against one. She sees the need to promote more choice at the polls in order to keep Canadians fully engaged in democracy and participating in the democratic process.
Federal NDP candidate for Oakville East, Hailey Ford (center front in orange jacket), with supporters Credit: Photo provided by Hailey Ford
The current state of the world means that youth and young adults can’t afford to be disengaged. Yet, this demographic is exponentially feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis; grappling with climate anxiety; and trying to find their financial footing when stable, full-time jobs with benefits are basically a thing of the past.
Hailey wants to ensure that the voices of youth and young adults aren’t left behind. “The world we build needs to be one that looks to tomorrow because without supporting, or remembering, our young people, we slip further and further away from the future we need to see,” Hailey told Small Change.
Hailey, and the NDP, know that political representatives need to step up and do better for Canadians. Hailey Ford says that she would be honoured to serve and fight for constituents, and Canadians, in parliament.
Hailey and I start our conversation focusing on the current first-past-the- post electoral system which has not served voters well. We discuss the issues that keep voters, especially young adults, from voting before moving onto the changes that Hailey would like to see implemented and how those changes would differ from past efforts to push for electoral reform and improve voter turn out.
Federal NDP Oakville East candidate Hailey Ford listening to what young voters want Credit: Trudi Ford
Hailey also shares what she has been hearing as she knocks on doors and speaks with young adults in Oakville and at TMU, including the top five most pressing issues that are affecting young people today and how NDP policy would address those concerns.
Since the former Trudeau government failed to give Canadians proportional representation, Hailey has a message for disenfranchised voters tired of strategically voting to stop the candidate they don’t want instead of voting for the progressive, worker-centered party that will put Mother Earth and people ahead of profit.
Order a lawn sign at hailey.ford@ndp.ca ahead of the April 28th election date.
Thanks to everyone who read today’s article and listened to my podcast. With your continued support, a little Nicoll can make a lot of change.
Music: Real Estate by UNIVERSFIELD is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License. freemusicarchive.org.
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