Her Worship Andrea Horwath
Horwath in 2022
58thMayor of Hamilton
Incumbent
Assumed office November 15, 2022
Preceded by	Fred Eisenberger
Leader of the Official Opposition
In office June 29, 2018 – June 28, 2022
Preceded by	Vic Fedeli
Succeeded by	Peter Tabuns
Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party
In office March 7, 2009 – June 28, 2022
Deputy	Jagmeet Singh Sara Singh John Vanthof
Preceded by	Howard Hampton
Succeeded by	Peter Tabuns (interim)
Member of theOntario Provincial Parliament forHamilton Centre (Hamilton East; 2004–2007)
In office May 13, 2004 – August 15, 2022
Preceded by	Dominic Agostino
Succeeded by	Sarah Jama
Hamilton City Councillor
In office December 1, 1997 – June 16, 2004 Serving with Ron Corsini (1997–2000)
Preceded by	Vince Agro Bill McCulloch
Succeeded by	Bob Bratina
Constituency	Ward Two
Personal details
Born	Andrea Lynn Horwath (1962-10-24)October 24, 1962 (age 62) Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Independent[a]
Other political affiliations	Ontario New Democratic (until 2022)
Domestic partner	Ben Leonetti (c. 1985–2010)
Children	1
Alma mater	McMaster University (BA)
Occupation	Politician community development worker
Signature

Andrea Lynn Horwath (/ˈhɔːrvæθ/ ^ⓘ; born October 24, 1962) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 58thmayor of Hamilton since 2022. Horwath served as the leader of theOntario New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2009 to 2022 and as theleader of the Official Opposition from 2018 to 2022.

Horwath was first elected in 1997, when she won a seat onHamilton City Council. In 2004, she was elected as themember of Provincial Parliament (MPP) forHamilton Centre, a seat she would hold until 2022. Horwath was elected as the leader Ontario NDP at the party's2009 leadership convention, and led the party through four provincial elections, before resigning in 2022. She is the first woman to lead the NDP, and the third woman (afterLyn McLeod andKathleen Wynne) to serve as leader of a party withofficial party status in Ontario.

During the2018 provincial election, Horwath led the Ontario NDP toofficial opposition status after 23 years without government or official opposition status. The results of the2022 provincial election, after which the Ontario NDP remained the official opposition, led to Horwath announcing her intention to resign as the leader of the Ontario NDP on the night of June 2, 2022.^[1] Her resignation took effect on June 28, 2022.^[2]

On July 26, 2022, Horwath announced her candidacy for mayor of Hamilton,^[3] and resigned her seat in the provincial legislature on August 15, 2022.^[4] She was elected mayor onOctober 24, 2022, and was sworn in on November 15.^[5]

Andrea Lynn Horwath^[6] was born and raised inStoney Creek.^[7] She isnamed after her father Andrew, an ethnicHungarian who had immigrated to Canada fromSlovakia, and worked on the assembly line at theFord Motor Company plant inOakville, Ontario. Her mother, Diane, is of French and Irish descent.^[8][9][10]

Horwath has aBachelor of Arts degree fromMcMaster University. While her initial program was inhuman resources, she was drawn tolabour studies. She worked part-time as a waitress to pay her way through university. After graduating, Horwath worked in literacy training, legal-aid advocacy, and "community organization".^[8]

In the Canadianfederal election of 1997, she was the NDP candidate against incumbentLiberalStan Keyes in the riding ofHamilton West. Although unsuccessful, her second-place finish was a significant improvement on previous NDP efforts in the riding, and gave her an increased level of prominence in the city.

Later in1997, she was elected toHamilton City Council for Ward Two, outpolling twoincumbents who had represented the area for more than 20 years. She emerged as a prominent voice for the political left in the city, and was re-elected to council in2000 and2003. During her three terms as city councillor, she chaired the solid-waste-management committee and the municipal non-profit housing corporation.

Horwath was elected to theLegislative Assembly of Ontario in a 2004 by-election in the then-extant provincialriding ofHamilton East, defeatingLiberal candidate Ralph Agostino to succeed the deceased Liberal memberDominic Agostino, Ralph's brother. Winning 63.6 per cent of the vote, up from the NDP's 29.4 per cent in that riding six months earlier, her landslide victory boosted the NDP's seat count over the threshold forofficial party status in the legislature, and helped give the federalNew Democratic Party a bounce in Hamilton that would continue into thefederal election shortly thereafter.

In the2007 election, Horwath ran in the new riding ofHamilton Centre, due toredistricting that divided her former Hamilton East riding between Hamilton Centre and the new riding ofHamilton East—Stoney Creek. Horwath's new Hamilton Centre riding included approximately half of her former riding as well as a portion of the former Hamilton West riding where she had run federally in 1997. It also included her entire former city council ward.

In the lead up to the campaign, Horwath was expected to face Hamilton West Liberal incumbentJudy Marsales. However, Marsales opted not to run for another term, and Horwath easily defeated Liberal candidate Steve Ruddick on election day.

On November 7, 2008, Horwath officially launched her campaign to win the party's leadership. Theleadership election was held March 6–8, 2009. Horwath led on the first two ballots, and won on the third ballot with 60.4% of the vote defeatingPeter Tabuns,Gilles Bisson andMichael Prue.^[11]

The2011 provincial election saw a rise in support for the NDP under Horwath's leadership. The party won more than 20% of the popular vote for the first time since1995 and almost doubled its seats to elect 17 members of the legislature. The election also resulted in the Liberal government ofDalton McGuinty being reduced to aminority government with the NDP holding the balance of power.

In April 2012, Horwath passed aleadership review at the party's convention with 76% support.

On May 4, Horwath announced that the NDP would be voting against the Liberals' proposed budget, triggering a spring election.^[12] Following this, PremierKathleen Wynne formally askedLieutenant GovernorDavid Onley todissolve the legislature and call an election for June 12, 2014.^[13] In the2014 provincial election, the NDP was able to maintain its seat count of 21 at dissolution despite the loss of three seats in Toronto, but lost the balance of power when the Liberals took a majority win in the election. Horwath has faced criticism from some party members and progressives for running apopulist campaign which they described as right-wing.^[14] Despite criticism of her leadership from some quarters, Horwath received a slightly increased level of support, 77%, at the party's post-election convention held on November 15.^[15]

Horwath ran in herthird election as NDP leader against the Liberal government led byKathleen Wynne and a Progressive Conservative Party led byDoug Ford. Horwath promised to introduce "Canada's first universal Pharmacare plan", highlighted by a universaldental plan and aprescription drug plan that "will initially cover 125 of the most commonly prescribed drugs".^[16][17] She also promised achild care plan in which seventy per cent of Ontario parents "would either have free child care or pay an average of $12 a day in a licensed not-for-profit daycare".^[17] Horwath promised to returnHydro One to public ownership by buying back privately held shares.^[18] She also said that she would close thePickering Nuclear Generating Station immediately, while the other party leaders have pledged to keep it open until 2024.^[19] The NDP promised to increase corporate tax rates from 11.5 to 12.5 per cent,^[20] as well as introducing an income tax increase for those earning over $220,000 per year.^[21] Horwath said the province would fund half of the operating cost of municipal transit^[22] and indicated that she would not introduce back-to-work legislation.^[18] The party's support inpublic opinion polls increased in May 2018,^[23] leading to greater media attention and greater scrutiny. With her party gainingofficial opposition status, she became theLeader of the Official Opposition during the42nd Parliament, the second highest number of seats in the party's history.^[24] The NDP took all of old Toronto (i.e., what was the city of Toronto before the 1998 creation of the "megacity" of Toronto), as well as all but one seat in Hamilton and all but one seat in Niagara.

Horwath and the NDP released their 2022 platform in April 2022. The NDP's campaign focused on increased funding for social programs and government services, which would be paid for through higher taxes on businesses and individuals earning over $200,000 per year. Funding would go toward reducing class sizes, raising welfare payments and disability payments, subsidies for black, indigenous and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, hiring more healthcare and education staff and increased wages for public servants. The NDP also proposed to expand COVID-19 vaccine mandates, implement a mixed member proportional electoral system, to close down all privately owned long-term care facilities and to stop the construction of new highway projects.^[25] Horwath was re-elected in Hamilton Centre and the NDP won opposition, but it lost 9 seats and placed third in the popular vote.^[26] Horwath resigned as leader election night. The election set a record for the lowest voter turnout in an Ontario provincial election, as only 44.06% of the people who were eligible voted. On August 15, 2022, she resigned as the MPP for Hamilton Centre.

Horwath ran as a candidate for the position ofMayor of Hamilton, Ontario in the October2022 Hamilton, Ontario municipal election.^[27] She was elected on October 24, 2022.^[28] Horwath is the first woman to be elected mayor in Hamilton's history.^[29] Prior to amalgamation, the suburban communities ofStoney Creek andAncaster had women mayors and former Hamilton Controller, Anne Jones, served as the first regional chair for theRegion of Hamilton-Wentworth was also a woman.^[30]

Horwath took office as mayor on November 15, 2022. She is one of the highest paid mayors in Canada, earning over $270,000 in 2023.^[31]

In September 2024, she moved to makeNational Day of Truth and Reconciliation a municipal holiday.^[32]

In the 2023 budget, city council approved a 5.8% property tax increase, with the housing budget increasing by 30%.^[33] Similarly, the 2024 budget increased property taxes by 5.79%.^[34]

In April 2023, Hamilton city council declared a state of emergency over opioids, homelessness, and mental health.^[35]

In April 2024, following city council's rejection of the plan, Horwath used her strong mayor powers to pass a plan to build affordable housing on a Stoney Creek parking lot.^[36][37] Hamilton’s ethics watchdog later cleared Horwath of wrongdoing in response to a complaint over her role in advancing the plan.^[38] The provincial government had previously rewarded Hamilton with $17.5 million for exceeding 2023 housing targets.^[39]

In August 2024, she endorsed a previously proposed plan on sanctioned encampments offering tiny homes to unhoused people.^[40] The city later banned tents in public parks, and was sued by 14 unhoused residents, citing alleged infringedcharter rights. TheOntario Superior Court later ruled in the city's favour in December 2024.^[41][42] The city also approved a plan to build an outdoor shelter onBarton Street, constructed in December 2024.^[43][44]

She lives in Hamilton with her son Julian (born November 1992), who is a rapper.^[45] In a March 2011 interview with theToronto Star, she spoke publicly for the first time about the breakup of her longtime relationship with Julian's father, Hamilton businessman Ben Leonetti.^[46] Horwath had met Ben Leonetti in her university years, when she was working part-time as a waitress and he was a jazz musician. The two lived together for 25 years without getting married and split up in 2010.^[47]

In March 2012, Horwath received the EVE award which is sponsored byEqual Voice, a non-profit organization focused on promoting women in politics. Past recipients have included women from every level of government.^[48]

Notes:

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