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Federal Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith lost the Ontario Liberal nomination for the Scarborough Southwest provincial byelection on Saturday after being narrowly defeated by local businessman Ahsanul Hafiz.

Hafiz, who owns and operates 30 Domino’s Pizza franchise locations across Ontario, won the byelection by only 19 votes. Pictures circulated on social media showed sample ballots handed out prior to the vote in Bengali, instructing voters to elect him.

Liberal Party of Ontario members are being given sample ballots in Bengali with instructions to vote for the Bangladeshi candidate at the Scarborough Southwest nomination contest.

No further commentary necessary. https://t.co/P26k4zwhDx pic.twitter.com/K4TH0B6Bm6

— Harrison Faulkner (@Harry__Faulkner) May 9, 2026

Speaking to reporters in the rain after his defeat, Erskine-Smith questioned the voting procedures amid reports of anomalies and asserted he needed to engage in a 'de-brief' with his team before commenting further.

Numerous individuals allegedly attempted to vote despite lacking proper ID, claiming they had 'lost their driver's licenses' or had only just moved to the area.

NEW: Nate Erskine-Smith, in a rainy scrum, says he needs to do a “full debrief with his team” about the voting process. Said those in the room told him they “had never seen anything like it.”
Says he wants to talk to his team to see if there is a legitimate reason to challenge. pic.twitter.com/cTZbu0S0Pu

— Laura Stone (@l_stone) May 9, 2026

Erskine-Smith has also questioned the party's rule allowing temporary residents to vote in the contest while other memberships were disqualified.

The Liberal MP is facing backlash from conservative critics who point out that he has supported the Liberals' mass immigration policies for years, and is only now beginning to face personal consequences.

How ethnic voting and mass immigration just ruined the political career of Nate Erskine-Smith.

Pay attention, Canada. This is what our future looks like. pic.twitter.com/BC8q58HOTI

— Harrison Faulkner (@Harry__Faulkner) May 10, 2026

Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant noted that this may be the first time a Liberal politician has been directly impacted by mass immigration policies, as it's usually young Canadians facing unemployment and housing shortages.

Erskine-Smith was endorsed by Mark Carney in the byelection, with his defeat now appearing to crush his hopes of leading Ontario's Liberal Party into the future. For a politician who has long supported the federal Liberals’ immigration policies, the defeat carries a particular irony.

Scarborough Southwest members selected Hafiz — an immigrant entrepreneur who started from delivery work and now employs hundreds through his 30 Domino’s locations — over the high-profile Ottawa insider.