'Scarborough Always Gets the Short End of the Stick': Green Party Candidate Makes Her Case in Upcoming By-Election
As voters in Scarborough Southwest prepare for a federal by-election, they are being presented with a choice that Green Party candidate Pooja Malhotra hopes will break them free from what she calls a cycle of strategic voting and unfulfilled promises.
Malhotra, a medical copywriter and community organizer who has organized with the Scarborough Southwest 4 Palestine riding group, is positioning herself as a principled alternative to the major parties in a riding long considered a Liberal stronghold.
“Scarborough always gets the short end of the stick,” Malhotra said in an interview with The Provincial Times. “We're a multi-party system which operates as a two-party system, and that is to the detriment of just about everyone except the two parties who always win.”
The upcoming by-election, one of at least four expected this year, presents a unique opportunity. With the Liberals holding a minority government under Prime Minister Mark Carney, Malhotra believes voters can send a message without the fear of handing the reins to the Conservatives.
“With the by-election, it can go both ways,” She said. “It's an opportunity that you do not have to compromise on your principles.”
A Candidate Built on Intersectionality
Born and raised in India, Malhotra's path to politics is unconventional. A former design lecturer with a background in theatre and Bollywood, she moved to Canada in 2019 to pursue a doctorate—a plan derailed by the pandemic. That period, however, exposed her to Indigenous practices and the urgent need for genuine truth and reconciliation.
After switching gears to advertising, she now works full-time making complex science accessible. But her political awakening came long before Canada. Raised by an activist mother, she has been involved in social justice movements since high school.
Her activism intensified after Oct. 7, 2023. “I've been on the streets since October 8th,” she said, citing her work with groups like World Beyond War and the Palestinian Youth Movement. It was through organizing in her own community that she connected with the Green Party of Canada.
Her core belief is simple: “Social justice equates climate justice. You can't have one without the other.”
Taking Aim at the Carney Government
Malhotra offers a mixed but pointed review of Prime Minister Mark Carney's first year in office. While she credits his government for standing up to the U.S. on trade, she criticizes what she sees as a pattern of performative climate policy and a double standard in foreign affairs.
“He was positioned as a climate champion, but since he's been Prime Minister, most policies have been rolled back,” she said, pointing to the recent scaling back of electric vehicle mandates and the broken promise to plant two billion trees.
Her harshest criticism, however, is reserved for the government's handling of the conflict in Gaza. While Canada has recognized a Palestinian state on paper, Malhotra argues the actions haven't followed.
“It's performative at best,” she said, contrasting Canada's response with the expedited visas and special programs offered to Ukrainians fleeing war. “We've refused to do that, which is a double standard.”
She also took aim at Carney's appointment of Marco Mendicino as Chief of Staff, a vocal supporter of Israel who voted against an arms embargo, calling the move “extremely disappointing.” She argues the Trudeau government set a dangerous precedent by allowing people to lose their jobs for criticizing Israeli policy, a trend she says has continued.
“It makes you feel, to what extent are our governments willing to go to protect a third country… to the point that they will encroach upon your rights in this country as a Canadian?”
Local Issues, Global Consequences
In a riding where the median income sits at just $36,500, Malhotra's top three priorities are deeply local but, she argues, connected by a thread of federal accountability.
Her immediate focus is the restoration of federal transit funding, after the Carney government cut promised dollars for Scarborough. “We rely very heavily on public transit,” she said, arguing that funding cuts burden an already stretched city and lead to service reductions or higher taxes for residents.
Her second priority is enforcing the Canada Health Act to prevent the creeping privatization of healthcare, a battle she sees as crucial against Conservative provincial governments. “The federal government has an obligation,” she said. “It's always been just tough words, but no actions.”
Climate change, her party's flagship issue, rounds out her top three. But Malhotra frames it in local terms. “It is the poor communities in Scarborough who bear the brunt of any changes in climate,” she said, pointing to flooding, extreme heat, and residents who cannot afford air conditioning.
On Vote-Splitting and a Broken System
When confronted with the classic argument that a vote for the Greens is a vote that helps the Conservatives, Malhotra is unflinching.
“I'm not worried about it,” she said, noting that with a Liberal minority in power, a by-election loss does not change the government. “Vote splitting is a symptom of a broken system,” she added, reiterating the Green Party's call for proportional representation.
“People at the moment are constantly pressured to vote out of fear rather than conviction.”
Instead, she sees the by-election as a chance to rebuild trust. “I've never had anyone come knock on my door because it's assumed that people are going to vote a certain way anyway. Political parties don't need to earn it. I'd like to change that.”
'I Just Got Tired of Lobbying'
Malhotra is open about what sets her apart from the pack—including her ADHD, which she jokes makes her “everywhere and anywhere all the time,” and her frustration with the political class.
“I spent the past two years trying to chase Bill Blair, trying to reach his office, to the point we had to go to his house to get some attention,” she said. “And even then, it didn't matter to him what we were trying to say.”
She has no interest in being a career politician, she says, pointing to her existing career and her commitment to staying involved regardless of the election’s outcome. But she is clear about why she's running.
“I want to be the politician, because I've been in that position where I've chased representatives or so-called representatives to listen to us. I understand where the rest of the community comes from.”
The date for the Scarborough Southwest by-election has not yet been set.
