{{short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Michael Mantha | image = File:Michael Mantha.png | caption = Mantha in 2019 | honorific_suffix = | term_end3 = | parliament4 = Ontario Provincial | term_start4 = October 6, 2011 | term_end4 = January 28, 2025 | predecessor4 = Mike Brown | successor4 = Bill Rosenberg | riding4 = Algoma—Manitoulin | party = Independent (2023–present) | other_party = New Democratic (2011–2023) | occupation = Administrative assistant | spouse = Pauline | children = 2 }} '''Michael E. Mantha'''<ref>{{cite tweet |user=ONPARLeducation|number=1547261235305058304|date=13 July 2022 |title=Within the halls of the Legislature are walls that contain the names of every Member of Provincial Parliament elected to Ontario's Legislature since 1867. The names for the 42nd Parliament were recently added. For the first time a Member's name was inscribed in Oji-Cree syllabics }}</ref> is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was elected as New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario until his removal from the Ontario NDP caucus on March 31, 2023, after which he sat as an independent. He was first elected in 2011. He represented the riding of Algoma—Manitoulin until his defeat in the 2025 Ontario general election.
==Background== Prior to his election, Mantha was a staffer in the riding office of Carol Hughes, the federal Member of Parliament for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing. He lives in Elliot Lake, Ontario with his wife Pauline and their two sons.<ref>{{cite news |title=Provincial Election this Thursday - time to vote |url=http://www.midnorthmonitor.com/2011/10/04/provincial-election-this-thursday-time-to-vote |first=Rosalind |last=Russell |newspaper=Mid-North Monitor |date=October 4, 2011}}</ref>
==Politics== Mantha ran in the 2011 provincial election as the New Democratic candidate in the riding of Algoma—Manitoulin. He defeated Liberal incumbent Mike Brown by 4,188 votes.<ref name="2011 results">{{cite web|url=http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330163815/http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 30, 2013 |title=Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=October 6, 2011 |access-date=2014-03-02 |page=1 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elliotlakestandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3325700 |title=NDP's Mantha wins Algoma-Manitoulin |newspaper=Elliot Lake Standard |date=October 6, 2011}}</ref> He was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election defeating Liberal candidate Craig Hughson by 7,668 votes.<ref name="2014 results">{{cite web |title=General Election by District: Algoma-Manitoulin |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 12, 2014 |url=http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702071254/http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=002 |archive-date=July 2, 2014 }}</ref> Mantha was re-elected in the 2022 Ontario general election.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-06-02 |title=NDP Michael Mantha is re-elected in Algoma—Manitoulin |language=en-CA |work=The Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/ontario-election/results/2022/06/02/ndp-michael-mantha-is-re-elected-in-algomamanitoulin.html |access-date=2022-06-03 |issn=0319-0781}}</ref>
He served the party's critic for a number of portfolios, including Northern Development and Mines, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation<ref>{{cite news |title=Horwath sticks around, names NDP shadow cabinet |first=David |last=Reevely |date=June 25, 2014 |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/reevely-horwath-sticks-around-names-ndp-shadow-cabinet}}</ref> and Northern Development and Tourism.<ref>{{Cite web |accessdate=June 26, 2022 |title=Michael Mantha |url=https://www.michaelmantha.com}}</ref>
Mantha introduced several pieces of legislation, including a motion that was unanimously passed to create a lyme disease strategy in Ontario.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Committee Transcript 2015-Jun-01 {{!}} Legislative Assembly of Ontario |url=https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/committees/social-policy/parliament-41/transcripts/committee-transcript-2015-jun-01 |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=www.ola.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ontario urged to do more to diagnose, treat Lyme disease |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/sudbury-lyme-disease-1.3303265 |access-date=June 27, 2022 |website=CBC}}</ref>
On April 1, 2023, Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles removed Mantha from the caucus pending the results of an investigation into alleged misconduct involving a staffer. The decision was made after Stiles received an interim report on the allegations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=D'Mello |first=Colin |date=April 1, 2023 |title=Ontario NDP ejects Michael Mantha from caucus over 'misconduct' allegations |work=Global News |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9594314/ontario-ndp-ejects-michael-mantha-miscconduct-allegations/ |access-date=April 1, 2023}}</ref>
On August 15, 2023, Mantha was permanently removed from the NDP caucus after a third-party investigation found that the allegations of workplace misconduct levied against him were substantiated.<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Katherine |last1=DeClerq |date=2023-08-15 |title=Ontario MPP permanently removed from party after misconduct allegations substantiated |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/ontario-mpp-permanently-removed-from-party-after-misconduct-allegations-substantiated/ |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=CTV News Toronto |language=en}}</ref>
He stood for re-election as an independent but was defeated.
==Electoral record== {{2025 Ontario general election/Algoma—Manitoulin}} {{2022 Ontario general election/Algoma—Manitoulin}} {{2018 Ontario general election/Algoma—Manitoulin}} {{2014 Ontario general election/Algoma—Manitoulin}}
{{CANelec/top|ON|2011|percent=yes|change=yes}} {{CANelec|ON|NDP|Michael Mantha| 11,585 | 44.52 | +7.57 }} {{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Michael A. Brown| 7,397 | 28.42 | −14.14 }} {{CANelec|ON|PC|Joe Chapman | 6,141 | 23.60 | +9.58 }} {{CANelec|ON|Green|Jason Tilson | 684 | 2.63 | −2.52 }} {{CANelec|ON|Family Coalition|David Hoffman | 217 | 0.83 | -0.50 }} {{CANelec/total|Total valid votes| 26,024 | 100.0}} {{CANelec/total|Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots|134|0.51}} {{CANelec/total|Turnout|26,158|49.43}} {{CANelec/total|Eligible voters|52,919}} {{CANelec/gain|ON|NDP|Liberal|+10.86}} {{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Ontario<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wemakevotingeasy.ca/media/EO_Site/official_GE/ED002-F0244.pdf|date=2011|title=Official return from the records / Rapport des registres officiels - Algoma—Manitoulin|author=Elections Ontario|access-date=1 June 2014}}{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>}} {{end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|https://www.michaelmantha.com}} *{{Ontario MPP biography|id=michael-mantha}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mantha, Michael}} Category:Franco-Ontarian people Category:Living people Category:Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs Category:People from Elliot Lake Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Independent MPPs in Ontario Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario