# Taras Natyshak

Taras Natyshak (born October 12, 1977) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2011 to 2022, representing the riding of Essex.

## Background

Natyshak was born in Essex County, Ontario. Natyshak studied political science and labour studies at the University of Windsor. He served as director of training for the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA). He and his wife Jennifer live in Belle River with their two children.

## Politics

Natyshak ran as the New Democrat candidate in the federal elections of 2006, 2008 and 2011 in the riding of Essex. He failed to win in each year.
In the 2011 provincial election, he ran as the New Democrat candidate in the riding of Essex. He defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Dave Brister by 1,368 votes. He was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election defeating PC candidate Ray Cecile by 17,914 votes.
He was the party's critic for labour issues.
On June 24, 2020, Natyshak saw controversy after he called Ontario Premier Doug Ford a 'piece of shit' during Question Period when Ford was talking about reopening of the Windsor area during the COVID-19 pandemic. He later apologized for using "unparliamentarily language."
On December 10, 2021, Natyshak announced he would not seek re-election in the 2022 Ontario general election for a fourth term.

## Electoral record
### Provincial elections

2018 Ontario general election: Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Taras Natyshak | 26,134 | 47.95 | -12.36 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Chris Lewis | 23,423 | 42.98 | +21.20 |
| | Liberal | Kate Festeryga | 3,026 | 5.55 | -8.78 |
| | Green | Nancy Pancheshan | 1,920 | 3.52 | -0.06 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 54,503 | 99.34 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 363 | 0.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,866 | 56.12 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 97,773 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | -16.78 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||
2014 Ontario general election: Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Taras Natyshak | 28,118 | 60.34 | +22.35 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ray Cecile | 10,169 | 21.82 | -13.19 |
| | Liberal | Crystal Meloche | 6,628 | 14.22 | -10.90 |
| | Green | Mark Vercouteren | 1,685 | 3.62 | +1.74 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 46,600 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +17.77 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||
2011 Ontario general election: Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Taras Natyshak | 17,417 | 37.99 | +17.22 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Dave Brister | 16,049 | 35.01 | +10.00 |
| | Liberal | Ken Schmidt | 11,518 | 25.12 | -22.90 |
| | Green | Jason Matyi | 860 | 1.88 | -3.46 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 45,844 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 168 | 0.37 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,012 | 51.38 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 89,549 |
| | New Democratic gain from Liberal | New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +3.61 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||

### Federal elections

vte2011 Canadian federal election: Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jeff Watson | 25,327 | 48.1% | +8.1% |
| | New Democratic | Taras Natyshak | 18,538 | 35.2% | +8.6% |
| | Liberal | Nelson Santos | 7,465 | 14.2% | -14.9% |
| | Green | Cora Carriveau | 1,290 | 2.4% | -1.9% |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Enver Villamizar | 77 | 0.1% | -0.1% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 52,697 | 99.6% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 233 | 0.4% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 52,930 | 100.0% |
Source: Elections Canada
vte2008 Canadian federal election: Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Jeff Watson | 20,608 | 40.0% | -0.4% | $87,306 |
| | Liberal | Susan Whelan | 14,973 | 29.1% | -5.0% | $87,544 |
| | New Democratic | Taras Natyshak | 13,703 | 26.6% | +3.9% | $47,430 |
| | Green | Richard Bachynsky | 2,234 | 4.3% | +1.6% | $0 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 51,518 | 100.0% | $90,595 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 206 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,724 | % |
vte2006 Canadian federal election: Essex :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jeff Watson | 23,125 | 40.4% | +3.8% |
| | Liberal | Susan Whelan | 19,508 | 34.1% | -0.9% |
| | New Democratic | Taras Natyshak | 12,992 | 22.7% | -1.7% |
| | Green | James McVeity | 1,518 | 2.7% | -1.2% |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Robert Cruise | 108 | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 57,251 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 57,251 | 100.0% |