The New Democratic Party of Ontario ran a full slate of candidates in the 1981 provincial election and won 21 seats out of 125 to become the third-largest party in the legislature. Many of the party's candidates have their own biography pages; information about others may be found here.
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Residence | Occupation | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dufferin—Simcoe | Edward Robinson | 4,007 | 3rd | ||||
| Hastings—Peterborough | Elmer Buchanan | 2,968 | 3rd | ||||
| Muskoka–Georgian Bay | James Maguire | 3,214 | 3rd | ||||
| Northumberland | Benjamin Burd | 2,711 | 3rd | ||||
| Peterborough | J. Paul Rexe | Member of Peterborough City Council (1980–1987 & 1972–1974) NDP candidate for Peterborough in the 1980 federal election | Peterborough | Teacher | 8,756 | 3rd | |
| Simcoe Centre | Gaye Lamb | 4,532 | 3rd | ||||
| Simcoe East | Fayne Bullen | 9,085 | 2nd | ||||
| Victoria—Haliburton | Arthur Field | 2,449 | 3rd |
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Residence | Occupation | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carleton | Judy Wasylycia-Leis | 5,446 | 3rd | ||||
| Carleton East | Evelyn Gigantes | Member of Provincial Parliament for Carleton East (1975–1981) | Radio/television broadcaster | 11,579 | 3rd | ||
| Cornwall | George Samis | 9,484 | 1st | ||||
| Frontenac—Addington | James Maloney | 2,374 | 3rd | ||||
| Kingston and the Islands | Ronald Murray | 3,897 | 3rd | ||||
| Lanark | Charles Bennett | 2,659 | 3rd | ||||
| Leeds | Robert Smith | 2,940 | 3rd | ||||
| Ottawa Centre | Michael Cassidy | 9,316 | 1st | ||||
| Ottawa East | Danielle Page | 1,905 | 3rd | ||||
| Ottawa South | Chris Chilton | 6,146 | 3rd | ||||
| Ottawa West | John MacMillan | 2,348 | 3rd | ||||
| Prescott and Russell | Claude Dion | 1,828 | 3rd | ||||
| Prince Edward—Lennox | Lorne King | 1,423 | 3rd | ||||
| Quinte | Reg Pearson | 1,795 | 3rd | ||||
| Renfrew North | Philip Chester | 1,086 | 3rd | ||||
| Renfrew South | Aileen Pattinson | 1,174 | 3rd | ||||
| Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry | Clifford O'Neill | 1,836 | 3rd |
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Residence | Occupation | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock | Heather Kilty | 4,204 | 3rd | ||||
| Erie | Barrie MacLeod | 3,586 | 3rd | ||||
| Hamilton Centre | Michael Davison | Journalist | 6,930 | 2nd | |||
| Hamilton East | Robert W. Mackenzie | Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton East (1975–1995) | Union leader (United Steelworkers) | 12,773 | 1st | ||
| Hamilton Mountain | Brian Charlton | Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton Mountain (1977–1995) | Hamilton | Property assessor | 11,008 | 1st | |
| Hamilton West | Joy Warner | 4,255 | 3rd | ||||
| Lincoln | Paavo Vuorinen | 2,009 | 3rd | ||||
| Niagara Falls | Richard Harrington | 4,665 | 3rd | ||||
| St. Catharines | Donald Loucks | 4,927 | 3rd | ||||
| Welland–Thorold | Mel Swart | Member of Provincial Parliament for Welland–Thorold (1977–1988) Member of Provincial Parliament for Welland (1975–1977) Mayor of Thorold (1955–1965) Member of Thorold Town Council (1948–1954) | 13,379 | 1st | |||
| Wentworth | Colin Isaacs | 9,864 | 2nd | ||||
| Wentworth North | Johann Orr | 4,702 | 3rd |
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Residence | Occupation | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algoma | Bud Wildman | Member of Provincial Parliament for Algoma (1975–1999) | Echo Bay | Teacher | 7,096 | 1st | |
| Algoma—Manitoulin | Peter Boychuck | 2,336 | 3rd | ||||
| Cochrane North | Emil Touchette | 4,426 | 3rd | ||||
| Cochrane South | Clifford Simpson | 2,777 | 2nd | ||||
| Fort William | Paul Lannon | 7,585 | 2nd | ||||
| Kenora | Colin Wasacase | 4,170 | 2nd | ||||
| Lake Nipigon | Jack Stokes | 7,846 | 1st | ||||
| Nickel Belt | Floyd Laughren | Member of Provincial Parliament for Nickel Belt (1971–1998) | Sudbury | Professor at Cambrian College | 8,451 | 1st | |
| Nipissing | Arthur Peltomaa | 1,774 | 3rd | ||||
| Parry Sound | Arthur Davis | 1,448 | 3rd | ||||
| Port Arthur | Jim Foulds | Member of Provincial Parliament for Port Arthur (1971–1987) | Teacher | 12,258 | 1st | ||
| Rainy River | Alan Tibbetts | 2,438 | 3rd | ||||
| Sault Ste. Marie | Susan Brothers | 7,162 | 3rd | ||||
| Sudbury | Bud Germa | 8,052 | 2nd | ||||
| Sudbury East | Elie Martel | Member of Provincial Parliament for Sudbury East (1967–1987) | Sudbury | Teacher | 13,883 | 1st | |
| Timiskaming | Robert Bain | Farmer | 6,768 | 2nd |
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Residence | Occupation | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brant—Oxford—Norfolk | William Jefferies | 2,899 | 3rd | ||||
| Brantford | Mac Makarchuk | 9,588 | 2nd | ||||
| Cambridge | Monty Davidson | 11,748 | 2nd | ||||
| Chatham—Kent | Ronald Franko | 6,508 | 2nd | ||||
| Elgin | James Campbell | 3,250 | 3rd | ||||
| Essex North | Marcel Lefebvre | 5,911 | 2nd | ||||
| Essex South | Blake Sanford | 4,349 | 4th | ||||
| Grey | Joan Stone | 1,629 | 3rd | ||||
| Grey–Bruce | Frank Butler | 1,455 | 3rd | ||||
| Haldimand—Norfolk | Lois Berry | 3,744 | 3rd | ||||
| Huron–Bruce | Tony McQuail | 1,979 | 3rd | ||||
| Huron–Middlesex | Gwendolyn Pemberton | 1,170 | 3rd | ||||
| Kent–Elgin | Edward Cutler | 1,591 | 3rd | ||||
| Kitchener | Ian MacFarlane | 4,126 | 3rd | ||||
| Kitchener—Wilmot | Hemi Mitic | 3,686 | 3rd | ||||
| Lambton | Ralph Wensley | 1,276 | 3rd | ||||
| London Centre | Diane Risler | 3,189 | 3rd | ||||
| London North | Rene Saumur | 3,864 | 3rd | ||||
| London South | Dale Green | 5,187 | 3rd | ||||
| Middlesex | Larry Green | 2,155 | 3rd | ||||
| Oxford | Wayne Colbran | 3,673 | 3rd | ||||
| Perth | Scott Wilson | 1,881 | 3rd | ||||
| Sarnia | Charles Sullivan | 5,292 | 3rd | ||||
| Waterloo North | W. Needham | 3,672 | 3rd | ||||
| Wellington—Dufferin—Peel | Mary Chambers | 4,650 | 3rd | ||||
| Wellington South | Terence Crowley | 5,934 | 3rd | ||||
| Windsor—Riverside | Dave Cooke | Member of Provincial Parliament for Windsor—Riverside (1977–1997) | Windsor | Social worker | 13,626 | 1st | |
| Windsor—Sandwich | Ted Bounsall | 7,315 | 2nd | ||||
| Windsor—Walkerville | Ray Simpson | 4,988 | 2nd |