For the third time since 2018, Ontario’s Liberals are in search of a new leader members hope can return them to power. Party leader Bonnie Crombie announced late Sunday afternoon that she intends to resign after her successor was chosen. Her exit comes after less than two years on the job but follows a weak showing in a weekend leadership vote at the party’s annual general meeting. Crombie initially told Liberals that the 57 per cent support she garnered would not mark the “finish line” for her, adding that a new leadership contest “would do more harm than good.” A few hours later, however, she expressed a change of heart after consulting with friends, the party executive, and her caucus. “People were there…to support their friend and their colleague, and she asked them for their advice,” longtime Liberal MPP John Fraser told CTV News Toronto. Fraser is rejecting reports of a caucus “revolt,” saying he believes Crombie’s resignation was “the right thing to do.” “I think that she knew that (staying on) would be a greater distraction than a leadership race would be. And so for us to go forward, that’s what needed to happen,” he said. In February’s provincial election, Crombie was able to grow the party’s share of the popular vote, increase its seat count, and reclaim party status but she was unable to win her own Mississauga riding and deliver seats for the party in the voter-rich 905. “If we’re promised certain results, we should expect that from our leader,” said Nicholas Aboagye, the president of the University of Waterloo Young Liberals. “If we really want to make the inroads with Ontarians and actually have a chance of forming government in the next election, I think it’s best to have a new leader that’s able to resonate with Ontarians more.” The Ontario Liberal Party executive will take time to lay out the rules and a timeline for its leadership contest. Beaches East-York Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, the runner-up to Crombie in the last race, is seen as a potential contender. Erskine-Smith said Saturday that he had no idea what his future holds. Burlington Liberal MP Karena Gould who challenged Mark Carney for leadership of the federal party is also being encouraged to run for the top provincial job. Not a question of how quickly, but how well Ontario’s Liberal choose new leader: political analyst CTV News political analyst Scott Reid says it’s not a question of how quickly Ontario Liberals choose a new leader, but how well. “What the party really, really needs is someone who can light the lamp, someone who has the political talent to break through, to get noticed, to take the fight to Doug Ford, to eclipse and leap over the provincial NDP,” Reid said, cautioning Ontario’s Liberals to take the time required to attract quality candidates. “This party cannot afford to keep coming third, or it may not be around to compete in elections down the road.”
