Ontario Liberals will vote this weekend to select new leader
Chosen candidate will go head-to-head with Doug Ford in 2026 election
Members of the Ontario Liberal Party are voting this weekend to select their new leader to go head-to-head with Premier Doug Ford in the 2026 election.
The party has been without a permanent leader since last year, when Steven Del Duca resigned after the 2022 provincial election produced a second dismal result in a row for the Liberals.
The four candidates members will choose from are Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Liberal MP and former provincial cabinet minister Yasir Naqvi, Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith and former Liberal MP and current provincial caucus member Ted Hsu.
The leadership race has seen the candidates sign up a record number of members, with more than 100,000 people eligible to vote for the new leader, up from 44,000 and 38,000 in the two previous leadership contests.
Voting takes place largely in person on Saturday and Sunday for Liberal members in ridings across the province, with a small number of members in more remote communities voting by mail.
The ballots are set to be hand counted on Dec. 2, with the results being announced that day at an event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Members to vote through ranked ballot system
Members are voting through a ranked ballot system, and they can either rank all four candidates, two or three of the candidates, or only list their top candidate. Points are then awarded on a weighted system, depending on how many people vote in each of the 124 ridings.
Each constituency association gets 100 points, to be awarded based on the percentage of the vote each candidate receives from members in that riding. As well, there are 10 student clubs that will award 50 points, and eight women's clubs with five points each, for a total of 12,940 points.
Voters' first choices are added up and if one candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the points, then they win. If no single candidate reaches the 50 per cent threshold, the candidate with the lowest score drops off the ballot and their voters' second choices are counted and distributed to the remaining candidates.
The process continues for up to three rounds until someone has more than 50 per cent.
Erskine-Smith and Naqvi have endorsed each other as second choices, though their supporters are not obligated to rank them that way.
Former Liberal premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne are set to speak at the Dec. 2 event before the results are announced, as is interim leader John Fraser. Fraser has led the party on an interim basis twice, after Wynne resigned in 2018 and after Del Duca resigned in 2022.
The party also announced last month that it had paid off its $3 million debt from the 2022 election, thanks in part to fundraising during the leadership campaign, which saw the party raise more than $1.46 million in the third quarter of 2023.
Bonnie Crombie wins Ontario Liberal leadership race, says party focused on beating Doug Ford
'There is no question, being an Ontario Liberal is back,' Crombie says in victory speech
The crowd in downtown Toronto erupted in cheers and chanted "Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie!" after the victory was announced.
Crombie, the perceived front-runner throughout the race, will now lead the party in its fight to defeat Premier Doug Ford and regain official party status after a disastrous 2022 election that saw the party win just eight seats and leader Steven Del Duca step down after just two years on the job.
"There is no question, being an Ontario Liberal is back," Crombie said in her victory speech. "Thank you for taking a spark and turning it into a big red flame here today."
She defeated Toronto Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP and former provincial cabinet minister Yasir Naqvi and Liberal MPP Ted Hsu.
Ford government 'in all of our sights,' Crombie says
Crombie quickly shifted her victory speech to the fight against Ford in 2026, promising to make life better for Ontarians while criticizing the sitting premier's track record on health care, education and climate change.
"Ford and his conservative cronies have been the opponents in all of our sights this entire campaign," she said. "This is our moment."
She said the Liberals need to get to work on building trust with Ontarians, while inspiring and recruiting candidates who reflect the province.
"We're going to keep this momentum going, raising our war chest that's going to help us reach voters who are very, very ready for a change," she said.
Crombie thanked the late Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion, her mentor, for teaching her the importance of being a good listener and sound financial manager.
After working as a business leader, MP and then mayor for almost decade, Crombie said today's victory was the greatest honour of her life.
Crombie does not have a seat at Queen's Park. She did not immediately say if, when or where she will look to win a provincial seat ahead of the next election, slated for 2026.
Crombie didn't say when she would step down as Mississauga's mayor, a job she has taken a leave from while campaigning.
Ford government already on the attack, NDP congratulatory
Ford's Progressive Conservatives published an attack ad on social media minutes after Crombie was elected leader.
"Bonnie and the Liberals just don't get it…They'll cost you," reads an image of Crombie the conservatives shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The image includes bullet points that suggest a Crombie-led government would see "higher taxes, more gridlock, fewer homes."
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles struck a different tone, congratulating Crombie's win with a post on X.
"As you set a new direction for your party, I'm looking forward to your ideas and contributions to the debate on the future of our great," Stiles said.
Crombie won on the third round of ranked ballot voting after leading the first round and second round, but falling short of the 50 per cent threshold needed to win. She took the leadership with roughly 53 per cent of points needed to win, after finishing with 43 per cent in the first round and 47 per cent in the second round.
Crombie's team entered Saturday's contest suggesting she could win after the first round of votes was counted. But the race finished closer than expected, with Erskine-Smith finishing with 47 per cent of the available points.
Ontario
Liberal Party leadership hopefuls, left to right, Ted Hsu, Yasir Naqvi,
Bonnie Crombie and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. Crombie came out on top
Saturday. (Sean Kilpatrick, Justin Tang, Chris Young, Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)
Former premier Dalton McGuinty spoke at the leadership convention Saturday and said the four candidates brought excitement and energy to the party and are responsible for renewing it.
"Our job beginning today is to rally behind the new leader and give them that support," he told the crowd.
"Then in the days and years that follow, our job is essentially threefold: encourage our leader, support our leader, defend our leader. All this demands...that we come together and stay together, and it's important to understand — we don't just owe our unity to our leader and to our party, we owe it to our province."
A timeline of recent Ontario Liberal leaders
-
Dalton McGuinty, 1996 to 2013 — McGuinty announced his resignation in 2012, paving the way for an intense leadership competition.
-
Kathleen Wynne, 2013 to 2018 — Wynne stepped down after her party was defeated by the Progressive Conservatives.
-
John Fraser, 2018 to 2020 — Fraser served as the party's interim leader.
-
Steven Del Duca, 2020-2022 — Del Duca stepped down after the PCs once again defeated the Liberals in the 2022 election.
-
John Fraser, 2022 until today — Fraser said he has ruled out a third stint as interim leader.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from The Canadian Press
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie elected Ontario Liberal leader
Crombie had been perceived front-runner throughout the race
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie finally reached the threshold of votes needed to become the next Ontario Liberal Party leader late Saturday afternoon, after the party released the results of a third and final round of balloting.
The crowd in downtown Toronto erupted in cheers and chanted "Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie!" after the victory was announced. You can watch Crombie's victory speech live in the player above.
Crombie, the perceived front-runner throughout the race, will now lead the party in its fight to defeat Premier Doug Ford and regain official party status after a disastrous 2022 election that saw the party win just eight seats and leader Steven Del Duca step down after just two years on the job.
"There is no question, being an Ontario Liberal is back," Crombie said in her victory speech. "Thank you for taking a spark and turning it into a big red flame here today."
Crombie quickly shifted her victory speech to the fight against Ford in 2026.
"Ford and his conservative cronies have been the opponents in all of our sights this entire campaign," she said. "This is our moment."
She said the Liberals need to get to work on building trust with Ontarians. Crombie also said the party needs to inspire and recruit candidates who reflect the province.
"We're going to keep this momentum going, raising our war chest that's going to help us reach voters who are very, very ready for a change," she said.
Crombie thanked the late Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion, her mentor, for teaching her the importance of being a good listener and sound financial manager.
After working as a business leader, MP and then mayor for almost decade, Crombie said today's victory was the greatest honour of her life.
Crombie won on the third round of ranked ballot voting after leading the first round and second round, but falling short of the 50 per cent threshold needed to win.
She took the leadership with roughly 53 per cent of points needed to win, after finishing with 43 per cent in the first round and 47 per cent in the second round.
With files from The Canadian Press
Ontario Liberals still without new leader after 2nd round of ranked voting released
Bonnie Crombie continues to lead contest, now in head-to-head race with Nate Erskine Smith
2nd ballot results in Ontario Liberal leadership race expected soon
Bonnie Crombie leads voting, while no candidate crossed threshold to win
No candidate has been elected after the first round of ranked ballot voting in the Ontario Liberal leadership race, the party announced Saturday.
The party is now moving on to a second round of ballot-counting, with candidate Ted Hsu now eliminated from the race.
Members ranked candidates from one through four, and points were awarded on a weighted system depending on how many people vote in each of the province's 124 ridings. There are a total of 12,940 points up for grabs, and a candidate needed to receive more than 50 per cent to win on the first ballot. You can watch live in the player above.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, the perceived front-runner throughout the race, lead the first round with 43 per cent of the available points.
Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith was in second, with 25 per cent of votes. Liberal MP and former provincial cabinet minister Yasir Naqvi was in third with 21 per cent.
Hsu, a former Liberal MP and current provincial caucus member, received 10 per cent of votes and has now been eliminated from contention.
None of the remaining candidates have seats in the provincial legislature, so the eventual winner will have to decide whether to look for a riding in which to run or to stay outside the chamber and build the party that way.
Former premier Dalton McGuinty spoke at the leadership convention Saturday and said the four candidates brought excitement and energy to the party and are responsible for renewing it.
"Our job beginning today is to rally behind the new leader and give them that support," he told the crowd.
"Then in the days and years that follow, our job is essentially threefold: encourage our leader, support our leader, defend our leader. All this demands...that we come together and stay together, and it's important to understand — we don't just owe our unity to our leader and to our party, we owe it to our province."
A timeline of recent Ontario Liberal leaders
- Dalton McGuinty, 1996 to 2013 — McGuinty announced his resignation in 2012, paving the way for an intense leadership competition.
- Kathleen Wynne, 2013 to 2018 — Wynne stepped down after her party was defeated by the Progressive Conservatives.
- John Fraser, 2018 to 2020 — Fraser served as the party's interim leader.
- Steven Del Duca, 2020-2022 — Del Duca stepped down after the PCs once again defeated the Liberals in the 2022 election.
- John Fraser, 2022 until today — Fraser said he has ruled out a third stint as interim leader.
With files from The Canadian Press
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Erskine-Smith, Nathaniel - M.P."
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:47:27 +0000
Subject: RE: RE Trudeau Invoking the Emergency Act and Freeland defending her liberal democracy byway of her bankster buddies
To: David Amos
Thanks for writing to Beaches-East York Member of Parliament Nathaniel Erskine-Smith about the Emergencies Act. We're sending this reply to acknowledge receiving and reading your email.
We encourage you to read Nate's speech from Monday, February 21:
Full Committee Hearing
Review of Current Investigations and Regulatory Actions Regarding the Mutual Fund Industry
Date: Thursday, November 20, 2003
Too Too Funny
So only 13,000 voted
2 Ontario Liberal leadership candidates team up to try to block Bonnie Crombie victory
MPs Yasir Naqvi and Nate Erskine-Smith announced agreement Thursday
Liberal MP and former provincial cabinet minister Yasir Naqvi and Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith announced Thursday that they have an agreement to ask supporters to select each other as their number two choice, and also to co-ordinate election weekend get-out-the-vote efforts.
"Our party faces an important decision between a principled, pragmatic Liberal Party and a party whose leadership is vulnerable to the same criticisms as the Ford Conservatives — their political baggage, priorities and donors," the two candidates wrote in a joint statement.
"For us, this contrast is fundamental and guides our decision to collaborate and rank each other as our second choice."
The statement is a not-so-subtle dig at Crombie, who both candidates have frequently criticized, and who is perceived as the frontrunner.
Crombie dismissed their attempt with a poke of her own.
"I know these two gentlemen spend a lot of time together on the federal Liberal back benches and I guess it makes sense they'd want to support each other," she wrote in a statement.
"Based on what I've heard, this agreement between them seems vague and unclear. This is not a delegated convention and I'll be honest, I'm not really sure how their deal is going to work."
Mississauga
Mayor Bonnie Crombie speaking at the Ontario Liberal leadership debate
at Toronto Metropolitan University on Sept. 20, 2023. (Michael Wilson/CBC)
In the ranked ballot system that Ontario Liberals will use to vote on the weekend of Nov. 25 and 26, party members rank their choices. If one candidate gets more than 50 per cent of the first-choice votes, they would win, but if not, the candidate with the least amount of votes gets dropped and the second choice votes are then counted for the remaining candidates.
Naqvi and Erskine-Smith say they have found a great deal of common ground, with both wanting to revitalize the grassroots of the party, restore ethics in government and invest in public education, health care and affordability while also tackling the climate crisis.
The fourth candidate in the race, former Liberal MP and current provincial caucus member Ted Hsu, wrote on social media that he was also invited to explore the arrangement but declined.
"(Liberals) worked hard to get One Member One Vote passed to give all members free votes & move beyond 'deals,"' Hsu wrote.
"Let's INSPIRE voters to scrutinize all the choices & let their voices be heard with ranked ballots."
Members at the party's annual general meeting earlier this year overwhelmingly voted to ditch delegated conventions and move to a one-member-one-vote system. Proponents say the process is more democratic, and delegated conventions put too much power in back rooms.
A new party leader to replace Steven Del Duca is set to be revealed on Dec. 2.
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