Bonnie Crombie seeks Ontario Liberal leadership, denounces Doug Ford
Crombie says she's running for the Liberal leadership to replace Doug Ford.
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published May 22, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
After securing Mississauga's split from Brampton, Mayor Crombie looks to take over Ontario's Liberal Party and take on Premier Doug Ford.
After securing Mississauga's split from Brampton, Mayor Crombie looks to take over Ontario's Liberal Party and take on Premier Doug Ford. (CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
After securing Mississauga’s divorce from Brampton, Bonnie Crombie is looking to trade up from mayor to premier. Crombie is seeking the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
A campaign website launched Monday morning explains why she is running and attacks Premier Doug Ford, who just granted Crombie’s wish to see Mississauga split from Peel Region.
“I’m a centrist by nature. I’m socially progressive, but fiscally responsible,” the website states. “Ontario is a tipping point. We cannot afford more of what this government has done over the past five years.”
The website wasn’t up for long though and was taken down shortly after the Sun contacted Crombie for comment about the site.
The 63-year-old former MP has been mayor of Ontario’s third-largest city since 2014. With deep roots in both federal and provincial Liberal circles, Crombie would be a formidable contender for the post and a strong foe for Ford.
The question: Why on earth would Crombie want to run?
She’s just been given something she has longed for, taking Mississauga out of Peel Region and making it an independent city. When that takes effect on January 1, 2025, Crombie would also have the strong mayor powers that the province has already granted to Toronto and Ottawa.
Last October, Crombie handily won re-election in Mississauga and chances are — like her predecessor Hazel McCallion — she could have a long career in that office. Unlike McCallion, she would have an independent city and powers previous mayors have campaigned to get for years.
Crombie
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has set her sights on becoming the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
Giving up the job before having a chance to guide Mississauga into its next chapter seems like an odd choice. It’s a choice made even odder when you look at the job she’d be leaving the mayor’s chair to seek.
There is no seat for the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in the legislature at Queen’s Park, meaning no income beyond what the party can pay Crombie to replace her current salary of roughly $200,000 for serving as mayor and as a regional councillor for Peel. Right now, the Ontario Liberal Party is broke; they haven’t been able to turn around their fundraising and Elections Ontario data shows that the PC Party outperforms the Liberals in donations across all of Mississauga — and has for years.
Sure, Crombie could add new spark and excitement to the party. Her years of organizing for Liberal politicians, going back decades, would bring valuable experience and strength to the party, but would she have a chance to topple Ford?
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie put out this statement as part of the reason she is running to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie put out this statement as part of the reason she is running to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
A week is a lifetime in politics, so in three years anything can happen. But to say the Ontario Liberal Party is broken would be an understatement. If Crombie runs and wins, the work to rebuild what was the dominant party in provincial politics from 2003 through 2018 would be formidable.
This at a time when provincial Liberal parties, from Quebec to British Columbia, have become quaint distant memories or relics that no longer contest for power.
In the last two elections, the Ontario Liberals have failed to win official party status, meaning that technically, every MPP under the Liberal banner at Queen’s Park is considered an independent. The party won seven seats in 2018 with 19.5% of the popular vote and in 2022 won eight seats with 23.8% of the vote province wide.
Going from third to first would be a difficult but not impossible task; it’s what Justin Trudeau did federally in 2015 to the surprise of everyone, including many Liberals.
What would help Crombie in that task is something Trudeau didn’t have, an ineffective NDP leader heading up the official opposition. Marit Stiles just took over her party’s leadership earlier this year and to be blunt, has failed to launch.
Her attempts to generate buzz and take on the Ford government have been the same collection of tired issues that dominated the NDP’s campaign in 2022, the one that saw the party lose nine seats, many of them in long time NDP strongholds that went to Ford’s PC Party, including in Hamilton, Windsor and Timmins.
Crombie obviously sees that Stiles is weak and is hopeful that in three years, Ford is either weakened himself, has retired or has left Queen’s Park to try his luck at the federal level.
There are a lot of arguments for why Crombie shouldn’t make this move, but there are many in favour, as well.
bonnieforleader.ca
torontosun.com
Crombie says she's running for the Liberal leadership to replace Doug Ford.
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published May 22, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
After securing Mississauga's split from Brampton, Mayor Crombie looks to take over Ontario's Liberal Party and take on Premier Doug Ford.
After securing Mississauga's split from Brampton, Mayor Crombie looks to take over Ontario's Liberal Party and take on Premier Doug Ford. (CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
After securing Mississauga’s divorce from Brampton, Bonnie Crombie is looking to trade up from mayor to premier. Crombie is seeking the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
A campaign website launched Monday morning explains why she is running and attacks Premier Doug Ford, who just granted Crombie’s wish to see Mississauga split from Peel Region.
“I’m a centrist by nature. I’m socially progressive, but fiscally responsible,” the website states. “Ontario is a tipping point. We cannot afford more of what this government has done over the past five years.”
The website wasn’t up for long though and was taken down shortly after the Sun contacted Crombie for comment about the site.
The 63-year-old former MP has been mayor of Ontario’s third-largest city since 2014. With deep roots in both federal and provincial Liberal circles, Crombie would be a formidable contender for the post and a strong foe for Ford.
The question: Why on earth would Crombie want to run?
She’s just been given something she has longed for, taking Mississauga out of Peel Region and making it an independent city. When that takes effect on January 1, 2025, Crombie would also have the strong mayor powers that the province has already granted to Toronto and Ottawa.
Last October, Crombie handily won re-election in Mississauga and chances are — like her predecessor Hazel McCallion — she could have a long career in that office. Unlike McCallion, she would have an independent city and powers previous mayors have campaigned to get for years.
Crombie
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has set her sights on becoming the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
Giving up the job before having a chance to guide Mississauga into its next chapter seems like an odd choice. It’s a choice made even odder when you look at the job she’d be leaving the mayor’s chair to seek.
There is no seat for the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in the legislature at Queen’s Park, meaning no income beyond what the party can pay Crombie to replace her current salary of roughly $200,000 for serving as mayor and as a regional councillor for Peel. Right now, the Ontario Liberal Party is broke; they haven’t been able to turn around their fundraising and Elections Ontario data shows that the PC Party outperforms the Liberals in donations across all of Mississauga — and has for years.
Sure, Crombie could add new spark and excitement to the party. Her years of organizing for Liberal politicians, going back decades, would bring valuable experience and strength to the party, but would she have a chance to topple Ford?
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie put out this statement as part of the reason she is running to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie put out this statement as part of the reason she is running to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party
A week is a lifetime in politics, so in three years anything can happen. But to say the Ontario Liberal Party is broken would be an understatement. If Crombie runs and wins, the work to rebuild what was the dominant party in provincial politics from 2003 through 2018 would be formidable.
This at a time when provincial Liberal parties, from Quebec to British Columbia, have become quaint distant memories or relics that no longer contest for power.
In the last two elections, the Ontario Liberals have failed to win official party status, meaning that technically, every MPP under the Liberal banner at Queen’s Park is considered an independent. The party won seven seats in 2018 with 19.5% of the popular vote and in 2022 won eight seats with 23.8% of the vote province wide.
Going from third to first would be a difficult but not impossible task; it’s what Justin Trudeau did federally in 2015 to the surprise of everyone, including many Liberals.
What would help Crombie in that task is something Trudeau didn’t have, an ineffective NDP leader heading up the official opposition. Marit Stiles just took over her party’s leadership earlier this year and to be blunt, has failed to launch.
Her attempts to generate buzz and take on the Ford government have been the same collection of tired issues that dominated the NDP’s campaign in 2022, the one that saw the party lose nine seats, many of them in long time NDP strongholds that went to Ford’s PC Party, including in Hamilton, Windsor and Timmins.
Crombie obviously sees that Stiles is weak and is hopeful that in three years, Ford is either weakened himself, has retired or has left Queen’s Park to try his luck at the federal level.
There are a lot of arguments for why Crombie shouldn’t make this move, but there are many in favour, as well.
Bonnie for Ontario - Bonnie Crombie
For Every Ontarian I believe Ontario is a place where every voice matters. Lifelong and new, idealistic and pragmatic, Francophone, northern, rural and urban. I believe we, as Ontarians, meet […]
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LILLEY: Bonnie Crombie seeks Ontario Liberal leadership, denounces Doug Ford
After securing Mississauga's split from Brampton, Mayor Crombie looks to take over Ontario's Liberal Party and take on Premier Doug Ford.
