Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie's gamble falls flat
The veteran politician's bold move to walk away from being mayor of Mississauga didn't pay off but she plans to stay on as leader
Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Feb 27, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read
Just what in the heck is Bonnie Crombie going to do now?
Not only did she come up short in her bid to become premier of Ontario, she will not be a member of the provincial legislature since she lost her election bid in Mississauga East-Cooksville to Silvia Gualtieri – a stunning defeat and rebuke of the veteran politician.
Politics can be brutal. And this was brutal for Crombie.
It leaves her jobless – at least from an elected point of view . It leaves her on the outside of anywhere politically.
So, what’s her next move? Retire from politics?
Not a chance, she said.
“I commit to you that I will stay on as leader of the Ontario Liberal party,” she vowed from the podium at the Mississauga Convention Centre after the votes were tallied Thursday night.
At least for now. The party will have a say of course.
It will be no easy task – both day-to-day and from a political point of view of not being able to face off against Premier Doug Ford in Question Period.
Sure others have done it. But it is conceivable Crombie could end up not being in the legislature for many years.
But when you look at the numbers, other than the very close loss of her riding by about 1,200 votes, there were many successes.
“The Liberal party is back to official party status,” said Crombie. “There is lots to be proud of.”
She has other options she could consider if her hopes of staying on are decided to be unrealistic. Perhaps run federally with the Liberals. She has, after all, sat in the House of Commons before.
Her late in the provincial election endorsement of Mark Carney to become Liberal leader and for at least a short time prime minister, certainty was well-timed for someone who might be in need of a landing spot.
But if that’s what she decides, she’s going to have to go back to the drawing board in terms of her support in Mississauga where she was elected three times as mayor.
It certainly isn’t a lock.
Okay, what about municipal elections next year?
Could she take another shot at returning and getting her old job back by taking on the person who took her spot that she vacated?
That might not be easy either. Carolyn Parrish is hitting her stride as mayor and many in Mississauga may send their own message that they can’t just be loved and left as Crombie chose to do.
But talking to insiders, and listening to her own sons address the party, her plan is to take the positive out of the evening and keep trying to lead this party from outside the legislature.
It may be a while for a byelection opportunity to get back in but with Ford having such a decisive win, there is nothing but time.
Now, if things had gone better for her, then there would be no Monday morning quarterbacking. But things did not work and the play to walk away from being in power of a major city to try to run the province turned out to be a hill too high to climb.
Of course, not all of this is Crombie’s fault. A lot of it was smart politics by Ford and his campaign team who saw the opportunity to go to the voters early and saw that gamble work while Crombie’s didn’t.
While she was talking in the campaign about important subjects like getting people family doctors and affordable places to live, Ford was focused on U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff talk.
Even though Crombie spoke of seeing the horror on the faces of seniors in the grocery store, no one was focused on that as much as they were the fear of what Trump could end up doing to not only Canada’s economy but our sovereignty.
It was a campaign killer for Crombie. But not for the party. They gained five seats from last time.
Few expected her to lose the riding she chose to run in Mississauga. Few except the many experienced Progressive Conservatives who worked on it. With a veteran of the political game Gualtieri being Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown’s mother-in-law, Crombie was up against some pretty deep competition.
The whole thing turned out to be a political skunking for Crombie and a not so perfect storm. It wasn’t all because voters rejected her. It was also a very difficult challenge – one that she was not ready to meet.
So, this is not an easy time to be Bonnie Crombie.
Her bold move to walk away from the security of being mayor of Mississauga has failed.
What’s next?
She’s going to try to lead this party – but do it from the sidelines.
jwarmington@postmedia.com
Just what in the heck is Bonnie Crombie going to do now?
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