The Ontario Liberal Party has formally begun the process of selecting a new leader following Bonnie Crombie’s resignation earlier this month.
The party’s executive council has approved the creation of a committee tasked with consulting members, examining best practices and recommending how the upcoming leadership contest should be structured.
“We are continuing the important work of rebuilding and renewing our movement,” Ontario Liberal Party president Kathryn McGarry said in a statement. She added that the party wants its members to have a role in determining the path forward as it prepares to choose its next leader.
Crombie stepped down after receiving 57 per cent support in a mandatory leadership review held during the party’s annual general meeting in mid-September. The result followed months of questions about her leadership after the Ontario Liberals finished third in seat count in the provincial election, which returned Premier Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives to government with a third consecutive majority.
A post-election campaign review released ahead of the leadership vote identified several concerns with the Liberals’ strategy and communications during the campaign. Among them was the decision to make health care a central focus of the platform rather than placing greater emphasis on affordability and other pocketbook concerns.
The review also examined how the campaign responded to Ford’s efforts to frame the provincial election around Ontario’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
The newly established leadership committee will be chaired by party treasurer Gabriel Sékaly and will include McGarry and other party members.
As part of the process, the Ontario Liberal Party plans to survey members in the coming weeks to gather feedback on how the leadership election should be organized. Details including the contest’s rules, timeline and voting process have yet to be finalized.
