Ontario Liberals ‘Too Far to the Left,’ Says Mayor Running for Leadership of Party

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie attends a news conference at the Ontario legislature in Toronto on May 18, 2023. Chris Young/The Canadian Press

Bonnie Crombie has announced her intention to run for leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party and she says she wants to bring the party back toward the centre. 

She said Premier Doug Ford’s administration is “too far to the right, the opposition too far to the left.” Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s The Agenda, had asked her on May 23 if the Liberals have been “too left-wing, too woke?” She replied simply, “yes.”

Crombie, a former Liberal MP and current mayor of Mississauga, said she is financially centrist, or even right-of-centre, but also “very socially progressive.”

The Liberals will choose their new leader this fall. The next provincial election is set for June 2026, giving the next Liberal leader a couple of years to shape the party before competing for the premier’s seat.

Other potential contenders for the Liberal leadership include MP Nate Erskine-Smith, MP Yasir Naqvi, and MPP Ted Hsu. Crombie said if other candidates present centrist platforms she can support, she may step back from the race and maintain her position as mayor of Mississauga.

Crombie said she has “butted heads” with Ford, but they remain “collegial.” At a joint press conference in Mississauga on May 15, Ford said Crombie has been a good partner in development projects.

Ford also announced at the conference the province’s plan to split Peel Region into three separate cities—Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon—a move Crombie strongly supports.

Crombie says she would handle some things differently than Ford if she becomes premier.

She criticized Ford for introducing too much “private medicine.” Ford’s government has partnered with private clinics to reduce the backlog of surgeries in Ontario.

The surgeries remain publicly funded, with patients using their provincial health cards and not paying out-of-pocket. Crombie said she would have to look more closely into how this is playing out. She said people are worried they will have to pay and that clinics may try to up-sell patients on surgeries.

Crombie has set up an “exploratory committee” whose members will meet with Ontarians to see if she has broad support in the province, and will help determine whether she will indeed run for the Liberal leadership. The committee includes former Liberal cabinet ministers Brad Duguid and Dwight Duncan, and co-chair of Kathleen Wynne’s 2018 campaign, Tim Murphy.