Who will stand against the Premier of Ontario?

The Liberal Party in the province has chosen its leader.

On November 25 and 26, Ontario voted for the new head of the provincial Liberal Party. Now the votes have been counted, the results are in, and the outcome is expected — the front-runner, Bonnie Crombie, has won the primary.

Late Saturday night, December 2, officials released the results of the third and final round of voting. In response, the crowd in downtown Toronto erupted in applause and chanted, "Bonnie! Bonnie! Bonnie!".

"Thank you for taking a spark and turning it into a big red flame here today," Crombie said in her victory speech.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie will lead the Ontario Liberal Party in its fight to regain official party status and challenge Premier Doug Ford in the 2026 election. The 2022 provincial election turned out to be a nightmare for the Liberals — eight seats in Parliament and the leader's resignation. Now Crombie is preparing his colleagues for a decisive change. Active voter outreach and fundraising are planned for the near future.

Crombie is popular both within the party and with voters. Last October, she was re-elected to a third term as mayor of Mississauga. However, she has already announced that she will leave office in 2024 to pursue grander plans.

Reaction of other parties

Not only the Liberals and their constituents, but also the competing parties were watching the primaries in the capital province. The fastest to react to the results was, of course, the majority Progressive Conservative Party, led by Ontario Premier Doug Ford. The party's official social media account expressed skepticism about the opposition:

"Bonnie and the Liberals just don't get it. They'll cost you: higher taxes, more gridlock, fewer homes."

New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles, on the other hand, was far more optimistic, good-natured and cooperative. She congratulated Crombie on her victory: