Over 2,000 delegates have registered to vote on Bonnie Crombie’s future as Liberal leader next weekend. Catch up.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.
With the Ontario Liberal Party’s AGM right around the corner, there’s been quite a lot of discussion about where the party’s divided. It’s true there’s plenty we disagree about, but it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. We want to build the strongest Liberal Party possible to defeat Doug Ford.
Ford’s government is underfunding key provincial services like healthcare and schools in the name of delusional projects and donor kickbacks. He’s releasing good sounding press releases while the housing crisis worsens and unemployment remains high. He’s blaming everybody else for the failures that sit squarely on his shoulders. And he’s doing it all with impunity.
The reason the New Leaf Liberals exist is because of those failures. Our movement is a reflection of our desire to do everything we can to ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is a fighting force at the next election and not merely contenting itself with gains. Ford’s damaging government means we don’t have time for more elections that only provide positive lessons — we need to win as quickly as possible to stop the Conservatives.
Bonnie Crombie ran for the leadership two years ago by saying she could win the next election. That promise was later downgraded — first to an ambition of gaining 25 seats by last December, and then to just 20 seats in total, including Crombie’s own in Mississauga on election night. By any measure, she failed. Yes, election night saw 5 great new MPPs elected, but 14 MPPs isn’t good enough when you look at the wreckage Ford is leaving across Ontario.
We don’t seek renewal of the Ontario Liberal Party lightly. It would be easier for everybody to pretend that the results in February were good enough. It would be easier to say that even though we didn’t win, Crombie and her team were providing an effective, capable opposition that looks likely to win next time. It would be easier to go along to get along and say that she did good enough. But we can’t say something we don’t believe.
The leadership has had time to come up with a new strategy that would put us on a trajectory to win the next election. Instead, they’ve wasted time and energy chasing their own tails. Their own answers about the election are hilarious, including claiming they were unprepared for an early election while simultaneously claiming they didn’t spend money in 2024 in preparation for an early election. When asked why she chose the Mississauga seat she ended up losing, she pointed to unidentified “issues” with East-Cooksville, as if someone else made her run there. The lack of accountability about the leader’s call on where to run is emblematic of the party’s cultural problem.
If the Ontario Liberal Party is going to win, it cannot accept a leader more interested in fighting their own internal critics than fighting the government of the day. It cannot accept a leader that doesn’t take the fight to Doug Ford without anything resembling enough tenacity or adroitness. It cannot accept that being the People’s Opposition is anything more than a complete and utter failure.
We need to expect more from our leaders. We need to hold ourselves to a high standard, not let our current malaise become an excuse for not holding ourselves to the standard Ontarians need. Ontario will not survive a revival of the Big Blue Machine, and we must do everything we can to stop it. A leader who thinks 5 gains in an election is good enough won’t get it done, especially when the NDP’s vote is concentrated so heavily in their own seats. If progressives want to win the next election, Liberal gains from the Conservatives is the only path forward.
The New Leaf Liberals is, at its core, an attempt to keep our eyes on the ball. We need our party to be in a position to win the next election, in a place where our leaders can go to every riding in Ontario and make the case for Liberal values. We need a leader who can win not just one region, but who can excite Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats, Greens, and people who don’t vote in provincial elections around core ideas like keeping schools from falling apart and ensuring hospitals are open and usable for patients. We need a leader who will make the case for their ideas in every community centre of every city and town in this province. We need a leader who will win the next election or, at the very least, do everything they can.
We have a window to make the change we need. Federally, we’ve seen the benefits of a tight, controlled leadership race that excites members, activates people, and broadens the tent. We need a stronger Liberal Party that can defeat Doug Ford, that can fight for Liberal values, and can inspire people who are losing hope we can fix this province’s increasing incompetence.
Bonnie Crombie had her chance to lead, and she failed.
It’s time to say good enough isn’t actually good enough.
Nathaniel Arfin is the co-founder of the New Leaf Liberals. He worked on Nathaniel Erskine Smith’s leadership campaign and was a special assistant in the Prime Minister’s Office under Justin Trudeau.