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Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
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— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.
Before we dig in, a quick word from our friends over at The Trillium:
Dear POLICORNER readers —
Since you follow Ontario politics, we know you’ve been following the controversy over the province’s Skills Development Fund. At The Trillium, we’ve filed a lot of freedom-of-information requests for documents about some of the well-connected funding recipients you’ve read about. It’s getting quite expensive, and we’re turning to the public for help. Please read about our crowdfunding campaign here and contribute if you can. Every dollar will go to FOI requests and every document will be made public.
Q+A — If you scroll through Rob Cerjanec’s X, you’ll notice he’s been on the road quite a bit lately.
For a rookie, that’s not exactly typical. But for Cerjanec, much of this past year has been atypical. “If you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no,” he said on a call Saturday morning. Thrust into the race as a last-minute Liberal candidate in Ajax, he went on to eke out a razor-thin win over Patrice Barnes — one of the few bright spots for his party on an otherwise disappointing night.
Only six months in, the rookie would be without a leader. Bonnie Crombie quit — forcing the party into another leadership contest.
Is Cerjanec the next one in? Privately, the rookie is signalling he’s all in — and judging by his itinerary, he’s not waiting much. Since Crombie’s exit, he’s hit riding association meetings, glad-handed at the LPC(O) convention and made swings through Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and more.
Another clue: Cerjanec has been dialing around and is already pulling together a team of operatives to run his pre-campaign, including Mathieu Dagonas and Brian Klunder. (Dagonas and Klunder both ran Mike Crawley’s campaign for federal president).
Publicly, he says he's only “seriously considering” the idea — but he’s got no shortage of thoughts about the party's future.
Here, Cerjanec walked us through his thinking on the leadership race, what “rebuilding the party” will take and why the work has to start now, with or without a leader.
The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:
First thing's first, how are you liking the job? “It’s definitely been a new experience. I’d never worked at Queen’s Park before. I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, so politics itself isn’t new to me — but the legislature was, at least at first. Though at this point it’s been, what, nine months? So I guess it’s not that new anymore. But I’m enjoying it.
Obviously, you’d rather be in government, where you can fully shape policy in line with your values and what you believe in. But in opposition, your job is to hold the government to account — and you have to find some fun in that, or it can feel like a very long four years. It’s definitely been a learning experience. But honestly, it’s been fun — or at least, I’m trying to make it fun.”
Is it what you expected it to be? “You know what? I'm not sure what I expected. To be honest, if you had asked me in January whether I’d be a candidate in the election, the answer would’ve been no. Everything happened really quickly, so I didn’t have much time to sit down and think about what it would actually be like to be a Member of Provincial Parliament. Because it all moved so fast, it’s been interesting to take it in as I go. Take Question Period, for example. Even though I’ve been involved in politics for quite some time, believe it or not, I never really watched it. I never found it particularly useful — interesting at times, sure, but not something I tuned into regularly. So when I got into the legislature, I thought, “Oh, there’s actual heckling here.” You always hear about it, but seeing it up close was different. It almost feels like a sports match in some ways.
The events, activities, meetings and community work — that part wasn’t new to me. I used to work for Ana Bailão and served as her chief of staff. While it wasn’t party politics, there was a lot of local constituency work and a big focus on advancing major policy issues. So that side of the job has felt familiar.”
Tell me a bit more about working with Ana Bailão. I know you also worked at the school board. “I’ll start with the school board. I was on the senior leadership team — part of the executive team — where we dealt with some really challenging issues. When something bad happened, I got the phone call. And it was my job either to help resolve the situation or to make sure our stakeholders, the public, and the broader community were supported throughout it. When I came in, the focus was helping an interim Director of Education — who later became the permanent director — rebuild trust within the organization. The board had gone through a lot of turmoil, and restoring trust was job number one. At the same time, job number one had a second layer: on my first day, schools closed because of the pandemic. So we were helping navigate a massive system through unprecedented change, while also trying to rebuild confidence internally. We were doing both simultaneously. It was an incredibly demanding but very rewarding experience.
For me, public education is the great equalizer. I didn’t grow up with money, and yet here I am in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I’m here because I had access to public education, because teachers inspired me and opened doors. That sense of opportunity — and that belief in public education — has stayed with me.
In terms of working with Ana, I learned a tremendous amount about navigating politics while always grounding the work in serving your community. She taught me to constantly bring it back to the people who sent you there in the first place. Ana is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met. She has strong values and a real drive to make a positive difference. I definitely see a bit of her in myself, and I’ve been shaped by that experience. She’s still a friend and a mentor to this day.”
You got the experience of losing a leader within your first six months — a lot of firsts for you. How was that whole process for you, both as an experience personally, and in terms of what the transition has been like now that Bonnie isn’t around as much? “Yeah. I mean, the election result was hard. Winning 14 seats is an accomplishment, and getting 30 per cent of the vote is an accomplishment too — we have party status now, and that gives us a foundation to build on. But the reality is that our leader wasn’t in the legislature with us, and that was difficult. Then we went into the leadership review, and I think most people expected that number to be a bit higher. That was hard as well — for Bonnie, for us as a caucus, and for the party as a whole. But these are things you can’t control. So the question becomes: how do you move forward from that?
That’s always been my mindset — you play the cards you’re dealt and you keep going. Has it been hard? Yes. But we have a fantastic caucus of 14. We work really well together, we genuinely like each other, and we’re united in our values and our approach. We all want to bring politics back to the center, to put forward real solutions and ideas, and to push for responsible, good government. As a caucus, the 14 of us have been working really hard and really collaboratively — that was true before the leadership review, and it’s even more true now.”
I’ve noticed you’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? ‘We’re a really big province, so I’ve started visiting different regions for a couple of reasons. First, to actually understand those communities. For example, I had never been to Thunder Bay before, so I wanted to go and talk to people about the local economy and the issues they’re dealing with. I did the same more recently in Sault Ste. Marie. And of course, there are other places I’ve visited many times before. Because Ontario is so large and so diverse, it’s really important for me to understand the regional differences — the priorities, the pressures, the opportunities — so that when these issues come up in conversation, whether in the legislature or elsewhere, I have a stronger foundation to draw from.”
Or that you’re planning to run for leader — are you? “Well, you’re not running until there’s actually a leadership race, for one. But number two, it’s something I’m seriously considering. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from past candidates, people who’ve been involved in the party for a long time, friends, and others as well. So yes, it’s something I’m giving real thought to. In any case — regardless of who the next leader is — I want to help ensure the Ontario Liberal Party is well positioned to win the next election. And to do that, we need to build and rebuild relationships across the party and in every part of the province.”
What does that look like? What does the party need to do in order to prepare for the next election? “Well, a couple of things. Organizationally, the party needs a much stronger foundation. Doug Ford was able to call that snap election and take advantage of the moment — both politically and with what was happening in the United States — and as a party, we simply didn’t have enough time to build a solid foundation in every corner of the province. That means rebuilding riding associations, reconnecting with people who may have supported the Ontario Liberal Party in the past, and also finding new people — energizing them, asking them to step up, serve on riding associations, take on leadership roles in their communities. We need all 124 ridings to have strong, active associations. In some places we do, but in others, frankly, they’re almost non-existent. So, as I’ve been traveling — and I know my colleagues have been doing the same — that’s been top of mind for all of us: building the party back up. We need to be a party that reflects people from all walks of life, from every region of the province, and ensure everyone feels they have a voice.”
Many bring up Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City and what lessons can be drawn from it, and how those lessons might apply here. I’m curious: what do you make of that comparison? Do you see yourself as a Zohran Mamdani? “I don’t think anyone should be comparing themselves to him. We’re all our own people at the end of the day. And if somebody comes out and says, ‘I want to mimic that individual and be that individual,’ I honestly don’t think that’s authentic. So no, I don’t see myself as the Zohran Mamdani of the North. I see myself as Rob Cerjanec — informed by my own experiences, my own life, the people around me, my community, and, in many ways, people across the province who are struggling. Some of the issues are certainly the same. Affordability is a big one. Young people in my generation can’t afford a home or access affordable childcare if they want to start a family. So there are major societal and economic issues that require forward-thinking solutions. But at the end of the day, I’m going to be me.
If you look beyond New York, there were elections in Virginia and New Jersey as well. Democrats won in those states, and they ran on a different message and a different approach. So, you know what? I’m going to be me. I like being me. I don’t want to be anyone else, and I don’t want to pretend to be anyone else, quite frankly.”
How important is it for the next leader to be within the caucus? “I think it’s incredibly important. All 14 of us — and I genuinely love my caucus colleagues — are in the legislature every day, asking questions in Question Period, scrumming with the media, meeting with stakeholders, and having really important conversations. So I do think the next leader should come from caucus. We’ve tried twice now to choose leaders who weren’t in caucus. There were different circumstances each time, absolutely — but I still think it’s important that this time the leader is someone already sitting at Queen’s Park, doing the work every day.”
We’ve reported that some in the party are pushing for a longer race ending in November or December, and others wanting it wrapped up by spring. Where do you land — do you prefer a longer or shorter race? “I don’t want to put my thumb on the scale — we’ve seen that happen in past races. What I can say is that there are people I’ve spoken with who think the race should be held in 2027 or even 2028, for a couple of reasons. One, we don’t know whether Doug Ford will be the Progressive Conservative leader in the next election. And two, our focus right now should be on rebuilding the party, and we don’t necessarily need a leader in place to do that.
Ultimately, it's a decision for the executive council. I think this is a really important decision, and not one the party should rush into. The truth is, we weren’t planning for a leadership race. The party wasn’t planning for one. Yes, we have templates and past approaches we can draw from, but we also need to think about who the Ontario Liberal Party is, and what we believe in collectively.”
But no personal preference? “No, no, I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to say I want the race at X time. We’ve seen that kind of backroom politics before, and I don’t subscribe to that.”
Would the timing play into your decision to run? “I mean, that’s something that I — and the people who have encouraged me to run — would obviously talk about. But I believe very strongly in the Ontario Liberal Party. I’ve been involved for more than 15 years, and I know the party can do a lot of good in this province — not just with the right leader, but with the right foundation.”
Go on. “I do believe it will be really important for people from my generation to be in that race. But at the end of the day, you’re not in the race until it actually starts — and we don’t yet know what any of the rules or timelines will be. What I can say is that I’m very seriously considering it. I’m listening to a lot of people in every part of the province, and I want to help build up the party.”
A message from Next Campaign:
— The House is in session.
Ahead:
Get ready for some more late nights: The House will sit until midnight all this week.
— A slower week ahead on the committee circuit. Coming up:
Cancelled: Justice Policy planned to meet Wednesday and Thursday to continue work on the intimate partner violence report, but the meetings are now cancelled. The NDP walked out on Thursday, saying they couldn’t support the report and were “disappointed and disheartened” with how it’s played out.
— Welcome to budget season: The Ford government is asking Ontarians what should top the province’s priority list — citing “pressing challenges” in the economy, jobs, affordability, infrastructure and services.
Ontarians can have their say through in-person consultations, written submissions or an online survey until Jan. 30.
What’s in the survey? Ten questions in total, among them:
— Fundraising watch: On Wednesday at 6 p.m., Mary-Margaret McMahon is hosting a $50-a-ticket game night at Kingston House. RSVP.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Rob Cerjanec, Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Ted Hsu are headlining a $125-a-ticket fundraising dinner in Hamilton. RSVP.
Come hungry. Your ticket gets you hors d’oeuvres to start, followed by a plated dinner — garden salad, chicken breast in lemon sauce, oven-roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Dessert and hot drinks will be served, with a cash bar available.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Andrea Hazell is hosting a $100-a-ticket fundraiser at JC’s Banquet and Convention Centre. RSVP.
— Also happening this week:
Save the date: Next Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., Labour Minister David Piccini will appear at the Empire Club to speak about “delivering a resilient workforce that can withstand ongoing global instability and prepare for the economic opportunity...”
At 6 p.m., Project Ontario is hosting a $25-a-ticket mixer in Ottawa.
And one more: The Speaker’s holiday party is set for Dec. 3.
From the Canadian Press: “This year, the holiday decor has expanded throughout the building, now including a large tree of plastic poinsettias, real poinsettias spanning beyond the grand staircase, giant chandeliers of lights hanging above the ground floor, archways of lights in the hallways, and Christmas trees outside the chamber doors.”
The cost? The Board of Internal Economy “approved spending $500,000 to buy holiday decor this year, and an annual amount of $150,000 for storage, installation and removal of that decor.”
— Speaking of Project Ontario: The think-tank is now raising money. “Even small contributions go a long way,” per an email sent to supporters. “They help us reach more people, expand our digital campaigns and bring our message to a much bigger audience.”
Catch up on who they are, what they want and why now.
— Noted: Added to the list of those appearing at the Next Campaign event in January: Marco Mendicino, Karina Gould, Prabmeet Sarkaria, Travis Dhanraj, Karman Wong, Hamish Marshall, Saman Tabasinejad, Steve Doherty, Mike Burton, Ahmad Elbayoumi, Perry Tsergas and more. Get your ticket.
— On for lunch at the café:
And if you’re still hungry, the Ontario Dairy Council is serving up mac-and-cheese at noon in Room 228–230.
— Tabled: Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act — Tabled by France Gelinas, Wayne Gates, Robin Lennox and Jamie West, it would require that at least 70 per cent of health-care workers be employed on a permanent, full-time basis. It would also mandate that personal support workers be paid at least $8 above the minimum wage and receive health benefits, pension membership and a minimum amount of paid sick leave. Homemakers would earn no less than minimum wage and receive full employment protections.
Bill 70, Supporting Mobility, Affordability and Reliable Transportation in Ontario Act — Tabled by Andrea Hazell, it would put a 20-percent affordable-unit requirement on any housing built on Metrolinx-owned public land.
Bill 71, Life Leases Act — Tabled by Joseph Racinsky, establishing a legal framework for life leases.
Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act — Tabled by Stephen Crawford, requiring public-sector bodies to prioritize Ontario goods — and then Canadian goods — in their procurement.
Bill 73, Protecting Ontario from Urban Wildfires Act — Tabled by Peter Tabuns, Jessica Bell, Alexa Gilmour and Kristyn Wong-Tam, establishing a working group to create recommendations on urban wildfire prevention, suppression, recovery and public protection.
Bill 74, Christopher’s Law Amendment Act — Tabled by Stephen Blais, Rob Cerjanec, Lucille Collard and Jonathan Tsao, the bill would allow the Ford government to share information from the sex offender registry with certain groups for crime-prevention or law-enforcement purposes.
— Passed: Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s motion to fast-track communal water and wastewater system development, 114-0.
— Bill 33 is now law, having received royal assent.
Background: “A controversial new law that will give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards and other facets of the education system has passed in the province’s legislature.” More from CBC.
— Advanced: Bill 40 cleared second reading. Bill 60 was ordered for third reading.
— Killed: Second reading of Bill 58 was defeated, 37-70.
Stephanie Bowman’s motion on creating a youth wage subsidy program was voted down, 29-67.
— Jenni’s out: “Jenni Byrne is out as the Conservative campaign manager for the next federal election — Steve Outhouse is in.” The Sun has more.
And Althia Raj says Pierre Poilievre can learn from Nate Erskine-Smith — an example of “tolerance for a diversity of thought” on Team Carney.
— Over the weekend: On National Housing Day, hundreds took to the Financial District, calling on the Ford government to kill Bill 60, warning it will further destabilize rental housing. Marit Stiles and Mike Schreiner were among those who joined the march.
“Chants of ’Doug Ford, slum lord’ and ’stop the war on the poor’ rang out as a coalition of housing, climate and cycling groups marched to Queen’s Park on Saturday.” More from Toronto Today.
— Clock check: “Partway through last year, the Ford government cabinet minister overseeing the redevelopment of Ontario Place was advised via a briefing that Therme’s spa and waterpark could take nearly a decade to complete. Both the company and a spokesperson for the minister who has since taken over responsibility for the project say, however, that their aim is for it to be completed in about half that time.” Read on from The Trillium.
— Booze news: The Ford government has now paid out a $225-million commitment to the Beer Store, a key price tag in the province’s alcohol-liberalization push. Catch up from Global.
— “The Ontario government’s representative in Washington says the infamous ad that upset U.S. President Donald Trump and ostensibly pushed him to halt trade talks with Canada hasn’t prevented him from having productive meetings.”
Asked by Rosemary Barton if Ford’s "anti-Trump rhetoric" is hurting the trade talks, David Paterson said “there’s a respect for strength in Washington.”
“No and I probably didn’t expect [an apology],” he told Vassy Kapelos when asked if Pete Hoekstra reached out to apologize.
— “I go around the country and people say, ’Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ And it’s kind of like, yeah — you’re right, I don’t,” Hoekstra said on Wednesday.
Brian Lilley argues Canadians don’t need more political games.
— Pay bump: “Executive pay jumped for many recipients of an Ontario job training grant, according to salary disclosure viewed by CTV News, including at one numbered company that partnered with an agency that later started an “adult entertainment club.”
— On the SDF, the Star’s editorial board writes: “Doug Ford has a reputation for straight talk, so we’ll do him the courtesy of saying this straight. The Skills Development Fund — one of Ford’s signature programs and now perhaps the biggest scandal to hit his government since the Greenbelt — is rotten to the core.”
Here’s Theo Moudakis’ editorial cartoon in the Star on Friday:
— “Paul Calandra said he has purposefully held back the Education Quality and Accountability Office results, which are usually released in September or early October, in order to take a “very deep dive” into the numbers. The revelation has prompted outcry from educators, experts and opposition politicians, who say the government is shirking its responsibilities to be transparent about the school system.” More in the Globe.
— John Michael McGrath says it’s time to destroy the Toronto Parking Authority.
— Martin Regg Cohn takes a swing at Piccini: “Day by day Piccini sinks deeper into the muck, whence he greased the wheels of the premier’s grimy re-election machine… A run-of-the-mill minister, Piccini ran the slush fund but didn’t own it. It was the orphaned brainchild of the premier. But the minister adopted it as his own.”
— Ex-Brian Mulroney chief David McLaughlin writes: Did you know you can call a political party corrupt in Manitoba but not a government in Ontario?
— Randall Denley argues a full sales-tax rebate would be a smart and gutsy solution to Ontario’s housing shortage.
Political moves, career milestones, sightings? Send ‘em in.
— Seen: At the Curse of Politics’ live taping last week: Mitch Heimpel, Erin Morrison, Rob Cerjanec, Stephen Blais, Heino Doessing, Theresa Lubowitz, Barbara Fox, Lucas Meyer, Cody Welton, Mark Sutcliffe and more.
Mentioned: Christine Simundson, who organized the event at Maple Leaf Gardens. “I was giving Christine credit but she kept promoting this thing as Queen played here, Queen played here. Who gives a f-ck about Queen? Elton John played here,” joked David Herle.
A “happy birthday” for Premier Ford at last week’s big-ticket dinner.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual Macsquerade Ball in Mississauga, where Carolyn Parrish was too. The soon-former Liberal leader is weighing a run against Parrish next year.
John Michael McGrath on Alvin Tedjo’s podcast.
— Noted: Nate Erskine-Smith and Quito Maggi are set to appear in court on Jan. 12. Erskine-Smith is accusing Maggi of online defamation.
— Laura Walton has been re-elected as president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. Walton had been accused of creating a “toxic, hostile, humiliating, and intimidating work environment.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you running for Liberal leader? “Strongly considering,” shall we say? Did you walk away from the IPV study? Hit reply and you’ll be kept anonymous. We’re back in your inbox next Monday.