Q+A: Why this rugby player says she’s ready to take on Doug Ford

THE LEDE

Q+A — Many know her as the hospital executive. Fewer know her as a rugby player.

But for Lee Fairclough, rugby and politics are more connected than you might think. “What’s important is working as a team and understanding what you can achieve through hard work — but also having the ability to reflect when something doesn’t go the way you expected, learn from it, and keep going,” she said in an interview.

Fairclough has already put that mindset to work in politics. In 2022, the former president of St. Mary’s General Hospital ran but lost narrowly in Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Three years later, she ran again, defeating Christine Hogarth, the Progressive Conservative incumbent.

Now, as the Liberals get ready to pick their third leader in eight years, Fairclough says she wants to build on her own win across the province — and is “very seriously considering” a run for Liberal leader to do just that. 

Here, she dished on what’s drawing her in, the importance of having a seat, her Etobicoke-Lakeshore win, and who she's keeping close — or not. Also: her Team Canada past.

The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity:

Where are you at in the race for Liberal leader? “I’m very seriously considering a run. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from people, given some of my past leadership experience and the fact that we were able to mount a campaign immediately and win a Conservative seat here. I think a lot of Liberals feel it’s important for the new leader to start with a seat. Based on that, I’m very seriously considering a run.”