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With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
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With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
A message from Next Campaign:
Start the new year with the political and advocacy event everyone is talking about.
The Next Campaign Summit at The Carlu on January 15, 2026, brings together campaign staff, advocates, policymakers, candidates, strategists, organizers, and innovators who are shaping the future of campaigning and advocacy in Canada. Learn the newest tools, digital tactics, engagement strategies, and insights influencing both campaigns and public advocacy today. Register here.
— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you on the Liberal executive council — or named Stephen Lecce, by chance? Reach out and I’ll keep you anonymous, just like those sources you’re curious about.
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now.
With some movement in the captain’s race, we’ll take you inside a high-tension Liberal executive council meeting. A poll has Torontonians weighing in on the fate of the Billy Bishop Airport. But to start, a cabinet minister is doubling down over an X post described as “defamatory and libellous.”
SCOOP — Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is standing by a post labeling several student groups “hateful,” “anti-Semitic” and “morally degenerate.”
In October, a pair of groups at the University of Toronto Mississauga played co-host to a vigil honouring Palestinian “martyrs,” condemned by one group as “rubbing salt into the wounds of our Jewish learners, staff, faculty, and alumni.”
Lecce said the groups should be “condemned and banned from any campus,” arguing their ideology was “poisonous” and incompatible with “well-established Canadian values.”
As we reported last week, the Muslim Student Association issued a libel notice to Lecce, calling the statements “completely and absolutely false, defamatory and libellous.” “The statements tend to, and do in fact, injure, prejudice, and disparage,” they wrote.
His response: Lecce is refusing to apologize or retract the post.
Peter Downard, Lecce’s lawyer, said the statements amounted to “comment a person could honestly make on the facts,” arguing the post supported an inference that the “martyrs” referenced included assailants killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“They related to a subject of obvious interest,” Downard wrote on Dec. 1. “They are not actionable.”
Here’s the full text:
What to watch: No word yet of a looming court challenge — and one is not expected — despite the group’s earlier threat. Lecce’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
A message from Next Campaign:
SCOOP — With a leadership contest looming, the mood was tense — some said “bombastic” — at Sunday’s Liberal executive council meeting.
Amid the scramble, at least one would-be candidate is thinking twice about running at all.
Andrew Boozary, who led in a hypothetical poll testing the race, has yet to rule it out, though some expect he’ll pass on the leadership race to run federally in University-Rosedale. Sharan Kaur, an advisor to Boozary, declined to say much, but described “the disconnect happening at the party level” as “concerning.”
“It’s essential to shift our perspective and treat the Ontario Liberal Party as a serious political entity ready to govern, rather than a campus club. Discussions at the executive level must recognize that to attract high-caliber candidates, we need to allow the party to evolve and move beyond outdated perceptions of what the party is,” Kaur said.
“Until we achieve this, we may find it challenging to engage credible outside candidates who are looking for vision and discipline necessary for success.”
Inside the party, patience is thinning. One operative said Boozary leaning away from a run should be read as a warning. “Boozary is the type of talent that we should be actively courting into the party. He would have put his hand up willingly if not for the stubborn refusal of the old guard to prioritize the upcoming leadership race,” they texted.
“Every day they wait, it becomes more likely that competent challengers opt not to run for the leadership.”
Back at executive council: A two-hour meeting yesterday grew heated, as frustration mounted over the lack of clarity on how — or when — a new leader will be chosen.
Though the leadership race was last on the agenda — much of it punted to a meeting expected before the end of the year — some on executive council vented frustration over a lack of communication from the Leadership Vote Committee, the panel tasked with advising on how the vote will be run.
For instance: Some council members have been airing frustrations about an email sent earlier this month to the membership by Gabriel Sékaly, the working group’s chair, saying the party is “on track” to release leadership rules and timelines early next year — a message they say came as a surprise.
Noah Parker, the regional vice-president with New Leaf-ties, at one point questioned why council wasn’t being routinely updated. Sekaly told him to “fu-k off,” according to several sources, before later apologizing. While some insist it was meant as a joke, the exchange took several by surprise. Among them was Mary Margaret-McMahon, caucus’s representative to council, who stepped in to call Sékaly out.
Recall: In November, Parker clashed with some on the council over a motion to set clearer timelines and expectations for the committee — a move some dismissed as “bad form,” warning it would tie the working group’s hands.
Another surprise: In the email, Sékaly said the working group had been “meeting regularly with a range of online service providers” to ensure any move from in-person to online voting is “as seamless, accessible and secure as possible.”
However, council members were told the party has yet to issue a formal request-for-proposals for online voting vendors.
While some accuse the party of slow-walking the process, a source defended the pace, arguing the party would need to ensure online voting systems are secure. They said there’s no room for error, with backlash from the membership and media a real risk.
There’s a federal template, but while their federal cousins relied on Canada Post for ID verification earlier this year, the system was described as “rife with problems” and the threat of more labour action would make that path less clear-cut.
On timing: No word yet, though the expectation is that the race’s rules will land in February. “If you looked at that Zoom screen, you would’ve seen a lot of shaking heads,” one source noted.
Some campaigns are already bracing for a race that could stretch into late next year — or even early 2027.
In practice: Pushing the race late in the year would mean memberships sold during this year’s leadership review would expire, per party rules, with sign-ups before October set to lapse next December.
Meanwhile: Milton Chan and Jack Siegel are out as the constitution committee’s co-chairs.
Council voted to term out their mandate, with no word yet on replacements. Sources say the call was made with neutrality in mind, as both Chan and Siegel are expected to take sides in the upcoming leadership contest.
Some warned removing them would limit access to legal advice, though others noted Chan and Siegel are still the legal counsel and can advise regardless. During the last race, Chan — then running a campaign — stepped back from providing leadership-related advice to the party.
At the wrap: Before adjourning, the issue of media leaks was raised — and this newsletter name-checked.
Elsewhere: Though largely out of view since September, Nate Erskine-Smith is building out the team behind his next Liberal leadership bid.
“It’s accurate to say Nate has been actively team-building in anticipation of a potential run, and has been seeking advice from some of the most senior Liberals and campaigners,” a source close to Erskine-Smith said.
Erskine-Smith is still weighing it with his family and waiting for clarity on the contest’s rules before making any announcement.
This time around: The runner-up in the last leadership contest will be without Miles Hopper, the seasoned organizer who worked on his last leadership campaign. Hopper is expected to land with Mike Crawley.
Andrew Goodridge, who ran Erskine-Smith’s last campaign, will be involved, though not in the same capacity.
— The House is out for the winter recess.
See you in March: As we previewed last Monday, the Ford government has added another month to the break. All told, the House will sit just 76 days next year — a bump from 51 this year, which was pared back by a winter election and an extended summer.
“It’s very, very important that we go back to our ridings, talk to our constituents and then come back [to] a very productive next session,” Government House Leader Steve Clark said.
Here’s the play. With a super-sized bench, the government can cut the calendar without slowing the agenda — and by stretching the winter break, there’ll be no debates, less running from reporters, no Stiles v. Ford and fewer chances to keep controversies alive through late March.
Oppo cried foul, calling it no surprise and arguing that Doug Ford’s record “says everything you need to know about how ‘hard’ he’s working for Ontarians.”
T-98 days to go, not that anyone’s counting.
— By the numbers: Eighteen bills cleared this session — a dozen from the government, plus six private members’ bills:
Here’s what didn’t make it:
Take note: France Gelinas led the pack legislatively, tabling 11 bills this year.
— Fundraising watch: At 6 p.m., the Tories are hosting a $125-a-ticket fundraiser in Oakville.
Tomorrow, David Smith is hosting a $500-a-ticket cocktail reception in Toronto. RSVP.
On Wednesday at 6:45 p.m., Rob Cerjanec will be at a Boston Pizza in Ajax for a $30-a-ticket social. RSVP.
If you’re in North Bay, Marit Stiles will stop by Twiggs Coffee Roasters at 5 p.m. for free hot drinks.
— If you’re around, here’s what’s cooking in the cafeteria:
— Also happening: Bring the family out for a pancake breakfast with Santa next Monday or Tuesday morning.
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— SCOOP — Poll watch: Campaign Research asked Torontonians earlier this month where they stand on the Island Airport.
Here’s what was asked, according to a copy of the survey:
— “Do you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport runway being extended to meet the new federal safety regulations?”
— “Would you support or oppose the Billy Bishop Toronto Island Airport runway being extended to also support larger aircraft that would allow for longer-distance flights to places such as Vancouver or the Caribbean?”
— “In the past, Toronto City Council has opposed expansions to the island airport. Would you support or oppose the Ontario government and Premier Ford to step in and allow for the expansion of the runway?”
— “When it comes to the following different levels of government, government organizations or businesses, who do you trust the most to make the right decisions about the Billy Bishop Toronto City Island Airport?”
As always: While Campaign Research is tight-lipped about who’s behind their polling, this is the second time the shop has surveyed Toronto’s mayoral race. Kouvalis previously worked for John Tory and is the Tories’ go-to poll guy.
— The doc’s in: Lee Fairclough is gearing up for a Liberal leadership bid, sources say, recruiting organizers and a campaign manager. Johanna Leffler is running the day-to-day of the pre-campaign.
Speaking of which, Martin Regg Cohn says the “Liberals are in limbo — looking backwards, looking over their shoulders, lagging every which way.”
Choice quote: Mike Crawley’s “greatest liability is that so many political types confuse him with longtime CBC Queen’s Park reporter Mike Crawley, who has relocated to Washington and is telling everyone who will listen that he (that is, the distinguished journalist) is not running for the leadership (that other guy is).”
If you’re a regular, you’ll remember we first reported on Crawley in November.
Oops! We had the location right, the date wrong. Last week, we noted that Crawley was hosting a Christmas mixer at his Parkdale-High Park home on Friday. The event is set for tomorrow night.
— “The director of a psychotherapy practice that provides counselling over the Keel Mind digital platform says he’s worried about the patients who’ve been abruptly cut off from help now that the company that owns the platform is under police investigation and embroiled in the Skills Development Fund controversy.” More from The Trillium.
— “The Children’s Aid Society knew Brandy Cooney and Becky Hamber were zip-tying two boys into one-piece pyjamas and their case worker didn’t tell them to stop, according to an email shown at the couple’s weeks-long murder trial in Milton, Ont.” CBC has the story.
— “68 per cent are experiencing a shortage of medical lab technologists (MLTs), according to a recent survey by the Medical Laboratory Professionals Association of Ontario (MLPAO). Those are the behind-the-scenes scientists that test medical samples like blood work or nasal swab tests.” Catch up.
— Got empties? “Environmental activists say a recent agreement between the Beer Store and grocers puts the future of Ontario’s successful deposit return program at risk.” Read on.
— Niagara Region councillors are pushing police to trim another $2.7 million from their budget.
— Barrie threw everything it had at a homelessness and overdose crisis. What did it achieve? The Globe digs in.
— Marit Stiles spoke to John Michael McGrath about a rough year for the NDP.
— Ben Eisen wonders: “Will Doug Ford finally deliver the tax reform Ontario needs?”
— Brian Lilley argues the 102-day winter break is “more than a little excessive.”
— “The federal government might have let in too many students and then cut back, but chronic underfunding by the Ford government is the real catalyst of this mess,” writes the Star’s editorial board.
— Fail: Ontario finished last on housing policy metrics in a new report from the Missing Middle Initiative.
The province scored poorly largely because of Toronto’s high building fees and land transfer tax — levied by both the city and the province — along with provincial and municipal foreign-buyer taxes that the report says “lower access to outside investment.”
— Seen: Premier Doug Ford condemning the deadly mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia: “My thoughts are with the Jewish community in Australia, here in Ontario and around the world following the terrible attack that took place in Sydney earlier today, at the start of Hanukkah.”
“An unspeakable act of hate and violence,” added Marit Stiles.
Ford with David Piccini, Sheref Sabawy, Mohamed Firin and Monica Ciriello at LiUNA’s holiday event.
Speaker Donna Skelly presenting Sol Mamakwa his election certificate in Anishininiimowin, his Indigenous mother tongue.
Bonnie Crombie at the annual federal Liberal caucus bash on Thursday night.
Marit Stiles making the case that the Ford government is corrupt.
With Michael Ma of Markham-Unionville now across the aisle, Billy Pang with a message of support for Doug Ford:
“It’s not weird, it’s called karma,” said Nick Kouvalis, the Progressive Conservatives’ go-to pollster, of Ma’s move.
In the last week of the session, PC MPPs shooting their yearly caucus Christmas video.
— “In this year’s version, [Bobbi Ann] Brady is pictured bare-foot in a festive Dr. Seuss pajama set perched on a metal chair, which is facing backward, and sipping from a red mug that reads: ‘Naughty. Nice. I tried,’ a reference she says is to politics.”
— The Canadian Shooting Sports Association wants Ford to “stand up against Ottawa’s gun grab.”
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