The new Liberal candidate in Scarborough Southwest is already out pounding pavement.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.
Friends, Ontarians, Liberals, lend me your ears.
I come to bury neither Nate Erskine-Smith nor Ahsanul Hafiz.
The evil that campaigns do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their discarded literature.
So let it be with the Ontario Liberal Party.
Mr Erskine-Smith alleges that the party's nomination process was badly administered, if not corrupted. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps he is not. But whether his appeal succeeds is not the central issue.
The central issue is what this nomination reveals about how political parties too often operate.
And the party's organizers are honourable people.
So are they all, all honourable people.
We have created a system in which nomination meetings are less exercises in democratic deliberation than logistical tests of mobilization.
Memberships are sold by the hundreds.
Supporters are signed up days before a vote.
Communities are courted intensely for a weekend and too often forgotten by Monday morning.
People are marshalled to vote against someone, not for something.
This dynamic is not unique to the Ontario Liberals.
Every major party does it.
And all are, no doubt, honourable people.
Nor is organization itself a vice.
Politics has always rewarded those who inspire supporters and bring them to the polls.
Get-out-the-vote is not the problem.
The problem is when mobilization becomes entirely transactional.
When members are treated as numbers to be counted rather than citizens to be persuaded.
When a person joins to cast one ballot and is never meaningfully engaged again.
When the goal is not to build a lasting movement, but to assemble a temporary coalition large enough to win the next internal contest.
This model has obvious vulnerabilities.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue noted that nomination contests can be attractive targets for improper influence because they are administered by parties themselves, largely by volunteers, and often attract limited scrutiny.
The issue is not that every contested nomination is suspect.
It is that the underlying structure invites abuse when campaign organizers prioritize raw turnout over genuine engagement.
And the organizers are honourable people.
The deeper rot in the Ontario Liberal Party is that too many members have come to mistake winning internal proxy battles for building a political movement.
The party has, at times, become an insular club. A place where status within the organization matters more than support beyond it. Where people measure their influence by who returns their calls. Where internal titles are coveted even as elections are lost. Where being important inside the party becomes a substitute for making the party important to Ontarians.
We have all played a part in this dynamic as the party corroded around us.
But as Eric Osborne wrote in a moment of refreshing candour, the party needs to “grow up, get serious and let's be winners for once.”
He is right.
That message applies to veterans who defend outdated habits.
It applies to younger Liberals who confuse social media sniping with political work.
And it applies to anyone who has forgotten that politics is not a private club for the politically ambitious. It is a means of improving people's lives.
The federal Liberals spent years consumed by the rivalry between Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. That conflict helped send the party into the wilderness. It returned only when a new generation rediscovered a simple formula: hope, hard work, and knocking on doors.
Across the Atlantic, the Labour Party returned to power under Keir Starmer by subordinating factions to teamwork. Yet the tensions now emerging within his government are a reminder that discipline is not a permanent state. It must be renewed constantly. And getting things done is the best political defence because it's a good political offence.
Ontario Liberals should take note.
Ontarians are not looking for a party that excels at internal manoeuvring. They are looking for a government that works.
When families cannot find a family doctor, should Liberals be counting internal victories? When young people fear they will never own a home, should Liberals be arguing over who controls a riding association? When the cost of living rises and public services strain, is this the moment for another round of grievance and intrigue?
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.
The answer is not to abolish contested nominations. It is to make them worthy of the name.
Earlier membership cut-off deadlines.
Clear and consistently enforced rules.
Procedures that protect ballot secrecy and inspire confidence in the result.
Yes, maybe Elections Ontario having more of a direct hand in nominations' rules of the road.
And riding associations that engage members year-round, not just when a race is called.
No one reform is a shortcut to change; rather, we need to instill a culture that prizes teamwork.
In short, the party must reward those who build enduring relationships, not merely those who can marshal the largest temporary coalition.
The Ontario Liberal Party does not need saving.
It needs renewal.
It needs to care less about who is important within the party and more about whether the party is important to Ontarians.
It needs to remember that the purpose of politics is not to be somebody.
It is to do something.
You all did love this party once, not without cause.
What cause withholds you then, to rally to it now?
O judgment, thou art fled to Twitter, and Liberals have lost their reason.
Bear with me.
My heart is in the coffin there with the party's credibility, and I must pause till it come back to me.
Jonathan Scott is a vice-president at Crestview Strategy.