A New Leaf event at Firkin on Yonge.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.
In the aftermath of two party conventions and two leadership reviews, progressives in Ontario are asking a depressingly common question: how can we win?
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have won three straight elections, and there is a lot of work to be done to defeat them. Obviously, we at the New Leafs Liberals had a plan, and we’re grateful to every member and delegate who enabled our party to take the first step to a better Ontario. But our work isn’t done, because we want a Liberal government.
Our party is going to face the question of leadership in the coming weeks and months, but there are some things our party can be doing immediately. Bonnie Crombie, in her campaign to stay on as leader, promised a 2026 start to the candidate nomination process, to ensure candidates can bed into their communities and start organizing immediately. Tyler Watt’s success in Nepean is a model for campaigns across the province, and we wholeheartedly support opening nominations as soon as possible.
The party needs to become a properly grassroots organization, one that builds from the members up. The party took important steps to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the leadership review, and the spirit of fairness and collaboration should be preserved and strengthened. Regional meetings of the kind that went into the election debrief should be far more common, and the party should make it easier for Liberals — especially those in rural and regional ridings — to weigh in on important matters without the barriers to participation.
The party’s digital operation needs a clear mandate and a clear identity. The party’s X account did not post an original tweet for both of July and August, only sharing posts from others until sharing information about the AGM. The party’s TikTok has never been posted to, and has less followers than attendees at the AGM earlier this month. In this era, such non-existent presences aren’t good enough. The party has to enable their staff to come up with innovative ideas that can captivate Ontarians, or at least have the chance to show the good work our MPPs are doing.
We need to listen to our post-election review and return our focus to the economy. The decision to highlight needs in health care was admirable, but ultimately not a success. If we want Ontarians to think we have our eyes on the ball, we need to successfully prosecute an economic argument about the PC record, and highlight the good ideas to increase growth, create jobs, and increase wages we had in our February platform.
Obviously, the specifics of our policy will be decided during the leadership race, but there are basic Liberal values that the party can run on with unanimous support. Last week’s announcement on cutting taxes on home construction or the campaign-era promise to double ODSP and end its legislated poverty are the kind of policy that we can focus on. We have a solid foundation to grow on, but we need a sharp economic focus.
We also need the party to undertake a comprehensive review of our fundraising. Both Bonnie Crombie and the post-election review cited lack of resources as a critical cause of the party’s lack of success in February. Figuring out how to raise more money, and how to become less reliant on biannual dinners to pay for the bulk of the year’s total, has to be a key priority to ensure that the next leader has the money to define themselves before they’re defined by a wave of PC ads.
Lastly, the party needs to prepare itself for a proper leadership race. The party has a lot of questions to answer, and a robust debate is the only way we will get the party in the position to win. That is what the New Leaf Liberals brought to the Ontario Liberal Party, and we were able to respectfully but firmly make the case to members and delegates why we needed to make a change. That process isn’t possible without a commitment to respectful disagreement.
Many of us supported different candidates in 2023, and it’s likely we’ll do so again. But we came together because we are united in a desire for a stronger Ontario Liberal Party that can take the fight to the Progressive Conservatives. We understand that the question of leadership is important, but that the Ontario Liberal Party’s tendency to shut down between elections and focus on selling a leader and not a party is not going to win us government. We need to meet people where they are in community after community, even if that’s 20 people at a time in a local pub or bingo hall.
The New Leaf Liberals showed the value of grassroots organizing and building a movement, even against the odds. We need the Liberals to embrace that message, learn from the mistakes of the past, and get the machinery of our party working well so that the next leader, whoever they are, can be a success. And we will continue to do what we can to push our party to be the best they can be, so that we’re in a position to defeat Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives whenever he decides an election will be.
Nathaniel Arfin and Evan Sambasivam are the co-founders of the New Leaf Liberals, the group that organized to oust Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie.