Mississauga mayor Crombie announces run for leader of Ontario Liberal Party

Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie has officially launched her campaign as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Don Valley West MPP Stephanie Bowman endorsed Crombie at a press conference on Wednesday and will co-chair the Mississauga mayor’s campaign.

Crombie said she wants to renew, rebuild and re-energize the party, adding that she has had conversations with Liberals across the province who say the party needs to return to a “big tent” approach.

“We need to renew our commitment with Ontarians that the Ontario Liberal Party is representative of the whole province, from our northern and rural communities to our small towns and big cities,” she said in her remarks to supporters.

“We need to rebuild our party’s aging infrastructure and modernize it to compete in today’s fast-paced political environment. That includes raising the money necessary to compete head-to-head with the other parties.”

In late May, Crombie confirmed with CityNews that she had set up an exploratory committee for a potential leadership bid.

Crombie becomes the fourth contestant in the race, which includes MP Nate Erskine-Smith, MP and former Ontario cabinet minister Yasir Naqvi, and current provincial caucus member and former MP Ted Hsu.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford addressed the speculation that Crombie was considering a run, saying it would be a “slap in the face” to Mississauga residents for her to remain as mayor while running for Liberal leader.

RELATED: Following the dissolution of Peel Region, there are questions about who’s next?

Crombie later explained that exploring a leadership bid with the Ontario Liberal Party while remaining mayor would not present any conflicts — she would not back down from Ford either way.

“I am who I am. I’m very direct, I’m very forward, and you’ll always know where you stand with me,” she said. “I think the Premier has bristled at some of my comments in the past, and that shouldn’t change.”

The 63-year-old was first elected in 2014 to the mayoral seat in Mississauga after longtime mayor Hazel McCallion retired and has since been reelected twice in 2018 and 2022.

Crombie was also a federal Liberal Member of Parliament from 2008 to 2011.

Party members will cast their votes by ranked ballot on November 25 and 26, with the Liberals set to announce round-by-round results the following weekend and a new leader on December 2 to replace Steven Del Duca.

Del Duca resigned after the party did not win enough seats in last year’s election to have official party status at the legislature for the second campaign in a row. He has since been elected mayor of Vaughan.

With files from Meredith Bond and Lucas Casaletto of CityNews