Ontario Liberal MPP Lee Fairclough enters party’s nascent leadership race
Written by The Canadian Press on May 8, 2026
TORONTO — Ontario Liberal legislator Lee Fairclough has announced her bid for the party’s leadership.
The rookie member of provincial parliament pried away one of three seats from the Progressive Conservatives in Etobicoke, where Premier Doug Ford lives, in the 2025 snap election.
Fairclough says she would focus on affordability, improving health care and education.
She began her career as a radiation therapist and later took on a leadership role at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health before becoming president of St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, Ont.
Former Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie resigned earlier this year after receiving underwhelming support in her leadership review following Ford’s easy election win.
Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith is interested in running for the party’s leadership, as is Liberal MPP Rob Cerjanec, former federal cabinet minister Navdeep Bains, and housing advocate Eric Lombardi, while former political staffer Dylan Marando is the only other candidate to officially enter the race.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2026.
Liam Casey, The Canadian Press