Ontario Liberals to plan new leadership race after Crombie resignation announcement

TORONTO — In the wake of a resignation announcement from Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, the party must now set about organizing another leadership race and caucus member John Fraser says he believes there will be a lot of interest.

This will be the third leadership race since 2020 after Crombie, who was chosen as leader in 2023, announced Sunday that she will resign following a weak show of support at the party’s annual general meeting.

The Liberals have been the third-place party since 2018, when they lost their majority government under Kathleen Wynne and were reduced to just seven seats.

There was a good number of candidates in the 2020 and 2023 races even when the party was struggling more, and Fraser says now the Liberal leadership is a more attractive position than it was in either of those two years.

Fraser notes that since this year’s election, the Liberals have official party status in the legislature and therefore more resources and debate time, five more seats than before, a good amount of fundraising activity and 30 per cent of the popular vote in the last election.

He believes names of potential contenders will start popping up soon, but Fraser — who has twice served as interim leader — says his name won’t be one of them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2025.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press