The Ontario Liberal Party will reveal today whether leader Bonnie Crombie has secured enough support to stay on — or whether the party will head into a fresh leadership race less than two years after she first won the job.
Delegates and ex officio members voted through the weekend at the party’s annual general meeting in Toronto. The results, expected this afternoon, will determine if simmering discontent over the party’s performance turns into a push for change at the top.
A grassroots group called the New Leaf Liberals has been campaigning for a new contest and is urging Crombie to resign if she fails to secure at least two-thirds support, even though the party constitution allows her to remain leader with a bare majority. Liberal MP and former leadership contender Nate Erskine-Smith has also publicly called for “renewal” in party leadership.
Crombie has expressed confidence heading into the review, pointing to backing from the party’s executive council, her caucus, and her campaign team. She has promised to run in the first “viable” seat that opens up, after failing to win one in February’s election.
The last election saw the Liberals regain official party status and grow their seat count, but they still fell short of forming the Official Opposition — a result that left some members questioning Crombie’s ability to lead the party back to power.