Does Mayor Crombie’s political future lie in Mississauga or at Queen’s Park?

By Sept. 5, most likely sooner, the answer to one of the burning questions in Mississauga political circles will be answered.

It’s a query that’s been asked for years now, by numerous media outlets and those whose careers or interests can be found in politics, and insauga.com asked the question itself in a headline back on June 12, 2019: Could Mississauga’s mayor become the next Ontario Liberal Leader?

Mayor Bonnie Crombie, who served as a Liberal MP from 2008 to 2011 before succeeding Hazel McCallion as mayor of Canada’s seventh-largest city in 2014, could well have her sights set on a bid for the helm of the provincial Liberals this year–if several media reports in the last 24 hours prove accurate.

The 2023 Liberal National Convention in Ottawa concluded this past weekend and, moving forward, the provincial party is expected to soon announce the opening date for official candidate registration for those interested in leading the Ontario Liberal Party.

The deadline to register is Sept. 5 and candidates must pay a fee of $100,000 and refundable $25,000 deposit.

Ontario Liberals will announce a new leader on Dec. 2 to replace Steven Del Duca. He resigned after the party failed to win enough seats in last year’s election to own official party status.

Asked on several occasions by insauga.com in the last six months or so if she plans to make an Ontario Liberal leadership run, Crombie has smiled and responded by saying how much she loves Mississauga and her job as its third-term mayor.

So, it has not been a definitive “no.”

An insauga.com story last Dec. 1 posed the question once again in its headline: Could Mississauga Mayor Crombie become the next provincial Liberal Leader?

The story was prompted by a poll asking Ontario voters who they’d prefer to see lead the Ontario Liberals. The poll, conducted by Probit, showed Crombie atop the list at 28 per cent, with a substantial lead on her competition.

And in March of this year, insauga.com yet again published a story on where Crombie’s political ambitions may lie.

Numerous media inquiries were sent the Mississauga mayor’s way when it was revealed she’d be attending an Ontario Liberal convention in Hamilton.

Lending credibility to the various reports that Crombie just may be looking to change jobs is a widespread support she seems to enjoy from many Liberals who view her as leadership material.

Crombie won a third term as Mississauga mayor last fall, earning 77 per cent of the vote.

A handful of others including three Liberal MPPs and two MPs have either announced they’ll run for the Liberal leadership or strongly hinted at doing so.