Ontario Liberals set dates for debates as Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie eyes party leadership

Dates have been set for a series of debates that will see Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie face off against challengers for leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.

The Mississauga mayor officially threw her hat into the Liberal leadership ring in June after months of speculation she would run for the party’s top job following a dismal result in the 2022 provincial election.

A perceived front-runner in the contest, Crombie has drawn criticism from fellow candidate and Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who shot back at Crombie’s comments that the former Liberal government under Kathleen Wynne moved too far left suggests “unambitious” leadership.

So far there are five registered candidates including Crombie, Erskine-Smith, and Liberal MP and former provincial cabinet minister Yasir Naqvi, and current provincial Liberal caucus members Ted Hsu and Adil Shamji.

Candidates will square off at the first of five planned leadership debates on Sept. 14 in Thunder Bay, followed by four more planned in Stratford, Toronto, Ottawa and Brampton.

Crombie said in a statement on Tuesday she is excited for the debates. Party members are set to cast their ranked ballots on the weekend of Nov. 25 with the winner set to be unveiled Dec. 2.

The Mississauga Mayor has criticized the current Ford government, accusing them of exacerbating challenges through cutbacks and underfunding of essential public services, and has expressed her belief in the government’s role in resolving critical issues such as healthcare, education, and affordability.

The next leader will have the task of rebuilding the party after it failed in two consecutive elections to win enough seats to get official party status in the legislature.

With files from The Canadian Press