Latest news with #Grits
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Bonnie Crombie defies grumblers as Liberal leadership review looms
It's shaping up as a summer of discontent for — and with — Bonnie Crombie. The provincial Liberal chief faces a leadership review in September amid grousing from some party members that it's time for her to go as former rival Nate Erskine-Smith potentially waits in the wings. In the snap Feb. 27 election, Crombie led the Grits to a respectable 30 per cent of the popular vote — behind Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives' 43 per cent, but well ahead of NDP Leader Marit Stiles's 18.5 per cent. However, the former Mississauga mayor failed to win herself a riding and the Liberals' inefficient vote, a perennial problem, meant they took only 14 seats in the 124-member legislature to 80 for the Tories and 27 for the New Democrats. (There are also two Greens and one Independent MPP.) Even though she returned them to official party status for the first time since 2018 — meaning additional funding for staff and research, a greater role in question period and standing on legislative committees — and has been unanimously endorsed by her caucus and the Liberal executive, some Grits remain dissatisfied. A 'grassroots' group called New Leaf Liberals, co-founded by a one-time Erskine-Smith backer, launched an online petition saying the leader should resign if she fails to achieve a super majority of two-thirds support from delegates to the party's Sept. 12-14 annual general meeting at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto. Crombie, who has been quietly criss-crossing the province meeting with Liberals to dissect last winter's campaign, said while she understands the criticism — and welcomes the feedback — she is 'confident' she will secure the threshold of more than 50 per cent as required by the party constitution. 'They're just disappointed we didn't win — and believe me, no one's more disappointed than me,' she said in a wide-ranging interview. 'I feel like I needed another year. I really wanted to showcase myself as a business person and a competent leader who has run a government and showcase my record as mayor.' Ford's Tories had other ideas and — after spending millions on attack ads targeting Crombie — called an election 15 months earlier than the scheduled June 2026 vote, successfully framing the campaign as a referendum on who could best steer Ontario through a trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump. 'I couldn't speak to those issues with the same sort of credibility as he had because of course he was the premier,' said Crombie, admitting Ford exploited a 'leadership vacuum' in Canada on Trump because the federal Liberals were seeking a new leader in the wake of prime minister Justin Trudeau's January resignation. 'So we tried to break through and reframe the ballot question … on health care, affordability, tax cuts and education while he was breaking the caretaker convention (of limited government action during a campaign) and going to Washington.' Crombie, who fell to Tory rookie Silvia Gualtieri in Mississauga East-Cooksville , said she's encouraged by what Liberals have told her on a 'listening' tour that has included nine regional meetings across Ontario. 'I'm doing it with some humility, because clearly it wasn't the result that I wanted. They truly felt that one of the reasons there was a snap election call was because of the momentum that we were building, the fact that we were rising in the polls and that we were raising money at a rate the Liberal party had never had before,' she said. 'But they did strongly believe that the election was stacked against us.' Still, Crombie conceded she is hearing similar carping to that aimed at federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who (unlike her) squandered a years-long double-digit poll lead and lost to Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals in an April campaign also dominated by Trump. 'It's much the same as what you've heard from (those) criticizing Poilievre's team: 'You needed to pivot.' So we're hearing that as well.' While Poilievre, a 21-year MP who was defeated in his Ottawa-area seat, will contest a byelection in an Alberta riding vacated for him by a caucus colleague, Crombie plans to wait for an open provincial constituency. 'It would be a good urban seat, I think. We have to be strategic about it,' she said, stressing she has no plans to ask a sitting Liberal MPP to step aside. As Crombie looks forward, critics want to see the back of her. Nathaniel Arfin, a co-founder of the New Leaf initiative, maintained it is 'a grassroots group of organizers, staffers, former candidates, everyday Ontario Liberals (who) believe that change needs to be made in the party so that we can strengthen ourselves in order to defeat Doug Ford.' Although Arfin, a computer specialist, worked on the 2023 leadership campaign of runner-up Erskine-Smith, he insisted the progressive insurgents are not a stalking horse for the federal Beaches-East York backbencher, who sat out the recent provincial election after losing to Crombie. 'Nate's leadership was kind of my dipping my toe into the water and since then, I've also had a job (in the Prime Minister's Office under Trudeau). Many of us are Nate supporters,' he said of the New Leaf push. 'I don't know if Nate even wants to run again. I mean he was just re-elected federally.' Erskine-Smith returned to Parliament on April 28, but has publicly expressed his discontent with Carney's Liberals since being demoted from cabinet after serving as housing minister in the final months of Trudeau's reign. That suggests the self-styled maverick may well be open to making another run at the provincial leadership if Crombie is forced out. Asked about New Leaf Liberals, Erskine-Smith said he's 'not involved in that project.' But the four-term MP, a formidable organizer, did not rule out a second leadership bid if the job becomes available. 'It's past time for a change in government at Queen's Park, and I'm committed to helping where I can to make that happen,' said Erskine-Smith, who made a similar pledge after falling to Crombie in 2023 but returned to federal politics. 'I won't make any decision until the members have the chance to make theirs,' he said, 'and it will be important for the leader to secure a clear mandate in that process.' Pressed about what that 'clear mandate' would look like, Crombie countered, 'We know what the (Ontario Liberal Party) constitution says. We will abide by the constitution.' The leader was decidedly more pointed when asked if she were concerned Erskine-Smith may be nipping at her heels. 'I'm not worried about any specific personalities. If anyone had a desire, their opportunity would have been to run in the last provincial election. That's the difference — if you were really committed you would have run,' said Crombie. 'I don't plan to be going anywhere,' she added firmly. Noah Parker, another New Leaf activist, emphasized the group's members are agnostic and not relitigating the last leadership race. 'We are from a variety of areas within the Liberal party. We have no funding. We've decided not to receive any backing or support from any potential leadership candidate,' said Parker. 'We're starting the conversation on the future of our party, rather than prescribing what we think the end goal is,' he said. But the activist didn't mince words when asked if Crombie could meet the two-thirds bar proposed by New Leaf. 'Do I think she'll get 66 per cent? If you do a pulse check on the vast majority of the membership of the party, you know that is a minority opinion,' he said. 'I don't think a lot of people have high expectations … but in addition to that, there is a laundry list of specific and substantive changes that we're looking to make in the party that are bigger than the leader's office.' That's a view shared by at least one Liberal MPP, who spoke confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations. 'We need to do better as a party and she needs to do better,' said the MPP, referring to Crombie. One minister in Ford's cabinet said the Tories are closely watching what happens across the aisle. Despite revelling in the challenges the Liberals have without their leader in the legislature, the minister privately cautioned against writing off a suburban centrist like Crombie who could appeal to PC voters. 'Look, Bonnie at her best can be impressive. She's energetic and can work a room. And,' the cabinet member said, motioning toward Ford's office door, 'she gets under his skin.' A senior Liberal insider, also speaking confidentially, agreed it is noteworthy the premier remains more preoccupied with her than with the NDP's Stiles. 'Everyone recognizes we have a lot of work to do, but Bonnie is a moderate centrist who is not interested in fringe things. As Carney's election has shown, people are exactly where Bonnie is — in the centre,' said the Grit. 'So we do not have the time or the money to waste on another leadership race, which is something no one wants or needs right now. The economy is slowing down and we need to be a party of proposition not opposition while holding (the Tories) to account.'
Calgary Herald
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Nelson: Mark Carney should beware Danielle Smith
Article content Despite silly accusations of treason regarding her repeated attempts to reach out to the Trump camp to plead Canada's case as the nasty insults and confusing tariffs flew north across our border, Smith emerged victorious on election night. The predicted Liberal resurgence never happened. The Conservative vote held strong, coming in at almost 65 per cent and thereby claiming all but three of Alberta's 37 federal seats. Meanwhile, the NDP vote collapsed to six per cent, its support migrating to the Liberals. Article content Sure, Smith wasn't on the ballot, but her constant battle over Liberal overreach into provincial affairs has made her a lightning rod for criticism across Canada. That the Alberta vote held fast is therefore her vindication, more than it was for those Conservative MPs now returning to Ottawa on her coattails. They should remember that in the uneasy months ahead. Article content And what about provincial NDP Leader and former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi? Where does he sit, after so many NDP votes turned to the Grits? Maybe they are simply following his lead, suggesting those two parties should align under a purple banner. Hey, Nenshi knows just the fellow to lead it. But continuing to attack Smith over her fight on behalf of Alberta is a losing strategy. In that game, she holds all the cards. If Nenshi can't see that, he's doomed. Article content Of course, had Poilievre won, then the ongoing dumpster fire involving our provincial health-care system would have enveloped the premier. The NDP could have ridden that particular turkey to victory in a few years. That no longer holds. Today, Smith stands as the last bastion against the age-old encroachment by Central Canada into our affairs. She has nothing to gain by standing down. Neither does Alberta: witness the two-thirds of votes cast for the Conservatives.
Toronto Star
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Poilievre vows ‘to be there to fight' after becoming third straight Conservative leader to fail to topple Liberals
OTTAWA—For Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Canada's 45th election was meant to deliver change. It did, by heralding a new era for a now road-tested Mark Carney, whose Liberal party was on track toward forming a minority government by late Monday night. That victory has cemented Poilievre's legacy as the third Conservative leader to fail to topple the Grits since Justin Trudeau's Liberals first came to power in 2015. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW He was the one to bring the Conservative party to its largest pre-campaign lead in recent memory — and watched it evaporate as Carney supplanted the unpopular Trudeau amid U.S. President Donald Trump's expansionist and protectionist threats. Yet the Conservative leader suggested in his speech to party faithful that he wasn't immediately going anywhere, even as his own fate in his Ottawa-area riding of Carleton remained undetermined by the early hours of Tuesday morning. 'It will be an honour to continue to fight for you,' Poilievre said, before he was drowned out by cheers from the crowd. 'We have much to celebrate tonight. We've gained well over 20 seats. We got the highest share of votes our party has received since 1988,' the Conservative leader said. And in a rare show of humility, he admitted there are lessons his party must learn from this campaign if it wants to improve its result the next time Canadians head to the polls. 'We know that change is needed, but change is hard to come by. It takes time, it takes work,' Poilievre said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Entering election day virtually neck and neck with the Liberals, the Conservatives made some key gains — and weathered some losses — as the clock rolled over into Tuesday. The Tories wrested seats like Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill and Markham-Unionville away from the Liberals, and did the same in NDP strongholds like Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk and Windsor West. But they also posted tough losses in Peterborough and South Shore—St. Margarets, losing incumbents Michelle Ferreri and Rick Perkins. Poilievre's own seat was challenged by the Liberals' Bruce Fanjoy, who was leading in a majority of polls. The riding drew the largest advance voting turnout of Canada's 343 ridings, but also fell victim to an electoral reform protest movement that saw 91 names on the riding's ballot, gumming up the count. In the final week of the campaign, party staff funnelled extra resources into the riding, over fears the leader winning back his seat was no longer guaranteed. A Conservative source closely involved with the campaign, speaking to the Star on a background basis, confessed the result was not what the party had hoped for, but said Poilievre had built one of the strongest coalitions of support the party had ever seen, including making inroads with blue-collar workers and young Canadians. The source also mentioned Poilievre's gains in Ontario, noting that the federal Conservatives' share of the vote in that province may exceed the vote share held by Premier Doug Ford during the recent Ontario campaign. Ford, and those central to his re-election efforts, had been critical of Poilievre during the federal campaign. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Inside a downtown Ottawa convention centre where supporters congregated, the mood fluctuated between elation and gloom as the results trickled in. By the time Poilievre left the stage, some attendees cried while others embraced one another, capping off a long night where many hoped Poilievre would make history by ending a so-called 'lost' decade of Liberal rule. Nevertheless, the several hundred supporters gathered marked a far cry from the thousands of sign-bearing and merchandise-clad supporters who flocked to Poilievre's rallies across the country. It was those rallies his team pointed to when Poilievre fended off criticisms about his party's polling slump and whether his decision to fixate on threats within Canada's borders — rather than outside them — was resonating. The first week of the race saw the Conservatives grappling with reports of internal disarray and discontent, including concerns that Poilievre's innermost circle was dismissing calls to refocus their campaign on Trump and move away from relentless sloganeering, like the preoccupation with the consumer carbon price Carney had already abandoned. The Conservatives' response was denial, arguing that Poilievre had long been seized with protecting Canada from outside harm. In some ways, he had; before Poilievre launched his 'change' and 'Canada First' themes of this campaign, he rallied supporters for two years with a message to 'bring it home.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That morphed into campaign promises like accelerating approvals for resource projects, a capital gains tax deferral aimed at reinvesting in Canadian businesses, and a pledge to drop the rate on the lowest income tax bracket from 15 per cent to 12.75 per cent. But Poilievre never deviated from the domestic issues he insisted should define the contest: crime crackdowns and criminal justice reforms, gutting foreign aid, defunding the CBC and cutting government bloat. In announcing those policies, the Conservative leader embarked on a cross-country tour that saw him make multiple swings through key battlegrounds in the GTA, B.C.'s lower mainland and Atlantic Canada, while seeking to defend Conservative territory in cities like Calgary and Saskatoon and capture new ground in southwestern and northern Ontario. His final campaign stop on Sunday night was at a farm in his home riding of Carleton. 'I want you to know that no matter what happens tomorrow, I will be there to fight for you, for your quality of life, for your future, for your hopes and aspirations, to bring home the Canadian promise that this country made and kept to my wife, Ana, and I,' Poilievre told an enraptured crowd. 'We both come from very humble beginnings. It is only in this country that we could be standing in this place.' Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Jesse Kline: Liberals prove they're the 'natural governing party' after all
Like it or not, by winning a fourth-straight election following a disastrous and scandal-plagued 10 years in office, the Liberal party has proven, once again, that it is indeed Canada's 'natural governing party.' Article content Article content Only a party that is the default choice of the Canadian electorate could trail in the polls by 26 percentage points in January and go on to win an election in April. Article content Article content Only a party that engenders blind trust among voters could convince people that the team responsible for Canada's failing economic health are actually those best suited to fix the problems they created; that a government that's tried the same things over and over again for the past 10 years is actually the party of change; and that a leader who made a career out of trying to keep fossil fuels in the ground is the guy who's going to develop Canada's natural resources. Article content Over the next four years, no one should act surprised when they find makeup on their pork chops. Prime Minister Mark Carney was slathered over the Grits like lipstick on a pig, and judging by the party's election platform, they're going to be rolling in the same pile of manure they've been in for years. Article content After literally doubling the national debt to deal with the COVID pandemic, the Liberals are now basking in the joy of another crisis — this one caused by U.S. President Donald Trump's upending of the postwar liberal economic order and odd infatuation with his northern neighbours — that was sent to them like manna from heaven. Article content
Ottawa Citizen
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Yasir Naqvi leading in Ottawa Centre
Liberal Yasir Naqvi was leading in Ottawa Centre as preliminary results came in. Article content With just over 11 per cent of polls reporting, Naqvi was winning more than 61 per cent of the vote. NDP candidate Joel Harden trailed in a distant second with slightly less than 20 per cent and Tory candidate Paul D'Orsonnens was in third with 16 per cent of the vote. Article content Cheers erupted at Naqvi's election-night party at Beyond the Pale brewery in Centretown as Naqvi took his early lead. Many of his campaign staffers and volunteers donned jersey-like t-shirts with 'Never 51' splashed across the back, a reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated threats to make Canada an American state. Naqvi supporter Hamza Arsbi said he sees Trump's threats as a key issue in the riding, which encompasses much of downtown Ottawa, Parliament Hill and surrounding core neighbourhoods. 'For most people in the area it matters a lot to them,' he said. 'It's a very motivating call to arms, especially in the capital.' Meanwhile, at Harden's watch party, a crowd of about 50 supporters gathered at Eggspectation, a downtown diner that usually closes at 3 p.m. Orange, blue, and pink balloons bobbed gently above the booths, and caught the soft glow of the overhead lights of the rustic dinner. As polls officially closed at 9:30 p.m., a volunteer nudged the volume up on the large TV mounted above the bar. Conversations softened. But that did not last for long as loud cheers erupted when the NDP was projected to pick up a seat. 'NDP is on the board,' said one supporter. Article content Article content The race has been a rematch of the 2018 provincial election, which saw Naqvi ousted by Harden in a heated campaign. Article content Article content Historically, Ottawa Centre has long been a Liberal-NDP battleground, but in recent months, poll aggregator consistently predicted a Liberal win, calling the riding as 'safe' for the Grits in the run-up to Monday night. Article content Before Naqvi was elected to the federal seat in 2021, he had represented the riding in the provincial legislature from 2007 until 2018, and was an international trade lawyer before that. Article content Harden left his seat in the provincial legislature to try oust Naqvi a second time. The NDP's Catherine McKenney was won the seat in the recent provincial election. Article content Ed Broadbent and Paul Dewar, two NDP heavyweights, held the riding back-to-back for more than a decade before Justin Trudeau's red wave swept the country in 2015. The Liberals have held the seat federally since then. Article content Article content First, Catherine McKenna was the riding's MP, after defeating Dewar in the 2015 election. She was the minister of environment and climate change from 2015 to 2019, and minister of infrastructure and communities from 2019 until 2021, when she decided to leave politics, making the opening for Naqvi. Article content Article content Article content During the candidates' debate leading up to the election, Naqvi drew on his background in international trade when answering questions on how to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Article content Naqvi said dealing with Trump involves outlining 'non-negotiables,' and that it's 'carved in stone' that Canada not become the 51st state. He said tariffs should be fought back dollar-for-dollar. Article content Carleton Article content Ottawa West-Nepean Article content Kanata Article content Ottawa South Article content
