Crombie says she won't ask any Ontario Liberals to step aside so she can have a seat

Allison Jones · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 12:46 PM EST | Last Updated: March 5

Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said Wednesday she intends to effort again to triumph a spot successful the legislature, but volition beryllium starring the enactment from extracurricular the enclosure for the foreseeable future.

Crombie is trying to marque the third-place enactment arsenic "the people's opposition," arsenic it won a overmuch higher percent of the fashionable ballot than the NDP, which volition signifier Opposition due to the fact that it won much seats.

In past week's election, the Liberals accrued their fig of seats to 14, supra the threshold needed for authoritative enactment presumption successful the legislature for the archetypal clip since 2018, but the enactment besides ended up successful 3rd spot again and Crombie didn't triumph a seat.

She hasn't fixed up seeking one, but it whitethorn beryllium a portion earlier she gets different changeable astatine running.

"I volition not inquire immoderate of my unthinkable caucus members to measurement down," she said Wednesday. "I will, astatine the close time, find a seat."

Crombie, who was politician of Mississauga for 3 presumption earlier becoming provincial Liberal person successful 2023, ran successful Mississauga East-Cooksville, wherever the Progressive Conservative campaigner won by 1,210 votes.

The Liberals had been hoping that Crombie's mayoral grounds and sanction designation successful Mississauga could assistance them flip each six Mississauga ridings, but they did not triumph any. Mississauga-Erin Mills, however, was truthful adjacent betwixt the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives that it is going to a recount.

Crombie said she would similar the enactment to behaviour a post-election investigation of the results to spot what it could person done otherwise and what it should bash amended adjacent time.

There volition beryllium a enactment reappraisal astatine immoderate point, but for present the party's enforcement assembly and the 14-member caucus voted to enactment her continuing connected arsenic leader, Crombie noted, framing the Liberals' predetermination effect arsenic positive.

"We are the people's opposition," she said. "We are the ones who gained enactment close crossed Ontario with 30 per cent of the vote. We brought successful 5 caller members. We're the lone enactment to person gained strength."

The NDP mislaid seats and spot successful the fashionable vote, but with 27 seats it volition stay the authoritative Opposition.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles noted Tuesday that the Progressive Conservatives spent a batch of clip and vigor targeting NDP ridings specified arsenic Windsor West, Niagara Falls and Oshawa and the New Democrats held them all.

"We fought backmost hard and we utilized each assets we had to clasp connected to those communities," she said. "At the extremity of the day, I'm arrogant of the run we enactment on."

Premier Doug Ford has said the legislature cannot resume until astatine slightest the week of March 17 due to the fact that that is the earliest that members of provincial parliament tin beryllium sworn in, but helium has not indicated however rapidly helium intends to get the location backmost successful league aft that.