Burlington MP Karina Gould has established an exploratory committee to look into what it would take to make her Premier of the province

By Pepper Parr

October 13^th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

When families gather for holiday events, politics and sports are two of the subjects that get a thorough going over.

There was plenty of both this Thanksgiving. The Blue Jays didn’t do all that well on the Sunday before Thanksgiving and appear to be losing game 2 in the American League Conference Series.

Gould has a young family and experience well beyond her 38 years.

Steve Paiken did a piece for TVOntario in which he said:  “There are also some intriguing “outsiders” who are considering a run. Burlington MP Karina Gould has established an exploratory committee. She boosted her profile when she contested the federal leadership earlier this year, losing to Mark Carney. Gould has a young family and experience well beyond her 38 years. She currently chairs the federal finance committee, a good gig if you can’t be in cabinet.

At this point, the Provincial Liberal leadership is being handled by John Fraser, an MPP who has made it clear he has no interest in leading the party.

The list of possible candidates is extensive.

Paiken goes on to say in his TVO piece:  “The Liberal leadership is a fascinating prize. The party brass hasn’t decided whether to have a convention soon, in hopes of narrowing the field to candidates who already have organizations in place, or to have a longer runway in hopes of attracting newer options who need more time. The party isn’t that far behind the governing Tories with a fairly broad base of support (only 7 per cent of the electorate would need to abandon the PCs to give the Liberals a shot at winning). But it’s also nowhere in vast swaths of Ontario; the rebuilding job won’t be for the faint of heart.

“It’s worth noting how many of the contenders have a health-care connection. Donald Trump won’t likely be around when the next Ontario election happens, which means the ballot question may be different three-and-a-half years from now. And after 10 straight years of Fordism, who knows? Maybe voters will want something else?

“All of which suggests the Liberal leadership is a desirable opportunity for the brave, but no small renovation job.  Does fortune really favour the bold?”

Former Ontario Liberal leader David Peterson, the province’s 20th premier, thinks so. At a gala dinner for the Pearson Centre (a progressive think tank), Peterson reminded the crowd he inherited a bankrupt rural rump of a party in 1982. “But we worked like donkeys for three years, and we were lucky and things broke our way and we exploited the opportunities and formed a government,” he said. “I guarantee you the opportunity will present itself with the right leadership. I think it’s a fabulous opportunity. If I were a young guy today, I’d run.”