By Pepper Parr
July 9th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
There are Liberals in Ontario who don’t think Bonnie Crombie is doing her job as party leader; understandable given that she has not found a way to get herself elected.
Once seen as the Great Hope for the party.
She was originally seen as the great hope for the Provincial Liberal Party – things didn’t work out all well.
The decision not to run in Milton, where many felt the seat could be won and then the failure to win in a Mississauga, where Crombie was once the Mayor did it for many people.
A group calling themselves New Leaf Liberals have created a petition that asks the party to make some substantial changes in the way the party operates and to require Crombie to be the subject of a party leadership review; something that is standard procedure when the leader isn’t elected.
The New Leaf’s (could that be the name of a new Toronto hockey team) have held meetings in Toronto and Ottawa. There next meeting is taking place at the Black Bull on August 7th from 7 to 9 pm.
The Black Bull is located at 2475 Mountainside Dr, west side of Guelph Line. It used to be an NDP watering hole.
The petition:
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED ONTARIO LIBERAL PARTY MEMBERS, SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING PETITION:
WHEREAS our party needs fundamental renewal to rebuild from the grassroots up and reconnect with Ontarians to form government in 2029;
WHEREAS we must drive committed membership growth, expand our pools of candidates and volunteers, and modernize our campaign infrastructure between election cycles;
WHEREAS our party requires fresh leadership voices and transparent, democratic processes that engage all members in shaping our future;
AND WHEREAS the current leadership has demonstrated an inability to undertake the necessary steps to rebuild our party and win back Ontarians’ trust;
THEREFORE, WE PETITION FOR:
A. FAIR AND OPEN LEADERSHIP REVIEW PROCESS
The resignation of the current party leader at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, should they not reach a two-thirds majority (66%) of the delegate vote, AND commit to not fill delegate positions that remain vacant.
B. COMPREHENSIVE PARTY RENEWAL
LOCALLY LED RENEWAL:
Double funding and support for PLAs with expanded field organizer roles
Double Provincial Council size to include newer voices in party leadership
Centralize and modernize voter ID and volunteer management systems
Support Ontario Liberals in 2026 municipal races to build our bench
DEMOCRATIC REVIEW:
Create a draft nomination plan to nominate all candidates by December 2027
Convene a policy and platform convention in 2027 to inform our 2029 campaign platform
Implement transparent processes that engage all members in party decision-making.
There are currently 236 signatures on the petition
