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2026 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election

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2026 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election
← 2023
November 21, 2026
Incumbent leader

John Fraser (interim)


2026 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election
DateNovember 21, 2026
ConventionTBD
Resigning leaderBonnie Crombie
Won byTBD
BallotsTBD
Candidates2
Entrance fee$150,000
Spending limit$1,000,000
Ontario Liberal Party leadership elections
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From November 9 to 20, 2026, members of the Ontario Liberal Party (OLP) will vote in a leadership election to choose a permanent leader to replace John Fraser, who became leader on an interim basis following the resignation of Bonnie Crombie. The results of the election will be announced on November 21.[1]

Background

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Following an extended period of electoral success under the leadership of premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne between 2003 and 2018, the Ontario Liberal Party experienced its worst electoral outcome since Confederation in the 2018 election. The party won less than 20% of the popular vote and fell to seven seats, losing official party status in the legislature. Accepting responsibility for the party's historic defeat, Wynne resigned as party leader on election night.[2]

The party's two subsequent leaders, Steven Del Duca and Bonnie Crombie, were not sitting MPPs when they were elected leaders respectively in 2020 and 2023. Under their leadership, the party regained four percentage points and six percentage points of popular vote respectively in the 2022 and 2025 elections, and regained official party status following the 2025 election. However, neither were able to significantly improve the party's electoral fortunes, nor to secure a seat for themselves.

The party held a mandatory leadership review[3] vote during its 2025 annual meeting held from September 12 to 14, during which Crombie secured only 57% approval from party delegates.[4] Following the results announcement, she initially stated that she would remain leader and fight the next provincial election during her closing address to the assembled delegates, but announced later on the same day her intention to resign following meetings with the party's caucus and executive council.[5] She had initially announced that she would remain as leader until her successor was elected, but ultimately resigned from the position on January 14, 2026.[6] Following Crombie's formal resignation, John Fraser, the most senior caucus member and the party's parliamentary leader since 2018, was selected as interim leader. Fraser had previously been interim leader on two occasions, from 2018 to 2020 and 2022 to 2023.[7]

Rules and procedures

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The rules and procedures of this leadership contest are primarily prescribed in three sources:

  • the party's Constitution, in particular article 9 (Leadership contest & Review) which was substantially amended in 2023[8]
  • the party's Rules of Procedure, in particular chapter 8 (Leadership contest rules) which was specifically enacted by the party's executive council for this contest on February 7, 2026[9]
  • the Election Finances Act of Ontario, on matters relating to registration, financial reporting, and donation limits[10]

The Ontario Liberal Party amended its constitution in March 2023 and ended the election of its leader through leadership convention, the last political party of significance in Canada to do so.[11] Similar to the 2023 contest, all party members as of a membership cutoff date would be eligible to vote directly for leader by preferential ballot.[12] The membership cutoff date for this contest is September 7, 2026.[13] Unlike the 2023 contest however, the voting for this contest will be conducted online.[14]

Votes are tallied based on which provincial electoral district the voting members in, with each electoral district being allocated 100 points, and with points in a district allocated in proportion to each candidate by the number of first preference votes received from members residing in the electoral district.[15] Each of the party's recognized student clubs will be allocated 50 points, and each of the party's recognized women's clubs will be allocated 5 points.[16][17]

When the ballots are counted, if no candidate receives 50 per cent of the points, the lowest-ranked candidate will be dropped from the next round, with their second choice votes distributed to the remaining candidates. This will continue until a candidate receives 50 per cent of the vote.[18]

Timeline

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2025

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  • February 27 – Ontario general election held, resulting in a third consecutive majority PC government. The Liberals won 14 seats, obtaining official party status. Bonnie Crombie failed to win her own seat, but announced her intention to continue as leader in her concession speech.
  • September 14 – At the Ontario Liberal Party Annual General Meeting, 57% of delegates voted against holding a leadership contest. Crombie announced during a speech to delegates after the results were announced that she would remain as leader. However, several hours later, after meeting with the party executive, she announced her intention to resign as leader once a leadership election is held to choose her successor.[19][20]
  • September 28 – The party's executive council approved the creation of a Leadership Vote Committee chaired by party treasurer Gabriel Sékaly and including party president Kathryn McGarry to "consult with members, research best practices and provide recommendations" for the upcoming leadership election.[4][21]

2026

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  • January 14 – Bonnie Crombie officially resigns as Liberal leader.[22]
  • January 19 – John Fraser who previously served as interim leader from 2018 to 2020 and 2022 to 2023, is nominated by the Ontario Liberal caucus to serve as interim leader.[23]
  • January 22 – Party's executive council, riding association presidents and caucus formally confirm selection of Fraser as interim leader.[24][25]
  • February 7 – Party president Kathryn McGarry announces details for the leadership vote, including the voting dates, entrance fee and timeline.[26][27][1]
  • April 21 – Dylan Marando announces his candidacy.
  • May 8 – Lee Fairclough MPP declares her candidacy.[28]
  • May 9 – Scarborough Southwest by-election Liberal nomination meeting is held. Prospective leadership candidate Nate Erskine-Smith was defeated for the nomination by Ahsanul Hafiz.[29]
  • July 31 – Candidate registration deadline.[1]
  • September 7 – Deadline to join the Ontario Liberal Party and be eligible to vote in the leadership election as party member.[1]
  • November 9 – Voting period begins.[1]
  • November 20 – Voting period ends.[1]
  • November 21 – Results of voting and new leader to be announced.[1]

Candidates

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Declared

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Lee Fairclough

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Lee Fairclough campaign logo

Lee Fairclough, MPP for Etobicoke—Lakeshore (2025–present). A health administrator by profession, Fairclough was president of St. Mary's General Hospital (2019–22) in Kitchener and previously was senior vice-president of clinical care at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.[28][30][31][32][33]

Date announced: May 8, 2026
Date registered with Elections Ontario: May 7, 2026[34]
Campaign website: www.leefairclough.ca
Endorsements - Lee Fairclough

Dylan Marando

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Dylan Marando campaign logo

Dylan Marando, 38, is a former political staffer and policy advisor, having worked for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and premiers Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty.[35]

Date announced: April 21, 2026
Date registered with Elections Ontario: April 21, 2026[34]
Campaign website: www.votefordylan.ca
Endorsements - Dylan Marando

Potential

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Declined

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References

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  • Ontario Liberal Party (2025). Constitution of the Ontario Liberal Party. As amended September 13, 2025.
  • Ontario Liberal Party (2026). "Chapter 8, Leadership Contest Rules". Rules of Procedure. As enacted on February 7, 2026.
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Leadership Election Details". www.ontarioliberal.ca. Ontario Liberal Party. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  2. ^ Janus, Andrea (June 7, 2018). "Kathleen Wynne ready to 'pass the torch,' quits as Ontario Liberal leader". CBC News.
  3. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2025, section 9.5.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ontario Liberal Party launches process of selecting new leader to replace Bonnie Crombie". CBC News. September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  5. ^ Cross, Jessica Smith; Cornwell, Steve (September 14, 2025). "Bonnie Crombie to step down as Ontario Liberal Party leader". The Trillium. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  6. ^ Freeman, Joshua (January 14, 2026). "Bonnie Crombie no longer Ontario Liberal leader 'effective immediately'". CTV News. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  7. ^ Ferguson, Rob (February 6, 2026). "For a third time, John Fraser leads the Liberals as the party searches for a leader". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  8. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2025.
  9. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2026.
  10. ^ Election Finances Act, RSO 1990, c. E.7
  11. ^ Paas-Lang, Christian (March 12, 2023). "The era of delegated leadership conventions is coming to an end. Will it be missed?". CBC News.
  12. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2025, sections 9.9 to 9.10.
  13. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2026, section 6.2.
  14. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2026, section 6.1.
  15. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2025, section 9.14.
  16. ^ Chamandy, Aidan; Pinkerton, Charlie (March 4, 2023). "Ontario Liberals to allow all members to vote in leadership elections". The Trillium. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  17. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2025, p. 9.14.
  18. ^ Ontario Liberal Party 2025, sections 9.14 to 9.15.
  19. ^ Smith Cross, Jessica; Cornwall, Steve (September 14, 2025). "BREAKING: Bonnie Crombie to step down as Ontario Liberal Party leader". The Trillium. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  20. ^ Stone, Laura (September 14, 2025). "Bonnie Crombie to resign after Ontario Liberals narrowly voted against leadership contest". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  21. ^ "Ontario Liberal Party Begins Process to Select Next Leader". Ontario Liberal Party. September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  22. ^ Freeman, Joshua (January 14, 2026). "Bonnie Crombie no longer Ontario Liberal leader 'effective immediately'". CTV News. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  23. ^ Jones, Allison (January 19, 2026). "Ontario Liberal caucus names John Fraser as pick for interim leader". Canadian Press. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  24. ^ "Ontario Liberal Party Confirms John Fraser as Interim Leader". Ontario Liberal Party. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  25. ^ Ercit, Jordan (January 24, 2026). "John Fraser confirmed as interim Ontario Liberal leader after party vote". Windsor Star. Postmedia. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  26. ^ Ferguson, Rob (February 7, 2026). "Ontario Liberals to elect new leader in the fall". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  27. ^ "Ontario Liberal Party to select new leader Nov. 21". CBC News. The Canadian Press. February 7, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Ferguson, Rob (May 8, 2026). "Toronto MPP jumps into Ontario Liberal leadership race". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  29. ^ "Liberal MP Erskine-Smith loses nomination battle for Ontario provincial byelection". CTV News. Canadian Press. May 9, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b Paikin, Steve (October 8, 2025). "ANALYSIS: Who wants to lead the Ontario Liberals?". tvo Today. TVOntario. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  31. ^ Schmidt, Hannah (January 10, 2026). "Former St. Mary's General Hospital president considering Ontario Liberal leadership bid". CTVNews. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b c Benzie, Robert (April 15, 2026). "Former Trudeau minister Navdeep Bains considering Ontario Liberal leadership bid, insiders say". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  33. ^ Casaletto, Lucas (May 8, 2026). "Lee Fairclough launches Ontario Liberal leadership bid, promising healthcare reform". CityNews. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b "Leadership Contests registered with Elections Ontario from 2018 to Present". www.elections.on.ca. Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  35. ^ Benzie, Robert (April 21, 2026). "First official candidate enters Ontario Liberal leadership race". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b Cohn, Martin Regg (September 14, 2025). "For Bonnie Crombie, there will be no new beginning, as the Liberal leader resigns". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Welsh, Moira. "The Ontario Liberal leadership race got another 'maybe,' this time from a federal MP". Toronto Star. September 24, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Patrocinio, Barbara (November 25, 2025). "A first look at the possible contenders for the Ontario Liberal Leadership". QP Briefing. iPolitics. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i D'Mello, Colin; Callan, Isaac (September 15, 2025). "Ontario Liberals prepare for another leadership election. Who's in?". Global News. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  40. ^ Nanji, Sabrina (November 6, 2025). "This Grit veteran is betting on an outsider to save the party". Queen's Park Observer. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  41. ^ "SCOOP: Is this the dark horse in the race for Liberal leader?". www.policorner.ca. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  42. ^ Chamandy, Aidan (January 29, 2026). "Toronto housing advocate considering Ontario Liberal Party leadership bid". torontotoday.ca. Village Media. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  43. ^ Forster, Sam (January 30, 2026). "A conversation with the 31-year-old hoping to lead Ontario". Canadian Affairs. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b "Nate Erskine-Smith isn't saying if he'll join race to become Ontario Liberal leader". Toronto Star. September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  45. ^ Elbayoumi, Ahmad (February 9, 2026). "Let the race begin". Policorner. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  46. ^ "SCOOP: Calling Crawley". www.policorner.ca. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  47. ^ Ferguson, Rob (March 9, 2026). "Looming byelection is the first hurdle for front-runner in Ontario Liberal leadership race". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  48. ^ "MP Karina Gould declines Ontario Liberal leadership bid". Burlington Today. Village Media. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  49. ^ "Hsu decides not to run for Liberal party leadership". The Kingston Whig-Standard. January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  50. ^ Online, Doppler (September 22, 2025). "District Chair says he's not running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party". Huntsville Doppler. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  51. ^ Steven, Benjamin Lopez (January 31, 2026). "Liberals announce Danielle Martin will be their candidate for University-Rosedale byelection". CBC News. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  52. ^ Harrison, Lane (May 1, 2026). "Who's in, who's out and storylines to watch as candidates sign up for the 2026 municipal election". CBC News. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
  53. ^ Spurr, Ben (January 29, 2026). "Toronto councillor Josh Matlow not closing door on Liberal leadership bid". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  54. ^ Stone, Laura (September 15, 2025). "Ontario Liberal caucus says it didn't press Bonnie Crombie to resign". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
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