In my own version of Ontario politics trivia, I asked a few acquaintances, “Who are Bonnie Crombie, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Ted Hsu, and Yasir Naqvi?”
“Isn’t that Bonnie person an MP?” one person guessed.
“Stop saying nonsense words!” another person implored.
“No idea, why should I care?”
These responses aren’t surprising, but it’s the last comment I want to tackle.
Why should you care?
By the way, the answer is that they’re running to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.
OK, so you’re still asking, why should I care? I’m going to tell you why but first some transparency on my part.
For more than a decade, I was a partisan that worked for many politicians, including a Liberal premier. I made a clean break from politics when I returned to journalism. I had no intention of returning, even after I left broadcasting to start up my own communications firm. But then COVID happened. I found myself reengaged on issues where the decisions governments were making had a big impact on me, my friends and family. I started to speak out more through commentary and punditry. I hosted a digital news program, highlighting the failures of the government, our systems, and the effect it was having on women. I worked on the most recent mayoral campaign in Toronto and now I’m penning this column for Now Toronto.
Back to the Ontario Liberals.
On December 2, they’ll elect a new leader after losing so badly in the last two elections that they’re no longer recognized as an official party in the Legislature because of the few seats they hold. That means they don’t get money for staff, they ask less questions of the government in the legislature, and they don’t have as much representation in committees that keep the government in check.
It’s no longer just a possibility but it’s near certainty that the Ontario Liberal Party will become extinct if something doesn’t change.
Some Liberal party stalwarts have tried to move that demise along by suggesting the provincial Liberals merge with the Ontario New Democratic Party, or by wooing the Green Party leader to become the Liberal leader.
The answers aren’t in some gimmick. The answers have always been found in listening to people. Understanding their concerns. Finding practical solutions. And translating that into getting elected.
This exact same premise applies to governments in power.
When governments have absolute power, without being challenged by a strong opposition, they become unaccountable. They lose sight of the priorities and values of the communities they were elected to represent, and there’s no one there to challenge them on it.
With the downfall of the Liberals, the Ontario New Democrats have been given the opportunity to be that opposition. They have been a very weak opposition. They’ve had their own internal problems to deal with – plus, they have proven time and time again that they aren’t able to speak effectively to the broader issues enough to get elected into government.
What are some of those broader issues on our collective minds these days?
AFFORDABILITY
Every single person and family I know is thinking about how unaffordable life has become.
Many of us are cutting back on our costs. If you’re lucky, that means less dinners out, less vacations, and finding ways to spend less each month. But among us, there are some who are having to cope with much worse—forced out of their homes because of their rent being hiked or choosing between being hungry and going to a food bank.
If you care about affordability issues, you should care about who gets elected to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberals.
Some of you are living with your parents because you can’t afford to buy or rent your own place, and you can’t even fathom a day when that may become a reality. Encampments have become a common sighting all over the province, with more people becoming homeless than ever before.
If you care about solutions to build more housing and make that housing affordable, you should care about who gets elected to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberals.
HEALTHCARE
How many of us avoid going to the emergency room because of the long waits? And if you had no choice, what would you do if the closest ER was closed? That’s been the reality for our neighbours in rural areas. Perhaps we wouldn’t need to go to the ER if we had a family doctor. According to the Ontario College of Family Physicians, 4.4 million people are expected to be without a family doctor by 2026 if we don’t make changes. All our healthcare workers are burned out, undervalued, with investments going towards privatizing healthcare rather than supporting our public system.
If you care about healthcare, you should care about who gets elected to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberals.
EDUCATION
Education should be the great equalizer, levelling the field so that all kids have the opportunity to do well and succeed in life, but we are failing teachers and kids, underfunding schools and undermining public education. There isn’t enough support for children with special needs and for the teachers who help them. Schools fundraise for supplies and parents go into debt to send their children to private schools.
If you care about publicly funded education, you should care about who gets to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberals.
Governments don’t fix everything. They do set priorities and make important decisions that have a real impact on our lives. If you don’t hold the same values as the current Conservative government, you deserve to have a viable, pragmatic, and progressive choice. Competent and centrist politics has a place in Ontario and in Canada,
It is easy to be complacent. But if you care about any of these things, then I’ve got breaking news for you: you should care about who will be elected as the next leader of the Ontario Liberals.
Karman Wong is a former journalist and senior advisor to an Ontario Premier. She is the co-founder of KPW Communications.
