Bonnie Crombie will no longer be the mayor of Mississauga. Here's how she will lead the Ont. Liberals without a seat
Bonnie Crombie is officially out as Mississauga mayor and in as the full-time Ontario Liberal leader.
Friday marks Crombie’s last day at city council, a position she has held for a decade, having been first elected in 2014.
“It's been an honour and a privilege to serve the great city of Mississauga,” Crombie told reporters following her last council meeting Wednesday.
“It's a bittersweet time, but I'm at peace.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Her next challenge will be to take on Premier Doug Ford at Queen’s Park and rebuild the provincial Liberal party after two dismal elections.
Crombie’s pledge to bring about change, reinvigorate the party’s base, and her ability to stand up to Ford was what spurred her to top position on Dec. 2.
Speaking with CTV News Toronto ahead of the holidays, the new leader of the party with nine sitting MPPs said she didn’t think it would be unrealistic for her to beat the Progressive Conservatives in 2026.
“My goal is to win,” she said. “We are going to present a very viable, competent, transparent, trustworthy government alternative to this one. A government with integrity that people can rely on.”
Crombie doesn’t yet have a seat at the legislature, having been handed the job of party leader after the 2022 provincial election.
Bonnie Crombie, who is considering a bid for the Ontario Liberal Leadership is photographed on the steps of the Ontario Legislature, in Toronto on Thursday May 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Her predecessor, Steven Del Duca, who suffered a disastrous loss on that fateful day, also didn’t have a seat, having lost to incumbent PC candidate Michael Tibollo in Vaughan-Woodbridge in 2018.
Despite this, CTV News’ Political Commentator Scott Reid says he isn’t particularly worried about Crombie not being present during Question Period.
“It's not ideal, but it's probably less important now than it ever has been in our political history,” he told CTV News Toronto.
“Her first priority should be raising money, raising her profile, and raising the prospects for the Liberal Party.”
Crombie can still scrum outside of the chambers, host news conferences and take part in the day-to-day activities of Queen’s Park.
“She also wants to find opportunities in and around Queen's Park to get into Doug Ford's grill,” Reid added. “One thing that's clearly unique about Bonnie Crombie: she drives the premier nuts. He can't help himself but talk about her.”
Crombie, for her part, said there’s a lot of work to be done on the ground and she won’t immediately seek a seat, despite one being up for grabs in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex sometime this year.
“It has to be a seat that makes sense,” she said.
Ontario Liberal Party leader Bonnie Crombie poses for a photograph at Queen's Park in Toronto on Wednesday, December 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Crombie had a decent relationship with Ford over the last few years as mayor, but that connection has turned frosty since Dec. 2. Just weeks after being elected the Progressive Conservatives released radio and television ads attacking Crombie and portraying her as an elite who will raise taxes. At the time, Crombie said the ads showed “a lack of civility” during a time where the government should be focusing on policy.
It’s this policy she wants to focus on first, starting with some grassroots discussions with Ontarians.
“Expect announcements on that kind of work that we'll be doing, and we're all pretty excited about it.”
Members of Provincial Parliament will return to the legislature on Feb. 20 for their first session of 2024.
Mississauga city council will declare the mayoral seat vacant on Jan. 17. Following that they have 60 days to announce a by-election.
The city has a bylaw that allows councillors to rotate into the position of acting mayor. The acting mayor for January is Ward 4 Councillor John Kovac.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.