SCOOP — Bonnie Crombie is bracing for a potential talent drain as some organizers set sight on the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader.
With the leadership vote set for March (“we’ll blink and it will be over,” as one Liberal texted), candidates will have just shy of two months to organize — and, according to a preliminary list being circulated, some will be relying on top talent from Crombie’s campaign.
Here’s who’s who:
— Tom Allison, chair of Crombie’s provincial campaign, will run Chrystia Freeland’s leadership bid. Allison, viewed as a political whiz in Liberal land, was replaced by Genevieve Tomney and Chad Walsh as Crombie’s campaign director in June.
“If there’s anyone in this country that knows how to run and win leadership campaigns, it’s Tom,” said one source. “Given the short timelines, candidates are going to have to be very strategic about how to best reach voting members... Tom is a skilled political operative with the experience and record to make it happen for Chrystia.”
Some are concerned about the impact of Allison’s leap. “Tom’s absence was leading to the amateur hour [the campaign has] become,” said a second source.
Alexis Levine, Crombie’s representative to the executive council, Sachin Aggarwal, the fundraising chair, and Jeremy Broadhurst, who quit as Trudeau’s national campaign director, are also on Freeland’s team.
SCOOP — Bonnie Crombie is bracing for a potential talent drain as some organizers set sight on the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader.
With the leadership vote set for March (“we’ll blink and it will be over,” as one Liberal texted), candidates will have just shy of two months to organize — and, according to a preliminary list being circulated, some will be relying on top talent from Crombie’s campaign.
Here’s who’s who:
— Tom Allison, chair of Crombie’s provincial campaign, will run Chrystia Freeland’s leadership bid. Allison, viewed as a political whiz in Liberal land, was replaced by Genevieve Tomney and Chad Walsh as Crombie’s campaign director in June.
“If there’s anyone in this country that knows how to run and win leadership campaigns, it’s Tom,” said one source. “Given the short timelines, candidates are going to have to be very strategic about how to best reach voting members... Tom is a skilled political operative with the experience and record to make it happen for Chrystia.”
Some are concerned about the impact of Allison’s leap. “Tom’s absence was leading to the amateur hour [the campaign has] become,” said a second source.
Alexis Levine, Crombie’s representative to the executive council, Sachin Aggarwal, the fundraising chair, and Jeremy Broadhurst, who quit as Trudeau’s national campaign director, are also on Freeland’s team.
SCOOP — Bonnie Crombie is bracing for a potential talent drain as some organizers set sight on the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader.
With the leadership vote set for March (“we’ll blink and it will be over,” as one Liberal texted), candidates will have just shy of two months to organize — and, according to a preliminary list being circulated, some will be relying on top talent from Crombie’s campaign.
Here’s who’s who:
— Tom Allison, chair of Crombie’s provincial campaign, will run Chrystia Freeland’s leadership bid. Allison, viewed as a political whiz in Liberal land, was replaced by Genevieve Tomney and Chad Walsh as Crombie’s campaign director in June.
“If there’s anyone in this country that knows how to run and win leadership campaigns, it’s Tom,” said one source. “Given the short timelines, candidates are going to have to be very strategic about how to best reach voting members... Tom is a skilled political operative with the experience and record to make it happen for Chrystia.”
Some are concerned about the impact of Allison’s leap. “Tom’s absence was leading to the amateur hour [the campaign has] become,” said a second source.
Alexis Levine, Crombie’s representative to the executive council, Sachin Aggarwal, the fundraising chair, and Jeremy Broadhurst, who quit as Trudeau’s national campaign director, are also on Freeland’s team.
— Don Guy, a top advisor to Crombie, is poised to play a senior role on Christy Clark’s campaign.
“While I am totally supportive of the Ontario Liberal Party, I haven’t been part of the Bonnie campaign since the conclusion of her leadership campaign and the transition to an election readiness team early last year,” Guy wrote in an email.
Tim Murphy, a strategist who’s also a senior advisor to Crombie, will join Guy, along with Blue Knox, who once worked at the federal level and is now with the Ontario Real Estate Association.
Clark — who has long been eyeing a federal bid — spoke at the policy convention in September. “Many say that Liberalism is dead in this country. I say to them they should take a look at this room — a room full of people who believe in what Liberals can do,” she said.
Privately, there’s some unease — clouded by uncertainty about when an election will be called — over a possible exodus of talent.
“With the announcement of the Prime Minister’s resignation and the likelihood of a federal leadership campaign, we want to remind everyone of our shared priority: Bonnie Crombie’s campaign and the upcoming provincial election,” said Tomney and Walsh in an internal memo on Wednesday.
“... If you feel compelled to make a commitment to the federal leadership process, please contact us directly prior to doing so.”
“Right now, I’m in retention mode, trying to keep people from leaving to help with the leadership. You’re going to see a lot of double dipping,” said one campaign source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“For election readiness, this is really, really bad for the party,” said a second source. “The next round of polling will be important. If Bonnie is not competitive, she will have to consider the strategy,” a third added.
Some, however, insist the campaign isn’t fazed. “Most of the people on Team Bonnie are committed to Bonnie,” a senior source said. “If, and when, Premier Ford has called an election, they’ll all be hands on deck.”
And on a potential exodus, one source pointed to the contrary: those moving on from the federal level are eager to lend their support to Crombie’s campaign. “Since the holiday party, there was interest from many to help in some capacity,” they said.
“Those leaving at some point want to get back involved in our world,” a second added.
Trudeau’s exit and Trump’s tariff threat, meanwhile, has doused more fuel on speculation over whether an election call is imminent.
Last week, Ford — who avoided ruling out an early election altogether — previewed the rationale he’ll likely use to trigger it: “I’m going to have to put tens of billions of dollars into the economy,” he said, explaining how he’s planning to counter Donald Trump’s proposed levies. “I don’t have a mandate from the people to spend tens of billions of dollars.”
Ultimately, Ford has the last say, but it’s become clear to caucus, sources say, that a call is expected imminently — and they’re preparing accordingly. Ford has sought input from his inner circle, while Campaign Research, the Tories’ go-to polling shop, conducted polling last week on whether Ford should proceed.
“The window is awfully narrow,” said one source, who pointed to Ford’s eagerness for a provincial vote ahead of the federal. With the House of Commons’ return, expect the writ to drop for a federal election in late March. If a provincial vote were to take place prior, the call must come by February at the latest.
“The ballot question will become: who do you want dealing with Trump? I don’t know what the polling spread would look like on that question, but my bet is that it would be a pretty good spread in Doug Ford’s favour.”
The source said that Ford’s “Captain Canada” persona will resonate. “While the federal government was melting down, he did a media tour with cable news, did a love-in with Wab Kinew…” the source added. “He looked more like the prime minister than Trudeau has for the last month.”
“If Doug Ford does seek another mandate, he’d need a reason to do it,” says Henley Strategies’ Laryssa Waler, a former advisor to Ford.
“I think on the question of who is best positioned to deal with Donald Trump and Republicans at the state and federal level, I think he’d win that question hands down every time,” Waler added. “If you do start unpacking that question, on the markers of what voters care about right now, Ford is absolutely leading the way.”
SCOOP (II) — “Her tweet just showed up out of the blue.”
PC MPP Lisa MacLeod was forced to apologize over an X post where she suggested that a candidate seeking to replace her as the candidate in Nepean — Husein Abu Rayash — supported “sharia law.”
“While it was not my intention to mislead or hurt anyone, I recognize that my comments were inappropriate,” MacLeod wrote. “... I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community.”
“Lisa has been trying to promote the candidate who was aligned with her,” said a source with direct knowledge of the situation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss what transpired. “There was very clear excitement around Husein. He was signing up a lot of members — in the hundreds — and it was noticeable. This was clearly her attempt to undermine him.”
“[She’s] actually not understanding that sharia law can’t be introduced here in Canada,” said Mohamad Sawwaf, chair of the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada. “This is actually used to spew hate and create division.”
In response to the post, Abu Rayash’s team had “some conversations” with the party about “what it was willing to do.” The party — not the Premier’s Office, the source explained, “considered condemning” MacLeod.
“There was an appetite to call it out, but Husein’s legal action caused her to apologize and delete the post, so my sense was that they thought it was dealt with.”
The apology, however, was a “direct reaction” to a libel notice, the source pointed. That letter described her post as “an attack” on his religion and a “crude” attempt to defame him.
Within the hour of the letter being posted, MacLeod said sorry. “I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community. I will strive to ensure my words reflect these values moving forward,” she wrote.
“What’s done is done,” wrote Abu Rayash in response to MacLeod’s apology. “It takes courage to admit when you’re wrong, and that gesture meant a lot to me and my family. I’m grateful we can move forward.”
In a statement, party spokesperson Peter Turkington described the comment as “inappropriate and unbecoming” but said that Abu Rayash “was disqualified from running as a candidate for being out of compliance with Elections Ontario’s guidelines.”
For some, the mea culpa doesn’t cut it. “We have not heard anything from the Premier,” said Liberal spokesperson Eric Osborne. “No one in Ontario deserves to be treated this way, this was hate speech plain and simple. Doug Ford needs to hold his caucus to account and elected members to a higher standard.”
— The House is adjourned for the Christmas recess.
— It’s a busy week on the committee circuit.
— Pre-budget consultations are ramping up, with the next stops set for Stouffville, Mississauga, Toronto and Peterborough. The deadline to apply to participate is Friday.
— Nomination tracker: Four candidates — Chris Ballard in Newmarket—Aurora, Julie Lutete in Etobicoke North, Robin McPherson in St. Catherines and Shauna Boyle in Niagara West — have joined the Liberal ticket.
Ryan St-Jean will be named the candidate in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, we’ve learned. St-Jean — an engineer and “nuclear power enthusiast” — sought the nod in Carleton, but lost to Brandon Bay. He’s a former school trustee candidate and a “one-time, short-lived” Conservative campaign manager who opposed the Ford government’s handling of the autism file.
Jan Gao and Justine Teplycky will carry the Tories’ banner in Ottawa South and Parkdale—High Park. Teplycky is the director of communications to Paul Calandra, while Gao has had an “accomplished career in consulting and corporate leadership.”
Marjorie Knight has been nominated as the NDP’s candidate in Cambridge. Knight is an “anti-poverty advocate” and community outreach worker. Former Pelham mayor Dave Augustyn will carry the banner in Niagara West.
Carolyn Spicer, Bronwynne Wilton and Kyle Hutton will carry the Green banner in Kiiwetinoong, Wellington—Halton Hills and Burlington, respectively.
Where will Crombie run: The Liberal leader is inching toward an announcement on where she’ll be running in the next provincial election. “Stay tuned,” said one source familiar. With the threat of an early election in the air, the party is expected to accelerate the timeline for major announcements, with Bonnie Crombie entering a “pre-election mode.”
It’s a tight kept secret. As we previously reported, Crombie was “down to two or three ridings” where she could run — East—Cooksville, Malton and Center — with Center still her expected choice. As one local organizer noted, given the district’s urban landscape — part of the downtown core with many high rise dwellers — it’s easier to enlist volunteers for canvassing while the leader is on tour across the province.
Check out who’s already been nominated using our interactive tracker.
— Green leader Mike Schreiner will hit the road with a “Local Champions Tour” to “highlight the Ontario Greens’ support for local communities abandoned” by the Ford government.
— Marit Stiles rolled out the NDP’s new logo: a bold dark orange paired with a trillium enclosed in a circle.
The Liberals dropped a new logo in September — “Liberal” in red block letters, with a white trillium in the “A,” was adapted into renditions of “I Love New York.” The reaction.
— Joel Harden defeated the Canadian Labour Congress’ Vicky Smallman to become the federal NDP’s candidate in Ottawa Centre. “We are ready to win this election. We are ready to heal our country. We are ready to change politics,” he wrote on X.
Harden will be up against Yasir Naqvi, the Liberal MPP-turned-MP and former provincial leadership candidate. Here’s our Q+A with Harden on the “storm” that’s coming.
— The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus has elected a new chair: Norfolk County mayor Amy Martin. (Martin is also the Progressive Conservative candidate in Haldimand—Norfolk).
— Baby news! Natalia Kusendova-Bashta and her husband Mina Bashta have welcomed a baby boy, Matthew Bishoy Bashta. Here’s her announcement.
— A new report by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found a 25 per cent spike in “known homelessness” last year.
— An NDP government would build the Grimsby GO station to “expand service” across the region if elected, leader Marit Stiles said at a campaign stop in Niagara.
“Transit infrastructure hasn’t kept up with [the] growth,” she explained. The local NDP MPP has called on the Ford government to get all-day, two-way service to Niagara Falls.
Meanwhile: Ford — part of his push to appeal to suburbanites — has tasked Metrolinx with exploring an expansion of GO on the Kitchener and Milton lines, eyeing freight rail diversion. It can be “a central component of our ambitious plan to build the roads, highways and transit that will get commuters out of traffic, with the infrastructure we need to support our continued growth for decades,” he wrote.
— Stiles has some thoughts about Trump: “... The thing is, with Donald Trump, he doesn’t give a shit about any of that. For him, it’s all about himself and his billionaire buddies, like Elon Musk.”
— Sarah Jama will be allowed to seek the NDP’s nomination in Hamilton Center, despite Stiles ruling out her return to caucus. “I am prepared to run Independently if I have to, but it was never my intention to be kicked out of the party and I am still hopeful for a return,” she wrote in an email to supporters last week.
Jama — who was nominated to run independently — was booted from caucus over insubordination. The uproar over her removal was expected to be debated at the party’s policy convention, now postponed. “Marit is facing internal criticism — and members not wanting to support her or even their local candidate — because of her ejection of Sarah Jama from caucus. This was going to be a topic of discussion at the convention,” said a source familiar.
There’s a caveat: Just because she’ll be allowed to submit a nomination package doesn’t guarantee that she’ll get greenlit, one source warned.
— The Ford government is launching a new “Home Renovation Savings Program,” which will provide up to a thirty per cent rebate on eco-friendly renovations, including windows, doors, insulation, smart thermostats and heat pumps.
The province is also expanding the “Peak Perks” program to target small businesses, who will receive a cash incentive for each eligible smart thermostat connected to a central air conditioner or heat pump.
More on early election speculation: This reporter joined Greg Brady’s Think Tank panel with local Toronto councillor Jon Burnside to dissect Ford’s likely rationale behind a snap vote. Plus: we talk emergency shelters and Lisa MacLeod’s X post.
Pod pick: Here’s what’s new in the podcast world:
— Premier Ford’s private cellphone call logs are “one step closer to being released to the public,” with the province losing an appeal over government business conducted on his personal device.
— A new poll out this morning by Liaison Strategies has Doug Ford with a narrowed ten point lead. “This could be an outlier, a temporary bump, or the start of a new trend,” said principal David Valentin.
— Toronto’s proposed budget has a steep property tax hike, which Olivia Chow says “is necessary to enable critical investments in libraries, police, transit, housing and other services.”
— Brian Lilley has a preview of Mark Carney’s campaign team, including Gerald Butts and — informally — Katie Telford.
— Robert Benzie on what’s behind Ford’s “unprecedented American media blitz.”
— Steve Paikin says Ford has become “an unlikely figure of national unity.”
— John Michael McGrath is asking why the Ford government won’t talk about the one method “proven to reduce congestion:” a charge system.
— An NDP MP says the decision to allow Jama to seek the provincial party’s nomination is a positive step.
— Kathleen Wynne on why anyone would step up to lead the Liberal Party with a major defeat in the next federal election likely.
— Ontario’s top cop is on defence over a new provincial border security push, which he says will be “intelligence-led.”
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SCOOP — Bonnie Crombie is bracing for a potential talent drain as some organizers set sight on the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader.
With the leadership vote set for March (“we’ll blink and it will be over,” as one Liberal texted), candidates will have just shy of two months to organize — and, according to a preliminary list being circulated, some will be relying on top talent from Crombie’s campaign.
Here’s who’s who:
— Tom Allison, chair of Crombie’s provincial campaign, will run Chrystia Freeland’s leadership bid. Allison, viewed as a political whiz in Liberal land, was replaced by Genevieve Tomney and Chad Walsh as Crombie’s campaign director in June.
“If there’s anyone in this country that knows how to run and win leadership campaigns, it’s Tom,” said one source. “Given the short timelines, candidates are going to have to be very strategic about how to best reach voting members... Tom is a skilled political operative with the experience and record to make it happen for Chrystia.”
Some are concerned about the impact of Allison’s leap. “Tom’s absence was leading to the amateur hour [the campaign has] become,” said a second source.
Alexis Levine, Crombie’s representative to the executive council, Sachin Aggarwal, the fundraising chair, and Jeremy Broadhurst, who quit as Trudeau’s national campaign director, are also on Freeland’s team.
— Don Guy, a top advisor to Crombie, is poised to play a senior role on Christy Clark’s campaign.
“While I am totally supportive of the Ontario Liberal Party, I haven’t been part of the Bonnie campaign since the conclusion of her leadership campaign and the transition to an election readiness team early last year,” Guy wrote in an email.
Tim Murphy, a strategist who’s also a senior advisor to Crombie, will join Guy, along with Blue Knox, who once worked at the federal level and is now with the Ontario Real Estate Association.
Clark — who has long been eyeing a federal bid — spoke at the policy convention in September. “Many say that Liberalism is dead in this country. I say to them they should take a look at this room — a room full of people who believe in what Liberals can do,” she said.
Privately, there’s some unease — clouded by uncertainty about when an election will be called — over a possible exodus of talent.
“With the announcement of the Prime Minister’s resignation and the likelihood of a federal leadership campaign, we want to remind everyone of our shared priority: Bonnie Crombie’s campaign and the upcoming provincial election,” said Tomney and Walsh in an internal memo on Wednesday.
“... If you feel compelled to make a commitment to the federal leadership process, please contact us directly prior to doing so.”
“Right now, I’m in retention mode, trying to keep people from leaving to help with the leadership. You’re going to see a lot of double dipping,” said one campaign source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“For election readiness, this is really, really bad for the party,” said a second source. “The next round of polling will be important. If Bonnie is not competitive, she will have to consider the strategy,” a third added.
Some, however, insist the campaign isn’t fazed. “Most of the people on Team Bonnie are committed to Bonnie,” a senior source said. “If, and when, Premier Ford has called an election, they’ll all be hands on deck.”
And on a potential exodus, one source pointed to the contrary: those moving on from the federal level are eager to lend their support to Crombie’s campaign. “Since the holiday party, there was interest from many to help in some capacity,” they said.
“Those leaving at some point want to get back involved in our world,” a second added.
Trudeau’s exit and Trump’s tariff threat, meanwhile, has doused more fuel on speculation over whether an election call is imminent.
Last week, Ford — who avoided ruling out an early election altogether — previewed the rationale he’ll likely use to trigger it: “I’m going to have to put tens of billions of dollars into the economy,” he said, explaining how he’s planning to counter Donald Trump’s proposed levies. “I don’t have a mandate from the people to spend tens of billions of dollars.”
Ultimately, Ford has the last say, but it’s become clear to caucus, sources say, that a call is expected imminently — and they’re preparing accordingly. Ford has sought input from his inner circle, while Campaign Research, the Tories’ go-to polling shop, conducted polling last week on whether Ford should proceed.
“The window is awfully narrow,” said one source, who pointed to Ford’s eagerness for a provincial vote ahead of the federal. With the House of Commons’ return, expect the writ to drop for a federal election in late March. If a provincial vote were to take place prior, the call must come by February at the latest.
“The ballot question will become: who do you want dealing with Trump? I don’t know what the polling spread would look like on that question, but my bet is that it would be a pretty good spread in Doug Ford’s favour.”
The source said that Ford’s “Captain Canada” persona will resonate. “While the federal government was melting down, he did a media tour with cable news, did a love-in with Wab Kinew…” the source added. “He looked more like the prime minister than Trudeau has for the last month.”
“If Doug Ford does seek another mandate, he’d need a reason to do it,” says Henley Strategies’ Laryssa Waler, a former advisor to Ford.
“I think on the question of who is best positioned to deal with Donald Trump and Republicans at the state and federal level, I think he’d win that question hands down every time,” Waler added. “If you do start unpacking that question, on the markers of what voters care about right now, Ford is absolutely leading the way.”
SCOOP (II) — “Her tweet just showed up out of the blue.”
PC MPP Lisa MacLeod was forced to apologize over an X post where she suggested that a candidate seeking to replace her as the candidate in Nepean — Husein Abu Rayash — supported “sharia law.”
“While it was not my intention to mislead or hurt anyone, I recognize that my comments were inappropriate,” MacLeod wrote. “... I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community.”
“Lisa has been trying to promote the candidate who was aligned with her,” said a source with direct knowledge of the situation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss what transpired. “There was very clear excitement around Husein. He was signing up a lot of members — in the hundreds — and it was noticeable. This was clearly her attempt to undermine him.”
“[She’s] actually not understanding that sharia law can’t be introduced here in Canada,” said Mohamad Sawwaf, chair of the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada. “This is actually used to spew hate and create division.”
In response to the post, Abu Rayash’s team had “some conversations” with the party about “what it was willing to do.” The party — not the Premier’s Office, the source explained, “considered condemning” MacLeod.
“There was an appetite to call it out, but Husein’s legal action caused her to apologize and delete the post, so my sense was that they thought it was dealt with.”
The apology, however, was a “direct reaction” to a libel notice, the source pointed. That letter described her post as “an attack” on his religion and a “crude” attempt to defame him.
Within the hour of the letter being posted, MacLeod said sorry. “I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community. I will strive to ensure my words reflect these values moving forward,” she wrote.
“What’s done is done,” wrote Abu Rayash in response to MacLeod’s apology. “It takes courage to admit when you’re wrong, and that gesture meant a lot to me and my family. I’m grateful we can move forward.”
In a statement, party spokesperson Peter Turkington described the comment as “inappropriate and unbecoming” but said that Abu Rayash “was disqualified from running as a candidate for being out of compliance with Elections Ontario’s guidelines.”
For some, the mea culpa doesn’t cut it. “We have not heard anything from the Premier,” said Liberal spokesperson Eric Osborne. “No one in Ontario deserves to be treated this way, this was hate speech plain and simple. Doug Ford needs to hold his caucus to account and elected members to a higher standard.”
— The House is adjourned for the Christmas recess.
— It’s a busy week on the committee circuit.
— Pre-budget consultations are ramping up, with the next stops set for Stouffville, Mississauga, Toronto and Peterborough. The deadline to apply to participate is Friday.
— Nomination tracker: Four candidates — Chris Ballard in Newmarket—Aurora, Julie Lutete in Etobicoke North, Robin McPherson in St. Catherines and Shauna Boyle in Niagara West — have joined the Liberal ticket.
Ryan St-Jean will be named the candidate in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, we’ve learned. St-Jean — an engineer and “nuclear power enthusiast” — sought the nod in Carleton, but lost to Brandon Bay. He’s a former school trustee candidate and a “one-time, short-lived” Conservative campaign manager who opposed the Ford government’s handling of the autism file.
Jan Gao and Justine Teplycky will carry the Tories’ banner in Ottawa South and Parkdale—High Park. Teplycky is the director of communications to Paul Calandra, while Gao has had an “accomplished career in consulting and corporate leadership.”
Marjorie Knight has been nominated as the NDP’s candidate in Cambridge. Knight is an “anti-poverty advocate” and community outreach worker. Former Pelham mayor Dave Augustyn will carry the banner in Niagara West.
Carolyn Spicer, Bronwynne Wilton and Kyle Hutton will carry the Green banner in Kiiwetinoong, Wellington—Halton Hills and Burlington, respectively.
Where will Crombie run: The Liberal leader is inching toward an announcement on where she’ll be running in the next provincial election. “Stay tuned,” said one source familiar. With the threat of an early election in the air, the party is expected to accelerate the timeline for major announcements, with Bonnie Crombie entering a “pre-election mode.”
It’s a tight kept secret. As we previously reported, Crombie was “down to two or three ridings” where she could run — East—Cooksville, Malton and Center — with Center still her expected choice. As one local organizer noted, given the district’s urban landscape — part of the downtown core with many high rise dwellers — it’s easier to enlist volunteers for canvassing while the leader is on tour across the province.
Check out who’s already been nominated using our interactive tracker.
— Green leader Mike Schreiner will hit the road with a “Local Champions Tour” to “highlight the Ontario Greens’ support for local communities abandoned” by the Ford government.
— Marit Stiles rolled out the NDP’s new logo: a bold dark orange paired with a trillium enclosed in a circle.
The Liberals dropped a new logo in September — “Liberal” in red block letters, with a white trillium in the “A,” was adapted into renditions of “I Love New York.” The reaction.
— Joel Harden defeated the Canadian Labour Congress’ Vicky Smallman to become the federal NDP’s candidate in Ottawa Centre. “We are ready to win this election. We are ready to heal our country. We are ready to change politics,” he wrote on X.
Harden will be up against Yasir Naqvi, the Liberal MPP-turned-MP and former provincial leadership candidate. Here’s our Q+A with Harden on the “storm” that’s coming.
— The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus has elected a new chair: Norfolk County mayor Amy Martin. (Martin is also the Progressive Conservative candidate in Haldimand—Norfolk).
— Baby news! Natalia Kusendova-Bashta and her husband Mina Bashta have welcomed a baby boy, Matthew Bishoy Bashta. Here’s her announcement.
— A new report by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found a 25 per cent spike in “known homelessness” last year.
— An NDP government would build the Grimsby GO station to “expand service” across the region if elected, leader Marit Stiles said at a campaign stop in Niagara.
“Transit infrastructure hasn’t kept up with [the] growth,” she explained. The local NDP MPP has called on the Ford government to get all-day, two-way service to Niagara Falls.
Meanwhile: Ford — part of his push to appeal to suburbanites — has tasked Metrolinx with exploring an expansion of GO on the Kitchener and Milton lines, eyeing freight rail diversion. It can be “a central component of our ambitious plan to build the roads, highways and transit that will get commuters out of traffic, with the infrastructure we need to support our continued growth for decades,” he wrote.
— Stiles has some thoughts about Trump: “... The thing is, with Donald Trump, he doesn’t give a shit about any of that. For him, it’s all about himself and his billionaire buddies, like Elon Musk.”
— Sarah Jama will be allowed to seek the NDP’s nomination in Hamilton Center, despite Stiles ruling out her return to caucus. “I am prepared to run Independently if I have to, but it was never my intention to be kicked out of the party and I am still hopeful for a return,” she wrote in an email to supporters last week.
Jama — who was nominated to run independently — was booted from caucus over insubordination. The uproar over her removal was expected to be debated at the party’s policy convention, now postponed. “Marit is facing internal criticism — and members not wanting to support her or even their local candidate — because of her ejection of Sarah Jama from caucus. This was going to be a topic of discussion at the convention,” said a source familiar.
There’s a caveat: Just because she’ll be allowed to submit a nomination package doesn’t guarantee that she’ll get greenlit, one source warned.
— The Ford government is launching a new “Home Renovation Savings Program,” which will provide up to a thirty per cent rebate on eco-friendly renovations, including windows, doors, insulation, smart thermostats and heat pumps.
The province is also expanding the “Peak Perks” program to target small businesses, who will receive a cash incentive for each eligible smart thermostat connected to a central air conditioner or heat pump.
More on early election speculation: This reporter joined Greg Brady’s Think Tank panel with local Toronto councillor Jon Burnside to dissect Ford’s likely rationale behind a snap vote. Plus: we talk emergency shelters and Lisa MacLeod’s X post.
Pod pick: Here’s what’s new in the podcast world:
— Premier Ford’s private cellphone call logs are “one step closer to being released to the public,” with the province losing an appeal over government business conducted on his personal device.
— A new poll out this morning by Liaison Strategies has Doug Ford with a narrowed ten point lead. “This could be an outlier, a temporary bump, or the start of a new trend,” said principal David Valentin.
— Toronto’s proposed budget has a steep property tax hike, which Olivia Chow says “is necessary to enable critical investments in libraries, police, transit, housing and other services.”
— Brian Lilley has a preview of Mark Carney’s campaign team, including Gerald Butts and — informally — Katie Telford.
— Robert Benzie on what’s behind Ford’s “unprecedented American media blitz.”
— Steve Paikin says Ford has become “an unlikely figure of national unity.”
— John Michael McGrath is asking why the Ford government won’t talk about the one method “proven to reduce congestion:” a charge system.
— An NDP MP says the decision to allow Jama to seek the provincial party’s nomination is a positive step.
— Kathleen Wynne on why anyone would step up to lead the Liberal Party with a major defeat in the next federal election likely.
— Ontario’s top cop is on defence over a new provincial border security push, which he says will be “intelligence-led.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you Kory Teneycke? Patrick Sackville? Nick Kouvalis? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anon, just like those mysterious sources you’re curious about. Have feedback? A juicy tip? Election theories? Hit me up. We’re back in your inbox on Friday.
Have a brand or message? Looking to grab the attention of the province’s top and most powerful political players during a potential election? Ad rates are available upon request.
SCOOP — Bonnie Crombie is bracing for a potential talent drain as some organizers set sight on the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader.
With the leadership vote set for March (“we’ll blink and it will be over,” as one Liberal texted), candidates will have just shy of two months to organize — and, according to a preliminary list being circulated, some will be relying on top talent from Crombie’s campaign.
Here’s who’s who:
— Tom Allison, chair of Crombie’s provincial campaign, will run Chrystia Freeland’s leadership bid. Allison, viewed as a political whiz in Liberal land, was replaced by Genevieve Tomney and Chad Walsh as Crombie’s campaign director in June.
“If there’s anyone in this country that knows how to run and win leadership campaigns, it’s Tom,” said one source. “Given the short timelines, candidates are going to have to be very strategic about how to best reach voting members... Tom is a skilled political operative with the experience and record to make it happen for Chrystia.”
Some are concerned about the impact of Allison’s leap. “Tom’s absence was leading to the amateur hour [the campaign has] become,” said a second source.
Alexis Levine, Crombie’s representative to the executive council, Sachin Aggarwal, the fundraising chair, and Jeremy Broadhurst, who quit as Trudeau’s national campaign director, are also on Freeland’s team.
— Don Guy, a top advisor to Crombie, is poised to play a senior role on Christy Clark’s campaign.
“While I am totally supportive of the Ontario Liberal Party, I haven’t been part of the Bonnie campaign since the conclusion of her leadership campaign and the transition to an election readiness team early last year,” Guy wrote in an email.
Tim Murphy, a strategist who’s also a senior advisor to Crombie, will join Guy, along with Blue Knox, who once worked at the federal level and is now with the Ontario Real Estate Association.
Clark — who has long been eyeing a federal bid — spoke at the policy convention in September. “Many say that Liberalism is dead in this country. I say to them they should take a look at this room — a room full of people who believe in what Liberals can do,” she said.
Privately, there’s some unease — clouded by uncertainty about when an election will be called — over a possible exodus of talent.
“With the announcement of the Prime Minister’s resignation and the likelihood of a federal leadership campaign, we want to remind everyone of our shared priority: Bonnie Crombie’s campaign and the upcoming provincial election,” said Tomney and Walsh in an internal memo on Wednesday.
“... If you feel compelled to make a commitment to the federal leadership process, please contact us directly prior to doing so.”
“Right now, I’m in retention mode, trying to keep people from leaving to help with the leadership. You’re going to see a lot of double dipping,” said one campaign source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“For election readiness, this is really, really bad for the party,” said a second source. “The next round of polling will be important. If Bonnie is not competitive, she will have to consider the strategy,” a third added.
Some, however, insist the campaign isn’t fazed. “Most of the people on Team Bonnie are committed to Bonnie,” a senior source said. “If, and when, Premier Ford has called an election, they’ll all be hands on deck.”
And on a potential exodus, one source pointed to the contrary: those moving on from the federal level are eager to lend their support to Crombie’s campaign. “Since the holiday party, there was interest from many to help in some capacity,” they said.
“Those leaving at some point want to get back involved in our world,” a second added.
Trudeau’s exit and Trump’s tariff threat, meanwhile, has doused more fuel on speculation over whether an election call is imminent.
Last week, Ford — who avoided ruling out an early election altogether — previewed the rationale he’ll likely use to trigger it: “I’m going to have to put tens of billions of dollars into the economy,” he said, explaining how he’s planning to counter Donald Trump’s proposed levies. “I don’t have a mandate from the people to spend tens of billions of dollars.”
Ultimately, Ford has the last say, but it’s become clear to caucus, sources say, that a call is expected imminently — and they’re preparing accordingly. Ford has sought input from his inner circle, while Campaign Research, the Tories’ go-to polling shop, conducted polling last week on whether Ford should proceed.
“The window is awfully narrow,” said one source, who pointed to Ford’s eagerness for a provincial vote ahead of the federal. With the House of Commons’ return, expect the writ to drop for a federal election in late March. If a provincial vote were to take place prior, the call must come by February at the latest.
“The ballot question will become: who do you want dealing with Trump? I don’t know what the polling spread would look like on that question, but my bet is that it would be a pretty good spread in Doug Ford’s favour.”
The source said that Ford’s “Captain Canada” persona will resonate. “While the federal government was melting down, he did a media tour with cable news, did a love-in with Wab Kinew…” the source added. “He looked more like the prime minister than Trudeau has for the last month.”
“If Doug Ford does seek another mandate, he’d need a reason to do it,” says Henley Strategies’ Laryssa Waler, a former advisor to Ford.
“I think on the question of who is best positioned to deal with Donald Trump and Republicans at the state and federal level, I think he’d win that question hands down every time,” Waler added. “If you do start unpacking that question, on the markers of what voters care about right now, Ford is absolutely leading the way.”
SCOOP (II) — “Her tweet just showed up out of the blue.”
PC MPP Lisa MacLeod was forced to apologize over an X post where she suggested that a candidate seeking to replace her as the candidate in Nepean — Husein Abu Rayash — supported “sharia law.”
“While it was not my intention to mislead or hurt anyone, I recognize that my comments were inappropriate,” MacLeod wrote. “... I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community.”
“Lisa has been trying to promote the candidate who was aligned with her,” said a source with direct knowledge of the situation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss what transpired. “There was very clear excitement around Husein. He was signing up a lot of members — in the hundreds — and it was noticeable. This was clearly her attempt to undermine him.”
“[She’s] actually not understanding that sharia law can’t be introduced here in Canada,” said Mohamad Sawwaf, chair of the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada. “This is actually used to spew hate and create division.”
In response to the post, Abu Rayash’s team had “some conversations” with the party about “what it was willing to do.” The party — not the Premier’s Office, the source explained, “considered condemning” MacLeod.
“There was an appetite to call it out, but Husein’s legal action caused her to apologize and delete the post, so my sense was that they thought it was dealt with.”
The apology, however, was a “direct reaction” to a libel notice, the source pointed. That letter described her post as “an attack” on his religion and a “crude” attempt to defame him.
Within the hour of the letter being posted, MacLeod said sorry. “I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community. I will strive to ensure my words reflect these values moving forward,” she wrote.
“What’s done is done,” wrote Abu Rayash in response to MacLeod’s apology. “It takes courage to admit when you’re wrong, and that gesture meant a lot to me and my family. I’m grateful we can move forward.”
In a statement, party spokesperson Peter Turkington described the comment as “inappropriate and unbecoming” but said that Abu Rayash “was disqualified from running as a candidate for being out of compliance with Elections Ontario’s guidelines.”
For some, the mea culpa doesn’t cut it. “We have not heard anything from the Premier,” said Liberal spokesperson Eric Osborne. “No one in Ontario deserves to be treated this way, this was hate speech plain and simple. Doug Ford needs to hold his caucus to account and elected members to a higher standard.”
— The House is adjourned for the Christmas recess.
— It’s a busy week on the committee circuit.
— Pre-budget consultations are ramping up, with the next stops set for Stouffville, Mississauga, Toronto and Peterborough. The deadline to apply to participate is Friday.
— Nomination tracker: Four candidates — Chris Ballard in Newmarket—Aurora, Julie Lutete in Etobicoke North, Robin McPherson in St. Catherines and Shauna Boyle in Niagara West — have joined the Liberal ticket.
Ryan St-Jean will be named the candidate in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, we’ve learned. St-Jean — an engineer and “nuclear power enthusiast” — sought the nod in Carleton, but lost to Brandon Bay. He’s a former school trustee candidate and a “one-time, short-lived” Conservative campaign manager who opposed the Ford government’s handling of the autism file.
Jan Gao and Justine Teplycky will carry the Tories’ banner in Ottawa South and Parkdale—High Park. Teplycky is the director of communications to Paul Calandra, while Gao has had an “accomplished career in consulting and corporate leadership.”
Marjorie Knight has been nominated as the NDP’s candidate in Cambridge. Knight is an “anti-poverty advocate” and community outreach worker. Former Pelham mayor Dave Augustyn will carry the banner in Niagara West.
Carolyn Spicer, Bronwynne Wilton and Kyle Hutton will carry the Green banner in Kiiwetinoong, Wellington—Halton Hills and Burlington, respectively.
Where will Crombie run: The Liberal leader is inching toward an announcement on where she’ll be running in the next provincial election. “Stay tuned,” said one source familiar. With the threat of an early election in the air, the party is expected to accelerate the timeline for major announcements, with Bonnie Crombie entering a “pre-election mode.”
It’s a tight kept secret. As we previously reported, Crombie was “down to two or three ridings” where she could run — East—Cooksville, Malton and Center — with Center still her expected choice. As one local organizer noted, given the district’s urban landscape — part of the downtown core with many high rise dwellers — it’s easier to enlist volunteers for canvassing while the leader is on tour across the province.
Check out who’s already been nominated using our interactive tracker.
— Green leader Mike Schreiner will hit the road with a “Local Champions Tour” to “highlight the Ontario Greens’ support for local communities abandoned” by the Ford government.
— Marit Stiles rolled out the NDP’s new logo: a bold dark orange paired with a trillium enclosed in a circle.
The Liberals dropped a new logo in September — “Liberal” in red block letters, with a white trillium in the “A,” was adapted into renditions of “I Love New York.” The reaction.
— Joel Harden defeated the Canadian Labour Congress’ Vicky Smallman to become the federal NDP’s candidate in Ottawa Centre. “We are ready to win this election. We are ready to heal our country. We are ready to change politics,” he wrote on X.
Harden will be up against Yasir Naqvi, the Liberal MPP-turned-MP and former provincial leadership candidate. Here’s our Q+A with Harden on the “storm” that’s coming.
— The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus has elected a new chair: Norfolk County mayor Amy Martin. (Martin is also the Progressive Conservative candidate in Haldimand—Norfolk).
— Baby news! Natalia Kusendova-Bashta and her husband Mina Bashta have welcomed a baby boy, Matthew Bishoy Bashta. Here’s her announcement.
— A new report by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found a 25 per cent spike in “known homelessness” last year.
— An NDP government would build the Grimsby GO station to “expand service” across the region if elected, leader Marit Stiles said at a campaign stop in Niagara.
“Transit infrastructure hasn’t kept up with [the] growth,” she explained. The local NDP MPP has called on the Ford government to get all-day, two-way service to Niagara Falls.
Meanwhile: Ford — part of his push to appeal to suburbanites — has tasked Metrolinx with exploring an expansion of GO on the Kitchener and Milton lines, eyeing freight rail diversion. It can be “a central component of our ambitious plan to build the roads, highways and transit that will get commuters out of traffic, with the infrastructure we need to support our continued growth for decades,” he wrote.
— Stiles has some thoughts about Trump: “... The thing is, with Donald Trump, he doesn’t give a shit about any of that. For him, it’s all about himself and his billionaire buddies, like Elon Musk.”
— Sarah Jama will be allowed to seek the NDP’s nomination in Hamilton Center, despite Stiles ruling out her return to caucus. “I am prepared to run Independently if I have to, but it was never my intention to be kicked out of the party and I am still hopeful for a return,” she wrote in an email to supporters last week.
Jama — who was nominated to run independently — was booted from caucus over insubordination. The uproar over her removal was expected to be debated at the party’s policy convention, now postponed. “Marit is facing internal criticism — and members not wanting to support her or even their local candidate — because of her ejection of Sarah Jama from caucus. This was going to be a topic of discussion at the convention,” said a source familiar.
There’s a caveat: Just because she’ll be allowed to submit a nomination package doesn’t guarantee that she’ll get greenlit, one source warned.
— The Ford government is launching a new “Home Renovation Savings Program,” which will provide up to a thirty per cent rebate on eco-friendly renovations, including windows, doors, insulation, smart thermostats and heat pumps.
The province is also expanding the “Peak Perks” program to target small businesses, who will receive a cash incentive for each eligible smart thermostat connected to a central air conditioner or heat pump.
More on early election speculation: This reporter joined Greg Brady’s Think Tank panel with local Toronto councillor Jon Burnside to dissect Ford’s likely rationale behind a snap vote. Plus: we talk emergency shelters and Lisa MacLeod’s X post.
Pod pick: Here’s what’s new in the podcast world:
— Premier Ford’s private cellphone call logs are “one step closer to being released to the public,” with the province losing an appeal over government business conducted on his personal device.
— A new poll out this morning by Liaison Strategies has Doug Ford with a narrowed ten point lead. “This could be an outlier, a temporary bump, or the start of a new trend,” said principal David Valentin.
— Toronto’s proposed budget has a steep property tax hike, which Olivia Chow says “is necessary to enable critical investments in libraries, police, transit, housing and other services.”
— Brian Lilley has a preview of Mark Carney’s campaign team, including Gerald Butts and — informally — Katie Telford.
— Robert Benzie on what’s behind Ford’s “unprecedented American media blitz.”
— Steve Paikin says Ford has become “an unlikely figure of national unity.”
— John Michael McGrath is asking why the Ford government won’t talk about the one method “proven to reduce congestion:” a charge system.
— An NDP MP says the decision to allow Jama to seek the provincial party’s nomination is a positive step.
— Kathleen Wynne on why anyone would step up to lead the Liberal Party with a major defeat in the next federal election likely.
— Ontario’s top cop is on defence over a new provincial border security push, which he says will be “intelligence-led.”
Thank you for reading POLICORNER. Are you Kory Teneycke? Patrick Sackville? Nick Kouvalis? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anon, just like those mysterious sources you’re curious about. Have feedback? A juicy tip? Election theories? Hit me up. We’re back in your inbox on Friday.
Have a brand or message? Looking to grab the attention of the province’s top and most powerful political players during a potential election? Ad rates are available upon request.
SCOOP — Bonnie Crombie is bracing for a potential talent drain as some organizers set sight on the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader.
With the leadership vote set for March (“we’ll blink and it will be over,” as one Liberal texted), candidates will have just shy of two months to organize — and, according to a preliminary list being circulated, some will be relying on top talent from Crombie’s campaign.
Here’s who’s who:
— Tom Allison, chair of Crombie’s provincial campaign, will run Chrystia Freeland’s leadership bid. Allison, viewed as a political whiz in Liberal land, was replaced by Genevieve Tomney and Chad Walsh as Crombie’s campaign director in June.
“If there’s anyone in this country that knows how to run and win leadership campaigns, it’s Tom,” said one source. “Given the short timelines, candidates are going to have to be very strategic about how to best reach voting members... Tom is a skilled political operative with the experience and record to make it happen for Chrystia.”
Some are concerned about the impact of Allison’s leap. “Tom’s absence was leading to the amateur hour [the campaign has] become,” said a second source.
Alexis Levine, Crombie’s representative to the executive council, Sachin Aggarwal, the fundraising chair, and Jeremy Broadhurst, who quit as Trudeau’s national campaign director, are also on Freeland’s team.
— Don Guy, a top advisor to Crombie, is poised to play a senior role on Christy Clark’s campaign.
“While I am totally supportive of the Ontario Liberal Party, I haven’t been part of the Bonnie campaign since the conclusion of her leadership campaign and the transition to an election readiness team early last year,” Guy wrote in an email.
Tim Murphy, a strategist who’s also a senior advisor to Crombie, will join Guy, along with Blue Knox, who once worked at the federal level and is now with the Ontario Real Estate Association.
Clark — who has long been eyeing a federal bid — spoke at the policy convention in September. “Many say that Liberalism is dead in this country. I say to them they should take a look at this room — a room full of people who believe in what Liberals can do,” she said.
Privately, there’s some unease — clouded by uncertainty about when an election will be called — over a possible exodus of talent.
“With the announcement of the Prime Minister’s resignation and the likelihood of a federal leadership campaign, we want to remind everyone of our shared priority: Bonnie Crombie’s campaign and the upcoming provincial election,” said Tomney and Walsh in an internal memo on Wednesday.
“... If you feel compelled to make a commitment to the federal leadership process, please contact us directly prior to doing so.”
“Right now, I’m in retention mode, trying to keep people from leaving to help with the leadership. You’re going to see a lot of double dipping,” said one campaign source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“For election readiness, this is really, really bad for the party,” said a second source. “The next round of polling will be important. If Bonnie is not competitive, she will have to consider the strategy,” a third added.
Some, however, insist the campaign isn’t fazed. “Most of the people on Team Bonnie are committed to Bonnie,” a senior source said. “If, and when, Premier Ford has called an election, they’ll all be hands on deck.”
And on a potential exodus, one source pointed to the contrary: those moving on from the federal level are eager to lend their support to Crombie’s campaign. “Since the holiday party, there was interest from many to help in some capacity,” they said.
“Those leaving at some point want to get back involved in our world,” a second added.
Trudeau’s exit and Trump’s tariff threat, meanwhile, has doused more fuel on speculation over whether an election call is imminent.
Last week, Ford — who avoided ruling out an early election altogether — previewed the rationale he’ll likely use to trigger it: “I’m going to have to put tens of billions of dollars into the economy,” he said, explaining how he’s planning to counter Donald Trump’s proposed levies. “I don’t have a mandate from the people to spend tens of billions of dollars.”
Ultimately, Ford has the last say, but it’s become clear to caucus, sources say, that a call is expected imminently — and they’re preparing accordingly. Ford has sought input from his inner circle, while Campaign Research, the Tories’ go-to polling shop, conducted polling last week on whether Ford should proceed.
“The window is awfully narrow,” said one source, who pointed to Ford’s eagerness for a provincial vote ahead of the federal. With the House of Commons’ return, expect the writ to drop for a federal election in late March. If a provincial vote were to take place prior, the call must come by February at the latest.
“The ballot question will become: who do you want dealing with Trump? I don’t know what the polling spread would look like on that question, but my bet is that it would be a pretty good spread in Doug Ford’s favour.”
The source said that Ford’s “Captain Canada” persona will resonate. “While the federal government was melting down, he did a media tour with cable news, did a love-in with Wab Kinew…” the source added. “He looked more like the prime minister than Trudeau has for the last month.”
“If Doug Ford does seek another mandate, he’d need a reason to do it,” says Henley Strategies’ Laryssa Waler, a former advisor to Ford.
“I think on the question of who is best positioned to deal with Donald Trump and Republicans at the state and federal level, I think he’d win that question hands down every time,” Waler added. “If you do start unpacking that question, on the markers of what voters care about right now, Ford is absolutely leading the way.”
SCOOP (II) — “Her tweet just showed up out of the blue.”
PC MPP Lisa MacLeod was forced to apologize over an X post where she suggested that a candidate seeking to replace her as the candidate in Nepean — Husein Abu Rayash — supported “sharia law.”
“While it was not my intention to mislead or hurt anyone, I recognize that my comments were inappropriate,” MacLeod wrote. “... I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community.”
“Lisa has been trying to promote the candidate who was aligned with her,” said a source with direct knowledge of the situation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss what transpired. “There was very clear excitement around Husein. He was signing up a lot of members — in the hundreds — and it was noticeable. This was clearly her attempt to undermine him.”
“[She’s] actually not understanding that sharia law can’t be introduced here in Canada,” said Mohamad Sawwaf, chair of the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada. “This is actually used to spew hate and create division.”
In response to the post, Abu Rayash’s team had “some conversations” with the party about “what it was willing to do.” The party — not the Premier’s Office, the source explained, “considered condemning” MacLeod.
“There was an appetite to call it out, but Husein’s legal action caused her to apologize and delete the post, so my sense was that they thought it was dealt with.”
The apology, however, was a “direct reaction” to a libel notice, the source pointed. That letter described her post as “an attack” on his religion and a “crude” attempt to defame him.
Within the hour of the letter being posted, MacLeod said sorry. “I deeply respect and congratulate anyone who seeks to serve the public through elected office, as it requires courage, dedication, and a strong commitment to community. I will strive to ensure my words reflect these values moving forward,” she wrote.
“What’s done is done,” wrote Abu Rayash in response to MacLeod’s apology. “It takes courage to admit when you’re wrong, and that gesture meant a lot to me and my family. I’m grateful we can move forward.”
In a statement, party spokesperson Peter Turkington described the comment as “inappropriate and unbecoming” but said that Abu Rayash “was disqualified from running as a candidate for being out of compliance with Elections Ontario’s guidelines.”
For some, the mea culpa doesn’t cut it. “We have not heard anything from the Premier,” said Liberal spokesperson Eric Osborne. “No one in Ontario deserves to be treated this way, this was hate speech plain and simple. Doug Ford needs to hold his caucus to account and elected members to a higher standard.”
— The House is adjourned for the Christmas recess.
— It’s a busy week on the committee circuit.
— Pre-budget consultations are ramping up, with the next stops set for Stouffville, Mississauga, Toronto and Peterborough. The deadline to apply to participate is Friday.
— Nomination tracker: Four candidates — Chris Ballard in Newmarket—Aurora, Julie Lutete in Etobicoke North, Robin McPherson in St. Catherines and Shauna Boyle in Niagara West — have joined the Liberal ticket.
Ryan St-Jean will be named the candidate in Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, we’ve learned. St-Jean — an engineer and “nuclear power enthusiast” — sought the nod in Carleton, but lost to Brandon Bay. He’s a former school trustee candidate and a “one-time, short-lived” Conservative campaign manager who opposed the Ford government’s handling of the autism file.
Jan Gao and Justine Teplycky will carry the Tories’ banner in Ottawa South and Parkdale—High Park. Teplycky is the director of communications to Paul Calandra, while Gao has had an “accomplished career in consulting and corporate leadership.”
Marjorie Knight has been nominated as the NDP’s candidate in Cambridge. Knight is an “anti-poverty advocate” and community outreach worker. Former Pelham mayor Dave Augustyn will carry the banner in Niagara West.
Carolyn Spicer, Bronwynne Wilton and Kyle Hutton will carry the Green banner in Kiiwetinoong, Wellington—Halton Hills and Burlington, respectively.
Where will Crombie run: The Liberal leader is inching toward an announcement on where she’ll be running in the next provincial election. “Stay tuned,” said one source familiar. With the threat of an early election in the air, the party is expected to accelerate the timeline for major announcements, with Bonnie Crombie entering a “pre-election mode.”
It’s a tight kept secret. As we previously reported, Crombie was “down to two or three ridings” where she could run — East—Cooksville, Malton and Center — with Center still her expected choice. As one local organizer noted, given the district’s urban landscape — part of the downtown core with many high rise dwellers — it’s easier to enlist volunteers for canvassing while the leader is on tour across the province.
Check out who’s already been nominated using our interactive tracker.
— Green leader Mike Schreiner will hit the road with a “Local Champions Tour” to “highlight the Ontario Greens’ support for local communities abandoned” by the Ford government.
— Marit Stiles rolled out the NDP’s new logo: a bold dark orange paired with a trillium enclosed in a circle.
The Liberals dropped a new logo in September — “Liberal” in red block letters, with a white trillium in the “A,” was adapted into renditions of “I Love New York.” The reaction.
— Joel Harden defeated the Canadian Labour Congress’ Vicky Smallman to become the federal NDP’s candidate in Ottawa Centre. “We are ready to win this election. We are ready to heal our country. We are ready to change politics,” he wrote on X.
Harden will be up against Yasir Naqvi, the Liberal MPP-turned-MP and former provincial leadership candidate. Here’s our Q+A with Harden on the “storm” that’s coming.
— The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus has elected a new chair: Norfolk County mayor Amy Martin. (Martin is also the Progressive Conservative candidate in Haldimand—Norfolk).
— Baby news! Natalia Kusendova-Bashta and her husband Mina Bashta have welcomed a baby boy, Matthew Bishoy Bashta. Here’s her announcement.
— A new report by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found a 25 per cent spike in “known homelessness” last year.
— An NDP government would build the Grimsby GO station to “expand service” across the region if elected, leader Marit Stiles said at a campaign stop in Niagara.
“Transit infrastructure hasn’t kept up with [the] growth,” she explained. The local NDP MPP has called on the Ford government to get all-day, two-way service to Niagara Falls.
Meanwhile: Ford — part of his push to appeal to suburbanites — has tasked Metrolinx with exploring an expansion of GO on the Kitchener and Milton lines, eyeing freight rail diversion. It can be “a central component of our ambitious plan to build the roads, highways and transit that will get commuters out of traffic, with the infrastructure we need to support our continued growth for decades,” he wrote.
— Stiles has some thoughts about Trump: “... The thing is, with Donald Trump, he doesn’t give a shit about any of that. For him, it’s all about himself and his billionaire buddies, like Elon Musk.”
— Sarah Jama will be allowed to seek the NDP’s nomination in Hamilton Center, despite Stiles ruling out her return to caucus. “I am prepared to run Independently if I have to, but it was never my intention to be kicked out of the party and I am still hopeful for a return,” she wrote in an email to supporters last week.
Jama — who was nominated to run independently — was booted from caucus over insubordination. The uproar over her removal was expected to be debated at the party’s policy convention, now postponed. “Marit is facing internal criticism — and members not wanting to support her or even their local candidate — because of her ejection of Sarah Jama from caucus. This was going to be a topic of discussion at the convention,” said a source familiar.
There’s a caveat: Just because she’ll be allowed to submit a nomination package doesn’t guarantee that she’ll get greenlit, one source warned.
— The Ford government is launching a new “Home Renovation Savings Program,” which will provide up to a thirty per cent rebate on eco-friendly renovations, including windows, doors, insulation, smart thermostats and heat pumps.
The province is also expanding the “Peak Perks” program to target small businesses, who will receive a cash incentive for each eligible smart thermostat connected to a central air conditioner or heat pump.
More on early election speculation: This reporter joined Greg Brady’s Think Tank panel with local Toronto councillor Jon Burnside to dissect Ford’s likely rationale behind a snap vote. Plus: we talk emergency shelters and Lisa MacLeod’s X post.
Pod pick: Here’s what’s new in the podcast world:
— Premier Ford’s private cellphone call logs are “one step closer to being released to the public,” with the province losing an appeal over government business conducted on his personal device.
— A new poll out this morning by Liaison Strategies has Doug Ford with a narrowed ten point lead. “This could be an outlier, a temporary bump, or the start of a new trend,” said principal David Valentin.
— Toronto’s proposed budget has a steep property tax hike, which Olivia Chow says “is necessary to enable critical investments in libraries, police, transit, housing and other services.”
— Brian Lilley has a preview of Mark Carney’s campaign team, including Gerald Butts and — informally — Katie Telford.
— Robert Benzie on what’s behind Ford’s “unprecedented American media blitz.”
— Steve Paikin says Ford has become “an unlikely figure of national unity.”
— John Michael McGrath is asking why the Ford government won’t talk about the one method “proven to reduce congestion:” a charge system.
— An NDP MP says the decision to allow Jama to seek the provincial party’s nomination is a positive step.
— Kathleen Wynne on why anyone would step up to lead the Liberal Party with a major defeat in the next federal election likely.
— Ontario’s top cop is on defence over a new provincial border security push, which he says will be “intelligence-led.”
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