Crombie's $5M flex—and the quiet campaign to keep her
Inside Bonnie's big night
ABOVE THE FOLD
HIGH HEELS, HIGHER STAKES — The Ontario Liberals put on their fanciest shoes and deepest pockets last night for leader BONNIE CROMBIE’s banner fundraising dinner, where tickets topped out at a sizzling $3,400 a plate. Sources inside the room tell QPO it was equal parts schmooze-fest and war-chest flex, with a smattering of quiet leadership tension. And yes, I got my hands on the menu.
The party’s comms team is touting a $5 million haul so far this year — a $500,000-chunk of it thanks to last night’s glitzy affair at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. That number would put the Grits ahead of their usual pace — the party claims to have raked in $5.4 million last year — and is a not-so-subtle message to anyone still questioning Crombie’s pull with the party’s donor class. Case in point, the official line: It’s “a clear sign of a party on the rise.”
But while the cash was flowing, the vibes were…complicated. Crombie is staring down a leadership review in the fall, and not everyone in the red tent is convinced it’s going to be a coronation. As I previously scooped, her inner circle is now holding regular Monday meetings focused squarely on making sure the review doesn’t turn into a full-blown referendum on her rookie-ish leadership.
One insider described the mood as “strategic” but not “panicked” — though others were tittering about a shadowy group of grassroots Grits that has emerged, setting the bar (and the trap) for the leadership review.
Crombie’s 66% problem: The anonymous group calling themselves the “New Leaf Liberals” says that unless Crombie gets 66 per cent of delegate support for the leadership, it’ll be time for her to pack it in.
In their words: They want “the resignation of the current party leader at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, should they not reach a two-thirds majority (66%) of the delegate vote.” Oh, and they want the party not to fill vacant delegate spots in the meantime — translation: no parachuting in last-minute Crombie loyalists. As of this morning, the online petition had 75 signatures.
The party line? Everything’s fine. Some are brushing off the New Leaf Liberals as noise from the cheap seats. They’re quick to point out that Crombie still enjoys the public blessing of the entire caucus and party executive, and technically speaking, she only needs 51 per cent of delegate support to survive.
But insiders know all too well: 66 per cent is the quiet cutoff in Canadian politics. Fall short, and the knives tend to come out. Just ask ex-PC leader JOHN TORY.
Keynote love-in: Last night’s MCs were MPPs STEPHANIE SMYTH and TYLER WATT, with special remarks from ex-provincial candidate, now-federal MP KRISTINA TESSER DERKSEN.
Derksen talked about her nail-biting win after a narrow recount, and how “that’s exactly the kind of fight I see in Bonnie Crombie.”
“That kind of win teaches you something. It teaches you patience. It teaches you perseverance. It teaches you that real victories — the ones that matter — don’t come easy. They take time. They take patience. And they take hard work,” she said.
Crombie’s own message hit familiar themes — “Tonight is about more than a meal. It’s about momentum.”
— “DOUG FORD tried to end the Ontario Liberal Party. He failed.”
— “In just a short time at Queen’s Park, our Liberal team has already begun laying the foundation for a stronger province…We’ve brought real opposition — the kind that puts people first.”
— “Together, we’ve reignited what this party stands for — a movement that’s growing stronger every day.”
Bottom line: Crombie is still the presumptive standard-bearer heading into the next election — but this fall’s review will be the real test of whether the party is truly united behind her, or just enjoying the open bar while it lasts.
Speaking of which, the moment you’ve been waiting for…
What they dined on last night: Starter — Grilled and chilled antipasto: White bean hummus, basil olive oil emulsion, shaved prosciutto, local cheese, red pepper gazpacho…Main — Seared petit beef medallion and herb-roasted petit half chicken: Compressed Ontario apple and caramelized onion stuffing, butter poached leeks, spun white roots, local beetroots and carrots, grain mustard cabernet jus…Dessert — Pumpkin tarts, cranberry white chocolate cheesecake, apple crumbles, Nanaimo bars, date squares, red velvet cake, freshly brewed Starbucks coffee and tea.
Rumour has it one senior Liberal asked for seconds. I’m not naming names (yet).