Crombie's moving target

Ford's tariff counterpunch

Presented by Liaison Strategies

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DEADLINE, SCHMEADLINE — When BONNIE CROMBIE first took the reins of the Ontario Liberals, she promised to do what past leaders couldn’t: rebuild quickly, decisively, and with discipline.

That included a bold pledge — nominate half their candidate slate by Labour Day. But when Labour Day rolled around, the first names on the board were the incumbent MPPs. No fresh faces, little momentum — and a big gap between the rhetoric and reality.

By the end of 2024, the party was still far short of that self-imposed candidate goal. Then came the election loss, and at the post-mortem, ALEXIS LEVINE, chair of the party’s post-election planning committee, said nominations would open as early as May 2025. That date quietly slipped by.

Months later, Crombie unveiled yet another plan: January 2026. And while on the podcast circuit, she insisted the Liberals’ real plan was to always nominate candidates and put together the party platform in 2026, based on th…