SCOOP: Liberal leadership race heats up

And Christmas cards roll in

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First in Queen’s Park Observer — LIBERAL LEADERSHIP RACE HEATS UP — With the NDP securing its new leader MARIT STILES in an uncontested race, all eyes are turning to the competition for Liberal leader.

Enter NATE ERSKINE-SMITH, the federal Liberal MP for Beaches—East York who’s kicked his “exploratory” bid for provincial leader up a notch.

“With the incompetent and chaotic populism at Queen’s Park, and with our provincial party in need of serious renewal, it’s hard to think of a bigger way for me to make a difference,” Erskine-Smith wrote in an email to supporters this morning.

He’s launched a campaign website and is soliciting donations, while noting that “there is unfortunately no tax credit this year as it’s an exploratory and not official campaign.”

He’s also been touring the province, with stops in Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Windsor, Bay of Quinte, Hamilton, Mississauga, Kenora, Dryden and Sioux Lookout, with plans to hit up Oakville and Sault Ste. Marie before Christmas…