Presented by Liaison Strategies
ABOVE THE FOLD
Ajax’s rookie Liberal MPP ROB CERJANEC and I sat down for a candid Q&A — from heckling in Question Period to Metrolinx headaches and his Cleveland Browns fandom. That’s coming up.
But first… Premier DOUG FORD poured some cold water on hopes that American beer and liquor would soon hit Ontario shelves. And while he reiterated Highway 413 remains a government priority, he offered little in the way of fresh timelines or costs, leaving the project still stuck in a holding pattern.
Ford went full ground control — U.S. booze remains banned from LCBO shelves until a tariff deal is signed, even for products nearing expiry. “We still have a few months before anything expires, and we’ll take it from there.”
On Highway 413, he unveiled contracts to prep Highway 10 and the 401/407 interchange. But as for price tsgs or project completion? Nada. Cost and timeline details remain under wraps, giving taxpayers more questions than answers.
Q+A: NEW MPP AT THE PARK — Meet ROB CERJANEC, the newly elected Liberal in Ajax. He’s not new to politics (municipal staffer, longtime Grit, ANA BAILÃO alum) but he is new to Queen’s Park. Cerjanec sat down with QPO to chat heckling, Metrolinx, education, his nail-biter win in Ajax — and who really brings the noise in the chamber. Highlights:
How are you liking Queen’s Park so far? Anything surprise you? So far, so good. I’m new to the Legislature, but not to politics — I’ve worked in municipal politics and with the Ontario Liberal Party for years. But believe it or not, I’d never really watched Question Period before, because who really does. So on my first day I’m like, oh, there’s heckling here — okay, I can do this, it’s like a sporting event. Not that I like it, but you’ve just got to go with it. And behind the scenes, we’ve been able to actually get stuff done. Once the cameras are off, those hallway conversations and receptions have been really effective for me as an Opposition MPP.
Who’s the most intense heckler in the chamber? Honestly? MIKE HARRIS. There’s probably a reason he sits in the front row at the very end, close enough for us to hear but not the Speaker [laughs]. Most of the time it’s not personal — we’ll even joke about it after. But when someone makes it personal, that’s when I’ll push back harder.
You worked for former Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão as chief of staff. She even headlined a Liberal campaign fundraiser to support you. How did those City Hall years shape you? We did a lot of work on the housing stuff, but the lessons I bring forward were about the work we did with the community. It’s that “municipally hungry” approach where you’ve got to push and advocate for the community. Right now in Ajax, Metrolinx is a huge issue. We don’t have express GO service in Durham Region. When I was with Ana, I dealt with Metrolinx for years, getting to know and understand how they work. Learning that firsthand from probably one of the hardest working councillors, and someone who was really good at that, and somebody who I respect and admire greatly, I think has prepared me very well for what I'm doing now.
You also have an education background, working for the school board in Durham and even running your own education consulting firm at one point. How do you view the Ford government’s push to reign in school board governance? The system is underfunded. So you can change the governance model but at the end of the day, it’s not going to fix what the underlying issue is: students that need support in the classroom are not getting that support. Kids that need help aren’t getting that help. So they’re acting out, they’re struggling in the classroom, and that results in violent incidents. Trustees can actually be effective in connecting communities and families with the school board and staff. But the province does need to set what the box needs to be — here are the responsibilities, here’s what you need to do, and then ensure that.
Let’s talk about Ajax. You weren’t the obvious Liberal pick to run there, and it was a close race against a PC incumbent. How did you pull it off? I had roots and relationships in Durham Region and in Ajax — I worked for the school board, knew the issues and people. In some ways, I have DOUG FORD to thank with the snap election, because everyone was scrambling. PCs were scrambling, every party was scrambling at that point. Yep, I was born and raised in Toronto, but the opportunity came, and I said, Well, I think I can make a difference in Ajax. We ran a locally focused campaign with an energetic ground game, knocked on doors every day, and won over the community.
What happened politically in Ajax that it flipped from PC to Liberal? At the doors, I heard a lot about the Greenbelt, GO service, and yes, even property taxes. People were seeing through the really sketchy stuff that the government has been doing. When they heard about the tunnel under the 401, they would just laugh.
You’ve been a Liberal forever, including as a riding president and running campaigns. What’s one thing the party needs to get right? We’ve got to be much more in touch with the grassroots. Half the battle is showing up and actually doing the work and inspiring people and getting people involved, and then you can build it from there. If we do that, we can deliver a much more compelling vision for what the future of this province is — as opposed to a tunnel under the 401.
Would you run for leader if BONNIE CROMBIE doesn’t pass the review? I think Bonnie’s going to succeed at the end of the day, but anybody in politics, if you ask them, ‘What do you want to do?’ — most people want to run to improve their communities, to make life better for people. I don’t think anybody would say an outright 'no.’”
Sports fan check — who’s your team? Leafs, of course. I’m actually a big NFL guy — for the Cleveland Browns. People that follow NFL might laugh at that. I’ve been in a fantasy football league for 12 years. And I do get out to Leafs games every now and then. My family’s had season tickets since the HAROLD BALLARD years, way up in the last row of the purples. Nosebleeds, but every seat in that building is good.
Final thoughts? With politics, you never know how long or short your time in it is. So I think we need to have fun. I’m trying to enjoy it, because it’s kind of hard. Ford’s got a majority for four years, so what do you do to knock him down? What do you do to poke holes? But you still need to find some joy in it while doing that kind of work.
