This Grit veteran is betting on an outsider to save the party
And Bethlenfalvy's budget burn
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ABOVE THE FOLD
Q+A — ELIZABETH BETOWSKI was celebrating her birthday yesterday when we sat down for a candid chat about the state of the Ontario Liberals — but the vibe, she says, is bittersweet.
After decades spent organizing local campaigns, the veteran Grit — dubbed the “nomination queen” by one insider — is watching her party stumble into its third leadership race in five years. But she’s not totally writing them off: a political newcomer has caught her eye, and she believes he’s got the chops to turn things around for a party that’s been stuck in third place since 2018.
Meanwhile: Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY threw shade at Ottawa’s budget, on the eve of his own mini-budget. Talk about timing!
Back to Betowski: The decades-deep Liberal organizer and I talked serious shop — what the party needs in its next leader, why a relatively political-unknown named VIKRAM HANDA has her attention — and why he’s being called Ontario’s version of New York’s ZOHRAN MAMDANI, what the next election will be about, and how the Grits keep talking a big equity game but staff up like it’s 1999. Highlights:
You’ve been called the “nomination queen” by some Liberals — someone who’s tuned into what’s really happening on the ground. So, what do you think the party should be looking for in its next leader? We definitely need to break the mold. In the past, we tend to pick people who were already elected — it’s easy to check their record. Sometimes it worked out for us, but in the last two or three rotations, it didn’t. The way we do politics have changed. With the advances of technology, the way of life has changed.That requires us to look towards the leaders who understand how these changes will affect us, leaders that will connect to the average person on the street. The proportion of people voting is going down because they find themselves totally unbelieving that anything will change.
So a really good example of how you can get people excited about politics was BARACK OBAMA in the early days. And I think hte current example is MAMDANI. It’s impressive what he did.
Yeah, he was an outsider in New York politics and an underdog in the race for mayor. More than an underdog — he had zero name recognition. If you asked anybody a year ago on the streets of New York who this guy is, they would say no clue. It tells you that certain attributes of a person can change how people view politics. Liberals need a come-to-Jesus moment and to see there is no quick fix — we have to look to elect somebody who, most likely, should be like this guy, this guy who shows how this generation does politics.
That is not necessarily a sitting politician or a retired politician. It could be just anybody who wants to do better. Not a person who is running for themself, because they want to be premier or a minister or an MPP — they want to run because they want to fundamentally change things.
So, who do you think that person is? Who are you backing for OLP leader? I’m looking at a person named VIKRAM HANDA. He’s a human rights lawyer and not a total outsider from politics — he ran for the federal Liberal nomination in Davenport in 2014, but he wasn’t successful. He is engaged, but he’s never run for elected office.
When I first met him, he was straight from his master’s degree with zero real life experience. At the time, I told him: “Sweetie, go away, go get a job, put something on your resume.” And about a year ago, he showed up and my office and he said, “You know what, I think I’m ready.”
We had a long talk about his values and what he wants to accomplish. And I said, “OK, I’m interested, but I’m just a single person. Why don’t you go and talk to people who generally don’t get involved in partisan politics, talk to them about what matters.” In the last election, I think we really didn’t have a message.
So he met with over 180 people — not just Liberals but organized labour, teachers, nurses, people in housing and the auto industry. He’s proven in his family’s real estate business that a private landlord can make money and still keep rents below market and affordable. That interested me. It’s a parallel to Mamdani, who has shown beyond a doubt that he’s a leader for the time and can get people excited. Liberals need that.
I heard Handa has a direct connection to the Mamdani campaign. Yes. They have mutual friends — Mamdani’s lawyer is a friend of his, and he was introduced to that whole circle. He was impressed. It was unlike anything he’d seen politically. We’re actually looking at bringing some from Mamdani’s team to Ontario to talk about how they did it. They borrowed from early Obama campaigns but adapted it for today — different generation, different technology, different expectations.
Can not being a politician also work against Handa? What challenges is he facing in a leadership race? The challenge will be convincing members it’s not a huge disadvantage to not have a seat. If that were true, how come NDP Leader MARIT STILES — who’s my MPP in Davenport, and I like her — isn’t getting more traction after eight years in the legislature? It’s easier for the caucus if the leader is elected. That is probably absolutely true. But if you only limit to people who are elected, you’re cutting yourself off from the huge number of people who can really move the party in the right direction.
Let’s talk about BONNIE CROMBIE. She’s been mostly MIA since announcing she’ll step down when the new leader is elected. Some members say she shouldn’t be taking a salary from the party in the meantime. What do you think? There’s some confusion. The contract between the leader and the party is confidential, so we don’t know the terms. She said she’d resign once a new leader is elected — not immediately.
Now, it’s awkward. She’s not doing press, JOHN FRASER is taking the lead, and members are unsure what role an outgoing leader should play. What do you do with a leader that membership has rejected? She no longer has a mandate, but on the other hand, the outgoing leader needs to find something to do with herself.
At provincial council, most riding association presidents said they want the leadership vote by early June. People just want clarity. Everything’s kind of at a standstill — nominations, fundraisers — because no one knows who’s in charge.
You work closely with diverse communities. How well is the party connecting with them? We talk a lot about equity — but when we’re in trouble, we run to white men. Every time. We need ethnic communities for votes, but don’t treat them like partners. We don’t go to these communities and ask if there’s someone to run for leader. Eighty percent of our membership is non-white, yet the leadership committee is all white. That’s problematic. We should have people from ethnic communities at the table.
What’s next for you and Vikram? He’s hiring staff and building an organization. Leadership requires money — to participate will be at least $100,000. All this needs to be raised. If you offer people something exciting, they will donate.
Final thoughts? It’s not the greatest timing for us to go into a leadership race, but it is what it is. It gives us opportunity to make the best out of a tough situation. And one more thing: AI will be the biggest factor in elections going forward. Whoever is leaders has to understand how that’s going to affect the economy and people’s wallets. It’s imperative for all our well-being that our future leader can understand that these changes are coming and adapt.
HAPPENING TODAY
11:30 a.m.: Attorney General DOUG DOWNEY will address the Empire Club. The theme: “Ontario’s Courts Modernization, Digital Transformation, and What’s Next.”
6 p.m.: The New Leaf Liberals — the anti-Crombie group — is gathering at the 3 Brasseurs in Ottawa.
FUNDRAISING WATCH — 5:30 p.m.: Liberals in St. Catharines are putting on a $150-a-plate event featuring MPPs LEE FAIRCLOUGH and ROB CERJANEC. Invite.
ON THE ORDER PAPER
First up: MPPs will debate the PCs time-allocation motion that fast-tracks Bill 60, the housing omnibus; Bill 33, which shakes up school board governance; and Bill 40, the energy package.
In the afternoon: Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY tables the Fall Economic Statement just after 1 p.m. (more on that momentarily).
Later on, Liberal LUCILLE COLLARD will move her private member’s Bill 58, to recognize Franco-Ontarian bookstores and cultural institutions.
WEDNESDAY’S RUNDOWN:
It’s official (sort of): MPPs agreed to unanimous consent for the government to “recognize the endemic nature of intimate partner violence in Ontario, and its significant and continuing impact on individuals, families, and communities.”
Passed: PC BOB BAILEY’s motion to designate Line 5 as critical energy infrastructure.
QUESTION PERIOD — TRANSCRIPT. CLIP.
ON THE COMMITTEE CIRCUIT
9 a.m.: A pair of government appointees are in the hot seat at Government Agencies to talk about their new gigs: JULIE O’DRISCOLL, a former PC government staffer and now-principal at GT & Co, is headed for the Council of the College of Early Childhood Educators…HEATHER WOODSIDE, a municipal prosecutor, is headed for the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Estimates studies continue all day, featuring the Ministers in charge: Justice Policy deals with Emergency Preparedness and Response at 8 a.m.; Heritage handles Transportation at 3:30 p.m.; while Justice Policy digs in for Francophone Affairs. Full lineup.
COCKTAIL CHATTER
The Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario is hosting a breakfast reception in the Dining Room and the SOLO Organization (featuring small landlords) is putting on lunch in Room 228.
CLIPPINGS
— BUDGET PRE-GAME: “Ontario is set to table a fiscal update that is expected to focus in part on infrastructure and protecting jobs, while this week’s federal budget has renewed calls for the province to boost post-secondary funding.
The shade: Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY said Wednesday that Ottawa’s financial plan ‘lacks some ambition,’ particularly in infrastructure spending and insulating workers from the impacts of U.S. tariffs.” The Canadian Press has more.
Speaking of questionable budgets: Education Minister PAUL CALANDRA “expects the supervisors he has appointed at various school boards to bill $350,000 each per year, money which will come from the coffers of the local boards.” Global News reports.
— NO REGRETS: Also from Global, “Premier DOUG FORD says he doesn’t regret ripping up a contract with SpaceX for Starlink internet earlier this year, despite the fact his government will now fail to meet its broadband target, partly as a result of that decision.”
— BILL 60 BACKLASH: “Toronto Mayor OLIVIA CHOW is calling on the Ford government to change course on proposed landlord-tenant reform that is set to speed through the legislature, saying it “threatens the rights of renters in our city.” Global’s got that story too.
— STRIP CLUB SAGA: CTV News has the latest on the grilling the PCs are facing for doling out millions in Skills Development Fund cash to a venue that now includes an adult entertainment club.
— WHAT TORIES ARE READING: “You all owe DOUG FORD an apology. MARK CARNEY doesn’t get it — his job is to be our national moral leader, not our senior trade negotiator.” Jen Gerson opines in The Line.
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Public and Business Service Delivery Minister STEPHEN CRAWFORD (I jumped the gun on this yesterday, his birthday is actually today — consider this your excuse to eat cake twice, Minister!)
🍽️ LUNCH SPECIAL: Fish and chips.
⏳ COUNTDOWN: T-minus 35 days until the House recesses…85 days until the PC convention in Toronto.