Bonnie Crombie Resigns as Leader of Ontario Liberal Party

Bonnie Crombie announced that she has resigned as leader of the Ontario Liberty Party, and an interim leader will soon be chosen to take her place.

“As we begin a new year, I believe this is the right moment for me and for the party, to move forward,” Crombie said in a Jan. 14 statement. “I am incredibly proud of the work we have done together to rebuild and renew our party.”

Crombie thanked Ontario Liberal Party members, MPPs, and volunteers, and said she was looking forward to spending more time with her family, “while giving the party the space it needs to move forward with new leadership.”

Crombie did not say why she resigned before a new party leader had been chosen, after announcing last September she would resign as leader when her successor had been chosen. 

Ontario Liberal Party President Kathryn McGarry thanked Crombie in the statement for her “dedication, leadership, and commitment,” and said she played an important role in rebuilding the party. McGarry also said the party’s executive council has been preparing for the upcoming leadership election and will soon announce a date.

Crombie, who was the mayor of Mississauga from 2014 to 2024, won the Ontario Liberal leadership race in 2023 and led the party through the 2025 provincial election. While the Liberal party increased its seat count from nine to 14, it came in third place overall during the election that saw the Progressive Conservatives win its third-straight majority government.

Crombie lost her seat in that election to Progressive Conservative candidate Silvia Gualtieri, who won with 46.6 percent of the vote while Crombie garnered 43 percent.

Crombie had said she would stay on as Liberal leader following the election loss but changed her mind after an Ontario Liberal AGM in September during which only 57 percent of the delegates voted against holding a new leadership race. 

Although Crombie needed to secure 50 percent of the vote to continue as leader, certain party members urged her to resign if her support fell below 66 percent. Crombie subsequently announced she would resign once a new leader was chosen.

The Ontario Liberal Party has still not announced a timeline or framework for a leadership contest to replace Crombie. MPP John Fraser has been leading the party in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since Crombie announced her upcoming resignation.

Crombie’s announcement comes the same day that Quebec Premier François Legault announced he would step down as both premier and leader of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec. Legault said he will formally resign after the party selects a new leader, adding that the decision was made in the best interests of both the party and the province. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted a message on X thanking Legault for his “friendship, leadership and many years of public service.” He did not release a message on Crombie’s resignation announcement as of publication time.