Lee Fairclough enters Ontario Liberal leadership race

MPP Lee Fairclough attends Question Period at Queen’s Park in Toronto, on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

The former president of St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, Ont. has her eye on a new role – leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Lee Fairclough announced her decision to run for the top job on Friday.

“[Premier] Doug Ford has stopped listening,” she explained in a video posted to YouTube. “The basics: healthcare, education, good jobs. They’ve all been pushed aside and that has to change.”

Fairclough is a first-time MPP, representing the Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding in Toronto. She’s also the Liberal critic for hospitals, mental health, addictions and homelessness.

“I started my career on the frontlines, providing cancer care to patients and families at some of the hardest moments of their lives,” she said in the video.

Fairclough was named president at St. Mary’s, now called Waterloo Regional Health Network @ Queen’s Blvd., in January 2020. She was also the hospital lead for Waterloo-Wellington’s COVID-19 response before her departure in 2022.

She spoke to CTV News Kitchener in April of that year about her decision to pursue politics.

“I’ve seen the impact of bad policy decisions, and I feel that I’d like to be able to make a contribution to improving the way that policy is set.”

• Lee Fairclough reflects on her time as Waterloo-Wellington’s COVID-19 hospital lead

“I didn’t step into politics to stand on the sidelines,” the MPP explained in her campaign announcement. “I stepped forward to fix what’s broken because I believe we can build an Ontario that works for everyone.”

She started her career as a radiation therapist for cancer patients at Princess Margaret Hospital (University Health Network) in Toronto. She has also worked for Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and was a member of Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team at the 1998 World Cup.

Fairclough and former political staffer Dylan Marando are the only two candidates who have officially entered the race to replace Bonnie Crombie, who resigned earlier this year following Ford’s reelection.