Ontario Liberal Party to announce new leader on Nov. 21

Liberal MPP John Fraser attends Question Period at Queen's Park in Toronto on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

The Ontario Liberal Party says its next leader will be announced on Nov. 21.

In a statement on Saturday, the party revealed details of its leadership election.

Liberal party members will cast their ballots from Nov. 9 to 20. The party says the vote will be conducted online using a ranked ballot system.

“We have a real opportunity in front of us. One that can strengthen our party from the ground up,” John Fraser, the interim leader of the party, said in a statement.

“This leadership process gives local Liberals the chance to grow our associations, clubs, and commissions, and to bring new people into our movement. We have the talent, the energy, and the resources to do that work.”

The Ontario Liberals have been without a leader since Bonnie Crombie resigned last month.

Crombie won the Liberal leadership race in 2023 and led the party into last year’s winter election.

While the Liberals slightly increased their seat count, they finished in third place behind the Progressive Conservatives and the Ontario NDP. Crombie also failed to win a seat.

Toronto Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith has said he plans to run again as the leader of the provincial party. He finished second behind Crombie in the 2023 leadership race.

In a post shared online this week, the longtime Beaches-East York MP said he will run in the provincial byelection in the riding of Scarborough Southwest once it’s called.

Current Ontario Liberal MPPs Lee Fairclough, Adil Shamji and Rob Cerjanec have indicated that they are considering joining the race.

Leadership candidates have until July 31 to submit their nomination papers.

With files from Joshua Freeman and The Canadian Press