Ontario Liberal legislator Lee Fairclough has announced her bid for the party's leadership. The rookie member of provincial parliament won one of three seats from the Progressive Conservatives in Etobicoke, where Premier Doug Ford lives, in the 2025 snap election.
A former radiation therapist and member of Canada's Women's Rugby Team at the 1998 World Cup, Fairclough says she would focus on affordability, improving health care, and education. "Doug Ford has stopped listening," she said in a YouTube video. "The basics: health care, education, good jobs — they've all been pushed aside and that has to change".
If elected as premier, Fairclough has pledged to tackle health-care wait times, increase accessibility for mental health and addiction care, and decrease class sizes in schools. She also promised to repeal the Ford government's recently passed law that shields the premier, ministers, and their offices from freedom-of-information laws.
"I didn't step into politics to watch from the sidelines," Fairclough said. "I stepped forward to fix what's broken because I believe we can build an Ontario that works for everyone".
