Ontario Liberal leadership race widens as Erskine-Smith exits
With MP Nate Erskine-Smith out of the race, former MP Navdeep Bains and current MPPs Rob Cerjanec and Lee Fairclough are among the contenders vying to challenge Premier Doug Ford.
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The Ontario Liberal leadership race has widened after MP Nate Erskine-Smith withdrew from consideration, opening the field for several major contenders to compete for a chance to challenge Premier Doug Ford.
Erskine-Smith's departure clears the way for candidates including former MP Navdeep Bains, who recently returned to politics after years in the private sector working for Rogers Communications. Bains cited struggling families and affordability challenges as his reasons for re-entering the race.
"Things are not okay in this province. People are really struggling," Bains said on Breakfast Television Friday. "I've visited a number of communities and talked to a lot of families, and you can tell people with jobs are barely making ends meet."
Current Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec acknowledged Erskine-Smith's contributions to the party but said he remains focused on Ontario's cost-of-living crisis. MPP Lee Fairclough, who represents Etobicoke-Lakeshore, has also entered the race.
Erskine-Smith lost a bid for the Liberal nomination in the Scarborough Southwest provincial byelection by 19 votes. He is now reportedly considering a run for Toronto City Council this fall.
Liberal party members will cast ballots online over several weeks in November, with the new leader to be announced on November 21.