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Why can't the Ontario Liberals find one?'The Ontario Liberals are once again seeking an electable leader, but it's not looking good' You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.The Ontario Liberals are one again looking for a leader who can post a legitimate challenge Premier and PC Leader Doug Ford at the polls. Photo by Tom Krochak/PostmediaWhy do Ontario’s opposition parties produce a perpetual parade of political pipsqueaks? Surely, in a province of 16 million people, there must be one credible opponent for PC Premier Doug Ford.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorIn their attempts to defeat Ford, the provincial Liberals offered first Steven Del Duca, then Bonnie Crombie. Both got clobbered at the polls. The NDP tried Andrea Horwath twice and now they have Marit Stiles as leader. As the loser of only one election, she’s just getting warmed up.Reverting to their real level of competence, Del Duca and Horwath are now mayors of mid-sized municipalities. Crombie is trying to get back her old job as Mississauga mayor.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againNow, the Ontario Liberals are once again seeking an electable leader, but it’s not looking good.They face two key challenges. Their last two leaders didn’t have a seat in the legislature. That’s a significant disadvantage, but their caucus has only 14 members and none of them are well known. That leaves the field open to an outsider, but the next election is at least three years away. That’s a big commitment for an uncertain future. It’s not that appealing to a person who might be considered a star candidate. There is no Mark Carney waiting in the wings for the provincial party.Despite all of that, the field doesn’t look too bad in theory. It features a former federal cabinet minister, two MPPS with some real-life experience, and two young guys who want to have their ideas heard.Navdeep Bains is the most experienced politician, having been elected an MP in 2005. He served as a mid-level cabinet minister under former prime minister Justin Trudeau and left federal politics in 2021 to take a corporate executive job. He’s an accountant by training. Ontario Liberal leadership candidates, from left, top row: Lee Fairclough, Eric Lombardi and Dylan Marando. Bottom row: Navdeep Bains and Stephanie Bowman. Photo by Postmedia files and suppliedMPP Stephanie Bowman is a former bank executive and MPP Lee Fairclough had a long career in health care, including management positions. The two other contenders are Dylan Marando, a former political staffer, and Eric Lombardi, a housing advocate and financial technology entrepreneur. To his credit, Lombardi has released a detailed and costed platform.In their first leadership debate this week, most of the candidates did little to help themselves. Bains was a relaxed speaker but that doesn’t matter much when all you are offering is platitudes. Fairclough needs to work on her distracting and excessive hand gestures and Bowman seemed unsure of herself, having to look at notes even when describing her own résume. Marando was the most effective speaker of the lot.At this point, it’s difficult to see any one of those candidates offering a serious challenge to Ford. Bains seems bland and being a Trudeau cabinet minister isn’t exactly political gold. The two MPPs have somewhat similar backgrounds. Their challenge will be distinguishing themselves from each other. Lombardi has ideas and Marando has poise, but they have never been elected to anything. Neither has accomplishments sufficient to overcome that deficit.The weakness of the leadership contenders is disappointing, given the golden opportunity the party has. Ford is certainly vulnerable to a serious challenger.Despite winning three election majorities, a recent Abacus Data poll says only 34 per cent of Ontarians have a positive image of the premier, while 45 per cent are negative. It’s the highest net negative score of any premier in Canada. The pollster also found that 52 per cent of Ontarians think it’s time for a change of government and a further 18 per cent are open to it.Not only has the shine gone off Ford, but the federal Liberals hold 71 seats in the province, enough to form a majority government if the provincial Liberals could replicate last year’s federal result. They’re not miles off, generally trailing the Ford government by single digits in the polls.Closing that gap will require the party to be smarter than it has been in recent years. That means spending less time talking about Ford and more time describing what the Liberals would do in government. While Ford is an appealing target, there’s no saying he’s the person Liberals will run against in three or four years. Will Ford really seek a fourth term? Don’t bet on it.The Liberal leadership candidates each need to pick just a few issues to define themselves. Affordability, inadequate hospital spending, and billion-dollar business subsidies would be a good list.Ontarians deserve fresh ideas to challenge the PC status quo and offer a real choice in the next election. The Liberal party’s would-be leaders have a long way to go to achieve those goals. Their predecessors couldn’t do it, but really, can it be that hard?National PostRandall Denley is an Ottawa journalist and author. Contact him at randalldenley1@gmail.com Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.