The Ontario Liberal Convention in Hamilton ended on an optimistic note as more than 1,100 delegates took the first steps towards rebuilding the party after back-to-back electoral disasters that left the caucus without official party status. Despite the setbacks and being without a leader, it was a surprisingly upbeat convention attended by a largely young group of delegates. The delegates voted to drop their delegated approach to selecting a leader, opting instead for a one-person-one-vote methodology that is now the norm with most political parties.
A new executive was elected which will have the responsibility of getting the party ready for the leadership convention which could come next year. Several potential leadership candidates were seen working the floor on the weekend including Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Toronto MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith.
A new executive was elected, with Kathryn McGarry becoming the Party’s newly elected President. She was a former mayor of Cambridge and served as Transportation Minister in the Wynne Government. Hamilton will be represented on the new executive with Damien O’Brien the Executive Vice-President and Emily Kirk as Vice President of Communications
In a release, the party stated: “Today, Ontario Liberals concluded their largest Annual Meeting in over 20 years, electing a new Executive Council and adopting constitutional amendments that will chart the course for renewal.”
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