Premier Doug Ford Criticizes Bonnie Crombie’s Liberal Leadership Run as a ‘Slap in the Face’ to Mississauga Residents

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has expressed his displeasure with Bonnie Crombie’s announcement to run for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership, calling it a “slap in the face” to the residents of Mississauga. Ford made these remarks during an unrelated news conference in London, stating, “My first reaction is what took you so long? She’s been campaigning for five years.”

Crombie, the current mayor of Mississauga, officially announced the formation of an exploratory committee to assess her potential candidacy for the Liberal Party leadership. Having been seen at the Liberal National Convention in Ottawa in early May, she has been mingling with high-profile politicians and strategists, making her bid for leadership the next logical step.

During her media interaction on Tuesday, Crombie positioned herself as a centrist candidate, emphasizing her focus on addressing the issues within Ontario that need fixing. She criticized the state of the healthcare and education systems, as well as the burden placed on municipalities. Additionally, Crombie stated that she would not step down from her position as mayor while preparing for the leadership race, intending to campaign on weeknights and weekends.

Premier Ford criticized Crombie’s decision to continue as mayor while pursuing the leadership bid, asserting that “You can’t put your butt on both sides of the fence.” He further remarked, “We’re making the largest change in the history of Mississauga and Peel, and this is all about Bonnie Crombie’s political agenda. In my opinion, it’s a real slap in the face to the residents there.” Ford suggested that the best course of action would be for Crombie to run against him, resulting in a new mayor for Mississauga.

Notably, the Doug Ford government recently announced the dissolution of Peel Region, which will transform Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon into single-tier cities within the next two years. This decision aligns with Crombie’s campaign promises from October 2022 and enjoys the support of her predecessor, Hazel McCallion. However, if Crombie wins the Liberal Party leadership or resigns from her mayoral position during the race, Mississauga will experience a transition to new governance under a different mayor.

Crombie has been vocal about her criticisms of the Progressive Conservative government’s policies. She has recently spoken out against the use of ministerial zoning orders allowing extensive development in the city and the insufficient funding provided to municipalities to counterbalance housing changes implemented by the PCs.