TORONTO — Bonnie Crombie has been the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party since late 2023.
Born: Feb. 5, 1960.
Early years: Crombie grew up as an only child in a rooming house in Toronto's west end with her mother and grandparents. Her father lived with mental health and alcohol addiction issues and died in a Toronto homeless shelter in the 1990s.
Family: Crombie has three children with her former husband, Brian Crombie.
Before politics: Crombie worked in marketing for McDonalds and the Walt Disney Company before moving to government relations at the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Politics: Crombie became a Young Liberal at age 15 and has been a Liberal her entire life. She became a member of Parliament in Ottawa in 2008, but lost her federal Mississauga-Streetsville riding in 2011. She won a tight race in 2011 to become a councillor in Mississauga, Ont. After an endorsement from longtime Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, Crombie cruised to the mayorship in 2014. She held that post until resigning in early 2024 after winning the Liberal leadership race the month before.
Quote: "You have a choice in this election. You can vote for a Liberal government, and I pledge to you today that you will have a family doctor in the next four years, and that will, of course, eliminate hallway medicine and reduce the wait times in our hospitals. Or you can vote for Doug Ford and the Conservative government and have a fantasy tunnel under the 401. So you can have a family doctor or a fantasy tunnel. You can end hallway health care, or you could have a mega spa at Ontario Place."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2025.
The Canadian Press
