Crombie and her team will be wise not to underestimate the Ford. Pictured: Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie. Photo Credit: Bonnie Crombie/X.
An important lesson for career advancement is to know what you don’t know, particularly if you get promoted into a new job. The skill set that got you the new post is no longer the skill set that will help you succeed in the new role.
One year after she stepped down as Mississauga mayor to win the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, it is a lesson that Bonnie Crombie appears to still be learning.
“Maybe I don’t know what I don’t know,” she told the Toronto Star this past weekend. “When I got here, I thought I’m experienced, I’m a polished leader…I thought it would be easier. It’s been tough.”
She is not the first municipal politician to discover that success in one political theatre, is not always guaranteed as you climb up the ladder.
Crombie got off to a bumpy start right out of the gate with comments that the party would have to raise a million dollars to pay her salary. This was followed by comments about moving the party more to the centre of the political spectrum which ticked off many of her current supporters.
She also had to backtrack quickly after saying she might look favourably on development on the controversial “Greenbelt” lands, this when Ontario Premier Doug Ford was being severely criticized for trying to do just that.
She also came off sounding petty when she criticized former federal Liberal health minister Jane Philpott’s new role as special advisor to the Ford government on fixing primary health care. Yet, just weeks before, Crombie had high praise for her as a speaker at the party’s convention.
She also appears to struggle when dealing with the Queen’s Park press gallery’s more adversarial approach to covering provincial politicians when compared to the municipal reporters she was used to facing in Mississauga.
There is no question that being an opposition party leader is a tough job at the best of times. But Crombie is backed by a caucus of only nine members – dubbed the “mini-van” party by government members – below what is required for official party status and the extra budget it brings at Queen’s Park.
Also, not having a seat in the Legislature makes it tougher to attract media attention, although some would debate whether that is a major drawback in the long run.
The party has also lost several by-elections and so far, has not been able to match the fundraising success of the provincial Progressive Conservatives. Money matters in politics. It is how you get your message out to the voters and start influencing how voters see your opponent. The Progressive Conservatives started running critical ads about Crombie almost immediately after she won the leadership while the Liberals have only recently been able to respond with their own political attacks on Ford.
Public opinion polls, while notoriously fickle, are also not offering much hope for Liberals. While provincial Tories are holding in the low 40s, potential majority government territory, the Liberals appear to be competing with the New Democratic Party for second or third place, receiving support from only 23 percent of respondents.
No doubt some of that voter negativity can be attributable to the federal Liberals and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s abysmal poll standings. Voters often don’t distinguish between the federal and provincial parties.
Still, time will tell. Speculation continues to grow that Ford will call an election next spring to seek a new mandate to deal with the anticipated economic turmoil from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of high tariffs.
That can mean a higher profile for opposition politicians. The question remains if Crombie and her team can take advantage of it. The next test will be this week’s Liberal fundraising dinner. The media will be all over what is in her speech and whether it resonates with voters, as well as how much the Liberals manage to raise.
Crombie and her team will be wise not to underestimate the Ford. After two majority government wins, he has already shown an ability to learn and grow on the job.
Janet Ecker is a former Ontario Finance Minister, Minister of Education, Minister of Community and Social Services and Government House Leader in the governments of Premier Mike Harris and Premier Ernie Eves. After her political career, she served as the founding CEO of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance, a public-private partnership dedicated to building Toronto region into an international financial centre. She currently sits on a number of corporate and non-profit boards, agencies and advisory committees.
Ms. Ecker received the Order of Canada for her public service contributions and was recognized as one of the “Most Influential People in the World’s Financial Centres” by Financial Centres International. She also received a “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award” from the Women’s Executive Network and the Richard Ivey School of Business, among other awards. She is also one of the founders of Equal Voice, a national, multi-partisan organization working to elect more women.
