After two devastating election outcomes, the Ontario Liberal Party is once again in the throes of a rebuilding process. The stakes are much higher today than five years ago when the party was reduced to a shell of its former self following 15 years of governing Canada’s largest province under two premiers.
The daunting reality is that for the first time since the 1940s — when Liberals finished third in two Ontario elections — the party faces an existential threat. But before the party becomes engrossed in a potentially divisive leadership contest, it must turn inwards to assess its innermost mechanics.
The internal mechanics of a political party aren’t sexy, nor are they of much interest to the vast majority of Ontarians. Like a vehicle that must have a well-oiled engine to get from point A to B, a party without healthy mechanics can’t reach its ultimate direction: government.
Fortunately, the OLP’s rebuilding process kicks off this weekend at an annual general meeting in Hamilton where more than 1,300 grassroots Liberals will convene for a three-day conference to plot a path forward for the party. It will be the largest non-leadership convention meeting of the party in more than 20 years.
This AGM represents an opportunity for Liberals to elect a new party executive and move forward with important amendments to the party’s constitution — changes that have the potential to make the OLP the most welcoming political party in Ontario.
The most critical party reform before the AGM is a vote on the OLP’s antiquated leadership election model whereby delegated conventions have long determined its leader. In this system, most party members are engaged only at a local election meeting held in their riding. Local party members then elect 16 delegates per riding to attend the leadership convention. This model is built around a requirement that a leadership candidate must reach 50 per cent support on a convention ballot to be declared the winner.
Pat Sorbara is a veteran Liberal operative with more than 35 years of experience in the political trenches. She has run Liberal campaigns at the local, provincial and national levels. She also held senior advisory roles to the OLP’s only two female leaders: Lyn McLeod and former premier Kathleen Wynne.
Sorbara strongly favours opening up the OLP to what party members call direct election. This voting system — formally called “weighted one member one vote” — would equip all members with a preferential ballot. If passed, this voting model will empower party members to directly elect the OLP’s next leader, rather than leaving that power in the hands of a relatively small group of convention delegates.
“Delegated conventions are geared toward individuals well known in the party that can afford the cost of travelling and attending the convention. The result is two tiers of party members,” said Sorbara, who is attending the AGM this weekend.
“It’s a closed system that no longer serves a modern-day party where members demand a direct say. I firmly believe people will be attracted to the OLP because they will have the opportunity to have their direct say in the vote for leader. It will modernize the party and its outlook, valuing each member equally,” she said.
Sorbara adds that to the best of her knowledge, the OLP is the only remaining mainstream party in Canada that continues to employ a delegated convention model. Facing possible bankruptcy and third-party status at Queen’s Park in the late 1980s, the Ontario PC Party adopted a direct election model for its 1990 leadership contest that ultimately elected Mike Harris as PC leader more than three decades ago.
The federal Liberal party jettisoned its delegated leadership convention model in the aftermath of its devastating 2011 election loss, adopting a direct election model that crowned Justin Trudeau as party leader a decade ago this spring.
A previous push to have the OLP abandon old-style delegated leadership conventions in favour of a more open one-member one-vote system failed at the party’s 2019 AGM. The proposal received 57 per cent support but did not meet the 66 per cent threshold for change set out by the party’s constitution.
Jeff Rybak is a Toronto-based lawyer, OLP activist and strong advocate for direct leadership election. He feels so strongly about party reform that he’s running to be the OLP’s next executive vice-president. He echoes many of Sorbara’s sentiments.
“The delegated leadership model concentrates power in the hands of party insiders and ‘lifers,’ allowing people who feel they’re entitled to control the party to maintain that control, or at least the illusion of that control,” said Rybak. “Some party members continue to think this is a good thing. I think it’s deeply unhealthy.”
Rybak argues it’s not merely a question of engaging the base of the party more effectively through direct election of the leader; it’s also a means to a better end: engaging the grassroots more authentically should lead to better results for the party. He says that under the delegated convention model, regardless of the outcome, everyone will come away feeling the result was determined by a cadre of unaccountable party insiders.
“Democratic politics needs to be underpinned by a volunteer army — a democratic militia if you will. It can’t be a mercenary core of ideological adherents who feel entitled to lead the masses to vote come election time and then proceed to ignore them for the next four years,” said Rybak. "This attitude is killing our party.”
Sorbara said if this party reform doesn’t pass this time, the OLP’s rebuilding efforts could be further imperilled, severely impacting the party’s reputation.
“I will say that a failure to open up the party by not adopting a direct election model will result in the OLP looking like the ‘insiders club’ that it has been for some time now. We’ll continue to be seen as a ‘status quo’ party that is not seeking to change or modernize,” said Sorbara.
“If other parties can modernize their processes, we can do it too. And we’ll be better for it.”
The winds of change may indeed be overtaking the OLP at what is an inflection point in the party’s history. All three candidates seriously contemplating a run for the party leadership are on record in support of direct leadership election. Current Liberal MPP Ted Hsu and federal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith are especially supportive. In addition, the three candidates running for the party’s presidency have come out in support of direct election to varying degrees.
Carol Mitchell represented the rural southwestern Ontario riding of Huron Bruce at Queen’s Park from 2003-11. Mitchell also served as minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs in Dalton McGuinty’s government until she was defeated in the 2011 election amid a Liberal backlash in rural areas.
Mitchell says that adopting a one-member one-vote leadership election model is especially critical for the remaining OLP members residing in rural ridings like Huron Bruce.
“Delegated conventions are prohibitive for party members that are coming from out of town. The costs associated with attending the convention, including the lodging and food, quickly add up and make it expensive for people,” said Mitchell, who is attending the AGM in Hamilton.
The former cabinet minister says it continues to be very difficult for Liberals to make headway in rural Ontario communities. She argues the adoption of a direct election model will undoubtedly help revive the party in these communities.
“A lot of rural Ontarians still want to be involved in politics. The question then becomes, to what extent do they want to be involved and what kind of resources do they have? At the end of the day, people in ridings like Huron Bruce want to be assured their vote matters and that their voices are heard,” said Mitchell.
She says leveraging social media is a means to communicate with citizens, speak to the importance of Liberal values and ultimately recruit new party members.
“People in my community aren’t aware of what’s going on like they used to be due to the downfall of small-town newspapers. But they’d still like to be informed about what’s taking place at Queen’s Park and how that’s impacting their community,” said Mitchell.
As Ontario Liberals look ahead to the 2026 election, they must secure the foundation of their party through key party reforms, including the adoption of a direct election model for all future leaders. If the foundation of the party remains shaky and undemocratic, a new leader and new policies won’t be enough to command the support of its members and the broader public.
A weighted one-member one-vote system will be integral to the OLP’s health, democratic fibre and ability to rebuild in every region of the province. Opening up the Ontario Liberal Party to everyone is a critical condition for the party’s future success.
Ontario Liberals have an opportunity to set the wheels in motion for a brighter future this weekend. Will they take it?
Andrew Perez is a senior consultant at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a freelance writer, a media commentator and a Liberal party activist. He’s attending the party’s AGM in Hamilton, March 3-5.
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