Ontario Liberal Leadership candidate gains another caucus endorsement

Etobicoke-Lakeshore MPP Lee Fairclough, who launched her leadership bid in May, has steadily racked up endorsements from elected MPPs.

An Ontario Liberal leadership candidate has won a fourth endorsement from the 14-member caucus, giving her a significant boost as the race to replace Bonnie Crombie heats up. Etobicoke-Lakeshore MPP Lee Fairclough, who launched her leadership bid in May, has steadily racked up endorsements from elected MPPs eager to see a sitting member take the helm of the party. The latest endorsement comes from Tyler Watt, a first-time MPP representing Nepean, who told Global News he believes Fairclough has the ingredients to defeat Premier Doug Ford in the next provincial election.

“I’ve made my decision to go with Lee because I believe that she is the strongest choice to rebuild our party and earn the confidence of Ontarians,” Watt said, noting that he has met with every candidate as he weighed the decision. “People want hope, they want confidence and leadership that they can trust, which is so hard to earn in politics, but I believe that Lee is that person who can deliver that.” Watt joins Toronto-St. Paul’s MPP Stephanie Smyth, Kingston MPP Ted Hsu and Ottawa-Vanier MPP Lucille Collard, who have previously endorsed Fairclough for leader.

Get breaking National news Fairclough, a rookie MPP who managed to unseat a sitting Progressive Conservative during the 2025 provincial election, has leaned on her time as a front-line healthcare worker and then hospital executive as reasons for why she’s seeking the leadership. Early in the race, Fairclough also took a gentle dig at her leadership competitors – Navdeep Bains, Eric Lombardi and Dylan Marando – and suggested having a seat at Queen’s Park would serve as an advantage. “I have heard consistently that that’s important to people.

It’s part of the reason people encouraged me to run,” Fairclough said in May, noting that past leaders failed to make an impact without a seat. “Our primary goal is to bring about change in this province. If we are able to do that with a leader with a seat in the legislature, I think it’s going to make a big difference.”

While Fairclough has gained internal party momentum, the rest of the Liberal party caucus appears to be comfortable on the sidelines for now. Rob Cerjanec, who recently suspended his campaign for leader, said it is too early to decide whether he will get involved in any leadership campaigns. Beaches-East York MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon told Global News that while she was prepared to back Nate Erskine Smith in the race, she was waiting to see whether another caucus members would enter the race.

Stephen Blais, who represents Orleans, suggested he wants to see policy details before making a decision. “I am waiting for a candidate to step forward and identify how Ottawa will no longer be treated as a second-class city by the Government of Ontario under their leadership,” Blais said. The Ontario Liberals will elect the next leader on November 21.