Ontario Liberals missed the mark during the election, should have focused on pocketbook issues: review

Ontario Liberals say in a report looking back at their performance in this year's provincial election that their campaign's focus on health care and a family doctor shortage did not resonate with voters, who were more focused on affordability.

The party increased its seat total from nine to 14 and regained official party status in the legislature, but it failed to win the election or even form the Official Opposition, and Leader Bonnie Crombie did not win her own seat.

While there were some successes, the party compiled a campaign debrief to look at areas for improvement after talking to more than 1,200 people, including candidates, campaign managers and party members.

The platform was one area of complaint for many who participated in the review, including from local campaigns.

"While the central platform's focus on health-care was grounded in pre-campaign focus group testing, many candidates and campaign managers found that voters were more focused on affordability and economic uncertainty," the party review said.

"There was a common sentiment that available messaging — particularly around access to doctors — did not align with the issues that resonated most with voters during the short campaign period."

While Crombie's campaign focused on a family doctor shortage, Premier Doug Ford's campaign focused almost exclusively on the fight against U.S. President Donald Trump and tariffs. Ford's Progressive Conservatives won a third straight majority government with 80 seats.

Many participants in the Liberal review said there was a lack of a clear answer to the question, "Why should I vote for Bonnie?" and there was not enough to differentiate the Liberals from the NDP or Progressive Conservatives. As well, not enough was done to define Ford, they said.

"Despite a record marked by policy reversals, scandal, and underperformance, he was able to present himself as a steady hand in uncertain times," the report said.

"We did not sufficiently challenge this narrative or connect his actions to the instability and economic anxiety Ontarians were experiencing."

Fundraising was cited as a strong point, with the party able to pay off its 2022 election debt well ahead of the 2025 campaign and still spend $12 million during this election. But the party should look to spend $15 million in the next campaign, the report said.

The review recommends the party keep areas such as fundraising and volunteer co-ordination ramped up between election campaigns, in order to be better prepared for the next one.