THUNDER BAY – Ontario Liberal Party critic for labour and education, MPP John Fraser, says the party needs to have a large presence in Northwestern Ontario.
“I think it’s incumbent on all of us who are members, and not just members in the legislature, but members because we’ve got to get into the regions and work,” Fraser said in an interview with Newswatch on Tuesday.
Ontario Liberals once held a stronghold in both Thunder Bay ridings, even holding on to the north-end seat in 2018 — when historically bad results for the Liberals saw them reduced to 7 seats and lose party status.
In Thunder Bay-Superior North, Michael Gravelle held his seat for 27 years, from 1995-2022, when he retired for medical reasons.
Liberals held the Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding for 31 years, from 1987-2018, with Lynn McLeod and Bill Mauro.
“I think that we have to look at that as an opportunity to take the time to work in places like Thunder Bay in the north or in eastern Ontario, or southwestern Ontario in a meaningful way, where we’re organizing and bringing more people into a movement. It’s not just about a small group of people. It’s about expanding that. We need to do that work,” Fraser said.
He said the liberal party needs to provide people with an alternative, but they can’t get to people just through social media or email. They need to be “on the ground” and meet people where they are at.
“I think it’s an opportunity for our party to do that, not just the leadership candidates, not just the MPPs, but people who are active. I think we’re coming up to a race, it’s just like, don’t stand on the sidelines. You’ve got to do the work,” Fraser said.
He encourages his party to be seen inside the community and “go door to door” and “talk to people directly.”
“That’s the way that you win back people’s confidence, and it’s a lot of hard work. And you’re not going to get it unless you work hard,” he said.
The Ontario Liberal Party leader, Bonnie Crombie, said she would step down if she received less than 66 per cent at the Ontario Liberal AGM, where the party voted on whether to hold a new leadership race, 57 per cent voted no.
Fraser said the party has established a leadership working group to set up the rules for the next race last weekend.
“I don’t think the grass is going to grow. We’ve already started that process. The question is, what’s the best way to have a race, and that’s the question they have to answer. I think one of the things they have to consider is to go by working in our region of Ontario, specifically in a fixed period of time to say we’re going to go into the northeast or the northwest, and we’re gonna spend two or three weeks there,” Fraser said.
“We’re going to try to bring people in, and then maybe have candidates compete against each other in something like a primary. Why not? I mean, it’s up to the party. It’s not my decision. I think it’s an opportunity that exists.”
