Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner has not ruled out a candidate for leadership of the Liberal Party of Ontario.
A group of high-profile liberals, including former cabinet ministers Deb Matthews and Liz Sandals, and current Liberal Party caucus member Lucille Collard, urged Shriner on Sunday to join the party and run for party leadership. published a letter.
“Our party needs to rediscover the politics of purpose and principle. We need to reach out to a new generation of voters. We need to embrace the energy and enthusiasm that drives us to engage statewide,” the Liberal Group wrote.
“And that is why we are counting on you … Your strong principled approach and your ability to connect and motivate activists, especially young people, is exactly what our party and state need right now. I believe there is.”
Talk to CBC Radio metro morning On Tuesday, Schreiner said he was pondering the unusual proposal.
“My answer is this. Give me some time to think about this. Please take the time to consult with ‘Go forward to advance the issues that concern me,’ he said.
Listen | Shriner says he is considering liberal proposals to run for leader.
metro morning7:16Liberal leadership is not off the agenda, says Ontario Green party leader Mike Shriner
Mike Shriner is the current leader of the Ontario Green Party.
Schreiner dismissed the idea when it was put forward late last year, but the letter shows how “working differently” on issues such as the climate crisis, housing affordability and protecting the greenbelt. He said, “I really challenged myself” to consider what to do.
Liberals argued that as a liberal leader, the Shriner would have a broader platform to rally Ontarians who oppose Prime Minister Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government.
“I think people have an obligation to think about it,” Shriner said. metro morning.
The party has been without a permanent leader since Stephen Del Duca resigned following a crushing election defeat last year.
Several Liberal Party members have run for top positions, including MP and former Ontario minister Yasir Naqvi, MP Nathaniel Erskine Smith, and current Ontario Liberal Party caucus member Ted Su. He has declared that he is considering running.
Some liberals protest
The letter and the accompanying DraftMike.ca website have not fare well with some liberals.
Erskine-Smith wrote on Twitter that purpose and principles are certainly needed, as well as a “serious revamp” of the party.
“But no gimmicks, no open letters, no Hail Marys,” he wrote. “There is no substitute for hard work and grassroots commitment. Change requires serious leadership.”
In response to those comments, Schreiner said Tuesday that he believes the letter is “genuine outreach” but needs time to consider his options.
Schreiner has been leader of the Ontario Greens since 2009 and won the party’s first seat in Congress in 2018.
His performance in the 2022 election debates was widely praised, and he is well-liked in Congress.
Shriner grew up on a farm in the United States before moving to Canada with his wife and now lives in Guelph with his family. He says his background as a small business owner and experience in the non-profit sector have helped him develop the skills to make Ontario’s Green Party a ‘viable party’ over the past decade or so. said.
