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“I think that we maybe took my popularity a little too for granted.”

Now, roughly seven months after Premier Doug Ford won a third majority government in his snap February election, the vote at the Liberal’s annual general meeting in 海角社区官网will determine the future of the party 鈥� and its leader.聽More than 2,400 party members are expected to attend, the Liberals said, making it their biggest since the Dalton McGuinty era, 20 years ago.

Held annually to discuss party business, this year’s event has sessions on the economy, education and housing but since it follows a provincial election, there is a mandatory vote on whether to hold a new leadership contest. Under Crombie, the Liberals’ went from nine seats to 14 in the Feb. 27 election. They won 30 per cent of the popular vote but could not translate that into significant riding wins so the New Democrats, with just 18.5 per cent of the popular vote, took 27 seats and remain the official opposition.聽

Crombie knows some are mightily displeased with the election results, despite the Liberals regaining official party status and the financing that will help her hire more staff.聽

“We need to hear from everyone when there is discord. If people feel disaffected, I want to understand why,” Crombie said during an interview at Queen’s Park.

“And I will say that we have listened to them.”

Among an as-yet-unquantified number of Crombie dissidents, there is an online push for a new leader. So the question, at least for some, is simple: Will she prevail?聽

You bet, said long-time MPP John Fraser (Ottawa South).

鈥淚鈥檓 confident,鈥� Fraser said.

The most vociferous voice lobbying against Crombie has, apparently, gone silent.

In July, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, the federal MP who lost to Crombie in the December 2023 provincial leadership campaign, sent out an email blast claiming the party’s results in the 2025 election were not 鈥渁nywhere near good enough,鈥� and charging that Crombie’s campaign 鈥渓acked vision.鈥澛�

When the Star requested an interview with Erskine-Smith on this weekend’s vote, his staff said, 鈥淯nfortunately, Nathaniel鈥檚 schedule is full, and he won鈥檛 be available for an interview.鈥澛�

Another Nathaniel was available.

Nathaniel Arfin, who worked on Erskine-Smith鈥檚 provincial leadership campaign, speaks for a nascent group called New Leaf Canadians, with a website calling for provincial Liberal “renewal.” Despite the connection, Arfin said Erskine-Smith “has never had any involvement” in New Leaf Canadians, calling it a “pluralistic group with members who served on all 2023 leadership campaigns.”

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that Bonnie and her team understood the desire for this party to grow and, grow in a new way and in a positive direction,鈥� Arfin said.聽

Last May, Erskine-Smith complained on social media when Prime Minister Mark Carney left him out of his new cabinet. A few months later, he posted a missive on Crombie and called for her resignation 鈥� unless she gets a minimum of two-thirds support from Liberal delegates, well beyond the 50 per cent plus one vote threshold required to continue as leader.聽The聽New Leaf website is making the same demand, apparently supported by roughly 300 names typed into an “online petition.” Some entries used full names. Others were anonymous, like “Shaun from Windsor.”聽

Arfin predicted that New Leaf will represent 10 per cent of Liberal delegates who will vote this weekend. He also suggested names of potential leadership candidates who may be quietly organizing; when the Star reached out to them, all but one responded, saying they were not interested.

When asked if he wanted in Crombie’s job, Liberal MPP Rob Cerjanec (Ajax) chuckled.聽

“I’m not organizing for a challenge,” said Cerjanec, one of three new Liberal MPPs who won in ridings previously held by the Progressive Conservatives.

“Bonnie’s got the leadership review and at the end of the day I think she will be successful. I don’t think anybody’s organizing for a leadership race, to be honest. They’re going to wait and see what happens, but I think ultimately, Bonnie will probably be successful.”聽

Criticism from aggrieved party members is similar to the findings of the Liberals’ internal review of the campaign, released on Monday. Led by party president Kathryn McGarry 鈥� who is up for re-election this weekend 鈥� the review found that in the general election campaign, many Ontarians did not know Crombie. It also said the campaign didn’t give local volunteers talking points on their new leader or Liberal policies, which many said were thin. Instead of watching Ontarians’ fearful reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats on tariffs and annexation, the party did not pivot to focus on the economy and in doing so, emboldened Ford and his Captain Canada persona. In southern Ontario, the report said, some campaign workers were dismayed to discover that Crombie and her team had passed through without stopping to talk.

Crombie said she has since spent the summer travelling and meeting with Liberals across the province, including those in rural and northern ridings who felt left out during the campaign.聽

“We listened,” she said.聽

As for those trying to organize a challenge, Crombie said the campaign review is, essentially, written for them.

“This is who we want to speak to in this report, because we do have a big tent and we don’t want anyone to feel left out,” she said.聽

“So if there is a group that feels they are not being listened to, we have heard them, and their concerns and their issues are reflected in the recommendations, and they will be implemented.”

The results of the Liberal leadership vote are expected early Sunday afternoon.

Crombie rejected the notion that she must resign if she does not win two-thirds of the delegate votes.

“Look,” she said, “I am very confident that the membership will embrace the results, as I will. It will bring us together. I think we will all be delighted with the outcome.”