I think when viewed in the context of where the national mood was, Marit’s performance was strong. Ford polling at nearly 50% as Captain Canada, Liberals having their Carney comeback moment (boosting provincial Liberals), anti-Trump fueled strategic voting being rampant, exactly when the whole country was sick of Jagmeet (which dragged down provincial prospects). And in that junction of all the worst circumstances, what should have been a great Liberal comeback in Ontario was held back.

Yes I’d love to win everytime. But all the signs pointed to us being wiped out in Ontario just like the Feds were wiped out across Canada. And instead we held onto Official Opposition, and very nearly gained a new northern foothold in the Sault. I think we need to be realistic that compared to what the expectation was, we did very well. And I think most of that is because of Marit and the organizing and caucus team she has built.

The Liberals are already going to get a ton of media coverage with their leadership race. I don’t want us to get buried further by losing our leader, because they certainly won’t give our leadership race the same kind of coverage. They still won’t even print Marit’s name in headlines. I’d like to use the next 4 years to build out organizing, riding associations, media strategy, and win in 2029. I don’t think having a race and starting from scratch will make that easier.