Our Meeting With Bonnie Crombie

The interns had the opportunity to meet with Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, Bonnie Crombie. Bonnie served as the sixth mayor of Mississauga from December 1, 2014, until January 12, 2024. She also served as the liberal member of Parliament (MP) for Mississauga—Streetsville from 2008 to 2011.

We discussed Bonnie's involvement in different levels of government and how she uses her business background in leveraging her role in politics. As someone who has experience in municipal, provincial and federal politics, the interns were particularly interested in hearing her reflections on the interactions of different level of government with a Canadian federal system. This conversation was particularly timely, given that we have all recently witnessed two elections. Of course, we also had to ask about electoral systems.

As former mayor of Mississauga, Bonnie understands the role of affecting change at the municipal level and making cities more inclusive and affordable. One of the provincial priorities that she highlighted was making healthcare more accessible and adding mental healthcare to OHIP.  In terms of managing dynamics within her caucus, Bonnie emphasized the importance of representing different views and stated that despite differences, “you have to give everyone a voice.”

Thank you to the Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party for taking the time to speak with the OLIP interns!