Liberal leadership talk follows Schreiner to Owen Sound

Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner is weighing his options after being courted by some to lead the Ontario Liberal Party, but is not saying how long he plans to take before he makes a decision.

Schreiner, who was in Owen Sound on Tuesday for a local rally against Bill 23, said he has always said he has no ambition to lead any other party but the Green Party.

But on Sunday he received a letter from a group of senior Ontario Liberals that “presented an argument about doing politics differently,” and he plans to take time to weigh the proposal.

“I haven't set a timeline yet. I want to take enough time to hear from people,” Schreiner said during an interview at a rally on the Gitche Namewikwedong Bridge on 10th Street to oppose Bill 23. “I want to hear from my constituents in Guelph obviously, I want to talk to my friends and colleagues who have been a part of the Green movement and I want to just talk to average folks across the province and receive their input about how I can be the most effective voice on the issues they care about at Queen's Park.”

Schreiner said people have been talking to him about it, including at the rally.

“I have heard a lot,” said Schreiner, 53. “I have heard different perspectives today just walking up and down the sidewalk, but the one common thing I have heard from people is an appreciation I am taking the time to consult and listen in a transparent and open way.”

Schreiner had recently been identified as an option to lead the Ontario Liberals, who are looking for a leader after Steven Del Duca stepped down after June's election loss. Doug Ford's Conservatives were elected to a second straight majority, while the Liberal Party finished third with only eight seats.

While Schreiner had turned down the suggestion of switching parties in the past, after receiving the letter he now plans to take time before saying yes or no.

A group of Liberals released a letter Sunday to ask Schreiner to run for their leadership as they believed in his “strong principle-based approach” and his “ability to connect and motivate activists – especially young people.”

Schreiner said in a statement Monday evening he had no ambition to lead another party, but wanted to hear from his Guelph constituents, family, friends and colleagues on the suggestion.

On Tuesday, Schreiner said the letter talked about working together to oppose Ford's agenda “and to really talk about how we can work together to build a caring, connected climate-ready province.”

Schreiner joined the Green Party in 2005 and took over as leader in 2009. He was elected in his Guelph riding in 2018, the first and only time a Green Party member has been elected to the Ontario legislature. He easily held on to the seat in last year's provincial election, taking more than 54 per cent of the vote.

Schreiner said the values he believe in and the policy priorities he has fought for are reflected in the Ontario Green Party and that is why he has poured the last 14 years and his “heart and soul” into building it.

“I am very proud of the fact we have led on aggressive climate action, practical solutions to the affordability crisis, especially when it comes to housing, defending our public health-care system, and doubling social assistance rates to end legislative poverty,” said Schreiner. “Those are the issues I am going to keep fighting for, regardless of what my political future holds and I want to take the time to actually listen to people's input.”