Liberal leadership race starts to take shape as one contender drops out

The Ontario Liberal leadership vote is scheduled for Nov. 21 and the party has released contest rules; Dr. Andrew Boozary announced he will not enter the race while several others, including Nate Erskine-Smith, are preparing or weighing a campaign.

Potential candidates are preparing for the Ontario Liberal leadership vote set for Nov. 21 after the party released contest rules and timelines. One contender, Dr. Andrew Boozary, announced he will not run and said he will continue his medical work. Others are reviewing options or beginning campaign activities, including Nate Erskine-Smith, who planned an online kickoff call. The party has outlined entry fees, a spending limit and deadlines ahead of the vote. Key details: - Voting will be held online from Nov. 9 to 20 using ranked ballots, and the party sign-up deadline to be entitled to vote is Sept. 7 with an extension to Sept. 25 for campus Liberal clubs. - Candidates may enter until July 31; the contest carries a $150,000 entry fee, a partially refundable $25,000 compliance deposit and a $1-million spending limit, and fundraising cannot begin until official registration. - Several individuals are mentioned as active or considering runs: Nate Erskine-Smith (planned kickoff and said he would seek a provincial nomination in a Scarborough Southwest byelection), Lee Fairclough (noting she holds a legislative seat), Mike Crawley (launched an exploratory website), Adil Shamji (has not yet decided) and Rob Cerjanec (seriously considering); Dr. Andrew Boozary announced he will not run. Summary: The party has set the administrative framework and schedule for the leadership contest, and a number of potential candidates are responding to those rules. Leadership debates are planned once a full field is in place. Undetermined at this time whether additional candidates will enter before the July 31 deadline.