As Ontario’s Liberal party prepares to call its third leadership race in five years, organizers are bracing for an internal battle over who should face Doug Ford in the next provincial election in 2029.

On Sunday evening, after scraping through a leadership review with 57 per cent of the vote and initially promising to fight on, Bonnie Crombie announced she would be stepping down as leader.

Crombie, who was elected leader in 2023, said she would stay on until her successor was chosen.

The caucus she led through February’s snap election issued a statement Monday thanking her for the work she had done to achieve official party status and grow the Liberal vote share.

“We are grateful for Bonnie’s unrelenting drive for our party’s success,” a statement from the party’s 14 MPPs said.

“We a

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