Politicians live their lives in the public eye. It’s the hardest part of the job and, for some, probably part of the allure, too. At the best of times, people connect with you and feel that they know you. It can also mean that people make assumptions about who you are.
I have known Bonnie Crombie for the last decade. I helped her get elected to Mississauga city council when she launched into the race as a dark-horse candidate. I have watched her become a household name as a three-term mayor.
The Bonnie Crombie you see is very much who she is — positive, engaged, relentlessly energized and always challenging others to keep up. A person who listens to and absorbs the stories and the needs of the people she represents and then turns around and fights harder than anyone to make positive change for them.
But we’re all a product of where we came from and it’s those life experiences that have helped me understand why Bonnie Crombie is not just a formidable leader but a formidable person.
Bonnie’s story is like lots of ours — joyful, sad, full of challenges and obstacles overcome.
If you ask, she’ll tell you about her mum, Veronica, who was born in southeast Poland in 1936, near the border with what is now Ukraine. When Veronica was three, the family relocated to France, just as war broke out across Europe. Ultimately, they arrived in Ontario seeking safety and opportunity.
Bonnie grew up in a High Park rooming house with her multi-generational family. She’ll tell you she never thinks to mention that because that was just her normal. Life wasn’t always easy — far from it. Bonnie’s mum married a charismatic man but he struggled with alcohol addiction, and they split up when Bonnie was three.
Bonnie’s father was sometimes in her life and sometimes not. When she was able to reconnect with him in the '90s, he was dying and had been living in Seaton House. Like any family who has dealt with addictions or mental illness, it left a mark.
She was taught to work hard from a young age but also wanted to give something back. Bonnie has worked her whole life — as a student and as a young mum. And eventually, work became a calling. To represent her community and fight for the things that would make it better.
I don’t write these things to make Bonnie’s life sound any more remarkable than anyone else in Ontario. In fact, quite the opposite. I write them because I think we can all relate as people and as Liberals.
As Liberals, our experience drives us. We all want to help those in need, to lift everyone up, to be progressive, compassionate and caring. Because we know we succeed best when everyone succeeds, that a rising tide lifts our boat and our neighbour’s.
We want to sweep in a government that understands a strong economy and sound financial management will allow us to deliver on our values of compassion and our goal of making progress as a society.
Bonnie is a Liberal who shares our Liberal values: diversity, inclusion, fiscal responsibility, social justice.
She believes in our universal health care system; in the best public schools; in environmental protection and climate action; in ethical, accountable government; in affordable homes, good roads or transit, and strong communities.
She has the track record of creating jobs, growing the economy and of putting a strong vision into action.
She has the mettle to bring down Doug Ford and lead us to victory so that we can govern, and govern well.
I hope everyone has the opportunity to get to know Bonnie like I have. Because when you do, you’ll learn there is always more to someone’s life story than the surface reveals.
We all want to work together to rebuild our party and show Ontario what it looks like to have a government that cares about real people. There is no one better to be the captain of our team.
D’arci McFadden is senior campaign strategist for Bonnie Crombie.
