Candidates
Candidates from across Ontario will step forward to share their ideas, leadership, and vision for the future of our party and our province.
As candidates are officially confirmed, their profiles will be added here to help members get to know them and make an informed decision.
Navdeep Bains
Navdeep Bains found his way to public service through conviction, a deep, unshakable belief that good government can genuinely change people’s lives for the better.
Born in Toronto and raised in a tight-knit community in Brampton, Nav knows what it looks like when families work hard and play by the rules. He also knows that government needs to do its part to give families real opportunities to get ahead.
Nav has gone from crunching numbers as a financial analyst at Nike and Ford, to helping shape the future of the Canadian economy. During his 13-years in federal office, he represented Canada on the world stage to help support new jobs here at home. As one of the longest-serving federal Ministers of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, he introduced the most comprehensive innovation and skills plan in over three decades.
But ask Navdeep what he’s proudest of and he’ll mention his daughters before he mentions a policy file. He stepped away from federal politics in 2021 to be closer to his family – and focus on the role that matters most: dad.
Through the years, he’s taken those same instincts into the private sector and the classroom, teaching the next generation of business executives and leading on the issues that will define Ontario’s economic future. He’s experienced first-hand how decisions around investments and jobs are made and knows what Ontario needs to big and small businesses.
From the classroom in Windsor to Ford Motors in Oakville; from the cabinet table to the boardroom, Navdeep has seen Ontario from the inside out. This province deserves a leader who has been tested at the highest levels, who knows how to build and who still believes that the best is yet to come.
Ontario’s moment is now. And Navdeep Bains is ready for it.
Rob Cerjanec
Rob Cerjanec was elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Ajax in 2025. As the Ontario Liberal Critic for Economic Development & Innovation, and Tourism, Sport & Culture, he is focused on building a province where every young person has an opportunity not only to succeed, but to thrive. His work is centred on driving inclusive economic growth, strengthening healthcare and education, improving transportation options, protecting the environment, and making life more affordable for Ontarians.
Born in North York and raised by a single mother, Rob grew up in a one-bedroom apartment where he learned early the value of hard work and perseverance. Rob benefited from strong public schools that opened doors and shaped his belief in the power of public institutions to change lives.
His family’s story is like many immigrant stories in Ontario. Rob’s German, Croatian, and Maltese relatives came to Canada in the aftermath of the Second World War, settling in York Region.
Before entering elected office, Rob was a small business owner, and served on the senior leadership team at the Durham District School Board, where he oversaw strategic initiatives and external relations, helping parents navigate the public education system. He also served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor of Toronto, Ana Bailão, helping shape complex public policy on housing and public transit.
Rob has been an active grassroots member of the Ontario Liberal Party since 2010, always willing to lend a hand, serving as a riding president, and volunteering on countless campaigns in roles ranging from door-knocking to running campaigns.
In the snap winter election in 2025, Rob stepped forward as a candidate and earned the trust of voters in Ajax, unseating a PC incumbent. He is the only MPP in the Ontario Liberal Caucus representing the 905, fighting every day to hold Doug Ford’s government to account.
Rob has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from York University and a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business.
Lee Fairclough
Lee Fairclough is Ontario’s MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, where she has lived for 22 years with her husband and raised her two boys.
Throughout life, Lee has been driven by a strong belief in public service – to help make life better for people and communities. Born and raised in a small town in rural Southwestern Ontario, where her mom was a teacher and her dad was an engineer, the values of responsibility and teamwork were instilled in her early.
Her career has been dedicated to improving others’ lives – starting as a radiation therapist caring for patients at Princess Margaret Hospital to executive roles at hospitals, including as the President of St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener, where she led the hospital and guided the community through the pandemic crisis.
Lee’s experiences in competitive sports have shaped her leadership. She was a varsity swimmer and a founding member of McMaster University’s first Women’s Rugby Club. Lee represented our country at the Women’s World Cup of Rugby as a member of Canada’s National Women’s Rugby Team, and knows that a strong, determined team, working with integrity and purpose, can accomplish anything.
As the Liberal Critic for Hospitals, Homelessness and Mental Health and Addictions and a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Lee’s priority is putting people first and spending public funds wisely to deliver the best value for every Ontarian.
Eric Lombardi
Eric Lombardi is a finance and technology entrepreneur turned civic builder, and one of Ontario's leading voices on housing reform, institutional renewal, and economic opportunity for the next generation.
Raised in the Greater Toronto Area by a family that taught him the value of community and hard work, Lombardi studied nanotechnology engineering at the University of Waterloo before building a career in technology and finance, including time in San Francisco. When the pandemic hit, he came home to be closer to his family, and what he saw when he returned changed the direction of his life.
Friends who had grown up in the same neighborhoods he had could no longer afford to stay. The city that had given his family so much was becoming out of reach for the next generation. In 2021, he did something about it. Eric founded More Neighbours Toronto to take on Ontario's housing crisis directly, and the organization has since become a driving force in Toronto's housing zoning reform.
That same energy led him to become chair of Build Toronto, the Toronto chapter of Build Canada, a national movement backed by civic and entrepreneurial leaders advancing growth and stronger institutions. Several of Build Canada's policy proposals have since been adopted by the Federal Government. Lombardi has also served on the Ontario Liberal Party's housing panel, helping shape the party's platform.
After returning to Ontario, he also built expertise in finance and consulting, specializing in payments, banking, and the Canadian credit union system.
Eric Lombardi is running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party because he believes the province that shaped him should be available to everyone. Ontarians who work hard deserve a province that works for them.
Dylan Marando
Dylan’s call to public service is rooted in family. As a husband, an uncle, a brother, and a son, Dylan wants the people he loves to live in the best province in the greatest country in the world.
That’s what inspired Dylan’s work in the Premier’s Office, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the private sector. And that’s why Dylan is stepping up to be a next-generation leader for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Driven by a life-long commitment to his own learning and to enriching that pathway for others, Dylan holds a Doctorate in Political Science, a Master of Public Policy, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts, each from the University of Toronto, where he also teaches as a Sessional Lecturer at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Following his studies, Dylan went on to a career in government, establishing himself as a problem solver who knows how to get the big stuff done. Working alongside the Prime Minister of Canada, two Premiers of Ontario, a President of the Treasury Board, and a Minister of Housing, Dylan has helped deliver public sector accountability reforms, tax cuts for small businesses, progressive parental leave, Canada’s National Housing Strategy, and $10-a-day Child Care.
Later, Dylan joined the Canadian leadership team of a global medical technology company, shaping private-sector investments that supported Ontario jobs and delivered better outcomes for Ontario patients. As a result of this work, Dylan was named to the Top 20 Under 40 in Canadian Life Sciences, and was a recipient of the 40 under 40 in Cancer Award.
Elise, Dylan’s partner of more than twenty years, his brother, parents, and a close circle of uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends form the beating heart of Team Marando. His campaign also brings together experienced builders from the McGuinty, Wynne, and Trudeau governments, all sharing the belief that Ontario deserves a real alternative to the Ford government.