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I was in the room this weekend when the results of the leadership vote were announced; it was anything but surprising. A day earlier, after Crombie’s keynote address, a younger delegate told me, “With every word she says, I see my future slipping away.”

The address lacked the vision and promise that had been apparent on the stage just hours earlier when former New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant, 43, now CEO of Space Canada, discussed the need to invest in innovative technologies and shared his belief that if any country can overcome the economic, social and political challenges dominating headlines, Canada can.

Crombie, 65, like many politicians of her era, never understood why young voters, historically the base of her party, had started to vote Conservative. In short, young people are tired of promises of marginal improvements to broken systems; we need fundamental change in government priorities.

Ahead of the vote, at a meeting of the New Leaf Liberals, a faction of the Ontario Liberal Party comprised primarily of young Ontarians, a handful of topics were consistent across conversations.

Ontario’s brain drain was a key point of discussion. The rising cost of living has caused the best and brightest in Ontario to leave in search of better economic prospects. This has left our hospitals understaffed and our economy lacking new, innovative companies that create jobs for young people.

This problem is not new, especially not in the technology industry, where many of the most successful individuals, such as and , were educated in Southern Ontario before leaving to create trillions in economic impact in the United States.

More recently, the research behind GLP-1 treatments, such as Ozempic, was conducted in ɫɫ�� before being commercialized overseas. We need a leader who is infuriated by the fact that we allow our most talented people and valuable technologies to be monetized abroad instead of keeping them in Ontario, where they can generate jobs and tax revenues to grow our local economy.

Despite a recent decline in the housing market, it remains a key issue. In fact, the recent price correction proves that when supply exceeds demand, we can reduce the cost of housing, further emphasizing the need for policies that increase supply, such as removing development charges and allowing increased densification. A new leader needs a plan to utilize the powers available to the premier to implement sweeping reforms, rather than relying on incremental changes by municipal leaders.

Finally, increased grassroots political participation will be fundamental for any new leader. For too long, young people have felt left out of the political process. At the Liberal AGM, many of those voting in favour of a leadership race were hesitant to voice their opinions publicly. Building a party where everyone is welcome and dissenting opinions are heard and respected is fundamental to earning the support of young voters.

For decades, politics has been dominated by the baby boomer generation. This weekend, for the first time in Ontario, young voters stood up and advocated for a new era of politics.

The leading candidates for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership, Karina Gould and Nate Erskine-Smith, are both from a new generation; if they can sell Ontarians on a future where we retain our top talent, create world-class companies and provide opportunities for all, they will earn the support required to become the next Liberal leader and shape the future of Ontario.