Liberal MP Gould opts not to make bid for Ontario party leadership

Karina Gould speaks outside of West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — Ontario Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Karina Gould says she will not seek the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Gould began exploring the possibility of a run after Bonnie Crombie said she would resign from the party’s top job in September following a leadership review.

Gould finished third in the federal Liberal leadership contest, behind Prime Minister Mark Carney and former finance minister Chrystia Freeland.

She says there were many people asking her to mount a campaign for the provincial party’s leadership and she seriously considered it.

Gould says she feels she can be most effective by remaining as the MP for Burlington and representing her constituents, who have been hit hard by U.S. tariffs on steel and the auto sector.

Gould served in cabinet for eight years under former prime minister Justin Trudeau but has not been included in Carney’s cabinet team.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2025.