The march back from the political wilderness for the Ontario Liberals starts in two weeks when they elect a new leader.

It’s all but certain, given his substantial lead in delegates, that Steven Del Duca will emerge as the winner.

That would be a good outcome for the Liberals — and Ontario.

The Star’s editorial board met with five of the candidates who want what, it must be said, is a pretty daunting job just now. We’ve read their policy ideas and listened to their visions for re-energizing Ontario’s Liberals and governing the province.

We believe Del Duca, a former Vaughan MPP and minister in Kathleen Wynne’s cabinet, is the strongest candidate. He has the best grasp of what needs to be done to get the party back on its feet and position it to challenge Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives in the election scheduled for June, 2022.

Much has been said about why the Liberals were exiled from Queen’s Park in the 2018 election, dropping from majority government to a party with so few seats that it doesn’t even have official status.

The party needs to reimagine what it means to be a Liberal, reconnect with supporters through grassroots policy development, and regain the trust of voters. It also needs to fill its badly depleted coffers and attract quality candidates in just about every riding.

Many promising policies were put forward by other leadership candidates, including Toronto MPPs Michael Coteau and Mitzie Hunter. From the newcomers to politics there were also compelling ideas on how to do politics differently.

Kate Graham pitched a less partisan, more evidence-based and decentralized way of governing. And Alvin Tedjo argued for more transparent policy development to draw in millennials, the largest voting bloc — if only they’d vote.

But in the end, Del Duca is the best choice for Liberals.

“Our party is in the fight of its life,” he says.

He clearly understands that the next Liberal leader must move quickly on all fronts to provide Ontarians with a credible alternative to Ford and his PCs just over two years from now.

The party has a lot of work to do internally. But it doesn’t have the luxury of disappearing down a rabbit hole for years on end to do it.

The Liberals need a policy-focused convention to kickstart development of a platform that will energize candidates and engage Ontarians from north to south, in both small and large communities. And it must do it with a sense of urgency.

Because Job One must be to give Ontarians a better option than Ford, Part II.

Ford’s PCs have been a disaster for Ontario. They don’t deserve a second term.

But Ford has millions to spend on the next election campaign, having out-fundraised the Liberals six-to-one last year alone. He has a ready campaign machine and incumbent MPPs in most ridings.

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The PCs won’t be easy to beat. But there is an opening.

Opinion polls show support for the Liberals has rebounded since their wipeout in 2018. A survey last week put them on par with both the Tories and the New Democrats.

Ford’s misguided and chaotic governing has left him a damaged brand. The NDP have not been able to capitalize on that and broaden their support. So with a strong, capable leader the Liberals have a real opportunity to offer voters a compelling alternative.

Del Duca is not flashy or charismatic. The strengths that have drawn the majority of Liberal delegates (who will vote at the March 7 leadership convention) to back him are his abilities to organize, fundraise and build a team.

That will be needed in spades.

Even if the Liberals win two upcoming Ottawa-area byelections, they will have just eight MPPs. That leaves 116 ridings where they will need to round up candidates and get them out knocking on doors.

When they stand on those doorsteps they will need to do more than point fingers at Ford. They must be able to give people a reason to vote for them again.

The leadership race has helped bring forward some good policy ideas, exposed us to new faces and demonstrated the party’s willingness to refresh itself and listen carefully to voters once again — and not just in the big urban centres of Toronto and Ottawa.

But overall it was Del Duca who stood out. He’s experienced in government, open to party change and has made substantial efforts to listen to Ontarians all over the province. He’s forward-thinking on education, the economy and climate change. And he’s laser-focused on the work that must be done to prepare for the 2022 election.

“It’s not about one individual,” Del Duca says. “It’s about the team, it’s about the ideas.”

Indeed. As soon as the vote is in, and the next Liberal leader’s acceptance speech is over, it’s time to get moving on all that. The clock is ticking.

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