Ontario Liberals are in the middle of a leadership contest and, depending on who wins, Liberals could be making some fairly bold promises in the next provincial election: eliminating public funding of Catholic schools; free public transit; a citizens' assembly on electoral reform; a basic income program; or the nomination of 30 Liberal candidates under 30.

Although I don't support every single policy, I recognize their potential to create public excitement. Yet, they haven't. Nobody seems to be overly enthusiastic by what's on offer.

In my opinion, leadership candidates should start letting us know their worldview.

How do these politicians believe the world works? What do they think about human nature or our society - its history, institutions and economic system?

While vision might be about "where" a politician wants to take the province, worldview is about "why" they want to lead it there.

Think of U.S. Democratic Party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Everyone knows his worldview. Sanders believes that the U.S. is dominated by corrupt corporations who use their influence to rig the system and shaft the little person.

Former Ontario premier Mike Harris had a different worldview. He saw the free market in a virtuous light and believed that many at the bottom of society were lazy and required some tough love.

A clear worldview gives coherence to policy pronouncements and can be a powerful tool in attracting voters.

Which brings us to the Liberal Party leadership race: I simply have no idea what the worldview of any of the candidates is.

Let me suggest few areas that candidates might want to address.

How do Liberal leadership candidates see our history?

Is it full of great accomplishments with a few warts here and there? Or is it a story told by white men who have worked hard to keep everyone else down? Stephen Harper certainly believed in Canada's successes, particularly on the military front, while Justin Trudeau often focuses on those he feels have been unjustly left out of the Canadian story.

What do our candidates hold sacred - when won't they compromise?

Justin Trudeau has made Charter rights his line in the sand. Premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, made the rights of parents over "so-called experts," the centrepiece of his education platform.

How do they define fairness?

Former premier Kathleen Wynne believed fairness was about helping those at the bottom get a hand up. Ford, meanwhile, believes that it's unfair for working Ontarians to work harder and pay more, yet see little personal benefit.

What do they believe we owe each other?

This is perhaps the toughest question a politician can be asked. Government resources are finite. When do we say taxpayers have done their part and others will have to carry the rest of the burden? It's a question that is at the core of so many government discussions.

When this idea of the importance of worldview in politics was first suggested by my colleague, retired professor of public ethics David Pfrimmer, I was skeptical.

But then I realized that it's usually pretty easy to describe the worldview of successful politicians, while the worldview of those who struggle often remains a mystery. I served at Queen's Park with NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and yet I have no idea of her worldview. I closely followed the recent federal election and couldn't tell you the worldviews of Andrew Scheer or Jagmeet Singh.

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Having a clear worldview is no guarantee of Liberal leadership victory. It is, however, an essential starting point that helps the public make sense of bold policy ideas.