Ontario's beleaguered Liberals will choose a new leader today as the party looks to rebound from a devastating electoral defeat and rebuild ahead of the next vote in 2022.

Whoever takes the reins will need to develop a policy platform, recruit new candidates and volunteers, fundraise and prepare to take on Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives and the Opposition NDP in coming years.

Liberal party members will vote at a delegated convention in Mississauga, Ont., with first ballot results expected at about 1:45 p.m. (though it is not unusual for political conventions to go off-schedule).

Here is some key information ahead of the convention results.

How does the delegated convention work?

The current Ontario Liberal constitution calls for a convention where only delegates have the power to vote for a leader. All of the voting is done in person on the convention floor; there are no early or mail-in ballots.

The majority of delegates are elected at the riding level and are already committed to voting for a particular candidate on the first ballot. There are also several dozen independent delegates and some 640 ex-officio delegates — which include people who have held positions in the party like former and current MPPs, as well as Liberal MPs and other heavy hitters — who can vote for any candidate on the first ballot.

A candidate needs more than 50 per cent of delegate votes to become leader.

A delegated convention is a relatively convoluted process that, while at times dramatic, has been abandoned by most Canadian political parties — including the federal Liberals — in favour of some form of a one-member, one-vote system. The Ontario Liberals considered changing their approach last year , but ultimately voted to keep it.

Who are the 6 candidates?

Michael Coteau: Current Liberal MPP in the Toronto riding of Don Valley East. First elected in 2011, Coteau was minister of community and social services, minister of children and youth services, minister of tourism, culture and sport and minister of citizenship and immigration in the government of former premier Kathleen Wynne.

Michael Coteau is a current MPP who previously served as the minister of community and social services; minister of children and youth services; minister of tourism, culture and sport and minister of citizenship and immigration. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Steven Del Duca: Former Liberal MPP in the Greater Toronto area riding of Vaughan from 2012 to 2018, Del Duca was minister of transportation and minister of economic development and growth in the Wynne government.

Former Vaughan MPP Steven Del Duca served as minister of transportation and minister of economic development and growth under former premier Kathleen Wynne. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Kate Graham: Academic and former public servant in London, Ont. Graham finished third in the southwestern Ontario riding of London North Centre in the 2018 provincial election.

Kate Graham is a political scientist who has the backing of former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister Deb Matthews, who was instrumental in the leadership campaign of former premier Kathleen Wynne. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Brenda Hollingsworth: Lawyer from Ottawa whose litigation firm focuses on personal injury and criminal defence law. She has never held public office.

Brenda Hollingsworth has been a lawyer in Ottawa for more than two decades. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Mitzie Hunter: Current Liberal MPP in the Toronto riding Scarborough-Guildwood. First elected in a byelection in 2013, Hunter was formerly associate minister of finance, minister of education and minister of advanced education and skills development in the Wynne government.

Current MPP Mitzie Hunter previously served as the associate minister of finance, minister of education and minister of advanced education and skills development in the goverment of former premier Kathleen Wynne. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Alvin Tedjo: Public servant who was the runner-up in the southern Ontario riding of Oakville-Burlington North in the 2018 provincial election.

Alvin Tedjo made headlines late last year when he rolled out a commitment to end public funding for Catholic school boards in the province. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Is there a front-runner?

Del Duca, a former Ontario minister of transportation, appears to have a near lock on the leadership.

Ahead of the convention, he secured the support of 1,171 of the 2,084 elected delegates. His campaign says he has also shored up the votes of at least 200 of the 640 ex-officio delegates. Numbers like that should be enough to get him to more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Del Duca's closest rivals are Michael Coteau with 371 elected delegates and Kate Graham with 273. Unless some unforeseen event keeps droves of Del Duca's delegates from getting to the convention, they are unlikely to catch him.

Policy announcements Del Duca rolled out during the leadership campaign include incentives for electric vehicle purchases and funding for more charging infrastructure, developing a long-term STEM education strategy, and increasing the money municipalities get from the gas tax.

Has former premier Kathleen Wynne endorsed anyone?

She has not — at least not publicly. It's customary for a former leader to stay neutral during the race to replace them.

But speaking to CBC Toronto this week, Wynne offered the following advice to the future winner: "The leader needs to bring people together and listen to them and hold the team together, that's what I saw as my job and I think that is the job of the leader going forward," she said.

"It's always a bit tricky after a leadership convention because there are people who have been in different camps, but I think that the common cause of bringing Ontario back on track is going to be very, very compelling for the Liberals."

How did the Liberals get here?

The Ontario Liberals' suffered their worst-ever election loss in 2018 . After 15 years in government and a firm majority under Wynne, the Liberals went from 55 seats in the legislature to seven — below the number required to retain official party status.

The defection of MPP Amanda Simard from the PCs and two byelection wins in Ottawa-area ridings already held by the party means there are now eight Liberals at Queen's Park.

The next provincial election campaign begins in about 26 months, and the next leader will have rebuild the party's organizing capacity in all 124 ridings before then.

They will also need to start bringing in contributions. As of last year, the Liberals still had a $9.3-million debt from the election, and the party has not been holding fundraising events during interim leader John Fraser's tenure.