I do not think we are taking the decline of our liberal democracy seriously enough. It has become both a political culture problem and an institutional one. It’s also why I support electoral reform (read below👇). - - - Voter turnout is abysmal because many people feel their votes do not matter. And in many ridings, they are right. Over the last 30 years, power has become concentrated in the Premiers Office (and yes, the PMO federally). Ministers have less independence. MPPs and MPs have less legislative influence. More decisions are filtered through central political staff. (When power is concentrated and discretionary in this way, it also opens the door to corrupt behaviour as we have seen) Social media has changed the incentives of politics too. Too often, parties are rewarded for producing moments instead of solving problems. When every issue can become a communications opportunity, more decisions get pulled into the centre to be managed. It also encourages more sounds-bites and vague-hoods. Because nuanced thinking doesn’t perform well. So it’s not valued by the algorithms or the media. And so we no longer get real debates. We no longer respect those we disagree with. If nuance is dead, our democracy is an illusion. Too few in politics get this, but I do. - - - So, if elected Premier, I will be deliberate in humbling my own power for the long term good of our democracy. That starts with three reforms. 1) Electoral reform toward a proportional voting system. Every vote should matter, and everyone deserves responsive local representation. Your vote as a rural liberal should matter. Your vote as an urban conservative should, too. 2) A smaller cabinet with fewer ministers (Eg 15), but greater authority, profile, independence, and accountability. There should be many competitive political figures in a party, not just the leader. This also aligns with stronger institutions with more state capacity. 3) A greater role for MPPs, including opposition members, in the legislative process. It would also make the job more attractive because many MPPs want to do real work, but get hamstrung. Ontario does not need more days, weeks, and months of whatever. - - - There seem to be a lot of people who fail to understand what I’m doing, and why. I am not running for Ontario Liberal Leader for the party to stay stuck in the 2010s. I am asking Liberals and Ontarians to choose a different path. I am tired of lowest-common-denominator politics. I’m tired of all the dumb and division. And I bet most people in Ontario are too.