Liberals need to keep fighting because change for its own sake can be dangerous

Rev up your engines because this campaign is heading into the home stretch and things are getting very interesting.

So far, this campaign has been frustrating for Ontario Liberals. On the one hand, most Ontarians have had a visceral negative reaction to Doug Ford and his vision for this province. But on the other hand, many voters seem to have an underlying desire for change that has driven them into the arms of the NDP, at least for now.

I have written previously in this space about the myriad of economic risks associated with an NDP victory, so I won’t rehash those again.

In the days ahead, Liberals need to keep reminding Ontarians what’s at stake. While a growing number have decided that they shouldn’t vote for Ford and the PCs, they need to be convinced that they ought to vote Liberal. As we have seen before in this province, change for its own sake can be dangerous.

That’s the point Kathleen Wynne tried to make during last Sunday’s leaders debate. She did precisely what she needed to do, delivering a performance that might be able to put her back into this race as we head into the final week.

Wynne demonstrated why Ontarians elected her to a majority government in 2014 — her honesty, depth, and understanding of the complexity of government. As she defended her record, she was a stark contrast to the canned political speak coming from Ford and Andrea Horwath. Wynne stuck to that tone for the rest of the night — speaking directly to voters in an honest, unfiltered way about her values and her plan. It was passionate, intelligent and deeply personal. And that’s important because neither Horwath nor Ford appeared ready for prime time.

COMMENTARY: Tom Parkin says NDP’s momentum comes as voters reject Doug Ford’s ‘man of the people’ act

Ford was barely present. Sticking to pre-programmed slogans, he had no explanation for why he hasn’t released a costed platform and time and again he advertised the fact that he simply isn’t suitable to serve as premier of this province. Ford looked and sounded like a kid who hadn’t prepared for a book report and came to class with his Coles notes. Premiers don’t have the luxury of Coles notes.

0:27 Ont. Leaders’ Debate: Wynne to Ford “Have you been to a daycare?”

WATCH: Kathleen Wynne to Doug Ford “Have you been to a daycare?”

Horwath wasn’t much better. While her grasp of key issues is stronger than that of Ford, she suffers from the fact that her party is beholden to a rigid ideology based in 1970s left-wing activism.

This was made clear in the signature exchange of the debate when Wynne took Horwath to task for her unwillingness to stand up for the public interest and say no to public-sector unions. Horwath simply couldn’t explain why she would take away the vital tool of back-to-work legislation to deal with strikes that carry on too long and hurt too many people.

3:18 Ont. Leaders’ Debate: Wynne, Horwath spar over collective bargaining

WATCH: Wynne, Horwath spar over collective bargaining in final leaders debate

After the exchange, Horwath looked shaken, unsure of herself and ultimately appeared unprepared to govern. Worse, she confirmed that when push comes to shove, she’ll follow public-sector union leaders first and the people of this province second. For those thinking about voting NDP, that exchange should cause them to think again.

With a week to go in an election that has already been filled with volatility and surprises, Wynne’s debate night was the kind of event that might just kickstart a comeback, and at the very least provide some much-needed momentum to local Liberal candidates fighting tight battles across the province.

For example, this week’s Ipsos poll shows the Ontario Liberals have regained the lead in the city of Toronto.  If this trend continues and Liberals keep a laser-like focus on ground game, including voter contact, Wynne may just be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Don’t get me wrong. This campaign has not been great for Liberals thus far, despite a top-notch war room and election tour. Now is definitely not the time to slack off.

COMMENTARY: Deb Hutton says Doug Ford offers stark contrast to big government visions of the NDP and Liberals

As Winston Churchill said, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Wynne has been a fighter her whole life. She is now in the final stages of the biggest fight of her life. I, for one, would never count her out until all of the ballots have been counted.

Omar Khan, who spent over a decade working for several Liberal cabinet ministers at Queen’s Park, is a member of the Ontario Liberal campaign steering committee and is a vice president of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Omar Khan joins Deb Hutton and Tom Parkin on Global News’ regular political panel, appearing on Global Toronto and AM 640 Corus radio throughout the campaign and as part of our election night coverage.