Ontario Centrist Party: Strategic Identity Framework

Approved for Party-Wide Distribution – June 2025

Public Identity Groups Strategy: Reframing Participation for a Stronger Ontario

Prepared By: Office of the Party Leader, Mansoor Qureshi

Audience: Executive Council, Constituency Association Chairs, Prospective Group Chairs, Core Volunteers

Purpose: To formally establish the Ontario Centrist Party’s public-facing identity groups as a foundational component of its engagement, recruitment, and policy influence strategy for 2025 and beyond.

Part I: Strategic Overview

Key Insight: The Ontario Centrist Party (CPO) does not need more internal structure—it needs more public story. Voters, members, and media must be able to see themselves in us, quickly and clearly.

Core Principle: Every public-facing initiative must be a story people want to join.

Our challenge is not awareness—it’s resonance. This strategy shifts our engagement model from an administrative function to one of cultural participation. Through five distinct but aligned identity groups, we offer Ontarians accessible and purpose-driven entry points into the party’s movement.

Part II: Identity Group Objectives

The following identity-first groups have been formally adopted by the Ontario Centrist Party. Each is designed to fulfill three core roles:

  • Signal clarity of mission (media-ready, culturally resonant)
  • Provide actionable roles for diverse participants
  • Deliver early proof of the party’s values in practice

Each group is led by its own operational team but operates under the shared brand and policy framework of the Ontario Centrist Party.

Part III: Identity Groups – Missions and Initial Deliverables

1. Women at the Centre

The moral and policy backbone of the party.

Mission: Advance the leadership, safety, and lived-policy priorities of women in Ontario’s civic life.

Initial Deliverables:

  • She Votes. She Speaks. campaign: 20 women, 20 stories (multimedia)
  • Launch Policy in Her Hands roundtable series
  • Recruit 50+ women across riding teams for 2025

2. The Ontario Mirror

Our visible commitment to reflection and inclusion.

Mission: Ensure our platform, practices, and public communications reflect Ontario’s full linguistic, cultural, and lived diversity.

Initial Deliverables:

  • Translate core documents into 3–5 non-English languages
  • Launch We Are the Middle Ground multilingual campaign
  • Facilitate Platform Access Test through community reviewers

3. The Next Table

Where young Ontarians co-author their political future.

Mission: Create policy-building and leadership pathways for Ontarians under 30.

Initial Deliverables:

  • Students Write the Platform challenge
  • Youth blog + shortform video storytelling
  • Establish 10 “Civic Crews” in educational institutions

4. Common Ground Ontario

The civic antidote to polarization.

Mission: Facilitate civic trust by fostering cross-ideological conversations rooted in shared values, not partisanship.

Initial Deliverables:

  • Coffee with the Other Side civic roundtables in 10 ridings
  • Release The Civility Index – Ontario political discourse audit
  • Distribute cross-partisan civic literacy kits to classrooms

5. The Work Ahead

Our flagship on economic dignity and future readiness.

Mission: Design regionally grounded policies that restore economic stability and upward mobility for working Ontarians.

Initial Deliverables:

  • The Broken Ladder white paper: wages, mobility, cost of living
  • Real People, Real Work town halls with public + employers
  • Pilot one region-specific policy (trades, housing, rural jobs)

Part IV: Activation Roadmap

Step 1: Executive Endorsement

  • Executive Council formally recognizes all five groups as core components of the CPO brand and outreach structure.
  • One Executive Liaison assigned per group for leadership continuity.

Step 2: Appoint Founding Chairs

  • Identify a qualified Founding Chair (internal or external) for each group.
  • Provide onboarding brief, mission language, and meeting cadence.

Step 3: Build Core 5 Teams

  • Chair, Deputy Chair, Communications Lead, Organizer, Policy Lead
  • Deadline: All teams operational within 21 days of Chair appointment.

Step 4: Launch Identity Kits

  • Distribute branded visuals, tone-of-voice guidelines, and digital assets.
  • Activate WhatsApp groups, mailing lists, and blog categories.

Step 5: Deliver Public Impact

  • Each group produces a visible deliverable within 6 weeks of launch.
  • All deliverables must include a sign-up mechanism.

Part V: Communications and Review

Documentation & Reporting: Each team will maintain activity logs in a shared drive and hold monthly check-ins with Party Executive.

Quarterly Review: All groups report publicly at each quarterly leadership meeting. Strategic adjustments will be made as needed based on outcomes and operational maturity.

Final Note from the Party Leader

These groups are not designed for symbolic outreach. They are designed for action.

They represent our future base—and more importantly, our future leadership. If we succeed, Ontarians won’t just see themselves reflected. They will feel invited to shape this party with us.

Let us now move from vision to voice, and from strategy to story.

 

Mansoor Qureshi
Party Leader, Ontario Centrist Party

Ontario’s $15 Billion EV Delay: What Honda’s Pause Really Means for People

This week, Ontario hit a speed bump in its push toward becoming a leader in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing. Honda Canada announced it’s postponing its $15 billion investment project in Alliston — a project that was supposed to create thousands of jobs and bring long-term economic momentum to the province.

The plan included building an EV battery plant and retooling their vehicle assembly facility. It was seen as a cornerstone of Ontario’s green economy. The federal and provincial governments had pledged over $5 billion in public funding to support it. Now, Honda says the project is on hold for up to two years.

The reasons? Slower global demand for electric vehicles and new U.S. tariffs that affect how foreign-made EVs will be treated in the American market.

This isn’t just about factories or headlines. It’s about trust — and about real people in real towns who were counting on this.

A Story That Could Be Real — Even If It’s Not

To show what this means on a human level, let’s imagine a young man named Jayden. He’s not real, but his story could be.

Jayden is 21, living in Barrie with his mom and younger brother. He just finished trade school and was excited about the Honda expansion. He saw a future in it — an apprenticeship, a steady income, maybe even the chance to move out and support his family.

Now, that plan is on hold. No job, no clear answers, and no way to know when the opportunity will come back — or if it ever will.

This is what happens when we put billions into projects without guarantees. And it raises an important question: What do we owe the communities who buy into these promises?

Where the Ontario Centrist Party Stands

At the Ontario Centrist Party (CPO), we support bold investments in Ontario’s economy — especially in clean technology and innovation. But we also believe that public money should come with public protection.

If a project gets billions in support, there should be clear accountability:

  • What happens if timelines change?

  • What guarantees exist for local workers and communities?

  • How do we make sure these investments actually deliver long-term value — not just press conferences?

This pause from Honda is a reminder that Ontario can’t afford to build its future on single deals. We need strong economic ecosystems: skilled trades, flexible education, support for startups, and smart infrastructure that prepares us for whatever comes next.

The Bottom Line

Ontario has the talent, the will, and the resources to lead — but leadership isn’t just about headlines. It’s about staying power.

We’ll keep pushing for a province that protects its people, plans wisely, and never leaves workers like Jayden behind.

Ontario Centrist Party Update Mar 22, 2025

In this week’s address, I break down the top issues affecting Ontario — from new trade tensions with the U.S., to the major closure of Hudson’s Bay stores, to the upcoming federal election. We’re not here to play politics — we’re here to offer clear, balanced solutions that put Ontarians first. – Smarter trade strategy – Support for displaced retail workers – A strong Ontario voice in national decision-making