Former federal cabinet minister Navdeep Bains has officially entered the race to lead the Ontario Liberals, becoming the first high-profile candidate to formally register.

Bains registered Monday with Elections Ontario to run in the Ontario Liberal leadership race, formally launching a bid that had been the subject of speculation for weeks after QP Briefing and iPolitics first reported in April that senior Liberals were encouraging him to enter the contest.

At the time, party and Bains-linked sources said he had been quietly reaching out to influential Liberals and generating enthusiasm among party insiders, with one source describing “excitement” around a potential candidacy after Bains attended the federal Liberal convention in Montreal.

The Nov. 21 leadership race is shaping up as a critical moment for a party still attempting to rebuild after years of electoral losses and searching for a leader capable of challenging Premier Doug Ford in the next provincial election.

Bains filed paperwork with Elections Ontario over the weekend and was listed Monday as an official leadership candidate, alongside Etobicoke—Lakeshore MPP Lee Fairclough and policy adviser Dylan Marando, who had already signalled their intentions to run.

The move marks a return to politics for Bains after several years in the private sector. Bains left his position as chief corporate affairs officer at Rogers Communications on May 8 to pursue the leadership, according to reports, and has since begun laying the groundwork for a campaign.

Moments after his candidacy was confirmed, Bains launched a campaign website carrying the slogan “Let’s Get To Work,” alongside a brief teaser video showing him entering a classroom, sitting at a student desk and rolling up his sleeves.

Bains brings significant political experience to the race. First elected federally in 2004 in Mississauga—Brampton South, he served in opposition before losing his seat during the Liberals’ devastating 2011 defeat under former prime minister Stephen Harper.

He later returned as MP for Mississauga—Malton and played a key role in the federal Liberals’ resurgence under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, serving as innovation, science and industry minister between 2015 and 2021. During his time in cabinet, Bains became one of the government’s most prominent economic ministers, helping shape industrial policy, innovation programs and skills strategies.

Since leaving Parliament, Bains has built a résumé spanning both business and academia. In addition to his senior role at Rogers, he served as vice-chair of global investment banking at CIBC, focusing on industrial strategy, sustainability and innovation. He has also lectured at the University of Waterloo’s Master of Public Service program and served as a visiting professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. Bains holds an MBA from the University of Windsor, a commerce degree from York University and is a chartered professional accountant.

His formal entry comes as pressure mounts on Erskine-Smith to decide whether he still intends to run after suffering a bruising political setback in the party’s Scarborough Southwest nomination contest.

The Beaches—East York MP had positioned himself as a likely leadership contender but saw his path complicated after losing a May 9 nomination battle to businessman Ahsanul Hafiz by 19 votes.

Bains’ entry could further alter the dynamics of the contest. Official registration also gives campaigns access to fundraising, a key advantage in a contest carrying a $150,000 entry fee and a $1-million spending cap.