(Toronto, ON) – A new Liaison Strategies poll for the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) finds former mayor Bonnie Crombie leading current mayor Carolyn Parrish in a hypothetical match-up.

Conducted from October 22-23, 2025, using interactive voice response technology, the poll surveyed 800 Mississauga voters. The margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.46%, 19 times out of 20.

Liaison Strategies is one of the most accurate polling firms in Canada. It ranked #1 in accuracy in the 2025 Ontario election and #2 nationally in the 2025 federal election. Liaison is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC).

David Valentin, Principal at Liaison Strategies, said the following:

If an election were held today Bonnie Crombie would return to her old job as mayor - if she ran. There has been a tradition of opposition leaders seeking mayoralties as of late (Steven Del Duca, Andrea Horwath). Crombie has already been mayor and would force a competitive race if she opted to return.

In a hypothetical match-up, Crombie would notch 38% of the vote to Parrish's 33% - which is about the same level of support Parrish received in the by election. Mayoral runner-up, Alvin Tedjo polls at 12%, while Dipika Damerla polls at 7%.

It's helpful to consider Parrish's score in the context of her mayoral approval - which is the second worst of the ten big cities mayors we surveyed for our municipal elections project. Parrish's 45% approval and 40% disapproval works out to a +5 net approval rating. 15% still do not have a firm opinion, the highest of any of the mayors - though she has also been in the mayoral chair for the least amount of time. Even so, this is a low approval score in the context of her colleagues, with neighbour Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown polling 14 points higher in approval.

When we asked Mississauga voters their top issue, crime came in at number one with 29% followed by affordable housing at 18% and traffic at 13%.

Despite crime being a top issue, the Carney Liberals are performing well in the city with 52% support compared to 35% for the Conservatives. The NDP are well behind at 8% and the Greens are further back at 4%.