Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner says he’s staying put in his role as Green Leader after weighing an invitation to run for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.

“I’ve taken the time to listen, consult my constituents in Guelph and people across Ontario to talk about a better way forward. I’ve asked myself and others how I can best make a positive difference in building the Ontario we truly want. The answer for me is as the leader of the Ontario Green Party,” Schreiner said in a statement released Tuesday morning.

The decision ends weeks of speculation about whether the Green leader might leave his post to try head up the Ontario Liberals, who have been out of power since 2018.

In a statement, Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said that he has worked well with Schreiner over the past few years and that he is “not in any way surprised by his decision.”

“I will continue to work collaboratively with Mike to hold the Ford Conservatives to account,” Fraser said.

He acknowledged that there is “a lot of work ahead of us” and said his party’s members "look forward to an exciting and competitive leadership race – one that will take us to every corner of this province."

Schreiner’s decision comes as there were signals that not everyone in the Liberal Party would have trumpeted his arrival to run for the leadership.

An amendment to the Ontario Liberal Party (OLP) constitution is set to be tabled by Orléans MPP Stephen Blais at an upcoming annual meeting.

The proposal—“that any candidate for leader, in addition to existing requirements, also have been a member of OLP as of January 1 of the year a leadership contest is called”—will be debated and decided on at the party’s March 3 meeting.

It’s a move that could have disqualified Schreiner as a leadership candidate, but could also exclude any other interested contender who is not a card -carrying Ontario Liberal as of Jan. 1, 2023.

Submissions for constitutional amendment proposals were open to any member of the Ontario Liberal Party until Feb. 1.

In January, after a group of 40 long-time Liberals penned an open letter asking Schreiner to consider entering the leadership race, the Green Party leader asked residents to give him “time to think about their arguments.” He said he wanted to talk to his constituents and get more feedback before making a decision. He also reiterated that he remains focused on representing those constituents and “working with people in the fight to protect the Greenbelt.”

Toronto public affairs professional and strategist Marcel Wieder said Schreiner’s decision Tuesday was probably the one that will help him maintain his credibility.

“Mike Schreiner did the political calculus of what quitting the Green Party and running for Liberal leader would take,” Wieder said. “In the end he decided that he would not risk being seen as a political opportunist and throw away his hard earned credibility as a decent, serious politician on a long shot chance of being Liberal leader and maybe Premier. I think Ontario is better for him sticking around as Green leader.”

The provincial Liberals have been without a permanent leader since June 2022. The party has said it won’t rush to select a leader. At the annual general meeting, members are expected to vote on the rules for the leadership race.

It is unclear how long after that nominations will open for the position.