Name: Charles Sousa

Age:  54

Background: Born in Toronto's Kensington Market but having grown up in Mississauga, the Mississauga South MPP is a banker by trade. Sousa is past president of the Federation of Portuguese-Canadian Business & Professionals and an ambassador for the Credit Valley Hospital Foundation.

After two failed attempts at gaining federal Liberal nominations in Mississauga, Sousa was the co-chair of Newstalk 1010's own John Tory's Toronto mayoral campaign in 2006. A year later, he was elected MPP. He has since been Minister of Labour, Citizenship and Immigration, and the 2015 PanAm Games.

Family:  Wife Zenaida and three children.

Why he wants to be Premier: Sousa says the recovery of the economy needs strong leadership that he believes he can provide.

Teachers: Sousa says he recognizes things could have been handled better from the start of negotiations. He says when the current teacher contracts are up in 2014, he would try to find a way to have everyone at the table to get a deal through negotiation.

Number one priority if chosen as Liberal leader/premier: Stabilizing and improving the economy by creating jobs.

How he's seen:  While Sousa has ministerial experience and is well-liked at Queen's Park, many see him as the person whose seat was saved in the 2011 Provincial election when the McGuinty government announced they would cancel construction of the Mississauga Power Plant. Sousa says he always had opposed its construction.

Message to Ontarians: Sousa says he's encouraging everyone to look at things from a fresh perspective. He says he wants to build confidence and security in the province, rather than add to fears and anxiety, which he calls short term political thinking. Sousa wants everyone to work together to move the province ahead.