An Ontario Liberal leadership candidate who has been generating support in Conservative circles for his policy positions is pushing back against critics who are suggesting he’s attracting the wrong kind of attention to the party.

Eric Lombardi, a former housing advocate who launched his leadership bid last week, has been receiving support from a range of political voices, including many who say they’ve never voted Liberal in past elections but are willing to back Lombardi as the next Liberal leader.

Their backing, it appears, is entirely connected to what Lombardi describes as “extraordinarily unique” policy positions that he believes will propel the Ontario Liberal Party back into the governing benches at Queen’s Park.

“We will not win the next election if we can’t appeal to Ontarians across the political spectrum,” Lombardi told Global News in a recent interview.

“My focus is going to be offering ideas that appeal not just to Conservatives, but to also New Democrats, Liberals, and everyone in between.”

To prove his policy chops, Lombardi said he plans to release a fully-costed platform before the leadership race officially kicks off on July 9 – a document that will lay out his vision for economic growth, investing in public services and infrastructure while reducing “cost disease” and offering housing and employment opportunities for younger Ontarians.

“I personally think that I’ll be bringing more substance than anyone else in this race. Why? Because I’ve taken the time to understand issues and I’ve built my reputation on pragmatic but effective advocacy,” Lombardi said.

While Lombardi insists his policy proposals will traverse the political spectrum, some of his ideas and language appear to be designed to grow the Liberal tent by appealing to right-of-center voters.

Take, for example, his approach to health care.

Lombardi said the province currently has “major access problems,” that diagnostic services are “gate-kept” by the system, and that he would like to make Ontario’s health care system “competitive.”

“There’s a lot of solutions that we need to be exploring, and even models that we’re seeing in other provinces that create flexibility on the provider side, while ensuring that everyone who needs access won’t have to pay for that access,” Lombardi said.

When asked whether competition in the public healthcare system means introducing more private delivery, Lombardi quickly pushed back.

“Why should a public system be uncompetitive? I don’t think that we need to accept that this is an all or nothing or one versus the other approach,” he said.

“I think that we can make our healthcare system, our public healthcare system, work for everyone. And the way that we actually incentivize the system itself can itself become more competitive and more open to innovation than the way we’re currently doing.”

Pressed further on whether, as premier, he would pursue more publicly-funded, privately delivered health care, Lombardi said he would “look at all options” for improving access and creating capacity.

“The vast majority of our doctors are already private entities. The vast majority of our ultrasound and x-ray clinics are run privately and they’re paid for by the public. And I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with that model and in many ways it’s working.”

On the economic side, Lombardi said he would also introduce income splitting for families with children under the age of six – a policy similar to one introduced by former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and eventually cancelled by Liberal successor Justin Trudeau.

Even Lombardi’s views of the party’s values bear the hallmarks of right-of-center politics.

“I wanna bring it back to liberal values, the belief in individuals, the belief in merit and a competitive economy that creates wealth,” Lombardi told Global News.

Lombardi’s positions and growing support among some Conservatives has raised eyebrows.

“It’s really not a good look that many conservatives, and even far right influencers, on this platform are fawning over one particular candidate in the Ontario Liberal race,” party strategist Andrew Perez said on social media.

“New members to our party must endorse basic liberal/Liberal values. Unfortunately, many of these supposed new members don’t meet this basic test — and I find this deeply concerning.”

Lombardi fired back saying the party has “wandered too far away” from core values but acknowledged the growing discomfort within the party he’s seeking to lead.

“There are some long-time Liberals upset that I’m running for leader, in part, because I am trying to pull my party back towards liberalism,” Lombardi said on social media.

“Please have the maturity to understand that I don’t control which people say what online,” Lombardi added in another post that also called on supporters to “hold themselves to a high standard in public.”

During his interview with Global News, Lombardi stressed he would also implement policies more familiar to the Liberal fray.

Post-secondary students would receive free tuition “with a catch,” while families would receive provincial assistance to purchase their first home.

Ultimately, Lombardi said, his campaign is looking to throw own the Liberal tent to any looking for common sense ideas, that could realistically be implemented.

“I’m going to be offering to the people of Ontario is not ideological solutions, but practical solutions,” Lombardi said.

“I think people will see that as part of my campaign.”