Ontario Progressive Conservative Chief Doug Ford pitched himself Wednesday as the perfect steward of the financial system within the face of looming tariffs, however the different social gathering leaders say his document from the final seven years suggests in any other case.
Ontario Progressive Conservative Chief Doug Ford pitched himself Wednesday as the perfect steward of the financial system within the face of looming tariffs, however the different social gathering leaders say his document from the final seven years suggests in any other case.
Ford says he wants the strongest majority in Ontario historical past with a view to successfully take care of the threatened 25 per cent tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, and has referred to as a snap election for Feb. 27, almost 1 1/2 years earlier than the scheduled June 2026 vote.
This election will price about $189 million to run, the chief electoral officer of Elections Ontario mentioned Wednesday.
Ford held his first official marketing campaign occasion in Windsor, with a backdrop of the Ambassador Bridge to the U.S. to focus on the tariffs subject.
“The larger the mandate I obtain from you, the higher we’ll have the ability to shield our province, as a result of it is a sport to the president,” Ford mentioned.
“He seeks to divide and conquer. Whether or not he imposes tariffs subsequent week, subsequent month, or waits one other 12 months or extra, Trump’s threats are usually not going away.”
However as targeted as Ford has been currently on the tariff struggle, he has taken his eye off the ball on different urgent provincial points, Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie advised.
“Whereas the premier is operating across the province pretending he is Captain Canada, he isn’t fixing the fundamental points that matter to Ontarians,” she mentioned at her marketing campaign launch in Barrie.
“He mentioned he’d repair hallway drugs. He did not get it accomplished. He mentioned he’d minimize your taxes, and he did not get it accomplished. He mentioned he’d construct 1.5 million properties. He did not get it accomplished. I’ve seemed on the homelessness, psychological well being and habit disaster that exists right here in Barrie. He’s not serving to the scenario right here in Barrie on the bottom, or fixing the medical doctors disaster.”
Crombie was in Barrie alongside Liberal candidate in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte, Rose Zacharias, an emergency and household physician in addition to previous president of the Ontario Medical Affiliation. They highlighted a promise to make sure everybody in Ontario has a household physician inside 4 years.
Inexperienced Celebration Chief Mike Schreiner mentioned the entire election is pointless. With potential tariffs on the horizon, which Trump has mused about implementing Feb. 1, Ontario can be higher positioned to reply in the event that they did not come in the midst of an election marketing campaign, he mentioned.
“We must be right here at Queen’s Park working throughout social gathering traces to indicate Donald Trump power by means of unity, however as a substitute, Doug Ford has referred to as an election abandoning the individuals of Ontario when…individuals want him probably the most,” Schreiner mentioned.
“However you already know, this could come as no shock, as a result of over the previous seven years, for the reason that Ford authorities has taken workplace, housing begins are down, housing prices are up, 2.5 million Ontarians haven’t got entry to a household physician, (there are) unprecedented emergency room closures and hallway well being care uncontrolled, overcrowded school rooms and the wealthy simply appear to be getting richer whereas the remainder of us wrestle simply to get by.”
NDP Chief Marit Stiles touted her personal bona fides in taking up the tariff struggle, saying she has bargained and negotiated with American and multinational companies to guard jobs. In the meantime, she advised that Ford referred to as this snap election not over tariffs, however to guard his personal job.
“He says it is as a result of he desires us to rent him to be our negotiator with Trump,” she mentioned in a speech. “Doug Ford, our negotiator? Is he kidding? I imply, simply take a look at Doug Ford’s observe document.”
Stiles pointed to a 95-year lease for a spa on Toronto’s waterfront, and that simply Monday the province’s monetary accountability officer discovered that Ford’s resolution to hurry up entry to beer and wine in nook shops by one 12 months will price the province $612 million.
His authorities can also be beneath prison investigation by the RCMP, who’re wanting into Ford’s resolution to open up the protected Greenbelt lands to housing improvement. It’s a now-reversed resolution that the auditor common mentioned stood to learn sure builders to the tune of greater than $8 billion.
Elections Ontario bought little extra discover than the general public that an election marketing campaign would start Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa mentioned, however had began preparations in Might, when Ford first sparked early election hypothesis by refusing to rule out a 2025 marketing campaign.
“Clearly, we deliberate for an election primarily based on a set date, so we had our plans all centred round June of 2026,” he mentioned.
“I instantly had our group form of change our readiness date until April 1. We began shifting that again to March 1 and February.”
Nonetheless, Elections Ontario might be able to run the election, he mentioned, with all 124 returning workplaces set to open Wednesday. As a result of snap vote, advance voting days might be restricted to 3 as a substitute of the standard 10. As effectively, Essensa mentioned he’s working with Emergency Administration Ontario to plan for contingencies ought to excessive climate hit on Feb. 27.
– With information from Liam Casey in Windsor, Maan Alhmidi in Barrie and Rianna Lim in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 29, 2025.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
