As Harrison Ford, Drew Barrymore and different celebrities hawked vehicles, cruises, beer and soda to hundreds of thousands of Individuals throughout Sunday night time’s Tremendous Bowl sport, the Ontario authorities made its personal pitch.
One of many expensive Tremendous Bowl commercials — with a 30-second spot going for $8 million — featured an advert sponsored by the Ontario authorities highlighting the constructive buying and selling relationship the province has with its southern neighbour.
It was a not-so-subtle rebuttal to the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump was set to impose on all imported metal and aluminum, together with from Canada, the next night. And it got here from the Progressive Conservative authorities of Doug Ford, who has been given the moniker “Captain Canada” by some journalists and pundits — and change into an unofficial advocate for the complete nation.
“I feel to an extent he has,” stated Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie College in Halifax. “Ford has moved into what some have described as a form of management emptiness.”
This new function comes at an opportune time, on the midpoint of a snap Ontario election marketing campaign that Ford triggered, and permits him to keep away from speaking about points the place he is weak, similar to well being care and training, Turnbull stated.
“The argument will be made that he botched these information. As an alternative of defending his report as a premier, he’ll the U.S. and appearing like a major minister,” she stated. “That is completely on the coronary heart of his technique for a 3rd time period.
“If it weren’t for the specter of tariffs … I feel that the problems of well being care and training could be increased on individuals’s lists So I feel it will in all probability be a rocky marketing campaign for him if he wasn’t in a position to go to Washington.”
Ford has launched attraction offensive
On Tuesday, Ford was again at it in Washington, D.C., to make his case in opposition to tariffs to U.S. lawmakers. It is a function he assumed as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discovered himself considerably distracted by inner celebration squabbling that finally led to an announcement of his intention to resign as Liberal Celebration chief.
Since December, within the wake of Trump’s announcement of his intention to slap 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imported items, Ford has launched what seems to be a attraction offensive. He is made the rounds of U.S. media, together with interviews on CNN, Fox Information and NBC’s Meet The Press, speaking in regards to the crucial minerals and items the U.S. imports from Canada and the way tariffs threaten the mutually helpful buying and selling relationship.
WATCH | Doug Ford goes to Washington to problem tariffs amid election marketing campaign:
Doug Ford defends anti-tariff journey to Washington amid criticism from marketing campaign rivals
PC chief Doug Ford took his Ontario election marketing campaign tour to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to make Ontario’s case in opposition to U.S. tariffs, whereas the opposite main celebration leaders continued campaigning throughout the province. CBC’s Mike Crawley breaks down the small print.
Ford wore a “Canada Is Not For Sale” ball cap throughout a gathering with Trudeau and different premiers in Ottawa final month. He has additionally preached Canadian unity, saying the provinces want to stay collectively to fight the menace, and scolded Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for refusing to signal a joint assertion the prime minister and all different premiers agreed to about the right way to reply to Trump.
Some columnists and observers have branded Ford “Captain Canada.” Following the election name in Ontario, the BBC wrote on its web site: Ontario’s ‘Captain Canada’ calls snap election as Trump tariff menace looms.
However in the case of championing Canada, Ford could be uniquely positioned to take action, Turnbull stated.
“Ford is ready to come at this another way. He has that form of folksy authenticity,” she stated. “He is ready to enter a room with a ‘Canada’s Not For Sale’ hat, and individuals take a look at him and say, ‘Take a look at that, like, he is so patriotic, he is standing up for Canada.'”
Dalhousie College political science professor Lori Turnbull says taking up Trump’s tariffs permits Ford to keep away from speaking about points the place he is weak with Ontario voters, similar to well being care and training. (CBC)
If Trudeau did that, the general public would not have the identical response, Turnbull stated. “He would not have the identical authenticity.”
Ford has taken on this function partly as a result of he chairs the Council of the Federation, an advocacy group for the entire provincial and territorial premiers, Turnbull stated.
“I assume as a result of he is the chief of the largest province — that is not nothing,” she stated.
Tariff difficulty ‘clear disaster in individuals’s minds’
The tariff difficulty may also make it tougher for his political opponents, stated David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Information, a polling and market analysis agency primarily based in Ottawa.
“In a disaster, individuals typically rally round their chief. And it is a clear disaster in individuals’s minds. In order that already makes it more durable for the opposition events to get any oxygen in an area the place Trump is sucking all of it up,” he stated. “And Ford has the pure benefit of being the man who has the job proper now.”
Coletto stated that based on his agency’s polling, if the No. 1 poll query turns into who’s finest to tackle Trump, Ford and his celebration run nicely forward of the Liberals and the New Democrats, whose leaders have argued that Ford’s journey to Washington is inappropriate throughout an election marketing campaign.
“Once we requested individuals: Of the celebration leaders, who’s finest to face as much as a bully, Doug Ford wins by an enormous margin over the opposite different two essential celebration leaders. So that is the place he needs the election to be about,” Coletto stated.
David Coletto of Abacus Information in Ottawa says his agency’s polling exhibits that if the No. 1 poll query turns into who’s finest to tackle Trump, Ford and his celebration run nicely forward of the Liberals and the NDP. (Carla Turner/CBC)
“It is I feel why he known as the early election. He noticed the chance. And his go to to Washington [on Tuesday] is simply constructing on his try and attempt to focus consideration on that versus anything.”
Nonetheless, Trudeau stays prime minister, and having a couple of political chief as public spokesperson on the tariff difficulty might show problematic.
“A number of Canadian voices dilute the message, giving more room for Trump to dominate the story,” Gary Hufbauer, a non-resident senior fellow on the Washington-based Peterson Institute for Worldwide Economics, instructed Ontario Chronicle in an e-mail.
“Higher for a single robust spokesperson to characterize Canada,” he stated, including that Trudeau is “by far essentially the most believable.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, proper, and Ford participate within the first ministers’ assembly in Ottawa on Jan. 15. Ford has preached Canadian unity, saying the provinces want to stay collectively to fight the menace from Trump. (Blair Gable/Reuters)
In the meantime, Ford’s function as Captain Canada got here beneath some scrutiny when it was found he was happy that Trump, a Republican, had received the U.S. presidential election over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
“Captain Canada has no garments,” former Liberal deputy prime minister Sheila Copps wrote in a column for the Hill Occasions.
“Doug Ford misplaced that standing when it was revealed final week in a leaked scorching microphone recording that he was an enormous Trump fan who celebrated when Donald Trump was victorious.”
(Ford had stated that whereas he was “100 per cent” pleased Trump received, “then the man pulled out the knife and f–king yanked it into us.”)
Coletto, of Abacus Information, stated that it might nonetheless be a vulnerability for Ford, relying on how many individuals change into conscious of it, However Turnbull dismissed the suggestion. “Who did anyone assume he was going to assist within the presidential election? I did not assume he supported Harris,” she stated.
“I feel what he stated is strictly what I might have thought had occurred. [Ford] supported Trump after which he knifed him with tariffs. So now he does not assist him.”
WATCH | Ford responds to video saying he was ‘pleased’ Trump received election earlier than tariffs:
Ford responds to video saying he was ‘happy’ Trump received till tariff tussle
After being captured on video saying he was pleased U.S. President Donald Trump received the newest U.S. election till the specter of tariffs, PC Chief Doug Ford instructed reporters that he had thought ‘issues could be slightly totally different’ with this Trump administration.
