Election day will probably be Feb. 27
EDITOR’S NOTE: This text initially appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media web site dedicated to masking provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has confirmed he is calling an early election that will start on Wednesday.
Ford at the moment holds a powerful majority within the legislature, and the subsequent scheduled vote just isn’t till June 2026 — however the premier mentioned he wants a powerful mandate to combat in opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs.
“We’d like a mandate from the folks to combat in opposition to Donald Trump’s tariffs,” he mentioned at a press convention at Brampton Metropolis Corridor. “The assault is coming in opposition to our households, our companies, our communities, and with a powerful mandate, we will combat with Donald Trump to verify we cease the tariffs and ensure that we give certainty to the folks of Ontario.”
“It could take investing tens of billions of {dollars},” he added, evaluating the severity of the tariff menace and the required response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ll do tens of billions of {dollars}.”
Ford spent a lot of the press convention justifying his determination to ship Ontarians to the polls early.
He was requested if he’s fearful that he will not get the stronger mandate that he argues is important for defeating the tariff menace.
One journalist requested him if he’s “haunted by the ghost of David Peterson,” a Liberal former Ontario premier who triggered an early election in 1990 as he, like Ford, was using excessive within the polls. Peterson, like Ford, mentioned he known as the election to guard the province throughout a time of nationwide uncertainty. Peterson was accused of political opportunism, and the NDP was elected with a majority authorities.
“I love you media, you guys are basic,” Ford replied. “However 35 years in the past, he awoke and determined to name election. He wasn’t going through the most important assault within the historical past of our nation, assault in opposition to our households.”
Whereas the opposition events have tried to make the case that Ford is making an attempt to outrun the continuing RCMP investigation into his Greenbelt scandal, journalists requested Ford about different potential political calculations at play.
One journalist requested if he was making an attempt to get forward of the federal election, which is broadly anticipated to see Conservative Pierre Poilievre elected this spring and impose cuts that would have an effect on Ontario.
Ford mentioned he was not.
“Nicely, my job, after we hopefully get an enormous mandate, goes to be standing as much as any federal authorities that wishes to chop well being care from Ontario, minimize jobs from Ontario to tax folks from Ontario,” he mentioned.
Ford will go to Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont on Tuesday, kicking off a marketing campaign that can start the next day. Election day will probably be Feb. 27.
Extra to come back.
