Ontario Premier Doug Ford walks towards the offices of Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont before requesting to dissolve the provincial parliament and hold elections, at Queens Park in Toronto, on Jan. 28.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has officially called an early election and said he has an economic action plan to respond to potentially devastating U.S. tariffs. But he said the strategy would only be unveiled gradually over the course of the month-long snap campaign.
Mr. Ford visited Ontario Lieutenant-Governor Edith Dumont in her chamber in the legislature on Tuesday afternoon, and she granted his request to dissolve the House. Election day is set for Feb. 27. As Mr. Ford walked by, he told reporters he would see them at his launch event Wednesday in Windsor: “We’re going to protect Ontario,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NDP will be in Toronto and the Liberals in Barrie.
The Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario has said he needed to call the election more than a year ahead of schedule to secure a strong mandate as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods on Feb. 1. His government has been laying the groundwork for an early campaign for months, mailing out $200 cheques to most residents early this year and speeding up the expansion of alcohol sales to corner stores, a move the Financial Accountability Office said this week would cost taxpayers $1.4-billion.
The opposition has accused Mr. Ford of calling an unnecessary election in the middle of a crisis, in a bid to secure a new mandate before the economy sours and a change in government comes at the federal level that could bring the cost-cutting Conservative Party to power in Ottawa.
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Mr. Ford’s opponents also say he wants to get in front of any charges that result from an RCMP investigation into the government’s aborted move to allow housing on protected Greenbelt lands owned by developers with links to the Ontario Progressive Conservatives.
Speaking earlier in the day, Mr. Ford acknowledged that his cabinet met Tuesday and discussed a strategy to counter the effects of Mr. Trump’s potential tariffs. But he would not reveal any details.
“I’m not denying that we do have a strong economic action plan, which will be rolling out over the next 28 days,” Mr. Ford told reporters. “But it’s all about protecting the people of Ontario in every aspect, in every single sector.”
With the campaign under way and the legislature dissolved, any part of the strategy requiring legislation would have to wait. But Ontario’s budget typically includes large contingency funds, meaning money could theoretically be allocated in emergency circumstances to a tariff bailout even if MPPs are all out on the campaign trail.
Mr. Ford has said repeatedly that the threat of Mr. Trump’s tariffs, and the potential need for tens of billions of dollars in aid for workers and businesses, was behind his decision to seek a new mandate in an early election ahead of the next scheduled vote in June, 2026. Opposition leaders have countered that Mr. Ford could easily act on the tariffs with his current majority government.
“I’m sure something is coming,” Mr. Ford said of the tariffs. “But this is going to be a battle for the next four years, and I want to make sure I have a strong mandate to outlast President Trump.”
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The snap election falls just over 2½ years after Mr. Ford won a commanding majority of the legislature’s seats in June, 2022.
The formal issuing of what are known as the writs, launching the election contest in the province’s 124 ridings, is expected on Wednesday.
The federal government is also preparing a multibillion-dollar, pandemic-style bailout for workers and businesses if Mr. Trump follows through on his threat, The Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday. The bulk of potential spending on new programs to help laid-off workers and businesses affected by tariffs will require legislative approval, which could not take place until Parliament resumes sitting on March 24.
Mr. Ford said all three levels of government need to work together with private- and public-sector partners. He said he’s been in close communication with federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc on the issue.
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The snap election call has been rumoured for months but still had all political parties scrambling to nominate a slate of candidates. It has also prompted a flurry of last-minute announcements from cabinet ministers, unveiling money or initiatives before the vote is called.
Both NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie have criticized the election as unnecessary and reckless at a time when they say Mr. Ford should be focused on avoiding the tariffs.
Ms. Stiles said Tuesday the election represents an opportunity for the public to “turn the page on Doug Ford.”
“While the people of Ontario are anxious about the grave threat of tariffs, Doug Ford is pursuing his own political gain,” she said in a statement.
Ms. Crombie on Tuesday accused Mr. Ford of putting himself ahead of the public.
“Trump’s tariff threats are a serious issue, not a political game with you as the pawn – and certainly not an excuse for a $175-million election. The people of Ontario deserve better,” Ms. Crombie said in a statement.
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Ms. Crombie, the former mayor of Mississauga who doesn’t have a seat in the legislature, will be running in the riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville, the party confirmed Tuesday.
The seat is currently held by former PC minister Khaleed Rasheed, who resigned after his office admitted to giving incorrect information to the province’s Integrity Commissioner during the Greenbelt investigation. Mr. Rasheed has said he won’t be seeking re-election.
Also on Tuesday, Mr. Ford – who remains the rotating chair of the Council of the Federation, which is made up of Canada’s premiers – met virtually with the other premiers in a weekly conference call on the U.S tariff threats. Mr. Ford and his fellow premiers are also set to meet virtually with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday.
B.C. Premier David Eby said it was not ideal to have a both a potential federal election and Mr. Ford going to the polls in his own province as the country faces the tariff threat. But Mr. Eby said Mr. Ford had assured him the vote would not interfere with his role as chair of the council, or the premiers’ mission to the U.S. capital set for Feb. 12.
“I know that with the federal leadership and election race, as well, none of this is ideal, but there really is no ideal time for a tariff war,” he said.