Ontario Premier Doug Ford appears poised to call an early election in the province as he now suggests that US President Donald Trump’s four-year tenure is reasonable enough to ask voters for a “clear mandate” for his government.
The Progressive Conservative Party is riding high in the polls and Ford himself is getting a boost in approval ratings for his role in fighting the specter of potential tariffs, as the justification is the latest in an evolution of reasons to potentially call an early election.
On Monday, as Trump took the oath of office, his administration promised to announce an “America First” trade policy but stopped short of imposing a 25 percent tariff on all goods sent from Canada to the United States.
Instead, US media reports said the president plans to issue an executive order that would direct federal agencies to investigate allegations of unfair trade and currency practices.
While Ford initially said the tariffs would boost Ontario’s economy, potentially impacting 450,000 to 500,000 jobs and requiring a major economic stimulus plan, recent developments have left Ford unsettled.
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“This is going to be four years with Donald Trump – he wants to weaken us in any way he can, he wants to take jobs away from Ontarians, he wants to attract business from Ontario to the United States and I’m going to use every tool in the toolbox to protect the people of Ontarians. I am,” he said.
“We need a clear mandate, not tomorrow, not the next day, to deal with our American friends for four years.”
Ford said the order would give Ontario a “loud voice” in both Washington, D.C. and Ottawa to push back on potential tariffs.
Ford currently serves as chair of the Council of the Federation, enabling him to speak on behalf of the Premier of Canada – a role that earned him wide recognition from his provincial counterparts and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the First Minister’s Meeting in Ottawa.
He is scheduled to visit Washington, DC in early February along with other premiers of the country.
Ford insists he needs to go to the polls to get approval for the new spending, despite the fact that the province’s three opposition parties have said they will help him pass the stimulus bill quickly.
The Ontario NDP, Liberals and Greens have demanded the premier rule out an early election, claiming a snap vote in the province would create unnecessary instability.
“Regardless of what the president does on his first day in office … we need stability right now and I don’t think we need an election,” Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said.
While the Premier is yet to announce a date for a possible early election, the Progressive Conservative Party is busy preparing for the upcoming campaign.
The party is fielding candidates in non-incumbent ridings and several MPPs have secured campaign offices, while at least one has put up billboards to appeal to voters in their ridings.
Even before Trump’s tariffs were a factor, the party appeared to be setting the stage for early elections by taking clear sides on controversial issues like bike lanes, supervised consumption sites and encampments.
The Ford government added more than $3 billion to Ontario’s deficit, enabling the province to send $200 checks to residents and children — a move that political opponents have dismissed as a “gimmick” to help secure votes.
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