Toronto/CMEDIA: Ontario Premier Doug Ford has secured a third consecutive majority government.
Using his victory speech to deliver a strong message to U.S. President Donald Trump: “Canada is not for sale.”
Rejecting the U.S. president’s repeated remarks about Canada becoming the “51st state,” Ford took direct aim at Trump in his victory speech in Toronto,
“Donald Trump thinks he can break us. He thinks he can divide and conquer, pit region against region,” Ford said. “He is underestimating us. He is underestimating the resilience of the Canadian people.”
By winning over 80 of 124 seats by Ford’s Progressive Conservative (PC) Party in Ontario’s legislature, the New Democratic Party (NDP) remained the official opposition and the Liberals placed third.
With voter turnout being near historic lows, just 44% of Ontarians casting ballots, this was province’s lowest recorded turnout in 2022 despite the decisive victory.
Seen as a referendum on Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada, Ford sought a clear mandate in the election to push back against the looming 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. Framing himself as Canada’s defender throughout his campaign, he used the slogan “Protect Canada” and even appeared on U.S. news networks to advocate against the tariffs.
Economic Fallout Looms Over Ontario with Trump’s tariffs set to take effect March 4, could have devastating economic consequences for Ontario, where 500,000 jobs could be at risk, specially in the automotive sector, which relies heavily on cross-border supply chains.
Ford’s victory marks the first time since 1959 that a Progressive Conservative government has won three consecutive majorities in Ontario. However, with Trump’s tariffs on the horizon, his next term is set to be defined by one of the most significant trade battles in modern Canadian history.
