TORONTO/CMEDIA: Ontario Premier Doug Ford of the Progressive Conservative Party’s reported intention to call an early election to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs was announced Jan 28.
The move would send Ontarians to the polls on Feb. 27, more than a year before the June 2026 fixed election date.
Ford with a large majority said “We need a mandate from the people to fight against Donald Trump’s tariffs.”
Ford, as an equivalent of a U.S. state governor, said that Ontario could lose upwards of 500,000 jobs should Trump follow through on his 25% tariff threat.
Trump told reporters last week that he still plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico at that rate starting as soon as Feb. 1.
Trump previously threatened to establish sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he took office but later changed the date to Feb 1.
“The tariffs are going to make our country rich. We’re going to be a very rich, rich country very soon,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina.
Trump said that Canada can avoid tariffs if it becomes the 51st state and added Canadians would get a tax cut and better health coverage if they became Americans.
Ford’s government said itwouly spend billions to support the economy in counter tariffs.
Ford has said that American tariffs will deeply hurt Ontario’s economy, in particular the auto sector, and he expects he would have to spend tens of billions of dollars to counter those effects.
With a dollar-for-dollar tariff retaliation on American goods entering Canada, Ford has said that if Trump applies tariffs, he would instruct Ontario’s liquor control board to pull all American-made alcohol from shelves
Ontario being Canada’s manufacturing and automobile hub, Ford said,
“We will do tens of billions of dollars. It’s no different than the pandemic. We will secure livelihoods…will do whatever it takes to protect the people of Ontario… need the largest mandate in Ontario’s history.”
Parties have until Feb. 14 to name candidates, but some have already announced who will be running.
As part of its trategy will see Ford head to Washington, D.C., twice over the next month — trying to campaign as party leader while projecting the image of a working premier at the same time.
The fact that it is the Progressive Conservative Party that will pay for Ford’s trip as a premier. a move much criticized by the opposition parties.
