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The Ontario premier, Doug Ford, has said an early election is needed in the Canadian province in order to fend off an income “attack” from Donald Trump as a trade war looms between the close allies.
But opposition parties criticized the move, calling it a “distraction” from an ongoing criminal investigation into the government’s handling of a controversial multibillion-dollar land swap.
Ford, 60, ended months of speculation on Friday, telling reporters that he planned to meet province’s lieutenant governor early next week to dissolve his government and call an election which will take place on 27 February.
He is seeking a third consecutive majority government for his right-of-center Progressive Conservatives. Ford previously won substantial electoral victories in 2022 and 2018 and said he wants to win “the largest mandate in Ontario’s history” in the February vote.
Ontario, the country’s most populous province and its C$1.1tn economy is home to the manufacturing heartland. Experts believe Ontario would be badly hit if the new US president goes ahead with a threat to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports on 1 February.
“The attack is coming against our families, our businesses, our communities, and with a strong mandate, we will be able to fight with Donald Trump,” Ford told reporters on Friday. He also decried a “lack of leadership at the federal level”, adding: “we don’t know who is going to be the next prime minister” following Justin Trudeau’s resignation earlier this month.
Ford has emerged as one of the strongest voices against the expected tariffs and in recent weeks has been a frequent guest on US television shows. He has also floated the prospect of cutting off power supplies to the US and banning US alcohol products if necessary, staking out a position starkly different from other conservative premiers in the country.
“The premier is likely thinking that if the tariffs come to pass, they’re going to have a real serious economic impact. Any retaliation by Canada is going to be very controversial and will have economic pains of its own,” said Randy Besco, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. “And voters usually punish governments when the economy is bad, even if the government isn’t responsible. So they might suspect things could be bad a year from now. Right now, they feel they’re doing pretty well and can run on that.”
But the premier’s political rivals have been critical of the decision, saying there is unified support in the province for a strong response to the tariffs.
While Ford has indicated he will make the election about tariffs, opposition parties will probably shift the conversation towards what they say is a government embroiled in “corrupt” dealings and overreaching with controversial policies.
Ontario’s Liberal leader, Bonnie Crombie, accused the premier of choosing “recklessness over responsibility” in a video message posted to social media.
“[Ford is] answering chaos by creating more chaos at a time where we need stability and certainty,” she said. “This election shows us that the only job he’s interested in protecting is his own.”
The New Democratic party leader said Ford had called the election as a way for Ford to “distract from the RCMP’s criminal investigation into his government”.
In October 2023, federal police said they had opened a criminal investigation into a controversial plan to allow construction on greenbelt lands in Ontario, escalating a political scandal that has gripped the province and forced a number of high-profile government resignations.
But both parties are polling far behind Ford’s Progressive Conservatives.
“All the reasons that Ford wants an election is exactly the reasons opposition parties don’t want to have one,” said Besco.
