Ontario Premier Doug Ford has officially triggered an early provincial election for Feb. 27 after meeting with Ontario’s lieutenant-governor, his office confirmed.
Ford visited Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont on Tuesday afternoon to ask her to dissolve the 43rd parliament of the Province of Ontario. She accepted his request.
Ford has said he needs a new mandate from the electorate in order to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, something he repeated at a news conference Tuesday morning ahead of his visit to the lieutenant-governor.
“This is gonna be a battle for the next four years. I want to make sure I have a strong mandate to outlast President Trump.”
Ford said his cabinet has discussed an “economic action plan” to deal with the fallout from Trump’s impending tariffs that will be rolled out during the election campaign.
Asked if he was worried that an election might result in a weaker mandate, Ford said that would be “up to the people.”
“They have a choice, do they want a leader who’s going to protect jobs, protect peoples livelihoods, protect businesses?” Ford said.
“That’s what people are going to have to decide.”
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said announcing a plan once tariffs are in place doesn’t make sense.
“If the premier has an economic action plan ready to go, why not just implement it?” Schreiner wrote in a statement. “Why not work across party lines to protect Ontario workers, Ontario jobs and Ontario companies?”
Schreiner, NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie have all said calling an election more than a year early is a waste of time and money.
“Doug Ford’s Ontario has failed you,” Crombie wrote in a statement.
“He’s wasting $175 million on an early election instead of using it to fix our broken health-care system and make your life more affordable.”
In a statement Tuesday, Stiles said Ford was “pursuing his own political gain” by shutting down the provincial legislature for an early election.
“People need a premier who will fight like hell for every single job that’s at risk, not run to the polls over a year early.”
Nonetheless, all of the parties have been kicking preparation into high gear, with a key focus on getting their candidates in place.
The Ontario Liberal Party confirmed Tuesday Crombie will be running in Mississauga East—Cooksville.
Ford says he plans to act in his capacity as premier, including visiting Washington, D.C., in February with a group of other premiers, while also campaigning as leader of the Progressive Conservatives.
Almost immediately after Ford visits Dumont, he is set to participate in a virtual Council of the Federation call with the other premiers.
