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Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party has won the Ontario election, securing a third majority win.
CTV News reports that Ford called the snap winter election, saying he needed a “strong mandate” from voters to address the threat of US tariffs that could devastate Ontario’s economy.
Polls showed for months that Ford’s PCs had the wind at their backs and the campaign did little to change that.
Ford opened his campaign with the slogan “Protect Ontario” in Windsor, Ont., under the Ambassador Bridge to the US, setting the theme for his reelection effort. He then travelled twice to Washington, D.C., to lobby US officials and promote Ontario. Opposition parties charged that he was blurring the line between premier and candidate in violation of the long-standing caretaker convention.
However, he defended the trip by saying it was important for him to show up and present a united front with other Canadian leaders. His campaign team deleted a video post that blended his campaign slogan with footage from his Washington trip. The campaign defended the post but said they deleted it “out of an abundance of caution.”
The other parties tried to reframe the election around issues such as healthcare, education and questionable deals, such as the Ontario Place redevelopment. But those issues failed to sufficiently move the needle with voters amid President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie turned their firepower on one another as they failed to close the gap with Ford. During a television debate, Crombie appealed to NDP voters to back her saying Stiles believed that “money grows on trees.”
Stiles told past Liberal voters they should turn to her accusing Crombie of taking questionable from wealthy donors. Crombie maintained that none of the contributions she accepted broke any rules.
Ford promised some $40 billion in new spending. The promises include a $1.8 billion plan to connect every Ontarian to primary care within four years; $2 billion for municipal infrastructure to support housing construction; and billions of dollars to bolster businesses and workers in the face of tariff threats.
The PCs also promised to remove tolls from a portion of Highway 407, build new GO train lines and expand the commuter service, and to dig a massive tunnel for cars and transit under Highway 401 in the GTA.
The party also promised to build 30 new schools and expand 15 others at a cost of $1.3 billion
