By Anna Mehler Paperny
TORONTO (Reuters) – Voters in Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, head to the polls on Thursday in an election where the incumbent premier seeks to use U.S. tariff threats to expand his majority.
Progressive Conservative Party leader Doug Ford called an election more than a year early, arguing he needs a stronger mandate to fight U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Ford, 60, already had a majority government in the provincial legislature.
He is seeking a third consecutive majority mandate after sweeping victories in 2022 and in 2018.
Trump has threatened 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.
Ontario, home to about 35% of Canada’s 40 million people, is the country’s manufacturing heartland and would be badly hit if Trump proceeds with tariffs. The province is one of the world’s largest sub-sovereign borrowers.
Trump has also said he could use economic force to make Canada the 51st state.
Canadian politicians, including Ford and his opponents, left-leaning New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles and centrist Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie, have been vocal in their opposition to both tariffs and Canada’s annexation.
Trump is dominating Canadian politics at provincial and national levels. A federal election is also expected this year.
At the same time, Ontario is struggling to provide its residents with adequate healthcare. About 2.5 million Ontarians lack a primary care provider, up from 1.8 million in 2020.
Ford came under fire for suggesting the reason emergency departments are full is people are going there with sore throats and scraped knees. His opponents argue people may not be able to get care anywhere else.
Ontario, like other parts of Canada, is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis and has lagged in meeting its own housing goals.
Ford has taken to sporting a “Canada is not for sale” hat and made two trips to Washington, D.C., during the election campaign to make his case against U.S. tariffs. He came under fire for travelling there during an election period when governments are in caretaker mode and generally expected to refrain from policy-making.
Calling the election was Ford’s bet on winning another majority government, said Laura Stephenson, a Western University politics professor, adding it may pay off.
A CTV News/Nanos poll of 900 Ontarians released on February 26 found the Progressive Conservatives ahead with 45.7% of decided voters, a 14-point lead ahead of the second-place Liberals.
It is unusual for Ontario to hold a winter election and much of the province is still digging out from recent snowstorms.
(Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Rod Nickel)
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