Premier Ford Seeks Longer Mandate than President Trump to Protect Ontario

Former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson once quipped, “a week is a long time in politics”. If that's the case, then Ontarians could be forgiven if they started using dog years to measure the time since former federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland kicked off a series of events with her resignation in mid-December.

The latest event will be a general election in Ontario on Thursday, February 27, 2025, which was requested Tuesday by Premier Doug Ford and granted by the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

The decision to call an early election seemingly came in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports, which he said could come as early as February 1, 2025.  

Ford has argued these tariffs could result in the loss of up to 500,000 jobs across the province, with Ontario’s automotive industry particularly vulnerable to potential trade disruptions. In response to the tariffs, the Premier is seeking what he described as "the largest mandate in Ontario history" to fight against the tariffs and protect the province’s economic interests.

While the Ontario PCs hold a strong majority with 79 out of 124 seats in the Ontario Legislature, Ford suggested he needs a renewed mandate focused on Protecting Ontario and argued that the “tariffs are an unprecedented threat to our economy, and we need to show the U.S. and the federal government that we mean business.”

Get the full breakdown of why timing matters, the parties' strategies, and what is driving this election