Progressive-Conservative Leader Doug Ford is calling on the people of Ontario to give him a strong mandate as he deals with the potential economic fallout U.S. tariffs would bring to the province.
Ford launched his tariff-centred election campaign in front of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor on Jan. 29, surrounded by private-sector union workers.
Ford said he hopes to secure a stable, four-year mandate to boost Ontario’s resilience during a period marked by economic uncertainty.
The PC leader also pledged an economic action plan that he said would deliver “tens of billions of dollars” in support for workers impacted by tariffs, which U.S. President Donald Trump has stated could take effect on Feb. 1.
“I continue to hope that cooler heads will prevail, that the Trump administration will pull back from these tariffs, but I’m also a realist, we have to prepare for the worst,” Ford said.
“We’re entertaining a period of unprecedented economic risk and lengthy negotiations with President Trump and with the federal government and other provinces.”
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If given another mandate, Ford vowed to move swiftly to address any tariffs imposed by the United States, ramp up efforts to strengthen Ontario’s economy and protect workers’ livelihoods.
Ford acknowledged that though tariffs may not materialize on Feb. 1, Trump’s threats are unlikely to stop anytime soon. He pointed to the president’s comments about using “economic force” to give the United States an advantage in trade talks, while also implying that Canada should become the “51st state.”
Ford said while he and his cabinet have an economic plan in the works to mitigate the effects of potential tariffs, he couldn’t pinpoint how that money would be spent until he knows which sectors the U.S. administration plans to target.
Ford has vowed to do double-duty over the next 29 days by balancing his responsibilities as premier with his campaign efforts as the leader of the Progressive Conservatives. He said he plans to visit Washington twice next month to lobby U.S. lawmakers against the implementation of tariffs.
Ford met with Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont Jan. 28 to request the dissolution of the legislature, more than a year before the fixed election date in June 2026. Voters will go to the polls on Feb. 27.
Ford currently has a majority government, holding 79 out of 124 seats at Queen’s Park. The NDP has 28 seats and the Liberals nine. Six seats are held by independent MPPs and two by the Green Party.
