Ford wants an anti-Trump election. He Might Not Get It : Denley

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Only Doug Ford can save Ontarians from Donald Trump, but he can’t do that unless people give him a really big mandate right now. That is the premise for the provincial election on February 27, which the Prime Minister confirmed on Friday that he will call for next week.

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The very future of the province, maybe even the country, depends on the size of the majority Ford gets next month, he argued at a Brampton press conference. He wants “the biggest mandate in Ontario history.”

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“We need a mandate from the people to fight back against Donald Trump’s tariffs, the attack that is coming on our families, our businesses and our communities,” Ford said. “The decisions people make in the next 30 days will affect themselves, their children and their grandchildren for the next 25 to 30 years,” he added.

Without in any way diminishing the real threat posed by potential US tariffs, one has to ask how significant Doug Ford’s role in averting it could possibly be. Also, how would a really big mandate from the people of Ontario help Ford achieve his goal?

Ford argues that a strong mandate would encourage the US president to listen to Ontario’s concerns and would strengthen Ontario’s ability to negotiate. How so? The idea that Trump cares about Ontario one way or another is pretty optimistic, and the idea that he would respect us if Ford had a large mandate is even more so.

Ford spoke Friday about being at the negotiating table with Trump, raising the specter of Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie or NDP Leader Marit Stiles “sitting across from Trump and negotiating a deal.” Yes, it might be scary, but does Ford really think he’s going to sit across from Trump and negotiate some kind of deal? That’s the job of the federal government, not the Premier of Ontario.

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Ford has compared the customs fight to a gun fight and suggested that you don’t bring a knife to a shootout. Sound thinking there, but sadly, every premier in Ontario will be armed with nothing but a pop gun. Ford has talked about cutting off electricity exports to some US states and pulling US booze off the LCBO shelves. None of them will bring Trump to his knees.

However, one can appreciate Ford’s dilemma. This is an opportune time to call a provincial election, but how is it justified?

A new Leger poll, exclusive to the National Post, shows Ford’s PCs with 46 per cent support among Ontarians, compared to just 22 per cent for the Liberals and 19 per cent for the NDP. Plus, by throwing a vote before the expected spring federal election, Ford finds himself pitted against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump. For Ford, it doesn’t get any better than that.

A bonus, and a pretty significant one, is that a win would give Ford four more years without actually having to explain what he could do during that time.

Asked Friday if he would release a fully priced platform, Ford said, “That’s what we have the budgets for.” Actually no; budgets focus mostly on the coming year, and Ontario hasn’t had one in almost a year. Plus, this budget is badly out-dated by Ford’s pledge to spend “tens of billions of dollars” to offset the effects of US tariffs.

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The blank customs check that Ford is asking voters to sign has an awful lot of zeroes on it. He asks a lot if he doesn’t intend to make a plan for how the money will be spent. Is the idea to drive the provincial government even deeper into debt to support the people hardest hit by rates? People should demand to see a plan during the campaign, but Ford’s chosen timing complicates that because we don’t yet know the details of Trump’s tariffs.

If all goes as Ford intends, he will spend four weeks talking about his past achievements, criticizing Liberal governments this year out of office, mocking his opponents and waving the Canadian flag, all to get people to give him a four-year mandate without really knowing it. what they agree to. It will be up to the opposition parties, journalists and voters to press Ford for details.

Ford has been strong on the tariff issue, but there is much more to his job than that. People also deserve to know what Ford will do with health care, housing and education.

The PCs will go into this unusual winter snap election with significant popular support, a decent record and the blessing of weak opposition parties, but it would be a mistake for them to take the electorate for granted.

National Post
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