TORONTO — Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford is defending simultaneously wearing two hats, campaigning in a snap election he called and taking anti-tariff actions as premier.
The other major political parties say this is the worst time for Ontario to find itself in an election, with U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods set to take effect Tuesday.
At an election announcement today, Ford bristled at a question suggesting he couldn't take all the necessary actions to protect Ontario in the middle of a campaign, noting that he had directed the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to take American products off shelves.
Ford has announced, as PC leader, that a re-elected Tory government would significantly expand the Skills Development Fund for training and employment programs as well as infrastructure spending, as part of a stimulus package.
Ford, as premier last week, said that cabinet had discussed an economic action plan to respond to tariffs, with his staff saying the plan hadn't been approved by cabinet and therefore wouldn't be implemented during the campaign.
Today he said that if any emergencies happen, he will reconvene cabinet.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles was also talking tariffs Monday, saying if her party forms government she would implement a federal-provincial income support program, direct agencies to procure locally and create new supply chains for trade-exposed industries.
Stiles announced her plan to protect Ontario from the effects of 25 per cent tariffs ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Her plan, however, did not come with any dollar figures attached.
When asked about costing, she said an NDP government would work in lockstep with the federal government to deliver the stimulus.
Stiles, speaking in Oshawa, said Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford can't be trusted to protect workers because he "gave up" in 2018 when General Motors announced it would stop producing cars and trucks in the city east of Toronto.
More production was ultimately secured, but Stiles said the people of Oshawa won't forget that in 2018 Ford said there was nothing the province could do to prevent the shutdown.
— With files from Sharif Hassan in Oshawa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2025.
Allison Jones and Liam Casey, The Canadian Press