What happens if Ontario makes good on plan to scrap cap and trade?
With the election of Doug Ford as Ontario’s next premier, the carbon market is in danger. The Quebec government plans to turn on the charm in order to keep its neighbour in the game. But what will happen if Ontario’s new Conservative government follows through with its intention to withdraw from the cap-and-trade system? Between […]
Doug Ford didn’t ride in on a wave of populism
OTTAWA—On June 29, Doug Ford will officially become the premier of Ontario. Six months ago, he wasn’t even a candidate for provincial office. What an incredible political journey Ontario has just been through. Ford’s victory has sparked debates about many things as people try to process its bigger meaning. That is one thing that never […]
Trump’s attacks put Trudeau in tight spot
A field of ruins. In the wake of this weekend’s Trumpian tweet storm, that’s what is mostly left of the fragile structure Justin Trudeau had painstakingly built to try to preserve Canada’s most important trade relationship. The fact that the prime minister did not have a hand in the demolition, or that the collateral damage […]
Ford’s win won’t influence Quebec
Don’t expect Ford mania to seep into Quebec’s fall election campaign. The opposite is likely to happen. Rarely have Quebecers followed an Ontario campaign with as much fascination as the one that concluded with a Tory majority victory on Thursday. But that interest was based on a mix of incredulity and relief. Incredulity that a plurality […]
Four years of Ford: PCs win majority after turbulent race
Ontario voters chose to take a sharp turn to the right, choosing Doug Ford, the former Toronto city councillor who rose to recognition amid his late brother’s turbulent run as the city’s mayor, to lead Ontario with a majority mandate. That brings an end to 15 years of Liberal governments, in a race filled with head-spinning […]
Ontario voters face stark choice, but we’ll be OK
Ontarians are faced with a starkly simple choice Thursday. Do they want Tory leader Doug Ford to be their premier? Or do they want New Democrat Andrea Horwath? Those are the only options on offer. The province can survive either. By conceding that she can’t win, current Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has put herself out […]
Wynne’s concession a ‘selfless act’ to ensure Liberals hold seats, says Herle
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s move to concede defeat ahead of election day was a “stunningly selfless act,” and not a power play, said the premier’s campaign co-chair in a televised interview on Monday. In an interview on CBC’s Power & Politics on Monday, David Herle said Ms. Wynne’s decision to admit that she would not […]
Ontario Liberal Party headed for a monumental, historic defeat
TORONTO—Seventy-two hours. In 72 hours, the Ontario general election grinds to a close. Folks who live in other parts of Canada—or those who come from other parts of Canada, as is often the case on Parliament Hill—can be forgiven for being fed up with Ontario election coverage and commentary. So, I ask forgiveness in advance for […]
With Wynne headed for big loss, federal NDP and Conservatives set to target Ontario ridings for 2019, say political players
With Ontario Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne headed for big loss in this week’s provincial election, veteran federal political players say Thursday’s results will provide a roadmap for the federal NDP and Conservatives for possible winnable ridings in the 2019 election and they say the federal Liberals won’t have the provincial machine that helped them win […]
Ontario election has everything to do with identity politics
Since Wilfrid Laurier and his promise of “Sunny Ways,” referencing Canada’s multi-ethnic fabric, the “big red tent” for cultural diversity has been a cornerstone of the Liberal Party’s position as Canada’s “natural governing party. In Ontario, the same strategy has been a central foundation of the ongoing “left consensus” seen since the collapse of the Tory […]
