What, if anything, does Ford’s victory in Ontario actually tell us?
OTTAWA—The outpouring of analysis on the re-election of Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative majority in Ontario makes interesting reading, but it may not amount to much. Ford benefited from the advantage of incumbency and having two main opposition leaders—the NDP’s Andrea Horwath and the Liberals’ Steven Del Duca—who couldn’t find a way to […]
In Ontario, economic anxiety prevails
Last Thursday night, it took only 18 minutes for the major networks to declare Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives the winners of the 2022 Ontario election. Later, we would learn that his team won a record 83 seats in the legislature. In 1995, Mike Harris similarly swept the Ontario election, winning 82 of the […]
Ontarians deserve better leaders
So far, the Ontario election campaign feels like a giant letdown, and E-Day hasn’t even arrived yet. No matter who takes office, it seems most Ontarians will wake up on June 6, look at the news, sigh and shrug. The outcome seems bleak, no matter what the result. As of writing, Ontario Progressive Conservative Premier […]
Kenney caught in quagmire of his own making
OTTAWA—Prior to the pandemic, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney was arguably the most powerful and influential conservative leader in Canada. Andrew Scheer, when he was federal opposition leader, had Kenney campaign for him in Ontario, while at the same time staying away from Ontario Premier Doug Ford. When Erin O’Toole was seeking to replace Scheer, he […]
Lost in the COVID haze: Ford’s record in Ontario seems largely forgotten by voters
OTTAWA—Whatever is in those mandate letters, it must be really politically embarrassing or damaging. In the summer of 2018, shortly after Premier Doug Ford took office, CBC Toronto asked that the mandate letters to his 23 cabinet colleagues be made public under freedom of information. The Progressive Conservative government refused, claiming they were exempt as […]
In praise of polling
OAKVILLE, ONT.—American politician Sarah Palin once dismissed polls saying they were for “strippers and cross-country skiers.” Of course, Palin isn’t the only politician who has ever disparaged polls and polling. The old expression “the only poll that matters is the one on election day” seems to pop up every election cycle. Yet, for all their […]
Heading backwards in Ontario
OTTAWA—Call him the Highwayman. Ontario Premier Doug Ford appears to have staked his party’s re-election on the perception that the province’s commuters want more, ever-bigger roads, regardless of the environmental consequences. It might have been a miscalculation, seeing that just overnight driving went from being a somewhat costly necessity to an outright luxury. But so […]
Federal ministers, MPs, and staff working on high-stakes Ontario election
Cabinet ministers, backbench MPs, exempt ministerial staffers and MP office staffers from all parties are helping out Ontario provincial candidates in the high-stakes June 2 election. “I’ve been helping my local candidate, Dr. Adil Shamji—who is an emergency room doctor, incredible candidate—knock[ing] on doors with him on the weekend,” said Liberal MP Michael Coteau (Don […]
Why do Conservatives hate public television?
At the Tory leadership debate in Edmonton last Wednesday, the mere mention of the word CBC elicited boos. Loud shouts and hisses were quickly muffled by the microphones as the format for the event prohibited anyone from clapping, cheering, or booing. The format also prevented anyone from mentioning another politician’s name. When that happened, the […]
Ontario election will be a test on how upset Canadians are with incumbents and affordability issues, say some MPs and Nanos
The June 2 Ontario provincial election will be a case study for how upset Canadians are with incumbent politicians about inflation and affordability issues, like soaring food prices, gas prices, and skyrocketing housing prices, say some MPs and a veteran pollster. “We’re in the heat of a provincial election in Canada’s largest province,” said Nik […]
