So Feb. 27 it is, provincial election day in Ontario.
Premier Doug Ford said he was going to do it and now he’s done it, or at least he will on Wednesday, make the announcement.
Ford says he needs a new, strong mandate from Ontario voters to take on U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods and his threat to make Canada part of the United States of America.
So, Ford is calling a provincial election, presumably to run on these issues.
The larger the majority Progressive Conservative (PC) government is following that election, the bigger Ford’s mandate to do whatever he plans to do to counteract Trump, the premier says.
The Tories already have a majority government in Queen’s Park, of course, obtained through an overwhelming victory in the June 2022 election. Voters need not go back to the polls until the spring of 2026.
But Ford wants other big win, maybe even bigger, to get his new mandate.
Does he need it to continue governing, to take on Trump?
Most certainly not.
And a looming national economic crisis is no reason to call an election.
Did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, call an election when the COVID-19 pandemic struck?
Neither did Ford, if I remember correctly.
Both instead showed some leadership, getting in front of Canadians almost every day to tell them what they were doing to battle this public health emergency.
Nobody went looking for a bigger mandate.
There has been speculation that Ford is calling this election when his main political rivals, the Liberals and New Democrats, are down if not out.
What better time to secure that larger majority?
And be strong for another four years instead of just one?
But the campaign trail is a funny place. Stuff happens there, fortunes change, defeat is snatched from the very jaws of victory.
Just when it looks like a big win, the tides shift and the front-runner is hanging on for dear life.
What do I mean?
What if, say, mid-February, Trump’s tariffs are in place, businesses are floundering, jobs are being lost and inflation soars?
What if Ontario voters, a fickle bunch at best, decide this is Ford’s fault, at least in part?
Sure, Ford can blame the federal Liberals, and by extension the Ontario Liberals, and Trudeau, and by extension Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, but will that wash with voters?
And once Ford is midway through a provincial election campaign, there’s nowhere to hide. Every day the PC bus stops in another riding a dozen times and there’s a sound bite needed to get the message out.
Questions that need answering, too.
Speaking of questions being answered, voters have to wonder if PC candidates will do media interviews this time, or attend all-candidate debates, something that didn’t always happen in 2022. Word was that directive came from on high (Ford).
But non-partisan voters have to wonder about the competence of political candidates who can’t answer media questions, or those from the public or other candidates during a debate. Makes one question the candidates’ ability to think on their feet.
And with an Ontario election Feb. 27, a national one can’t be far behind — just as soon as the federal Liberals pick a new leader and perhaps a temporary prime minister. That would be March 9, with a federal election to follow shortly.
There’s little doubt Ford has opened a political can of worms by calling an election. He’d better watch for its sharp edges.
And Wednesday is not the official sign of a pending election, not even the first one.
Last week, the city announced $18.5 million in provincial funding to help pay for $56.9 million worth of residential infrastructure, for 11,900 new homes, in the Mapleview Drive East, Yonge Street area.
On Friday, provincial funding also came for the redevelopment of Alliston's hospital, new beds at Hospice Simcoe in Barrie and "support" for existing beds at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
When politicians start giving us our own money back, you know an election is coming.
Bob Bruton covers city hall for BarrieToday, an affiliate of BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. He’s all for democracy, but every four years is enough for each level of government.