Premier Doug Ford is going to send Ontario voters to the polls a year early.
The Canadian Press was first to report Friday that Premier Ford confirmed that he plans to visit the lieutenant governor on Tuesday, which will be followed on Wednesday by the official election call.
The election will be held on February 27, more than a year before Ontario's fixed election date of June 2026.
Defending the decision, Premier Ford told reporters at a news conference in Brampton that he needs a strong mandate in the face of threatened 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods imported into the United States.
“We need the largest mandate in Ontario’s history,” he told reporters.
The MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex thinks an early election in Ontario is a good call.
MPP Steve Pinsonneault told CK News Today he would like to see his government have a four year mandate, parallel to President Donald Trump, to push back on the proposed tariffs and work with the new administration south of the border.
"I think it's a great idea. I think we need somebody like Premier Ford to move forward and take this head on," Pinsonneault said.
Pinsonneault claims the early provincial election has nothing to do with trying to get out front of what could be a messy federal election sometime in the next nine months.
"This strictly has to do with the tariffs, honestly. There's a lot at stake here, a lot of jobs at stake. Our economy depends on us being strong right now," he said.
Pinsonneault is not concerned about a low voter turnout due to the cold, saying he campaigned last winter and had a good turnout for his by-election on May 2, 2024.
"My turnout for the by-election was 30 per cent and they said that's extremely high for a by-election. I don't feel the time of year matters, but I think the time of year right now is crucial due to the fact that we are heading into some uncertain times and we need to be at the forefront," added Pinsonneault.
NDP MP for Windsor-West Lisa Gretzky said what Ontario needs now is stability.
"This is a completely unnecessary election. We are not supposed to have an election until June of 2026," said Gretzky. "The Conservatives and Premier Ford have a majority government, they already have a mandate to do what they need to do. We're talking anywhere between $150-$200 million on an election."
With files from Paul Pedro