Canada’s Doug Ford wins Ontario election focused on Trump’s tariffs

In a vote that was heavily focused on trade tensions that Donald Trump’s administration has sparked, Canada’s Ontario province has re-elected Premier Doug Ford’s ruling conservatives.

After requesting the “largest mandate in Ontario history,” Ford and his Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party) snatched the third consecutive legislative majority on Thursday to shield the province’s economy from Trump’s tariffs.

According to a tally released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the PC Party was in control of seven other districts on Thursday night and had at least 74 seats in the 124-member Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

“We’re going to make sure we protect the people of Ontario and protect their families, and their jobs and businesses”, Ford, 60, told CTV News after his win.

“I’ll fight tooth and nail against Donald Trump. I’ll promise you that”.

Ford, who frequently wore a “Canada is Not for Sale” hat and positioned himself as Captain Canada throughout his election campaign, called the vote more than a year early, arguing that he should have a stronger authority to navigate the potential economic chaos under Trump.

Last month when Ford called the snap election, Ford declared, “This is going to be a battle for the next four years. I want to ensure that I have a strong mandate to outlive President Trump.

Ford twice traveled to Washington, DC during his campaign, and he frequently appeared on US networks like Fox News and CNN to speak out against tariffs and establish himself as a spokesperson for Canada as a whole.

Ford’s critics questioned the timing of his election-calling decision, citing Ottawa’s prior role in negotiations with Trump’s administration.

If Trump continued with his trade measures, he said earlier this week, and that he would “wait to see what happens there.” He also stated that he would impose a tariff on electricity sent from the province to the US.

Ontario, which surrounds Toronto and is home to about 40 percent of Canada’s population of some 40 million people, is highly dependent on trade with the US.

According to an analysis by Scotiabank, more than 80% of Ontario’s exports to the US were made in the year 2023, making it the province with the highest dependence on American consumers after New Brunswick and Alberta.

Ontario’s auto industry, which handles production for Honda, Toyota, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, was the second biggest producer in the world next to the US state of Michigan in 2022, according to Invest Ontario.

The province is also home to one of the largest tech industries in North America, with some 420, 000 employees and 22, 000 businesses involved in the sector, according to the investment agency.

Trump announced on Thursday that the 25-percent levies would start effective on March 4 after agreeing to a 30-day pause in his threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico pending border security negotiations.