EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
Premier Doug Ford has asked Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont to dissolve the Ontario legislature, officially kick-starting a provincial election.
The writ will be drawn up on Wednesday in accordance with the Ontario Election Act.
The premier had signalled for months that he was considering calling an election this year ahead of the scheduled date in 2026, repeatedly refusing to rule it out in exchanges with the media.
In recent weeks, Ford has said the threat of U.S. tariffs is why one needs to be called now, saying he needs a strong mandate from Ontarians in order to spend “tens of billions” of dollars on a potential economic stimulus package.
No details have been provided as to what this stimulus package would look like, although Ford confirmed Tuesday that his cabinet approved an “economic plan.”
“I'm not denying that we do have a strong economic action plan, which will be rolling out over a period of the next 28 days, but it's all about protecting the people of Ontario in every aspect in every single sector,” the premier said, pledging to provide a fully costed platform at some point during the election cycle.
“This is going to be a battle for the next four years, and I want to make sure that I have a strong mandate to outlast President (Donald) Trump.”
Ford would not say if his economic plan can be implemented during the election cycle should the U.S. impose tariffs on Canadian goods, which could come as early as Feb. 1. He also didn’t respond to questions about what happens if his party wins fewer seats and whether that would constitute a “strong mandate.”
Opposition leaders have maintained this is not the time to hold an election, with both the NDP and Liberals saying they would have supported an economic stimulus package to protect jobs in the event of a trade war.
In a statement Tuesday, NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the premier is “pursuing his own political gain.”
“People need a premier who will fight like hell for every single job that’s at risk, not run to the polls over a year early,” she said.
“In the coming weeks, we have the power to choose a better future for our province. We have the power to fight back against Donald Trump and turn the page on Doug Ford.”
Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said the PCs were “wasting $175 million on an early election instead of using it to fix our broken health-care system and make your life more affordable.”
What happens now?
Now that the request to the lieutenant-governor has been officially made, the clock is ticking.
All of the parties have to get moving to ensure they have a full roster of candidates, as none had nominated a full slate as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Ontario Election Act says that parties have until the second Thursday after the date of the writ to nominate candidates. That would be Feb. 6.
It’ll be a more complex campaign than usual as it’s the first one set in wintertime in over a century, which brings specific challenges for door-knockers, event planners and sign distributors.
Campaign platform promises have already started to trickle out, with the NDP's Stiles promising to remove tolls on Highway 407.
Crombie, the Liberal leader, has already pledged to provide every Ontarian with a family doctor, cut the income tax rate for middle-class families, eliminate HST on home heating and hydro, and eliminate the provincial land transfer tax.
In teeing up the election, the Ford government has made over $7.5 billion worth of announcements.
Voters will head to the polls on Feb. 27.