๐๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ: Out of the Starting Blocks
The worst kept secret at Queenโs Park is officially out in the open. The Lieutenant Governor, at the request of Premier Doug Ford has dissolved the 43rd Parliament of Ontario, with more than a year left in the governmentโs term, and has issued the writs for a general election to begin on January 29, 2025, with election day scheduled for February 27, 2025.
Doug Fordโs Progressive Conservative Party is riding high in the polls. Buoyed by the high-profile approach heโs taken in response to the economic threat of American tariffs, Doug Ford is asking voters to give him a strong, new mandate to fight back against Donald Trump, with what could be tens of billions of dollars in new economic stimulus spending.
Ford has been mulling the idea of calling a snap election for the better part of a year. Almost every announcement and tour stop over the past few months has been part of a calculated plan to win a third majority government. Themes such as cost of living and affordability, building infrastructure and fighting gridlock, powering Ontarioโs economy and lowering hydro bills, and defending workers are likely to feature alongside the PCโs election slogan โprotect Ontario.โ
Bonnie Crombieโs Ontario Liberal Party is looking for redemption after dismal results in the past two elections which saw the Liberals fail to win enough seats to gain official party status at the legislature (and unlock the parliamentary resources that are reserved for official parties.) The albatross around the partyโs neck might finally have been done away with, after the federal Liberal Party announced it is in the process of jettisoning the unpopular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but not before the PC party launched a campaign of attack ads tying Crombie to unpopular policies such as Trudeauโs carbon tax.
If Doug Ford wants the ballot question to be about protecting Ontario from tariffs, Bonnie Crombie wants the ballot question to be about fixing healthcare. The Liberal leader says Doug Ford doesnโt want to answer for his failures when it comes to the healthcare system. Expect this line of attack to be hammered home from the Crombie camp for the next four weeks. The Liberals have also announced a guarantee of a family doctor for everyone in Ontario โ probably easier said than done, notwithstanding the fact that Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced an investment of $1.8 billion on the eve of the election to do exactly that.
Despite being the official opposition and holding the second most seats, Marit Stilesโ NDP trail both the Liberals and the PCs in the polls. The problem facing Stilesโ NDP is that they just canโt seem to gain any traction, though itโs not for lack of trying. The NDP has hounded Ford and his Ministers on every occasion, from the shuttering of the Science Centre to the redevelopment of Ontario Place, to the Greenbelt land swap scandal that resulted in an ongoing RCMP investigation.
On the campaign trail, expect to see the NDP remind voters of this governmentโs scandals by suggesting that Doug Ford has been on the side of wealthy insiders. But also expect to see the campaign focus on trying to convert frustrated voters into NDP supporters by talking about making life more affordable, making sure people have family doctors, and building more homes.
Doug Fordโs PC Party certainly has the inside track to winning the election and forming the next government. Polling from Abacus shows support for the PC party at 47 per cent. The Liberals and the NDP would currently battle it out for a distance second place with 24 and 19 per cent support, respectively. Mike Schreinerโs Green Party commands just seven per cent support.
Campaigns matter; thatโs why here at New West weโll bring you the latest updates from the campaign trail and the analysis about what it means over this 29-day campaign.
Heard on the Trail
โโYou canโt imagine a better time to be calling an election if this is the polling that theyโre seeing.โโ
Today on Tour
Doug Ford
Windsor
Bonnie Crombie
Barrie
Marit Stiles
Downtown Toronto
Mike Schreiner
Toronto, Guelph, and Kitchener
Message of the Day
PC Party
Protect Ontario
Liberal Party
More for You
Marit Stiles
You deserve a premier whoโs on your side
Latest Polls
In the Media
Doug Ford: A strong mandate needed to protect Ontario: Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford makes the case for why he is the best choice for premier to fight to protect Ontario from U.S. tariffs.
A look at Ontario New Democratic Party Leader Marit Stiles: Who is the Leader of NDP and the Official Opposition at Queenโs Park? Marit Stiles has been leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party since 2023. This election will be her first as leader as the party looks to make gains while fending off a resurgent third-place Liberal party.
Liberalsโ Bonnie Crombie chooses riding as Doug Ford readies early Ontario vote: After more than a year of waiting, Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie has finally revealed what seat sheโs running in for her bid to win a seat at Queenโs Park. The former Mississauga mayor is hoping to take the riding of Mississauga EastโCooksville, a riding won in 2023 by disgraced former PC cabinet minister Kaleed Rasheed.
