Ontario Premier Doug Ford will call a general election on Jan. 29, Global News has learned, setting the stage for a Feb. 27 vote.
The confirmation comes after weeks of rampant speculation Ford would head to the polls early, amidst a threat of tariffs from the United States that has allowed the premier to take a national leadership role.
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Ford has repeatedly claimed he needs a fresh mandate from the electorate to potentially spend tens of billions of dollars if tariffs hit Canadian imports to the United States and hurt the provincial economy.
Opposition leaders, however, have said they would support the premier’s stimulus package and said an election would be to Ford’s personal benefit and the detriment of the province.
Internally, the government has been rushing up the timeline for announcements in recent days to clear the decks for the early election call, while staff have also been told to prepare the necessary arrangements for the province to enter caretaker mode.
The province was not originally due to go to the polls until June 2026.
More to come…
