Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Canadian politics, and calling a snap election is in keeping with his split personality. When he ran for office, he railed against the elites and said he was for the little guy and lambasted the Liberal government's corruption and profligate spending. Ford promised to end Ontario’s debt problem and put discipline back in the province’s finances. Vic Fedeli, Ford’s first finance minister presenting the new government’s fiscal plan declared, that balancing the budget is "not only a fiscal imperative but a moral one.” In 2018, the Liberal government presented a budget deficit of $6 billion, once in power the Ford government kept on spending and doubled the deficit. Currently, Ontario's total debt stands at $429 billion, with the government incurring $1 billion per month in interest payments, making it one of the biggest spenders in the province's history.After six years in power, the Ford government is an improvement over the previous Wynne Liberals, who never met a social program they did not like and never built anything. Ford has made public transit a priority building much-needed subways and has promised to build more highways. His government expanded private healthcare options as public healthcare remains on a fragile footing, and it cut the Toronto city council in half. He has liberalized alcohol sales but at a cost of $1.4 billion, according to the financial watchdog. In truth, Ford’s brand of populism has lost its cachet as his government has dumped its center-right politics for a middle-of-the-road liberalism that is more of the same old. His government policies are inconsistent at best: like the Liberals before them, they continue to subsidize electricity for $6 billion annually to provide the illusion that they have reduced electricity prices. His government passed critical race theory legislation, has refused to rein in the TDSB’s culture that places woke ideology ahead of its curriculum, and has handed additional millions to the bankrupt city of Toronto without any push for the city to examine its books and come to grips with its excessive spending. Ford shares similarities with the Trudeau Liberals, he has expanded the role of government, public services are declining, and uses deficit spending to hold onto power. They both invested billions in electric car plants at a time when the Trump government has put anything related to climate change on life support. Why call a snap election when you have a comfortable majority in the legislature, holding 83 out of 124 seats, allowing you to pass any legislation you want? The next election isn’t due until June 2026. Ford in his best-used car salesman pitch stated, “We need a mandate from the people to fight against Donald Trump’s tariffs, the attack that is coming against our families, our businesses, and our communities. The decisions people make in the next 30 days will affect themselves, their children, and their grandchildren for the next 25 to 30 years.” He asked the people of Ontario for the “largest mandate in Ontario history."Trump 2.0 has become an excuse for Canadian politicians to hog the spotlight and with a lame-duck prime minister in Trudeau and a suspended parliament, Ford believes he can be a hero. Trump is a deal maker who loves to apply a full-court press as he has recently done with Colombia’s president, negotiating and then removing the pressure. He loves to confuse his opponents and exploit weakness; that’s how he purchased bankrupt properties in 1970s New York City and forced the local government to hand him sweetheart tax breaks. Instead, the Ford government should be focused on making Ontario a great place to operate a business by cutting corporate taxes, getting rid of red tape, and providing incentives for US businesses to leave the US for Ontario with its great location, educated workforce, and cheap currency businesses can thrive.To sum up, Ford’s inconsistent policies and calling an unnecessary election will damage his political brand. Anytime politicians get too cute and insult the intelligence of the voting public they usually face their wrath. This happened to David Peterson in 1990 after a series of Liberal scandals called an early election and the country’s first yuppie premier was tossed out of office. In 2021, Justin Trudeau bet that voters would reward his government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis with vaccine mandates, passports, and payments, but voters balked at his $600 million election cost and relegated him to a minority government. Ford is betting that his recent bribe of sending a cheque for $200 to 12.5 million adults and 2.5 million children, costing $3 billion, will offer sunshine on grey wintry days motivating people to vote for him. But with a cost of living crisis across the province, housing shortages, record numbers of people visiting food banks, spending $160 million on a needless election will test the fickle mood of an electorate that can turn on a dime. Ford polling numbers remain strong, and with a weak opposition struggling to find a saleable narrative, a Greenbelt scandal report yet to be released, Ford has decided to make voters go to the polls because, in a year's time, things might be far worse. He hopes that voters will vote for the devil that they know rather than the devil they don’t. It is politics as usual in Ontario.
