“If you have been following it all, you know that Ford and the (Progressive Conservatives) in Ontario have wanted to have an early election for some time,” John Shields, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) said.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford officially set a provincial election in motion Tuesday for Feb. 27, more than a year before the next fixed election date. The election had been set for June 2026, but Ford said he needs a new mandate to deal with four years of a Donald Trump presidency in the United States.

Premier Doug Ford’s early reelection campaign launched Wednesday below the Ambassador Bridge, highlighting a central theme of his strategy to win votes and paint himself as Canada’s defender against U.S. tariffs.

Ford is taking Ontarians to the polls amid political instability in Ottawa after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced that he would resign.

While Premier Doug Ford insists that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threat is why he's calling an election 15 months ahead of schedule, there are plenty of reasons why the timing is politically advantageous to Ford and his Ontario PC Party.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has officially triggered an early provincial election for Feb. 27 after meeting with Ontario's lieutenant-governor, his office confirmed. Ford visited Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont on Tuesday afternoon to ask her to dissolve the 43rd parliament of the Province of Ontario.

Ontario's political party leaders are fanning out across the province today for their first official day on the snowy campaign trail. Premier Doug Ford was in Windsor, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie launched in Barrie and NDP Leader Marit Stiles gathered supporters in Toronto.

Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford launched his re-election campaign in Windsor, Ont. Wednesday and is asking residents of Ontario for a "strong, stable, four year mandate to do whatever it takes to protect Ontario.