Congratulations, Ontario.
We have made it previous the midway level of our first winter election season in 142 years (no actually, you may look it up).
It was a busy week on the marketing campaign path, so this is a glance again on a number of of the most important story traces.
We’re holding issues easy right here, however remember to observe the hyperlinks for deeper dives.
Metal your self for (limitless?) tariff information
You might have thought we might get a reprieve from the spectre of financial catastrophe after Canada and the U.S. agreed to a month-long pause on sweeping tariffs.
However there may be apparently no relaxation for the weary, expensive readers.
President Donald Trump dropped his latest tariff bomb from aboard Air Pressure One on Sunday. This time it was aimed toward metal and aluminum.
And identical to that, tariffs had been again within the marketing campaign highlight.
The risk is clearly grim for Ontario typically however not essentially such a foul factor for PC Chief Doug Ford’s marketing campaign. Ford has made the battle towards tariffs the central theme of his re-election bid, and public polling to this point suggests the message has been effective.
From tariffs to healthcare, polling knowledgeable Éric Grenier breaks down the highest points amongst voters main as much as the provincial election.
This is how every of the major campaigns initially responded to Trump’s newest salvo.
And this is a deeper dive into how each leader says they would confront tariffs extra broadly.
Ford’s Washington journey below the microscope
This week, Ford and Canada’s different premiers ventured into the stomach of the beast to make the case towards tariffs on to lawmakers and coverage people in D.C.
The delegation secured a White Home assembly with two Trump aides, probably with the help of an $85,000-per-month lobbying firm.
The CBC’s Mike Crawley took a more in-depth take a look at what Ford actually accomplished on the visit.
A number of Canadian premiers focus on what got here out of their assembly with officers from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on the White Home. The premiers had been in Washington on Wednesday to make the case towards U.S. tariffs on Canadian items.
The 2-day journey brought about some consternation on the marketing campaign path again dwelling.
NDP Chief Marit Stiles and Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie say Ford used the visit for plainly partisan purposes. Each events have requested the province’s integrity commissioner and Elections Ontario to investigate if Ford crossed any legal or ethical lines.
The requests had been instigated by a video posted to Ford’s social media accounts on Thursday, that includes clips from the journey and narration from the PC chief. An preliminary model included the Ontario PC emblem on the finish, in addition to his marketing campaign slogan, “Shield Ontario.”
Following criticism on-line, the unique video was deleted and an edited model with the PC emblem and slogan eliminated was re-posted to Ford’s account.
NDP candidate exits, endorses a Liberal
Simply hours after the official deadline to register as an election candidate handed, the NDP’s candidate within the Toronto using of Eglinton–Lawrence folded her marketing campaign.
What’s extra, Natasha Doyle-Merrick encouraged voters in the riding to support the Liberal candidate as a substitute. Doyle-Merrick wrote in an announcement that it is a “clear two-party contest” and she or he is stepping apart in hopes of stopping one other PC win.
The PCs took the using by a margin of simply over 500 votes in 2022.
Doyle-Merrick’ timing was clearly deliberate and left the New Democrats no likelihood to interchange her. Requested about it, the NDP Chief Stiles appeared pissed off — to say the least.
The Liberals additionally revealed their candidate in Windsor West had dropped out, however offered no rationalization.
Ford’s ‘poor-taste’ demise penalty ‘joke’
In late January, unverified posts popped up on-line saying the PC chief had mused about reviving the demise penalty throughout a speech to regulation enforcement.
Then on Thursday, Toronto Star reporters revealed Ford’s remark from that evening, primarily based on an audio recording they obtained.
“God forbid they kill an harmless particular person,” Ford stated, referring to dwelling invaders and his frustration with Canada’s bail legal guidelines.
“I do not even go 25 years. I ship ’em proper to sparky after which we’ll take all the pieces from there,” he stated to sparse applause and some gasps.
Ford’s marketing campaign referred to as the comment a “poor-taste joke out of frustration for the many individuals affected by violent criminals out on our streets.”
CTV’s Siobhan Morris later posted video of Ford’s speech to X. You’ll be able to watch it and determine for your self when you assume he was talking in jest.
And you can read more about the fallout here.
Crombie stands by candidate who made questionable posts
In a scrum following the marketing campaign’s first debate, Crombie stated the occasion is not going to be dumping its candidate within the hotly contested using of Thunder Bay—Superior North, Brian Hamilton.
Simply hours earlier, the PCs circulated two information releases highlighting 2014 social media posts wherein Hamilton seemed to have trivialized allegations of sexual misconduct towards former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi and American comic Invoice Cosby.
Crombie stated the posts had been “a very long time in the past” and that Hamilton apologized, and that he shares her ardour for hiring extra household medical doctors and defeating Ford. Hamilton is at present a metropolis councillor in Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay—Superior North was held by the NDP within the final legislature, however was a Liberal using for greater than 20 years earlier than that. It was an in depth three-way race between the NDP, PCs and Liberals in 2022.
Do you even elevate, bro?
Who wants occasion platforms and debates, anyway?
This week Crombie had her personal proposal to assist voters choose their subsequent premier: a feat of energy.
Throughout an informal riff on her occasion elevating sufficient cash to air two ads during the Super Bowl, Crombie took an surprising flip and… dared Ford to a, watch for it… push-up contest.
“I am blissful to problem him anytime, on his turf or mine. My turf’s the gymnasium, so if he … desires to come back at me and we’ll have a contest and we’ll have a contest within the gymnasium. Possibly we’ll do push ups, what do you assume?” she requested a room of bemused reporters.
Laura Stone, a journalist with the Globe and Mail, tried to ask Ford about Crombie’s problem on the finish of a information convention however her query was drowned out by the PC marketing campaign tune blaring over loud audio system.
1 debate down, 1 to go
The main occasion leaders met in North Bay on Friday to debate northern points.
You can read our live coverage of the contest here. And listed here are a number of of essentially the most notable exchanges:
Issues received tense on the controversy stage because the leaders clashed over how they’d make life extra reasonably priced for Ontarians.
Throughout a northern points debate in North Bay, Ont., the occasion leaders had been requested if the Queen’s Park ought to deal with social housing.
Throughout a northern points debate in North Bay, Ont., the main occasion leaders had been requested how they’d repond to Ontario’s psychological well being and habit disaster.
The subsequent debate is on Monday night. Here’s all the ways you can tune in on CBC.
The leaders, in their very own phrases
Three of the 4 main occasion leaders sat down with Metro Morning for one-on-one interviews this week. Verify them out if you wish to study extra about what the leaders are pitching to voters.
An invite was additionally despatched to Ford and the PC marketing campaign, however they haven’t responded.
Talking on Metro Morning, NDP Chief Marit Stiles underscored her key platform points, whereas slamming PC Chief Doug Ford for his Ontario Place plans and the “disarray” of the province’s health-care system.
Talking on Metro Morning, Liberal Chief Bonnie Crombie laid out what election points are on the forefront of her thoughts forward of the Feb. 27 vote, together with offering household medical doctors to Ontarians with out one and tackling the province’s affordability disaster.
Talking on Metro Morning, Inexperienced Chief Mike Schreiner touted his plan to prioritize rural communities, whereas working to deal with Ontarian’s “actual affordability issues.”
Study extra about every occasion’s pitch
You requested, and now it is right here.
CBC News launched our election platform tracker this week.
The Greens are the one occasion that has released a fully costed list of promises to this point, so we needed to work primarily with piecemeal bulletins for now.
However the tracker will probably be up to date because the marketing campaign rolls on.
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