Who Wants An Election?

Jeff Green | Aug 14, 2024

For those Ontarians who don't particularly like all the fuss and bother of elections, it looked like we were in luck until the tale end of 2025 before another visit to the polls for those who come out to vote.

In the late spring, however, rumours that the Ontario government under Doug Ford were planning to call an early election began to surface, and those rumours have now become a full blown prediction, likely for next spring but maybe as early as the end of November

Doug Ford loves to be the guy who makes it easier to buy a beer whenever there is an election brewing, so when he fast tracked the beer in every store policy last month, it was seen as a sign. And on every occasion when given an opportunity to say there will not be an election until 2026, when his mandate is up, he redirects the conversation.

Why would Doug Ford want an early election?

Because he thinks he can win, and that will give him a guaranteed ten years as premier before he can walk off into the sunset.

He also wants to call an Ontario election before the next feral election takes place, which is likely to be next fall, when the Trudeau Liberals have to call one.

The drawback for an early election is that Ontario voters may feel, rightly, that they are being used to feed Doug Ford's own agenda.

David Peterson, a Liberal, tried exactly what Ford is a contemplating, back in 1990, and it ended his political career.

In that case, no one saw it coming, so it makes sense that Doug Ford would start signalling an election early to create the expectation of an early election.

Aside from the Peterson example, there is another historical fact at play, Ontario voters do not like the same party colours to fly at Parliament Hill and Queen's Park. It is easier to elect a Conservative in Ontario when the Liberals are in power in Ottawa.

An Ontario election before the seemingly inevitable demise of the Trudeau Liberal government in Ottawa suits the interest of the Ford government.