Ontario election call pushes parties into full-throttle campaign mode [Video]

Ontario’s political parties have been preparing for months for the possibility of an early election, but next week’s snap election call has pushed planning to a fever pitch.

Premier Doug Ford has announced that he will meet with the lieutenant governor on Tuesday to trigger an election campaign beginning Wednesday, for a vote on Feb. 27.

He said he needs a new mandate, with the biggest majority in provincial history, in order to represent Ontario’s interests amid threatened tariffs.

But opposition parties accuse Ford of opportunism and trying to capitalize on favourable polling.

Regardless of the reason, it’s happening, and the parties are all now in a flurry of nominating candidates, finalizing platforms, making ad buys, and training volunteers.

WATCH | Ford says he needs a strong mandate to fight Trump tariff threats: Ontario Premier Doug Ford has confirmed he will trigger an early provincial election on Wednesday, Jan. 29, …