Ontario leader calls for snap election to fight Trumps threatened tariffs Boston 25 News [Video]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — (AP) — The leader of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, on Wednesday triggered a snap election, saying he needs a strong four-year mandate to fight the tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Doug Ford, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, said the 25% tariffs threatened by Trump would devastate Canada’s economy and cost Ontario thousands of jobs.

“The people of our province, like people across Canada, are facing unprecedented times,” Ford said in Windsor, Ont. “I am asking the people of Ontario for their trust. I’m asking (…) for a strong, stable, four-year mandate to do whatever it takes to protect Ontario.”

The move would send Ontarians to the polls on Feb. 27, more than a year before the June 2026 fixed election date. Ford already has a large majority government, with 79 of the 124 seats in the Ontario legislature.

Trump has threatened to introduce tariffs on Canadian goods starting Saturday. His press secretary, Karoline …