Ontario parties spend summer preparing for possibility of an early election [Video]

Ontario’s major political parties have been spending the summer nominating candidates, running “campaign schools,” and canvassing after remarks from the premier this spring fuelled speculation he will call an early election.

The province’s next fixed election date isn’t until June 2026, but Doug Ford set off alarm bells in political circles this past May when he repeatedly refused to commit to that timeline during a news conference, saying only that he wants to make sure he fulfils his agenda and keeps the promises his majority Progressive Conservative government has made.

Liberal co-campaign directors Genevieve Tomney and Chad Walsh – officially named to their positions soon – looked at each other and said, “now it’s time to go,” Tomney said in an interview.

“We’ve kind of been treating this as a campaign summer,” she said.

“What I would say about campaigns is that I sometimes kind of compare it to an …