As Premier Doug Ford weighs the pros and cons of calling an early election, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party has started training staff on how to run an effective campaign, with multiple sessions slated for January and February this year.
Nearly three years after the last province-wide election, Ford has repeatedly floated the idea of requiring a new mandate in order to shore up Ontario’s economy and combat impending tariffs from the coming Trump administration.
The president-elect has vowed to levy a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports to the United States — which Ford has claimed would disproportionately impact Ontario’s economy over other provinces.
In response, Ford has said he could need to spend billions of dollars to stimulate the economy. That, the premier said, would mean he needs a fresh mandate from voters.
“If it comes to it and we have to spend tens of billions of dollars, we go …