Dear Editor:
Premier Ford is calling an early election because he says that he needs a mandate to deal with the threat of possible tariffs by the Trump administration in the U.S.
My questions to the premier (and our MPP Ted Arnott) are these. Did he and his party not receive a mandate to govern the province with the election victory in June 2022? Does governing not include responding to changes in the economic situation as precipitated by external forces of whatever nature? And if Trump does not, in fact, impose tariffs prior to Feb. 28 (the anticipated election date) will Premier Ford cancel the election as he will no longer require a “mandate”?
The questions are, of course, rhetorical. There is absolutely no need for Ford to call for an election now. He is merely trying to extend his majority beyond June 2026 while the polling is good. The June 2022 election cost the Ontario taxpayers $145 million dollars. I would suggest that Ford is quite happy to spend our money to gain that extension. He apparently is very good at spending money we do not have.
One last point. International trade is a federal responsibilty. The last time I checked, Ford was Premier of Ontario, not the Federal Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development or the Prime Minister of Canada.
Maybe Ford should try fixing health care in Ontario before embarking on a trade mission to the U.S.
Mike Vasil,
Fergus