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Articles on Ontario politics

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Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca on the campaign trail during the June 2022 election in which he failed to stop Doug Ford. The Liberals only won eight seats and Del Duca stepped down, but the party still has a future in the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

Ontario Liberals are down but far from out when it comes to ruling the province

While Ontario’s Liberals failed to recapture what they lost in 2018 in the 2022 election, the bigger picture shows this isn’t particularly noteworthy nor damning for the party.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford attends a photo opportunity on a construction site in Brampton as he kicks off his re-election campaign on May 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Ontario election: 4 ways Doug Ford has changed the province’s politics

Looking back on Ford’s four years in power reveals four themes in his approach to governance — and what the next four years might have in store if he wins again.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is seen before his government delivered the provincial 2022 budget at the Ontario legislature. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Why Doug Ford will once again win the Ontario election

Ontario goes to the polls in a month, and Doug Ford will likely win again. Why? Because the Liberal and NDP leaders have failed to connect with the people of Ontario the way Ford has.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks as Ontario Premier Doug Ford listens at a groundbreaking event at a gold mine in 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Doug Ford uses the notwithstanding clause for political benefit

Ontario has historically been the province in Confederation most concerned about buoying Ottawa and limiting its own relative power for the sake of national unity. Doug Ford puts that legacy at risk.
Susan Hoenhous and other teachers of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario participate in a full withdrawal of services strike in Toronto on Jan. 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Mike Harris’s ‘common sense’ attack on Ontario schools is back — and so are teachers’ strikes

For some teachers, this week’s rotating strikes in Ontario are a chilling reminder of the school fallout of 1995-2002, when Mike Harris was premier.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford returns to his office at the Ontario legislature after announcing the cancellation of retroactive cuts that have hit public health, child care and other municipal services. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

A year of Doug Ford: Retreating on cuts or just taking a break?

A year ago, Doug Ford’s election was seen as a harbinger of a populist realignment in Ontario and Canadian politics. Now polls suggest Ford has abysmally low personal approval ratings.
Wiarton Willie, pictured with Premier Doug Ford on Groundhog Day, cannot yet predict what Ontario may do to full-day kindergarten. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ball

Full-day Kindergarten is what Ontario needs for a stable future

Nine years in from its start date, full-day kindergarten is doing its job laying foundational learning for the future of individual children and the province at large.
Ontario Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe released her annual environmental report on Nov. 13, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)

Scrapping environmental watchdog is like shooting the messenger

Premier Doug Ford’s proposal to downgrade Ontario’s environmental watchdog is bad news for the environment, public health and safety, and evidence-based decision-making.
Quebec premier-designate François Legault gestures as he addresses a meeting of his new caucus on Oct. 3, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

First Ontario, now Quebec: The notwithstanding threat

Threats by two of Canada’s newest premiers to invoke the notwithstanding clause send a clear message to the federal Liberals: Ontario and Quebec do not play by the rules.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces his plan to keep the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in operation until 2024, in this June 2018 photo. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

Doug Ford’s energy shake-up could cost Ontario

Ontario Premier Doug Ford seems intent on dismantling the previous government’s energy strategy. But that may not protect consumers.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford leaves a meeting with federal and municipal officials on the Toronto mass shooting. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Kozak

Taking on Ford Nation: How to fight right-wing populism

If Ontario’s NDP and Liberals want to undermine Doug Ford’s agenda, they’ll need to learn from other centrist and left-wing politicians who have successfully challenged right-wing populism.
The era of two school systems in Ontario should be riding into the sunset. There are enormous cost savings and community benefits to be had by merging the public and separate school systems. A school bus is seen here in Markham, Ont. (Shutterstock)

It’s time to merge Ontario’s two school systems

The time to consolidate Ontario’s two school systems is long overdue. It’s no longer viable to dismiss the issue on Constitutional grounds. All that’s needed is political will.

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