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.
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.
The Ontario Progressive Conservative party’s 2022 platform now bases its appeal in the claim that it can effectively get results and most competently manage the affairs of the province.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Assistant Professor, Huron University College, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Department of Management and Organizational Studies, Western University