The leader of Canada's most populous province has triggered a snap election, saying he needs a decisive mandate to fight Donald Trump's tariff threat. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has led the province for more than seven years, has emerged as a de-facto spokesperson for Canada in the tariff fight after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would step down in March. The early election call is a sign of how the new US president has upended politics in the country. The provincial campaign comes more than a year before the date required by law, with Ford citing the need for voters to give him another majority to "outlast" President Trump. "This is gonna be a battle for the next four years," he said.

A snap election officially kicks off in Ontario today. Although voters in the province were not scheduled to pick a new provincial government until June 2026, they will now be heading to the polls roughly a year and half early on Feb. 27. If you’re wondering why Ontario is suddenly launching into an election, here’s what you need to know. The news of a snap election might be catching some people by surprise, but it comes as no shock to many who have been watching provincial politics closely. “If you have been following it all, you know that Ford and the (Progressive Conservatives) in Ontario have wanted to have an early election for some time,” John Shields, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) said. For months, polling has put the PC party far ahead of their chief rivals, the Ontario Liberals and the Ontario NDP. One recent poll indicated the PCs currently lead the Liberals by as much as 24 points. However another showed that the gap may have closed to within six points.

The Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario has said he needed to call the election more than a year ahead of schedule to secure a strong mandate as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods on Feb. 1. His government has been laying the groundwork for an early campaign for months, mailing out $200 cheques to most residents early this year and speeding up the expansion of alcohol sales to corner stores, a move the Financial Accountability Office said this week would cost taxpayers $1.4-billion. The opposition has accused Mr. Ford of calling an unnecessary election in the middle of a crisis, in a bid to secure a new mandate before the economy sours and a change in government comes at the federal level that could bring the cost-cutting Conservative Party to power in Ottawa.