{"id":14970,"date":"2025-01-31T10:09:43","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T10:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/31\/commentary-how-could-calling-a-snap-election-hinder-or-help-doug-fords-re-election-bid\/"},"modified":"2025-01-31T10:09:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T10:09:43","slug":"commentary-how-could-calling-a-snap-election-hinder-or-help-doug-fords-re-election-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/31\/commentary-how-could-calling-a-snap-election-hinder-or-help-doug-fords-re-election-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMENTARY: How could calling a snap election hinder or help Doug Ford\u2019s re-election bid?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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After months of rumours, Doug Ford<\/a> met with Lt. Gov. Edith Dumont on Tuesday<\/a> to trigger an election, a year and a half ahead of the date he was required to do so.<\/p>\n

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But with 16 months left on his term as premier, and 64 percent of the seats in Ontario\u2019s legislature, why would it make sense for Ford to call an election<\/a> so far ahead of schedule?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the question he\u2019s probably asking himself is, \u2018Will things be any better in a year and a half or now for the government?\u2019\u201d said Darrell Bricker, global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs. \u201cAnd given what\u2019s potentially pending from the United States relative to tariffs, there\u2019s probably a chance that it won\u2019t be a \u2026 lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are several benefits for the Progressive Conservatives to call an election now, including the fact that most polls show them well ahead of the opposition.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe\u2019s been looking for an opportunity to call it for a long time,\u201d noted John Milloy, who is the director of the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University. \u201cThey\u2019ve been ahead in the polls.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Since the last election in 2022, two other parties have also introduced new leaders into the mix, with the Liberals having chosen Bonnie Crombie and the NDP going with Marit Stiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth opposition parties have relatively new leaders who are still finding their feet,\u201d said Milloy, who served as a provincial Liberal cabinet minister in a previous life.<\/p>\n

Mike Schreiner remains the Ontario Green Party leader, with two seats when the legislature was dissolved.<\/p>\n

With the other two major parties having introduced new leadership, they may also have trouble matching the PC\u2019s war chest as well.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe other parties, I don\u2019t think, have these same kinds of fundraising infrastructure situations,\u201d noted Western University professor Laura Stephenson.<\/p>\n

While there are obvious benefits for Ford, voters in Ontario may be less impressed by his move.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest con is that people say, \u2018Why are you calling it early?\u2019 and they get suspicious or are unhappy with having to go to the polls,\u201d Stephenson noted.<\/p>\n

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But we are in a time when these are becoming much more commonplace so it remains a question mark as to whether it will be too divisive.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBreaking the fixed election law has become so commonplace that I\u2019m not sure people are going to be purists about it and say, \u2018You know, he didn\u2019t wait his four years,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Stephenson noted that his opponents will attempt to use this against him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the opposition parties are trying to make those kinds of statements, saying this is a waste of taxpayer money, we should be focusing on other things, etc.,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m not sure how effective they\u2019re getting their message out into the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

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