Ford to send Ontario voters to the polls on Feb. 27: source

A senior provincial government source tells CTV News that Doug Ford is expected to call a provincial election next Wednesday.

Premier Doug Ford is sending Ontario voters to the polls more than a year ahead of the scheduled provincial election.

CTV News has learned through a senior provincial government source that Ford will call a snap election next Wednesday, with voting set for Feb. 27. The next provincial election was set for June 2026.

Ford has been hinting about a provincial vote, saying recently that he needed a strong mandate in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, which could come into effect as early as Feb. 1.

“We need a mandate from the people. We need a mandate to protect -- and possibly spend billions of dollars -- to protect people’s jobs, to protect businesses and to protect communities,” Ford said this week.

The premier has said that Trump’s tariffs could cost Ontario 500,000 jobs and a “clear mandate” was needed as navigating them would potentially require tens of billions of dollars in reactive stimulus spending.

MORE: Here’s what an early Ontario election could look like

Earlier on Thursday, CP24 obtained a copy of invitation the premier sent to Ontario Progressive Conservatives, calling them to attend a “super caucus” meeting this weekend.

“As we face the unprecedented threat posed by a potential trade war with the United States, it is more important than ever to be prepared for an election to secure a strong mandate from voters,” the invitation read.

Candidates and campaign managers are invited to attend the Saturday event near Pearson International Airport, to discuss polling and strategy, with remarks from pollster Nick Kouvalis and the premier himself.

Opposition leaders react

Speaking to CP24, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles slammed the premier for calling an election, saying Ford doesn’t need a mandate.

“Any premier who calls a snap election like this in the middle of the winter is hoping that people aren’t paying attention,” she said.

“We need stability. Calling an election does not create stability. It looks to Donald Trump like an opportunity to shake things up even further. I think it’s the wrong approach.”

At the same time, Stiles said she and her party are ready for the upcoming election. She is optimistic that the Ontario NDP will win despite recent polls that suggest the party would come in third if an election is held.

Ontario’s opposition parties have said they would support Ford’s majority government if the tariffs come to pass. However, the premier has insisted that he requires the people’s support if the province needs to spend cash to soften the blow.

“There’s only one group that’s going to give you the mandate, and that’s the people,” Ford said.

Bonnie Crombie, the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, also criticized the premier’s election decision, calling it a “very self-interested and self-vested move.”

“He’s chosen recklessness over responsibility. He’s answering chaos by creating more chaos at a time where we need stability and certainty,” Crombie said in an interview on CP24 Thursday night.

She pointed out that other premiers who are dealing with the same tariff threat are not sending their voters to the polls.

“It’s an unnecessary election,” said Crombie, who hinted that she is planning to run in a Mississauga riding. She currently doesn’t have a seat at Queen’s Park.

“Let’s remind everyone that Doug Ford has a majority government. He can pass any legislation he wants to, and always has done so. So that election isn’t scheduled for June 2026, and having it now is irresponsible.”

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner echoed the sentiments of the two other party leaders that there should be unity and not division as the tariff threat looms large.

“I think it’s infuriating that the premier would abandon his post as a premier of Ontario at a time when we’re staring down a direct threat of these Trump tariffs,” Schreiner told CP24.

Like the other leaders, he reiterates that Ford already has a mandate, given that he leads a majority government. Schreiner said he was also willing to work with the premier to pass a stimulus package if necessary to push back against possible tariffs.

“I’ve made it very clear. Other opposition leaders have made it clear, we’re willing to work across party lines, across jurisdictional lines, to have a team Canada approach to protect Canadian workers, Canadian jobs and Canadian companies. And the premier launches us into a provincial election. It is wrong,” said Schreiner.

While an early provincial election is being called, Schreiner said his party, which has two seats in the Ontario legislature, is ready to pick up more.

“We’re ready to go. I think it’s wrong; the premier playing politics. But if the premier is going to put his own political interests ahead of the people of Ontario, the Ontario Greens will be ready to go,” he said.

PCs lead Liberals by 24 points: poll

The news comes amid the release of a new poll by Leger which shows that Ford’s PCs are leading Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals by 24 points among decided and leaning voters.

The survey, commissioned by Postmedia and released on Wednesday, shows that if a vote were held today, Ford’s party would have the support of 46 per cent of decided and leaning voters. Support for the Liberals stood at 22 per cent while support for the Ontario NDP, the official opposition, was 19 per cent.

About 12 per cent of respondents said that they were undecided.

The poll painted a slightly different picture than a Liaison Strategies survey released earlier this week which showed that the Tories had a nine-point lead over the Liberals among decided and leaning voters (41 per cent versus 32 per cent). The NDP were third with the support of 19 per cent of decided and leaning voters.

That poll suggested that about 26 per cent of respondents were still undecided.

The latest polling from Leger shows that the cost of living is the most important issue among the 1,007 voters surveyed. Last week, the province confirmed that it had started sending out $200 cheques to taxpayers to deal with day-to-day expenses. The provincial government has rebuffed accusations from across the aisle that the rebates are a “gimmick” to bribe voters.

The Leger survey, conducted from Jan. 17 to Jan. 19, was based on an online panel with 1,007 adult Ontarians.

It has a comparative margin of error of plus or minus 3.08 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The Liaison poll surveyed close to 1,200 Ontario voters between Jan. 15 and 16. The margin of error for that poll was plus or minus 2.83 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

With files from Stephanie Ha