2 days in D.C. and a ‘poor-taste joke’: Get up to speed on the Ontario election

Congratulations, Ontario! We’ve officially made it past the halfway point of our first winter election season in 142 years. It’s been a busy week on the campaign trail, with a lot of big stories making headlines. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key moments from the past week.

First up, the never-ending saga of tariffs. Just when we thought we might catch a break after the temporary pause on tariffs between Canada and the U.S., President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum. This move has once again brought the issue of tariffs to the forefront of the campaign, with PC Leader Doug Ford making it a central theme of his re-election bid. The other major party leaders have also weighed in on how they would confront tariffs if elected.

Speaking of Ford, he made a trip to Washington, D.C. this week along with other premiers to directly address lawmakers and policy makers about the impact of tariffs. This trip stirred up some controversy back home, with accusations that Ford was using the visit for partisan purposes. Both the NDP and Liberals have called for investigations into Ford’s actions during the trip.

In another unexpected turn of events, the NDP candidate in the Toronto riding of Eglinton–Lawrence dropped out of the race just after the registration deadline passed. Natasha Doyle-Merrick endorsed the Liberal candidate in the riding, saying it was a clear two-party contest and she wanted to prevent another PC win.

Ford also faced backlash this week for a comment he made about the death penalty during a speech to law enforcement. The comment was deemed a “poor-taste joke” by Ford’s campaign, but it sparked controversy nonetheless.

In Thunder Bay—Superior North, the Liberal candidate faced scrutiny for past social media posts that seemed to trivialize allegations of sexual misconduct. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie stood by the candidate, saying the posts were from a long time ago and that he had apologized.

Finally, Crombie challenged Ford to a push-up contest this week, adding a bit of levity to the campaign. The leaders also participated in a debate on northern issues, with another debate scheduled for Monday evening.

Overall, it’s been a whirlwind week on the campaign trail in Ontario. With just a few weeks left until election day, the race is heating up and the candidates are pulling out all the stops to win over voters. Stay tuned for more updates as the campaign continues to unfold.