Justin Trudeau’s presence with Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Windsor on Monday, just hours before the start of the (Ottawa) provincial election, has raised eyebrows among more than one observer in the political scene. In Ottawa, as in Toronto, strategists from different parties are focused.
Posted at 8:00 p.m.
Ontario Liberal Party leader Stephen del Duca was also questioned on the same day, on the CBC News Network, about trying to restore his political structure after the June 2018 election defeat. “Doug Ford is campaigning. Months, ”he said.
The two premiers confirmed a statement of economic compatibility in the southwestern part of the province: over one billion dollars in financial incentives from both governments, allowing for the redevelopment and modernization of the Stellantis factories from Windsor and Brampton.
Created in January 2021 after the merger of PSA Peugeot-Citroen Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the automaker hopes to turn these two factories into multipurpose assembly facilities specifically for the production of electric vehicles.
Justin Trudeau, who is fully aware that the election campaign will take place on Wednesday in the wake of the June 2 election, welcomed the good understanding between federal ministers and the Ontario government.
In addition, his Minister of Innovation, Science and Industries, Franకోois-Philippe Champagne, as well as his Ontario counterpart Vic Fedeli, were present to explain the details of this “new agreement”. Invest 2.4 billion in this plan.
Justin Trudeau remained silent when asked by reporters if this other statement in the Doug Ford Company had tacit support on his side before the election.
“It’s about investing in Windsor. It may take months, if not years, to promote Canada as the right partner for investments in electric vehicles. We worked tirelessly for months on this file. That’s the decent thing to do, and it should end there. ”
Laughing, Doug Ford, who wanted to publicize his financial record more than pandemic management, echoed the words of his federal counterpart.
“We have been working on this file for months. You know, I put all those political labels aside. We have worked very well together across the three levels of government, throughout the epidemic. And people expect it to be. We hope to work together after the elections, ”he said.
Agreements, Doug Ford has concluded more than one agreement with Ottawa in recent months. It was launched in late March, including Childcare Services, and will enable Ontario to raise $ 10.2 billion over the next five years to reduce childcare costs by an average of about $ 10 a day by September 2025. Again, Justin Trudeau traveled to Toronto with his Ontario counter to make a statement.
The Ontario Premier also maintains a very harmonious relationship with the Federal Minister of Finance Christiana Freeland. The two often exchange text messages. When she was promoted to finance minister in August 2020, Doug Ford publicly showered her with praise.
During the federal election last September, Doug Ford chose great neutrality on the grounds that he had his hands full in managing the province completely during the epidemic. So he did not raise his finger to help his conservative federal cousins, led by Erin O’Toole.
Behind the scenes, federal liberals know that Doug Ford is a neutral ally in Ontario, even though he has a different political color.
“We have a fruitful relationship with the Ford government,” the influential Ontario minister agreed on the anonymity situation. The minister hesitated when asked if he wanted to campaign publicly against Doug Ford. “We support the liberals in our riding …”, he admitted without finishing his sentence.
Ontario voters have a reputation for not putting all their eggs in one basket. Unlike the ruling party in Ottawa, they provide the keys to power for the political party in Queens Park. For example, the Mike Harris Conservatives moved Ontario in the 1990s, but Jean-Christian Liberals dominated the federal political scene. In contrast, when Dalton McGinty’s Liberals came to power in Queen’s Park in 2003, Ontario voters felt free on the federal stage, three years after the Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party won.
Another example: Brian Mulroney, when he was in power in Ottawa, was able to count on the failed support of Liberal Premier David Peterson in Ontario to defend the Meech Lake deal.
On the first day of the campaign, Wednesday, a poll indicated that Doug Ford had a good chance of getting a second term. In Ottawa, Justin Trudeau could well tolerate such an outcome.
