As Harrison Ford, Drew Barrymore and different celebrities hawked vans, cruises, beer and soda to thousands and thousands of People throughout Sunday night time’s Tremendous Bowl recreation, the Ontario authorities made its personal pitch.
One of many expensive Tremendous Bowl commercials — with a 30-second spot going for $8 million — featured an advert sponsored by the Ontario authorities highlighting the constructive buying and selling relationship the province has with its southern neighbour.
It was a not-so-subtle rebuttal to the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump was set to impose on all imported metal and aluminum, together with from Canada, the next night. And it got here from the Progressive Conservative authorities of Doug Ford, who has been given the moniker “Captain Canada” by some journalists and pundits — and grow to be an unofficial advocate for all the nation.
“I think to an extent he has,” stated Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie College in Halifax. “Ford has moved into what some have described as a kind of leadership vacancy.”
This new function comes at an opportune time, on the midpoint of a snap Ontario election marketing campaign that Ford triggered, and permits him to keep away from speaking about points the place he’s susceptible, corresponding to well being care and training, Turnbull stated.
“The argument can be made that he botched those files. Instead of defending his record as a premier, he’s going to the U.S. and acting like a prime minister,” she stated. “That is completely on the coronary heart of his technique for a 3rd time period.
“If it weren’t for the threat of tariffs … I think that the issues of health care and education would be higher on people’s lists So I think it would probably be a rocky campaign for him if he wasn’t able to go to Washington.”
Ford has launched appeal offensive
On Tuesday, Ford was again at it in Washington, D.C., to make his case in opposition to tariffs to U.S. lawmakers. It’s a task he assumed as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discovered himself considerably distracted by inside celebration squabbling that finally led to an announcement of his intention to resign as Liberal Get together chief.
WATCH | Doug Ford goes to Washington to problem tariffs amid election marketing campaign:
Doug Ford defends anti-tariff journey to Washington amid criticism from marketing campaign rivals
PC chief Doug Ford took his Ontario election marketing campaign tour to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to make Ontario’s case in opposition to U.S. tariffs, whereas the opposite main celebration leaders continued campaigning throughout the province. CBC’s Mike Crawley breaks down the small print.
Ford wore a “Canada Is Not For Sale” ball cap throughout a gathering with Trudeau and different premiers in Ottawa final month. He has additionally preached Canadian unity, saying the provinces want to stay collectively to fight the risk, and scolded Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for refusing to signal a joint assertion the prime minister and all different premiers agreed to about the right way to reply to Trump.
However with regards to championing Canada, Ford might be uniquely positioned to take action, Turnbull stated.
“Ford is able to come at this in a different way. He has that kind of folksy authenticity,” she stated. “He’s able to go into a room with a ‘Canada’s Not For Sale’ hat, and people look at him and say, ‘Look at that, like, he’s so patriotic, he’s standing up for Canada.’”
Dalhousie College political science professor Lori Turnbull says taking over Trump’s tariffs permits Ford to keep away from speaking about points the place he’s susceptible with Ontario voters, corresponding to well being care and training. (CBC)
If Trudeau did that, the general public wouldn’t have the identical response, Turnbull stated. “He wouldn’t have the same authenticity.”
Ford has taken on this function partially as a result of he chairs the Council of the Federation, an advocacy group for all the provincial and territorial premiers, Turnbull stated.
“I think because he’s the leader of the biggest province — that’s not nothing,” she stated.
Tariff situation ‘clear crisis in people’s minds’
The tariff situation can even make it harder for his political opponents, stated David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Information, a polling and market analysis agency based mostly in Ottawa.
“In a crisis, people often rally around their leader. And this is a clear crisis in people’s minds. So that already makes it harder for the opposition parties to get any oxygen in an arena where Trump is sucking it all up,” he stated. “And Ford has the natural advantage of being the guy who has the job right now.”
Coletto stated that based on his agency’s polling, if the No. 1 poll query turns into who’s greatest to tackle Trump, Ford and his celebration run nicely forward of the Liberals and the New Democrats, whose leaders have argued that Ford’s journey to Washington is inappropriate throughout an election marketing campaign.
“When we asked people: Of the party leaders, who’s best to stand up to a bully, Doug Ford wins by a huge margin over the other other two main party leaders. So this is where he wants the election to be about,” Coletto stated.
David Coletto of Abacus Information in Ottawa says his agency’s polling reveals that if the No. 1 poll query turns into who’s greatest to tackle Trump, Ford and his celebration run nicely forward of the Liberals and the NDP. (Carla Turner/CBC)
“It’s I think why he called the early election. He saw the opportunity. And his visit to Washington [on Tuesday] is just building on his attempt to try to focus attention on that as opposed to anything else.”
Nonetheless, Trudeau stays prime minister, and having a couple of political chief as public spokesperson on the tariff situation might show problematic.
“Better for a single strong spokesperson to represent Canada,” he stated, including that Trudeau is “by far the most plausible.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, proper, and Ford participate within the first ministers’ assembly in Ottawa on Jan. 15. Ford has preached Canadian unity, saying the provinces want to stay collectively to fight the risk from Trump. (Blair Gable/Reuters)
In the meantime, Ford’s function as Captain Canada got here below some scrutiny when it was found he was happy that Trump, a Republican, had gained the U.S. presidential election over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
“Captain Canada has no clothes,” former Liberal deputy prime minister Sheila Copps wrote in a column for the Hill Instances.
“Doug Ford lost that standing when it was revealed last week in a leaked hot microphone recording that he was a huge Trump fan who celebrated when Donald Trump was victorious.”
(Ford had stated that whereas he was “100 per cent” blissful Trump gained, “then the guy pulled out the knife and f–king yanked it into us.”)
Coletto, of Abacus Information, stated that it might nonetheless be a vulnerability for Ford, relying on how many individuals grow to be conscious of it, However Turnbull dismissed the suggestion. “Who did anybody think he was going to support in the presidential election? I didn’t think he supported Harris,” she stated.
“I think what he said is exactly what I would have thought had happened. [Ford] supported Trump and then he knifed him with tariffs. So now he doesn’t support him.”
WATCH | Ford responds to video saying he was ‘happy’ Trump gained election earlier than tariffs:
Ford responds to video saying he was ‘happy’ Trump gained till tariff tussle
After being captured on video saying he was blissful U.S. President Donald Trump gained the newest U.S. election till the specter of tariffs, PC Chief Doug Ford informed reporters that he had thought ‘things might be a little different’ with this Trump administration.
