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

Congratulations, Ontario.

We've made it past the halfway point of our first winter election season in 142 years (no really, you can look it up).

It was a busy week on the campaign trail, so here's a look back on a few of the biggest story lines. 

We're keeping things simple here, but be sure to follow the links for deeper dives.

You may have thought we'd get a reprieve from the spectre of economic disaster after Canada and the U.S. agreed to a month-long pause on sweeping tariffs.

But there is apparently no rest for the weary, dear readers.

President Donald Trump dropped his newest tariff bomb from aboard Air Force One on Sunday. This time it was aimed at steel and aluminum. 

And just like that, tariffs were back in the campaign spotlight. 

The threat is clearly grim for Ontario generally but not necessarily such a bad thing for PC Leader Doug Ford's campaign. Ford has made the fight against tariffs the central theme of his re-election bid, and public polling so far suggests the message has been effective.

Here's how each of the major campaigns initially responded to Trump's latest salvo.

And here's a deeper dive into how each leader says they would confront tariffs more broadly. 

This week, Ford and Canada's other premiers ventured into the belly of the beast to make the case against tariffs directly to lawmakers and policy folks in D.C.

The delegation secured a White House meeting with two Trump aides, possibly with the help of an $85,000-per-month lobbying firm.

The CBC's Mike Crawley took a closer look at what Ford actually accomplished on the visit.