Doug Ford, Carolyn Parrish have loads of reasons to work together
CBC
Premier Doug Ford's desire to continue his Progressive Conservative party's hold on all six seats in Mississauga will be a key factor in the ability of Carolyn Parrish, the city's newly-elected mayor, to move her agenda forward.
Parrish, who spent more than seven years as a Liberal MP, is not by nature politically aligned with the PC premier.
Yet, Ford has shown that he can see beyond political stripes. Look no farther than the new deal he struck with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow — a lifelong New Democrat who Ford previously claimed would be a disaster for the city if elected.
For her part, Parrish had people with Conservative political backgrounds involved in her mayoral campaign and has made it clear that she knows the importance of having a good working relationship with the premier.
"I've learned a lot from Olivia [Chow] watching her work with Ford. I think she's doing a really good job," Parrish told reporters shortly after her byelection win Monday.
Mississauga is crucial to gaining power at Queen's Park. For the past 30 years, the party that won in Mississauga has also won the provincial election. In fact, in eight straight elections, the winning party has swept every Mississauga seat.
Ford could face a big challenge continuing that streak for another election, given that the politician who Parrish is replacing as mayor, Bonnie Crombie, now leads the Ontario Liberals. Crombie's party desperately hopes her high profile in Mississauga will turn those blue seats red.
All of this adds up to plenty of incentive for Ford to keep the voters of Ontario's third-largest city happy, potentially giving Parrish leverage with the province, according to political strategists.
"It's not the type of city that's always voted Conservative or always voted Liberal," said Sarbjit Kaur, a veteran Liberal organizer who backed Parrish.
"The people of Mississauga can easily turn if they don't feel that their needs are being met," Kaur, who is co-founder of KPW Communications, said in an interview.
"No party can win a majority or be successful without support from the 905, so it's very important that Mississauga be kept on side."
With a provincial election looming as early as next year, Kaur said Parrish "will be able to make some demands and advocate for the city."
Some of the key issues in the mayoral campaign — including crime, housing and taxes — certainly align with what Ford wants to tackle.
Parrish says the first thing she'll be asking Ford for is what she calls "a fair share" of social services funding.
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