'Let the people decide', Ford says of any potential stimulus spending amid Trump tariff threat

Premier Doug Ford remains tight-lipped on whether he will call for an early election in Ontario, but said if incoming president Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs take effect -- and the province needs to approve a stimulus bill to support the economy -- a vote would be necessary.

Premier Doug Ford remains tight-lipped on whether he will call for an early election in Ontario, but said if incoming president Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs take effect -- and the province needs to approve a stimulus bill to support the economy -- a vote would be necessary.

Ford made the comment during an unrelated news conference on Monday after he was asked whether support from opposition parties on the response to potential tariffs would “negate” the need for an early election.

“Marit Stiles and Bonnie Crombie, they are obviously not worried about spending tens of billions of dollars and getting approval from the people, getting a mandate from the people...They may think it’s just OK to go ahead and throw off our fiscal plan moving forward, I don’t think that,” Ford said Monday.

“I think, if it comes to it, and we have to spend tens of billions of dollars, we go to the people. Let the people decide.”

The next scheduled Ontario election is set for June 2026 and Ford, so far, has not committed to that timeline.

He was asked explicitly on Monday whether he would call an election should the tariffs be put in place and only said “let’s take a look at what happens on Jan. 20...”

“It all depends on what sort of tariffs he is putting in there,” he said.