Doug Ford has won another term. What's his 1st order of business?

Shawn Jeffords · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 03, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 3

After making it a cardinal portion of his re-election bid, experts accidental Ontario Premier Doug Ford volition request to beryllium acceptable to implement his proposed multibillion-dollar stimulus bundle arsenic his caller authorities waits to spot if U.S President Donald Trump makes bully connected his tariff threats. 

Ford won a 3rd bulk authorities connected Thursday by positioning himself arsenic the person champion suited to instrumentality on Trump and his program to enforce 25 per cent tariffs connected astir Canadian goods entering the U.S.

The PC leader's run level laid retired billions successful aid that could beryllium deployed. That includes a caller $5-billion Protect Ontario Account, $10 cardinal successful enactment for employers done a taxation deferral, up to $3 cardinal much successful payroll and premium alleviation and up to $40 cardinal for municipalities hard deed by tariffs.

In his code connected predetermination night, Ford struck a non-partisan tone, but indicated a readiness to act.

"I volition enactment with each level of authorities and each governmental stripe, due to the fact that warring backmost against Donald Trump, lasting up for Canada, it volition instrumentality a afloat squad Ontario effort," helium said. "It volition instrumentality a afloat squad Canada effort."

Ford has besides threatened retaliation if the tariffs are imposed, including pulling each American booze disconnected LCBO shelves, ripping up a woody with Elon Musk's Starlink and banning U.S. companies from competing for contracts with the Ontario government.

WATCH | What Doug Ford has promised to bash for Ontario successful the adjacent 4 years: 

Ford squad plays waiting crippled connected tariff threat

Conservative strategist Dan Mader said if the tariffs are imposed, helium expects Ford volition beryllium acceptable to act.

"If the system starts to get hammered, this is going to beryllium similar the opening of the pandemic erstwhile governments were scrambling to respond and making decisions time by time to truly prevention jobs and prevention peoples' livelihoods," said Mader, who is besides a founding spouse astatine Loyalist Strategies.

Cristine de Clercy, a governmental subject prof astatine Trent University, said the impulse from the Ford squad volition beryllium to determination quickly, but they could beryllium constricted to playing a secondary relation to the national authorities successful effect to Trump.

"We person to admit the quality of the condition," she said. "He's a provincial premier trying to power planetary argumentation agenda. So determination are existent limits connected his capableness to enactment and respond successful the existent commercialized warfare context." 

Former Liberal furniture curate John Milloy said Ford's squad volition beryllium nether immense unit to enactment rapidly if the tariff's are imposed, particularly aft calling the aboriginal election. But they're besides forced to play a frustrating waiting crippled with Trump, who has postponed imposition of the tariffs before. 

"He's been each implicit the representation connected this and he's cried wolf respective times," said Milloy, who is present the manager of the Centre for Public Ethics astatine Martin Luther University College. 

"But if we spot tariffs, if we spot a immense deed to sectors similar the car industry, Mr. Ford amended beryllium successful a presumption to respond."

Premier should displacement absorption to wellness care, adept says

Milloy said helium besides thinks Ford whitethorn privation to displacement his absorption to issues person to location arsenic a archetypal bid of business. 

"I deliberation determination was a crushed wherefore helium got the aforesaid fig of seats," helium said. "It's due to the fact that of the authorities of the health-care system. And I deliberation he's gotta enactment much effort into that."

Mader said extracurricular of immoderate imaginable tariff response, helium expects Ford to absorption connected gathering transit, lodging and improving the health-care system.

"There were a batch of bully promises made successful this run connected things similar infrastructure, connected things similar wellness care, getting much household wellness teams funded," helium said. "There is much enactment to beryllium done connected lodging and getting things built."

Ford besides made what could perchance beryllium 1 of the astir costly run promises successful the past of the province: pledging to physique a passageway nether Highway 401 successful Toronto.

Experts person said the passageway could outgo upwards of $100 billion, though the state has not released a outgo estimation oregon a feasibility study. De Clercy said she'll beryllium watching to spot what Ford does adjacent connected this promise.  

"Given [the results], helium has a beauteous escaped rein to bash what helium wants arsenic premier," she said. "Also, helium has rather an admirable capableness to locomotion backmost ideas oregon decisions that helium took that proved aboriginal connected to beryllium questionable oregon erroneous."