Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot in Ontario. But he is on a lot of people’s minds.
The U.S. president keeps on threatening tariffs on goods from Canada. And Trump is finding out the U.S. will also suffer if Canada imposes tariffs as retaliation.
What Trump ultimately does is unpredictable. That’s his game. He makes seemingly outrageous statements and makes people guess what he’ll follow through on.
All we can really do is work to strengthen the province so we can handle what he throws our way.
One big effect of Trump’s tariff threats has been to make Canadian nationalism popular again. Like, really popular.
Here’s a controversial opinion: most of what we’re proud of is the result of gains that social movements have made here.
When asked, many people say universal health care is why they have Canadian pride.
People in the 1950s and ’60s fought against the doctors’ lobby and won health care.
People here also fought for abortion rights and won them. And for supports for people with disabilities. Big parts of the public transit system too.
These are all incomplete wins, of course.
Health care doesn’t apply to various body parts like your teeth and eyes, and it isn’t accessible for people with precarious immigration status. Abortion procedures are inaccessible across much of the country. Disability supports are not nearly enough. And the TTC breaks down too often.
Those struggles continue, but there are at least some pieces in place.
There are also cultural elements: music, literature, radio, TV and more. (Even if the CBC is cringey a lot of the time.) Funding for those had to be fought for too.
What does this all have to do with the Ontario election, though?
Doug Ford is trying to position himself as the best guy to negotiate with Trump. (Let’s leave aside that it’s the federal government and not the province that handles international negotiations.)
But Ontarians don’t need a premier who puts on a “CANADA IS NOT FOR SALE” hat as a gimmick.
We don’t need a premier who has been selling Ontario out for seven years.
Ford gave away sections of the Greenbelt to his donor friends. Massive construction there will make Toronto rivers even more susceptible to flooding as climate change gets worse.
He shredded the Beer Store contract, giving away lucrative booze sales to billionaire grocery chain owners.
During the 2018 and 2022 elections, he promised to massively invest in health care. Then he backtracked.
Ontario, the most populous province, now spends the least amount of money per person on health care across the whole country. No wonder it’s so hard to find a family doctor.
Instead of funding the public system, Ford is destroying it bit by bit and funneling money to private clinics.
His Open for Business Act stopped a minimum wage increase in 2019. It was going to go up to $15 but Ford’s PCs froze it at around $14 for four years.
The PCs also got rid of paid sick days and refused to bring them back even in the middle of a global pandemic.
When Ford says he’s standing up for Ontarians, which ones is he talking about? And when push comes to shove, who is he going to protect?
Judging by his track record, he’ll prioritize billionaires and elites.
The best way working people in Ontario can handle the damage Trump inflicts is to have strong social supports in place here.
That means investments in health care and education, of course.
And we should be bold about our economic vision for the province. Relying on the whims of multinational corporations and billionaires hasn’t served us well.
What would it really mean to support local workers and communities? What needs to be brought back under public control?
These problems won’t be solved just by a change at Queen’s Park. As we always say, it’s about the ability of people to get organized and pressure whoever is in government.
Business elites get cracking to influence the new government the day after the election. They use their connections and power to push for corporate tax breaks, fewer regulations and worse labour standards, which makes jobs even more precarious.
To reverse those trends and build a healthier society, those schemes need to be fought against. That’s true no matter who is elected on Feb. 27.
This article appeared in the 2025 Feb issue.
