Election Platform Analysis

The Ontario PC Platform?

With just three?days until?Ontarians head to the polls, Doug Ford’s Ontario Progressive Conservative (PC) Party has?released their?platform. The platform dictates what a third PC government mandate will look like if polls remain high in support for the PCs?on Thursday and provides a preview of measures that might be included in the spring budget.??

Despite presenting a viable path to balancing the budget for 2026-27, the platform lays out $40 billion in new government spending. About half of that spending—roughly $20 billion—is contingent on tariffs imposed by President Trump.??

The party claims "Ontario’s finances are in better shape today than they have been in decades" because of the PC’s previous policies, though it has not yet achieved a balanced budget.??

With the PCs remaining popular in the polls, a third PC mandate would focus on fighting Trump tariffs, protecting workers and businesses from the blowback of a trade war, and addressing issues like fentanyl trafficking and border security, which are concerns raised by the Trump administration.?

As the majority of the platform spoke to initiatives already announced by the PCs (e.g. healthcare, education), here is a breakdown of new commitments in the platform:?

Off the top: Ontario’s Tariff Response??

The PCs call for dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs for “if and when” Trump moves forward with levying Canadian exports to the U.S.??

The plan to hit back hard includes measures we’ve already seen them pursue prior to the 30-day pause:?

• Countering with measures?targeting U.S sectors and states with maximum impact.??
• Removing American-made products from the LCBO’s shelves.??
• Restricting American companies from Ontario government contracts.
• Implementing fees and restrictions on the export of electricity to the U.S.?

New measures include supports for workers and businesses as follows:??

• $5 billion through a new Protect Ontario Account to support reshoring and retooling of Ontario businesses.?
• Providing $10 billion via an immediate six-month deferral of business taxes.?
• Offering up to $3 billion in tax and payroll premium relief for businesses.?
• Investing up to $40 million for communities to diversify their supply chains and plan economic recovery.?
• Prioritizing Ontario-made products using the government’s buying power of $30 billion in annual procurement and a $200 billion infrastructure plan.?
• Enhancing termination and severance rights for workers affected by tariff-related layoffs and closures.?
• $40 million to mobilize action centres to provide immediate transition supports for workers, such as career counselling, Employment Ontario programming and food supports.

The PCs would also look to break down interprovincial trade barriers by:??

• Removing all of Ontario’s remaining party-specific exemptions following a final assessment under the Canada Free Trade Agreement and encouraging all other provinces to follow suit.??
• Investing $50 million to launch the new Ontario Together Trade Fund to support businesses that make near-term investments to serve more interprovincial customers, develop new markets and re-shore critical supply chains.?
• Reaching reciprocal recognition agreements with other provinces regarding regulatory standards and certifications to make it easier to buy or sell products and services within Canada.?
• Expanding labour mobility across Canada, including by streamlining credential recognition for certified professionals, expanding existing exemptions to more credentialed occupations and reducing existing labour mobility exceptions.?
• Advocating for removing federal barriers for major projects within provincial jurisdiction, including Ontario’s new nuclear power plants and critical mineral projects.??
• Immediately enabling direct-to-consumer sales of alcohol products with all willing provinces and territories.?

Other measures speak directly to the Trump administration’s concerns with Canadian (lack of) leadership on national defence and border security, including:?

• Pushing the federal government to meet and exceed its minimum two per cent of GDP NATO commitment.?
• Creating a new Defence Security Investment Tax Credit to support investments in innovative critical defence technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity and help meet Canada’s two per cent of GDP NATO commitment.?
• Advocating for the expansion of pipelines, rail lines and critical infrastructure, including the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline project.??
• Continuing to invest in Operation Deterrence and investing $50 million to add two more helicopters to OPP’s fleet.
• Enacting new authorities to identify and confiscate pill presses, precursor chemicals and lab equipment if law enforcement determine that the intent is to produce fentanyl or other illicit drugs.??
• Increasing inspections of point-of-origin containers from China at shipping yards, ports, rail yards and airports to address drug trafficking.??

Honourable Mentions?

• $1 billion more to expand the Skills Development Fund, a program investing in skills training and training facilities that are?popular among the private construction unions.?
• $5 billion in additional capital for the Building Ontario Fund to?spur public-private investment in infrastructure projects like long-term care, housing, energy, transportation, municipal and community infrastructure.?
• Launching a new $3 billion First Nations Opportunities Financing Program?to support First Nations equity participation in?sectors such as?electricity, critical minerals, resource development and related infrastructure components.?
• Eliminating minimum retail pricing for alcohol.?
• Reviewing municipal speed and red light camera measures.?

Opposition Crossfire?

Opposition parties continue to criticize Ford for empty promises. They all pointed to a series of bad trade-offs made by the PCs, choosing to tunnel under the 401 instead of investing in health care. Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie doubled down on corruption allegations, claiming the PC platform is for “lobbyists and insiders.”?

ICMYI?

The Ontario NDP platform – On Friday, Marit Stiles released her platform which included:??

• A monthly grocery rebate;
• Tax freeze for low- and middle-income earners;
• The recruitment of 3,500 new doctors over four years;
• The creation of a housing construction agency, Homes Ontario, to build or acquire 300,000 affordable housing units;
• Establish a universal school lunch program.?

The Ontario Liberal platform – Bonnie Crombie also unveiled her party’s platform on Friday, with commitments to:?

• Guarantee everyone a family doctor in four years and ensure mental health care is covered under OHIP.?
• Permanently cutting income taxes for Ontario workers and eliminating sales tax (HST) on home heating and hydro bills.?
• Permanently double Ontario Disability Support Program?
• Fix schools by doubling annual capital funding to clear the school repair backlog and hiring more education workers and mental health professionals.??

Oppo research dump - The NDP and PCs are throwing every bit of opposition research at Bonnie Crombie and the Liberals. The PCs particularly took aim at Crombie’s “hand-picked” candidates’ social media posts.?

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