Ford defends his anti-tariff trip to Washington amid criticism from campaign rivals
Other major party leaders in Ontario are staying on the campaign trail
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford was in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to make Ontario's case against U.S. tariffs, while the other major parties continued campaigning across the province.
Ford is in the U.S. capitol, along with other provincial leaders, in his capacity as premier of Ontario and chair of the Council of the Federation. The trip comes at the mid-point of a snap election campaign that Ford triggered, but he said it was necessary to persuade American lawmakers that Canada and its southern neighbour are "stronger together."
Ford said he hopes the message will make its way to U.S. President Donald Trump, who Ford called "one of the best negotiators in the world."
On Monday, Trump followed through on his threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada and Mexico. The levies came despite agreements made by Trump with both countries just last week to delay the imposition of any tariffs for 30 days.
Ford said the move portends four years of potential economic chaos for the Canada-U.S. trading relationship.
"The only thing certain right now in both economies is uncertainty. And nothing scares companies more than uncertainty. And nothing scares people more. You don't know if you have a job today or tomorrow — that's concerning," he told reporters after an appearance hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and attended mostly by Canadian business owners.
Ford 'plays fast and loose with rules,' Crombie says
Opposition leaders have argued that Ford's trip to Washington is inappropriate during an election, but the PC leader has maintained that he can simultaneously campaign for re-election and take anti-tariff actions as premier.
"The worst thing we could do as a country is not show up. That would send a message to the president that we don't care," Ford said.
During a morning campaign stop in Toronto, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said she believes the trip violates the "caretaker convention" — a federal and provincial practice that continues day-to-day government operations but pauses all but the most important emergency decision-making during an election period.
"I think he's breaking the caretaker convention. I think he plays fast and loose with rules," Crombie said, adding that none of the other premiers with Ford felt a need to call an election.
Ford has argued he needs a "stable four-year mandate" to effectively deal with the uncertainty of the Trump administration. But Crombie again accused him of trying to "outrun" the results of an ongoing RCMP investigation into the Greenbelt scandal.
"We needed him at his desk, hard at work. Not calling an early election, a snap election in the middle of winter, that's costing us $189 million — money that could be put into health care or education, it's a waste of money," she told reporters.
Speaking to business owners in Kitchener, NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she hopes the premiers' delegation to Washington produces positive results for Canada, but called Ford's decision to a call an early election a "very cynical move."
"He chose to step down as premier and he is choosing to do this at a point when we are very vulnerable to [tariff] threats," she said.
"None of us need him down there making election speeches. We need him coming up with real deals that are going to make sure we can put pressure on Donald Trump," Stiles continued.
A spokesperson for Ford told CBC News the PC party is covering travel expenses, such as airfare and hotels, for Ford and any of his staff currently involved in the campaign. Costs related to the appearance with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and networking events scheduled for later Tuesday are being paid by the province.
"Standard public disclosure requirements will apply for any costs incurred by the government," Ivana Yelich said.
NDP, Liberals detail promises for young people
Meanwhile, Crombie and NDP Leader Marit Stiles both laid out their plans on the campaign trail Tuesday to help young people deal with the affordability crisis.
Crombie said she would eliminate interest on student loans, create 40,000 paid internships and apprenticeships through tax credits to companies and make student residences more affordable.
"Ontario's Liberals have a plan to smash our unemployment rate in half," Crombie said in Toronto.
"We're also going to ensure that you have a family doctor, and we're also going to promise you that you won't be saddled with student loans and student debt."
Crombie would extend the amount of time needed to repay Ontario Student Assistance Program loans and increase the income threshold when those repayments begin to $50,000.
She said she would also cap international student enrolment at 10 per cent at all Ontario colleges and universities.
For her part, Stiles said her party would introduce rent control, turn student loans into grants and eliminate interest on student loans.
"We need to take the pressure off of students," Stiles said at a campaign stop in Kitchener.
Both Stiles and Crombie say they would keep post-secondary tuition frozen for domestic students and they would increase funding to post-secondary institutions.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner was also in Kitchener before attending a local candidates' debate in Guelph.
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With files from Mike Crawley and The Canadian Press