MARCH 1, 2025

Dear reader,

Surprising exactly no one, Doug Ford sailed through to a third consecutive majority this week. After he called a snap $189-million election in late January, the premier campaigned relentlessly on being the best leader to protect Ontario’s economy from Donald Trump’s tariff threats (ignoring the tiny matter that a federal trade war falls outside provincial jurisdiction).

Ford’s folksy “Captain Canada” campaign worked, appealing to his loyal voter base and handily diverting attention away from the scandals facing his government, including an ongoing RCMP investigation into the Greenbelt and public outrage over the redevelopment of Ontario Place.

While the premier’s tough talk against Trump and “Canada Is Not For Sale” hat may be new, he’s using the same old everyman tactics that have carried him through more than seven years in office. As Jason McBride wrote in his 2018 profile “Raging Bull,” Ford is playing a game of anti-politics politics—and it hasn’t failed him yet.

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—Madi Haslam, digital editor

As a councillor, Doug Ford wanted only one thing: to run the city of Toronto. But, as premier, he has the power to exert his will, and he’s torpedoing everything his enemies hold dear

BY JASON MCBRIDE | NOVEMBER 15, 2018

Doug Ford’s surprise PC leadership win was a triumph for Ford Nation, eventually securing him one of the most important jobs in the country. As premier, Ford has extolled and exploited his outsider status, casting himself as champion of the little guy, the anti-elite. At Queen’s Park, however, he’s followed a playbook that’s entirely his own. This in-depth profile by Jason McBride considers Ford at the start of his provincial leadership and takes readers deep inside his rule-breaking, foundation-shaking reign.

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