Ontario's Progressive Conservative Party swept to victory and clinched a rare third consecutive majority, according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation projection, following a campaign dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump.

PC Party leader Doug Ford called an election more than a year early, arguing he needed a stronger mandate to fight Trump's threatened tariffs. Ford, 60, already had a majority government in the provincial legislature.

Trump has threatened 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. Ontario, a manufacturing powerhouse, would be especially affected.

Ford's rivals struggled to focus voter attention on scandals facing the Progressive Conservative leader and challenges facing the province.

Canada's most populous province is struggling to provide its more than 14 million residents with adequate healthcare. About 2.5 million Ontarians lack a primary care provider, up from 1.8 million in 2020.

Ford came under fire for suggesting the reason emergency departments are full is people are going there with sore throats and scraped knees. His opponents argue people may not be able to get care anywhere else.

Ontario, like other parts of Canada, is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis and has lagged in meeting its housing goals.

"I'm very grateful to the people of Ontario, and we're going to make sure we protect the people of Ontario and protect their families and their jobs and businesses, and I'll fight tooth and nail against Donald Trump, promise you that," Doug Ford said in a brief interview with CTV news, ahead of his victory speech. The province, home to about 35% of Canada's 40 million people, is one of the world's largest sub-sovereign borrowers. Trump has said he could use economic force to make Canada the 51st state.

Canadian politicians, including Ford and his opponents, left-leaning New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles and centrist Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie, have been vocal in their opposition to both tariffs and Canada's annexation. The U.S. president is dominating Canadian politics at provincial and national levels. A federal election is also expected this year.

Ford took to sporting a "Canada is not for sale" hat and made two trips to Washington, D.C., during the election campaign to make his case against U.S. tariffs. He came under fire for traveling there during an election period when governments are in caretaker mode and generally expected to refrain from policy-making.

Calling the election was Ford's bet on winning another majority government, said Laura Stephenson, a Western University politics professor.

It is unusual for Ontario to hold a winter election, and on election day much of the province was still digging out from recent snowstorms.

According to Elections Ontario, just after 10 p.m. ET the voter turnout was at 42.62%. Turnout hit a record low, at 44%, in the province's last election in 2022.

"It's disappointing," said John Beebe, director of the Democratic Engagement Exchange at Toronto Metropolitan University.

"We had record-low vote turnout last time and if we have even lower voter turnout this time that's not a good sign for the health of our democracy."

Ontario's election results could bear lessons for Canada federally, said University of Toronto politics professor Semra Sevi -- and that could bode well for federal Liberals. These results "show how external factors" like Trump's tariffs” can significantly shape the political climate and voter priorities," Sevi wrote in an email.

"Moreover, the recent resurgence of the federal Liberals after a period of decline suggests that political dynamics can shift rapidly due to changes in leadership and external events. While it may have initially seemed like (Conservative leader Pierre) Poilievre was set to win the federal election with a landslide, this outcome suggests that things could still change quickly," she wrote.

Reuters

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