Ontario voters casting ballots as Doug Ford seeks 3rd straight majority win

CBC

27-02-2025

Power & Politics sets up the Ontario election
Started 25 minutes ago
Live
Host David Cochrane and guests outline what you need to know about the Ontario election and how this vote might affect the looming federal election.
The latest
Watch Power and Politics live in the player above as host David Cochrane breaks down the Ontario election campaign and what it might mean for the looming federal election
Updates
February 27
4 minutes ago
Will the electorate show up?
Lucas Powers
How weather is influencing election day
25 minutes ago
Duration 4:35
One question hanging over this election is about turnout.
It's an unexpected, snap election and it's also February. The last time Ontario had a general election in February was 1883. There have been other winter elections in the province's history, but they are relatively uncommon, for obvious reasons.
Readers abroad and elsewhere in Canada have expressed worries about mail-in ballots making it back in time, and some have lingering concerns about accessibility at polling stations given recent snowstorms.
The Ontario election in 2022 saw the lowest turnout on record, when just over 44 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot. Recent provincial byelections have also seen pretty dismal turnout.
Low turnout advantages incumbents and is generally perceived as a sign that the electorate is content with the state of affairs under a particular government or MPP. But it also means that a comparatively small portion of eligible voters are electing majority governments.
6 minutes ago
We've got reporters at every party's HQ tonight
Rhianna Schmunk
It's Ontario election day. Tune into CBC for the latest results
6 hours ago
Duration 1:19
Ontario is electing its 44th government on Thursday. For the latest results and in-depth analysis, join us on election night for special coverage hosted by Dwight Drummond starting at 8 p.m. ET.
The CBC's Lorenda Reddekopp is at the blue-and-white PC base and Dale Manucdoc will be with the NDP. Lane Harrison is following the race from the Liberals' base and Farrah Merali is with the Greens.
20 minutes ago Lucas Powers
So, what do Ford's opponents say about the election call?
The NDP, Liberal and Green leaders all say Ford used the tariffs as a pretext to campaign on anything but his record on things like health care, housing and education.
They also say Ford is trying to outrun the results of the RCMP's ongoing criminal investigation into his government's Greenbelt land swaps scandal (this probe did not stop some of the province's biggest police unions from endorsing Ford).
Then, there's also possible fallout from a change in the federal government.
Ontario has a long tradition of voting provincially for parties on the opposite side of the political spectrum from whoever holds power in Ottawa.
29 minutes ago
Why Doug Ford called this election
Lucas Powers
If you did venture out into the snow or sleet today to cast a ballot, you may have wondered, 'why, exactly, are we doing this?'
And you know what? Fair question. The answer depends on who you ask.
Ford called this snap election nearly 16 months early. He said he needs a bigger mandate (read: more seats in the legislature) to weather possible U.S. tariffs.
There are a few holes in that logic. One, Ford's PCs already had a commanding majority. They could pass any legislation they wanted, regardless of how the opposition felt about it.
Two, Ford first started publicly musing about a possible early election last May, a full six months before Trump made his first tariff threat.
Ford also argued that the province's tariff response will require spending tens of billions of dollars, and he can't do that without voters' approval. But Ford has rarely shied away from big spending promises in the past.
Last September (again, two months before the tariff threat) he vowed to build a tunnel under Highway 401 through the GTA. That's a project that'd likely cost anywhere between $60 billion and $100 billion, according to experts. No renewed voter mandate required.
2 hours ago
It's election day, Ontario. We've got you covered
John Rieti
Voters, it's here. We've made it to election day, and we've got an exciting night of coverage planned for you.
Leave this story open. We'll be updating it until we know who wins and how the race was won.
We've got live video in the player above, starting with Power & Politics from 5-5:30 p.m. ET.
Our election special starts at 8 p.m. ET, and results (open this results page in another tab) will start rolling in when polls close at 9 p.m.
And if you can, please get out there and vote.