With less than 10 days until Ontario’s snap election on February 27, political parties are ramping up attacks, shifting strategies, and attempting to sway undecided voters as the race enters its final stretch.
The Progressive Conservatives (PCs), Liberals, and NDP are engaging in intensifying political mudslinging, with candidate controversies, shifting alliances, and party status battles taking center stage. While Premier Doug Ford’s PCs maintain a strong lead in the polls, both the Liberals and NDP are vying to position themselves as the best alternative.
Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie is actively courting NDP voters, urging them to support her party to bring change to Ontario’s healthcare system. Speaking in Hamilton, a traditional NDP stronghold, she declared, “We have the momentum. We have the wind at our sails, but we can’t make that change without your support.”
NDP Leader Marit Stiles dismissed the Liberals’ efforts, stating they are only fighting for official party status, which requires at least 12 seats in the legislature. “Their path is they’re just trying to make party status,” Stiles said, emphasizing that her party’s focus remains on flipping PC seats to the NDP.
Meanwhile, PC Leader Doug Ford’s campaign is under scrutiny for avoiding media questions, with opposition leaders accusing him of “hiding”. Ford’s planned trip to Sault Ste. Marie was canceled due to flight delays, but the PCs did not confirm whether he would take questions in Toronto instead. Stiles criticized Ford, stating, “He will not take responsibility for the state of this province. He is hoping that people are just going to stay home and not vote.”
The PCs have also been aggressively digging up old social media posts from Liberal candidates, labeling them as homophobic, misogynistic, and offensive. One such post, made in 2023 by Liberal candidate Viresh Bansal, contained a slur against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the LGBTQ+ community. While Bansal has since apologized, Crombie condemned the comments but did not remove him from the race.
With the election rapidly approaching, Ontario voters will soon decide which party’s message resonates the most, as policy debates give way to political warfare in the final push for power.