TORONTO – The outgoing premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, continues to focus on the theme of the economy and “defence from Ontario” and, commenting on yet another Trump announcement on new tariffs for steel and aluminium, he published a post on X complaining about the American President’s unpredictability: “This is the next four years. Shifting goalposts and constant chaos, putting our economy at risk” Ford wrote, adding the reason he called for an early provincial election: “I’m asking the people for a strong, stable, four-year mandate that outlasts the Trump administration to do whatever it takes, to always be ready to protect Ontario”… then, speaking today from Oakville, Ford announced a new “plan”: “A re-elected Conservative government” he said, “will ban Chinese components from all future energy supplies. This includes banning any Chinese state-owned enterprise from purchasing or acquiring an interest in any energy, critical mineral or major infrastructure asset funded by the Ontario government. Canada and the United States must remain united and focused on the real trade war we are fighting against China” said Doug Ford. “If we want to win we must fight together, not between us…”.

Additionally, to “protect Ontario’s energy supply” Ford announced the upgrading of existing nuclear power plants, the expansion of hydroelectric power generation, and ultimately the largest battery energy storage contract in Canadian history, enough to power three million homes. “As we invest and build a safe, reliable and affordable grid, we will continue our fight against the job-killing carbon tax” Ford added. “Our plan to invest in clean nuclear energy will fuel Ontario’s economic growth and help create jobs, all while reducing emissions” …other parts of Ford’s agenda include investing more than $200 billion in roads, highways, public transportation and other infrastructure, $2.5 billion to train more than a million people for better jobs and higher paychecks in skilled trades, banning drug injection sites near schools and clearing out encampments from public parks with new investments in shelters and, finally, better health care, investing an additional $1.8 billion “to connect everyone in Ontario with a family doctor and primary care”.

Healtcare: the other two main candidates focused again on it, today. NDP leader Marit Stiles (in the pic above, from her X – Twitter profile @MaritStiles), in receiving the support of Erin Ariss, provincial president of the Ontario Nurses Association, and Laura Walton, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, declared that “after seven years of Doug Ford, more nurses than ever are leaving Ontario’s hospitals. Instead of respecting nurses and health care workers, Ford froze their wages and took them to court. He called them health care heroes while taking away their pay…”. And then she added: “Across Ontario, we are seeing health care workers stretched thin. Long wait times, closed emergency rooms, patients receiving care in hallways – simply because there are not enough nurses. This has to end. As Canadians, we are proud of our public health care system. But without nurses, there is no health care. As Premier, I will hire more nurses, legislate safe staffing ratios, and make sure that we keep nurses in our hospitals so that you can get the care you deserve”. Among the goals of Stiles, who was in Toronto today: establish and legislate safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios to make sure that patients can get the care they deserve; consult with nurses to make sure the ratios work for communities across the province; end the reliance on private, for-profit nursing agencies that are costing Ontario’s health care system hundreds of millions a year; we will scale up our nursing workforce, starting with the hiring of at least 15,000 nurses over the next three years to ensure safe staffing ratios and end the reliance on private agencies.

As we wrote above, also the Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie (in the pic above, from her Twitter – X profile @BonnieCrombie) spoke again – today, from Toronto – about healthcare, recalling her plan which envisages, among the various points: attract and retain thousands of both domestic and internationally trained doctors; expand the Ontario Health Network: put an end to the fax machines and paperwork that waste thousands of our doctor’s hours every year; stop penalizing patients and doctors if they seek care at walk-in clinics. “It’s time to fix our healthcare system after seven years of Doug Ford’s mismanagement” said the leader of the Ontario Liberals: “With us in government, every single person in this province will have their own family doctor”.

In the pic above, Premier Doug Ford during his speech today (screenshot from the video published on his X – Twitter page @fordnation)