Why Doug Ford wants Mark Carney to show the west ‘some love’
This is a love story. In May, Ontario Premier Doug Ford implored his ally, Prime Minister Mark Carney, to show the west “some love.”
Robert Benzie
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Robert Benzie.
Pierre Poilievre does better than Doug Ford and other possible leaders against Mark Carney, poll suggests
Dumping embattled leader Pierre Poilievre would not necessarily be an electoral panacea for the opposition Conservatives, a new poll suggests. According to a new Abacus Data survey for the Star, conducted before the defection to the Liberals of one Tory MP and the surprise resignation of another, Poilievre tested better than any other potential leader, including Premier Doug Ford.
Two years later, top Tories who lost jobs in Greenbelt scandal still haven’t been interviewed by RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials were tight-lipped when contacted about the second anniversary of launching their criminal inquiry. Only one of the four Progressive Conservatives who lost their jobs in the Greenbelt imbroglio has been interviewed by the RCMP in a probe that began two years ago, the Star has learned.
Members of his own party worry Doug Ford isn’t conservative enough. His supporters say, so what?
Doug Ford is probably the most popular and successful Tory politician in Canada, but he still has his detractors within the conservative movement. The three-term Progressive Conservative premier, whose party is at a near-record high of 52 per cent support in the latest Abacus Data survey, has long triggered Tories who feel he’s drifted too far to the mushy middle...
Marit Stiles survives leadership review with 68 per cent support, vows to ‘hold Doug Ford to account’
NDP Leader Marit Stiles has narrowly avoided the ignominious fate of Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie. Stiles garnered just 68 per cent support Saturday from New Democrats at their Niagara Falls convention, better than the 57 per cent that cost Crombie her job last weekend, but hardly a ringing endorsement from party delegates.
Take it from Pierre Poilievre and Donald Trump: In politics, there’s always a chance for a second chance
In the notes for his unfinished final novel, The Last Tycoon, F. Scott Fitzgerald famously and portentously wrote “there are no second acts in American lives.” Nowhere is this less true than in politics, American or otherwise.
‘Do not roll over,’ Doug Ford urges Mark Carney as Donald Trump’s trade deal deadline nears
Premier Doug Ford is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to stand his ground against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff assault on Canada. “I told the prime minister, do not roll over. Hit that guy back as hard as we possibly can. And that’s what we need to do — and we can do it,” Ford told reporters Thursday in Thunder...
‘Tired of this crap’: Liberal MPPs rally around Bonnie Crombie after criticism from Nate Erskine-Smith
Liberal MPPs are rallying behind embattled leader Bonnie Crombie in the wake of the broadside against her fired by former rival Nate Erskine-Smith. With Crombie facing a leadership review at the Ontario Liberals’ annual general meeting Sept. 12-14 in Toronto, Erskine-Smith wrote an 1,177-word email blast urging “change in our party.”
Bonnie Crombie backers warn a Liberal leadership contest would only help Doug Ford
Backers of Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie are sounding the alarm about the perils of plunging into another leadership race later this summer. “Team Bonnie” sent out an email to Liberal members Friday warning against “giving Doug Ford exactly what he wants: a distracted, divided party that can’t deliver for Ontarians.”
Bonded by crisis: Inside the alliance between Mark Carney and Doug Ford
Forged by crisis, tempered by opportunity and steeled by circumstance, it is the most important political alliance in the country. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford, a federal Liberal and an Ontario Progressive Conservative, each recently tasked by voters with tackling the economic and existential threat of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Doug Ford heads west to meet with Danielle Smith and promote pipelines
Premier Doug Ford is stampeding west to promote pipelines. Ford will be at the Calgary Stampede on Monday and is to sign a memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to build new energy and trade infrastructure.
Poll reveals who is Canada’s most popular premier and who is most disliked
As first ministers gather against the backdrop U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war, a new poll suggests Alberta’s Danielle Smith has the highest negatives of any premier. The Pollara Strategic Insights survey also found Ontario’s Doug Ford is the country’s most popular premier — thanks largely to his stance against Trump’s tariffs.
Mark Carney’s chief of staff considering running to be Toronto’s mayor, insiders say
Four sources close to Mendicino confirmed Friday that he is eyeing a mayoral bid to replace incumbent Olivia Chow in next year’s municipal election. Marco Mendicino, the former Liberal cabinet member and chief of staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney, is considering a run for mayor of Toronto, multiple sources say. Four sources close to Mendicino confirmed Friday that he...
Former aide to Doug Ford sanctioned for breaking Ontario lobbying rules
One of Premier Doug Ford’s closest former aides has been sanctioned by the legislature’s ethics watchdog for breaking Ontario lobbying rules. Amin Massoudi, who was on the infamous 2020 Las Vegas trip with Greenbelt developer Shakir Rehmatullah that cost former Ford minister Kaleed Rasheed his job in cabinet, received a slap on the wrist from integrity commissioner Cathryn Motherwell.
Doug Ford avoids ‘bear trap’ of advising Pierre Poilievre on his run in Alberta
The remarks referenced the tensions between Ontario’s PC premier and the federal Tories, who accused Ford of “sabotaging” their campaign. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is reaching out to Premier Doug Ford in the wake of the Tories’ latest electoral defeat. But there is one piece of advice Ford, who works closely with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals, isn’t about to...
Doug Ford fires back at federal Tories’ claims he ‘sabotaged’ Pierre Poilievre
Premier Doug Ford is firing back at federal Conservative charges that the provincial Tories “sabotaged” Pierre Poilievre’s campaign in Ontario. “I shouldn’t interfere in the federal election,” Ford told reporters in Mississauga on Wednesday when asked why he didn’t help Poilievre.
Tory MP accuses Doug Ford of ‘sabotaging’ federal campaign by helping Liberals
As the federal Conservatives assess a campaign that saw leader Pierre Poilievre lose his Ottawa-area seat of Carleton, they are pointing fingers at the most powerful Tory in Ontario. Let the blame begin. As the federal Conservatives assess a campaign that saw leader Pierre Poilievre lose his Ottawa-area seat of Carleton, they are pointing fingers at the most powerful Tory...
Mark Carney’s Liberals set to win a majority as poll analysis says Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives flatlining in Ontario
As the federal campaign enters its final days, Mark Carney’s Liberals appear set to win a majority Monday, according to the Star’s poll aggregator, the Signal. While Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have closed the gap nationally in terms of voter preference, that does not seem to be translating into additional seats for the official opposition party.
Conservatives pour resources into Pierre Poilievre’s riding amid fears of a tight race
The federal Conservatives are funnelling resources into Pierre Poilievre’s local campaign, shoring up volunteer support in the leader’s Ottawa-area riding over concerns that winning his seat is not guaranteed, the Star has learned. One Conservative source involved in Poilievre’s campaign told the Star that the leader appears to be in trouble in Carleton, the sprawling riding Poilievre has held since...
Ontario Greenbelt’s controversial ‘Mr. X’ is banned from lobbying for two years
John Mutton — the Greenbelt lobbyist known as “Mr. X” — has been banned from lobbying government for two years. Mutton, a former mayor of Clarington, gained notoriety when integrity commissioner J. David Wake dubbed him “Mr. X” in a 2023 report on the $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap scandal.
Doug Ford says he is not interested in Pierre Poilievre’s job
Doug Ford insists he has no interest in succeeding Pierre Poilievre as federal Conservative leader. “You know something, I have the greatest job in the world,” the recently re-elected Progressive Conservative premier told reporters Wednesday when asked about his federal ambitions.
Pierre Poilievre ducks question about whether he trusts polls that show him trailing Mark Carney
On a campaign stop in Milton, a reporter asked if Poilievre would “respect the results of the election no matter the outcome.” Trailing in every major public-opinion poll, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will respect the results of the April 28 election win or lose. But Poilievre — some of whose supporters have been sporting gear saying “Do You...
Doug Ford’s internal polling paints a grim picture for Pierre Poilievre in Ontario
Ford’s campaign manager warns that unless the Tories “get on it quick, they are going to get obliterated.” Internal polling for Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives suggests Mark Carney’s Liberals lead Pierre Poilievre’s federal Conservatives by double digits in Ontario, the Star has learned. A new Campaign Research survey found Carney’s Liberals at 48 per cent while Poilievre’s Tories were...
Polls show Carney’s Liberals have widened their lead over Poilievre’s Tories since election call
Voters in Ontario and Quebec are propelling Mark Carney’s Liberals deep into majority government territory, polls suggest. The Star’s election predictor, the Signal, says the Liberals have widened their lead over Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in the April 28 vote.
Doug Ford says his ‘absolutely swamped’ MPPs won’t have time to campaign for Pierre Poilievre
Premier Doug Ford is reminding Progressive Conservative cabinet ministers and MPPs they will be too “swamped” with their day jobs to help Pierre Poilievre in the federal election campaign. Asked at the first ministers’ meeting in Ottawa on Friday if he would “let your MPPs campaign with Mr. Poilievre,” Ford did not mince words.
Insiders say Pierre Poilievre called Doug Ford for help — and the premier turned him down
The premier told him he would be too busy governing Ontario, the Star has learned. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Doug Ford to ask for his help in the upcoming federal election campaign, but the premier told him he would be too busy governing Ontario, the Star has learned. Federal and provincial Tory sources said Poilievre phoned the premier on...
Doug Ford pledges to work with ‘very bright’ Mark Carney on tackling Donald Trump’s tariffs
As Premier Doug Ford gets set to appoint his new cabinet, the Progressive Conservatives’ top priority is dealing with the Trump trade war. Ford, whose executive council will be unveiled Wednesday, is already working closely with new Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney on a “Team Canada” approach to combating U.S. tariffs.
Doug Ford’s surcharge on exports of electricity to the U.S. remains on the table, sources say
The tone has changed, but the threats remain. While Doug Ford says “the temperature is being lowered” in the trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump, the premier is reserving the right to reinstate his 25 per cent surcharge on Ontario’s electricity exports stateside.
Doug Ford is channelling Canadians’ outrage about Donald Trump’s tariffs — and it’s not just Americans who are noticing
It was a small aside, but perhaps a surprising one given the often contentious relationship between politicians and journalists. In an impromptu scrum with reporters in the corridor at Queen’s Park last Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford earnestly expressed gratitude to them for their coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada.
‘Canada is killing our people’: Donald Trump, JD Vance demand Canada halt counter-tariffs, increase border security during heated call with Trudeau
Canada offered to delay its second phase of counter-tariffs against the U.S. if Donald Trump drops tariffs on all Canadian products — not just in the auto sector — that are covered by and comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Free Trade Agreement, the Star has learned. High-stakes talks continued between Canadian and U.S. officials with no word about whether there would...
Bonnie Crombie endorses Mark Carney as federal Liberal leader
Bonnie Crombie is endorsing Mark Carney to be federal Liberal leader, the Star has learned. The Ontario Liberal chief will make it official Tuesday in Toronto, sources say.
Recording reveals Doug Ford calling for return of death penalty in campaign speech: ‘Send ‘em right to sparky’
Doug Ford took his tough-on-crime talk to new heights in a campaign speech where he pushed for a return to capital punishment, the Star has learned. Musing about stiffer penalties for home invaders who kill victims, the Ontario Progressive Conservative leader called for changes in the federal Criminal Code that would empower judges to “send ‘em right to sparky.”
Doug Ford under attack in Super Bowl ads
Doug Ford’s campaign fumble is getting the Super Bowl spotlight. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie will be airing two different 30-second commercials during the NFL championship game Sunday night between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ontario election: ‘Hot mic’ gaffe carries risks but Doug Ford’s Tories still lead, poll suggests
Doug Ford’s ”hot mic” gaffe about wanting Donald Trump to win the U.S. presidency may not have damaged the Progressive Conservatives, but it has exposed potential risks for their campaign, a new poll suggests. The Abacus Data poll for the Star found Ford’s Tories with 46 per cent support, well ahead of Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals at 24 per cent, Marit...
Crombie, Stiles pounce on Doug Ford’s hot mic admission that he ‘100%’ wanted Donald Trump to win election
Doug Ford‘s hot mic admission that he “100%” wanted Donald Trump to win the U.S. presidential election has jolted the snap Ontario vote. That’s because Ford framed the Feb. 27 campaign as a referendum on who could best deal with Trump’s threatened tariffs against Canada.
Doug Ford overheard saying he was happy Donald Trump became president — ‘then the guy pulled out the knife’
A defensive Doug Ford insists it was not reckless to call a provincial election against the spectre of a trade war that could devastate Ontario’s economy. That came as Ford was caught on a hot mic Monday saying that he “100 per cent” wanted Donald Trump to win the American presidency last November.
Canada tariffs: Ontario cancels contract with Starlink, global markets in turmoil after Trump announces tariffs over the weekend
The onset of a U.S.-led tariff war with Canada, Mexico and China triggered turmoil in global markets and prompted Ontario to cancel its contract with Elon Musk‘s Starlink satellite company and to ban American companies from provincial contracts. “We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink. Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy,” said PC...
Doug Ford warns Pierre Poilievre that Ontario’s auto industry must be protected
Doug Ford is taking a veiled shot at federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying whoever is the next prime minister must continue Canada’s supports for the auto industry — particularly in electric vehicles. On the second day of Ontario’s Feb. 27 election campaign, the Progressive Conservative leader, who is seeking a third term in office, said Ontario would maintain its...
Doug Ford has strong support as election call looms, survey suggests
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are in the poll position as the governing party revs up for a snap election call Wednesday, a new public opinion survey suggests. The Abacus Data poll for the Star found Ford’s Tories at 47 per cent support, far ahead of Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals at 24 per cent, Marit Stiles’s New Democrats at 19 per cent...
Canada is gearing up to counterattack Trump’s tariff threat, Justin Trudeau says. ‘Everything is on the table.’
Canada would not immediately match any U.S. tariffs with “dollar for dollar” penalties on American products coming into Canada — an approach that Ontario Premier Doug Ford views as not “proportional” or strong enough to counter Donald Trump’s threats, the Star has learned. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told premiers “everything is on the table” as he met them behind closed...
Dominic LeBlanc is Doug Ford’s new ally in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet
When Dominic LeBlanc once confided to Doug Ford that he used to babysit Justin Trudeau as a child, the Ontario premier quipped: “Dom, you still do.” LeBlanc — now, literally, the embattled Trudeau’s minister of everything with responsibilities for finance, intergovernmental affairs and border security — enjoys an especially warm rapport with Ford.
Doug Ford hosting meeting with premiers to discuss response to Trump trade threat
Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders are meeting Monday to discuss U.S. president-elect Donald Trump‘s threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canadian products. Premier Doug Ford, chair of the Council of the Federation, is hosting the meeting at the Hilton Hotel near Pearson International Airport.
Justin Trudeau takes a swipe at Donald Trump ahead of first ministers’ meeting
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took an indirect dig at Donald Trump ahead of a first ministers’ meeting Wednesday on how to best handle the unpredictable incoming U.S. president-elect. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took an indirect dig at Donald Trump ahead of a first ministers’ meeting Wednesday on how to best handle the unpredictable incoming U.S. president-elect.
Doug Ford’s Tories leading as potential election looms, survey shows
As Premier Doug Ford mulls gambling on an early election, a new poll suggests that might be a safe bet. The latest Abacus Data monthly tracking survey for the Star found Ford’s Tories at 43 per cent — well ahead of Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals at 25 per cent, Marit Stiles’ New Democrats at 21 per cent and Mike Schreiner’s Greens...
Ford government launches multimillion-dollar U.S. ad blitz as Trump threatens tariffs
Released Monday, the ad will run throughout the U.S. over Christmas and into the new year ahead of Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. As Donald Trump threatens 25 per cent tariffs on Canada, Premier Doug Ford has launched a multimillion-dollar American ad blitz touting Ontario’s importance to the U.S. economy. “For generations, this ally to the north has been by your...
Trudeau government’s ‘Team Canada’ approach to Donald Trump is already on shaky ground. Here’s why
It’s Show-Don’t-Tell time. The Trudeau government’s strategy in the face of Donald Trump’s latest 25 per cent tariff threat is fourfold: prove Canada is a reliable neighbour bent on securing borders against illegal migration and drugs.
Canada’s premiers want Justin Trudeau to do a trade deal with the U.S. that excludes Mexico, Doug Ford says
Ford, chair of the Council of Federation of premiers, said “there’s a clear consensus that everyone agrees that we need a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. and a separate bilateral trade deal with Mexico.” Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to strike a separate trade deal with the United States, excluding Mexico, says Premier Doug...
Insiders say Doug Ford will use the spectre of Trump to justify an early election
Ontarians are expected to go to the polls this spring in an early election that Premier Doug Ford will contend is necessary due to the spectre of Donald Trump. Thanks to the economic uncertainty triggered by a second Trump presidency, Ford’s planned pitch to voters would be a simple one, Progressive Conservative sources told the Star.
Doug Ford warns of the perils of protectionism on the eve of U.S. election
Ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, Premier Doug Ford is warning that protectionism would hurt Ontario, America’s third-largest trading partner. Ford — who has expressed concern about the threat by former president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, to slap hefty tariffs on foreign goods and services — underscored the importance of trade between the province and U.S. states.
Doug Ford spending nearly half of Ontario’s tax windfall on $200 ‘rebate’ cheques
Premier Doug Ford is spending nearly half of a $6.9-billion tax windfall on $200 pre-election “rebate” cheques. Bolstered by higher than projected revenue from personal income tax, corporations tax and sales tax, Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have earmarked $3 billion to send cheques to 15 million Ontario adults and children in the new year.
Doug Ford poised to send out pre-election cheques to 16 million Ontarians
Premier Doug Ford is poised to send cheques to 16 million Ontarians to offset rising costs as a possible early election looms, the Star has learned. Sources say the premier’s gambit will be announced in Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy’s fall economic statement on Oct. 30.
Is Justin Trudeau fated to lose just like Kathleen Wynne’? We asked MPs who were there for the last days of her government
Is it déjà vu all over again? That’s a loaded question for the half dozen Liberal MPs who were part of the doomed Kathleen Wynne government that lost to Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives in 2018 and now sit in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal caucus facing Pierre Poilievre’s surging Conservatives. Two of those veteran politicians wouldn’t touch it with a...
Doug Ford has faced controversy after controversy — yet remains as popular as ever. Here’s why Ontarians say they still like him
Premier Doug Ford appears to be the Teflon Tory. In his lucky seventh summer as Ontario premier, Ford is emerging as a politician to whom little seems to stick.
Bonnie Crombie embraces prominent critics of Justin Trudeau as she distances her Ontario party from the federal Liberals
Justin who? Bonnie Crombie is distancing her provincial party from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s struggling federal Liberals.
Doug Ford names new education minister after Todd Smith resigns just 10 weeks into the job
Todd Smith’s surprise resignation after just 10 weeks as education minister has forced Premier Doug Ford to shuffle his cabinet, promoting Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop to that key post. Smith, 53, a Progressive Conservative MPP since 2011, stepped down Friday in a stunning move that will trigger a byelection in the riding of Bay of Quinte within six months.
‘We have nothing to hide,’ Doug Ford says as RCMP interviews potential witnesses linked to Ontario government in Greenbelt criminal probe
RCMP detectives investigating the $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap scandal are interviewing witnesses linked to Premier Doug Ford’s government. As first disclosed by the Star, current and former Progressive Conservative aides are sitting down with the Mounties to discuss Ford’s controversial 2022 decision to open up 7,400 acres of the two-million-acre Greenbelt to housing development.
Doug Ford’s football friend Tim Walz is Kamala Harris’s running mate
Two months ago, Premier Doug Ford was talking trade and tossing a football around his Queen’s Park office with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. With Walz now U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s running-mate atop the Democratic presidential ticket, Ford is hopeful that could be good news for Ontario — and for his “Buy North America” push.
LCBO strike seems to have given Doug Ford’s Tories a boost, but government’s poor approval rating is a warning sign, survey shows
Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives will drink to that. The first strike in LCBO history appears to have boosted the popularity of Ford’s Tories, according to the latest Abacus Data tracking poll for the Star.
Internal poll for Doug Ford finds strong support for booze liberalization plan — and striking LCBO workers
Ontarians overwhelmingly support more liberalized alcohol sales even though a majority back the LCBO strikers, according to internal government polling obtained by the Star. The poll commissioned by Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives found 54 per cent support the Ontario Public Service Employees Union’s “decision to go strike” while 32 per cent opposed it and 14 per cent had no opinion.
Doug Ford would upset nearly half of all Ontarians with an early $150M election, poll suggests
Nearly half of all Ontarians would be “unhappy” or “very angry” if Premier Doug Ford called an early $150-million election, a new poll suggests. With Ford considering a vote a year before the scheduled June 2026 provincial election, Abacus Data used its monthly tracking survey for the Star to ask how Ontarians would feel about heading to the polls early...