ONTARIO ELECTION DAY 2: Ford promises to protect EV industry from tariffs as Stiles and Crombie say he can’t be trusted to cut a good deal

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford says he has a plan to protect autoworkers in the province.

It’s Day 2 of the provincial election campaign and the leaders are fanning out across the province to get their messages out as the campaign gets underway.

Yesterday PC Leader Doug Ford kicked off his campaign, framing it as a contest about who can best stand up to Donal Trump in the face of tariff threats. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie pushed back on that, framing the election instead as being about health care. NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the election is an opportunity to have better, more accountable government, while Green Leader Mike Schreiner said it’s an opportunity to pursue more environmentally sustainable policies.

Ontario’s auto manufacturing, particularly its electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, took a spotlight Thursday, as Doug Ford promised to double down on support for the industry. The other leaders, meanwhile, said his record of wasted spending means he can’t be trusted to cut any sort of deal.

Here’s what the leaders are they’re saying today.

2:30 p.m.

Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie kicked off the day at her campaign office in Mississauga East-Cooksville.

Speaking with supporters, Crombie attacked Ford’s record and reiterated that she would have supported a plan to respond to tariffs without an election.

“Doug Ford does not share our priorities. His are all about protecting himself, not protecting Ontario,” Crombie said. “That’s right, he’s worried about booze, bike lanes, big spas and his rich buddies.

Asked about electric vehicle manufacturing in the province, Crombie said she’s concerned about the industry given that Ford “has put all our eggs in the EV basket” and said the province needs to diversify.

“I would try to diversify our economy. I’m very concerned. I’m very concerned about EV batteries. What’s going to happen south of the border once they pull the subsidies, what will happen?” Crombie said, referring to clauses in the deal tying Canadian support to U.S. subsidies.

She also said the $200 cheques the government recently mailed out to taxpayers may be welcome in the short-term, but don’t do much long-term.

“I’m a different kind of Liberal and I’m gonna cut taxes,” Crombie said, repeating a promise to slash income tax if she is elected.

12:30

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles kicked off her day speaking with reporters as she boarded her campaign bus in Toronto to get out across the province.

“I’m excited to get out there,” she told reporters as she walked up to the large coach bus with her face emblazoned on it.

Asked what she would do about electrical vehicle investments under the threat of tariffs, Stiles said she “absolutely believes” in the sector, but has concerns about the deals Ford has struck in the past.

“I have concerns that Doug Ford has made some very bad deals in the province of Ontario,” Stiles said. “I want to make sure that we are protecting that sector. There’s been a lot of money invested at the federal and provincial government levels.

“I want to make sure that we protect all sectors, that we’re standing up for all jobs. But I have some fears about this. I worry that Doug Ford has put a lot of eggs in one basket.”

Stiles also had some sharp words for Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie.

“I will continue to appeal to folks who maybe have voted Liberal in the past, because I don’t think that Bonnie Crombie’s values are the values of a lot of those voters,” Stiles said. “I think Bonnie Crombie doesn’t want to defeat Doug Ford. I think she wants to be Doug Ford.”

In terms of her own plans for EV sector, she said she will have to wait and see what Ford does, but that she favours a “united” approach across all levels of government rather than “side deals.”

Stiles then boarded the bus to head out to stops in the Kitchener Waterloo and Windsor-Essex areas.

11:30

PC Leader Doug Ford started his day in London, Ont., talking auto jobs and skilled trades.

Ford reiterated the threat from U.S. tariffs and said his party would uphold previous commitments to invest in electric vehicle manufacturing in the province.

“No matter what decision the U.S. makes about the Inflation Reduction Act, we will maintain our financial contributions to the electric vehicle and battery autos pact,” Ford said, refencing a 2023 agreement that provides tens of billions of federal and provincial dollars in performance incentives for companies like Stellantis-LGES and Volkswagen Group to manufacture in Ontario.

Ford added that he expects whoever becomes the next prime minister “to do the exact same thing.”

Ford also said his party is prepared to invest an additional $1 billion in the Skills Development Fund, along with an another $100 million in the Better Jobs Ontario Program, a program that provides skills training and financial support to those who have been laid-off and have not been working or are working a temporary job just to cover costs.

He also promised $38 million for “action centres” that would offer career support in any area that might face layoffs because of trade disruptions.