TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford officially set a provincial election in motion Tuesday for Feb. 27, more than a year before the next fixed election date. The election had been set for June 2026, but Ford said he needs a new mandate to deal with four years of a Donald Trump presidency in the United States.

While Premier Doug Ford insists that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threat is why he's calling an election 15 months ahead of schedule, there are plenty of reasons why the timing is politically advantageous to Ford and his Ontario PC Party.

Doug Ford is set to officially trigger an early provincial election campaign Tuesday, sending Ontarians to the polls Feb. 27 in a move criticized by his opposition as unnecessary but that the Premier argues he needs in order to win a stronger mandate as U.S. tariffs loom.