While Harrison Ford, Drew Barrymore and other celebrities sold trucks, cruises, beer and soft drinks to millions of Americans during the Super Bowl game on Sunday night, the Ontario government made its own launch.
One of the expensive commercial of the Super Bowl, with a place of 30 seconds for $ 8 million, presented an announcement sponsored by the Ontario government that highlights the positive commercial relationship that the province has with its southern neighbor.
It was a not so subtle refutation to tariffs that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, would impose all imported steels and aluminum, even from Canada, the next night. And I came from the progressive conservative government of Doug Ford, whom some journalists and experts have given him the nickname of “Captain Canada”, and becoming an unofficial defender of the whole country.
“I think he has done it to some extent,” said Lori Turnbull, professor of Political Science at the University of Dalhouseie in Halifax. “Ford has happened to what some have described as a kind of leadership vacancy.”
This new role comes in a timely manner, at the midpoint of an electoral campaign of Snap Ontario that Ford triggered and allows him to avoid talking about problems in which he is vulnerable, such as health and education care, Turnbull said.
“You can argue that those files failed. Instead of defending his history as prime minister, he goes to the United States and acts as a prime minister,” he said. “This is absolutely in the heart of its strategy for a third mandate.
“If it weren’t for the threat of tariffs … I think that medical care and education problems would be higher in people’s lists, so I think it would probably be a difficult campaign for him if he couldn’t go to Washington,” .
Ford has launched Charm Offensive
On Tuesday, Ford did so in Washington, DC, to present his case against tariffs with US legislators. It is a role that he assumed when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau found somewhat distracted by the internal dispute of the party that finally led to an announcement of his intention to resign as leader of the Liberal Party.
Since December, following Trump’s announcement of his intention to apply 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian imported goods, Ford has launched what appears to be an offensive of charm. He has made the rounds of the US media, including interviews in CNN, Fox News and NBC’s Meet the pressSpeaking of minerals and critical goods, imports from the United States of Canada and how tariffs threaten the mutually beneficial commercial relationship.
The leader of the PC, Doug Ford, made his electoral campaign tour of Ontario to Washington, DC, on Tuesday to present the Ontario case against US tariffs, while the other leaders of the important parties continued campaigning throughout the entire province. Mike Crawley from CBC breaks down the details.
Ford used a ball cap “Canada is not on sale” during a meeting with Trudeau and other prime ministers in Ottawa last month. The Canadian unit has also preached, saying that the provinces must be held together to combat the threat, and scolded the minister of Alberta, Danielle Smith, for refusing to sign a joint statement, prime minister and all the other first ones agreed on how to respond To Trump.
Some columnists and observers have described Ford “Captain Canada”. After the election call in Ontario, the BBC wrote on its website: ‘Captain Canada’ of Ontario calls Snap elections as Trump’s tariff threat progresses.
But when it comes to defending Canada, Ford can be in a unique position to do so, said Turnbull.
“Ford can reach this in a different way. It has that kind of popular authenticity,” he said. “He is able to enter a room with a hat of ‘Canada not for sale’, and people look at him and say: ‘Look that, as, he is so patriotic that he is defending Canada’.”
If Trudeau did, the public would not have the same reaction, said Turnbull. “It wouldn’t have the same authenticity.”
Ford has assumed this role in part because he presides over the Federation Council, a defense organization for all provincial and territorial prime ministers, Turnbull said.
“YO Think because he is the leader of the biggest province, that’s nothing, “he said.
Tariff problem ‘clear crisis in people’s minds’
The problem of the rate will also make its political opponents difficult, said David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Data, a voting and research firm based in Ottawa.
“In a crisis, people often join their leader. And this is a clear crisis in people’s mind. So that already makes it more difficult for opposition parties to obtain an oxygen in a sand where Trump He is sucking everything” said. “And Ford has the natural advantage of being the guy who has work at this time.”
Coletto said that according to the surveys of his firm, if the voting question number 1 becomes who is better to face Trump, Ford and his party are far ahead of the liberals and the new democrats, whose leaders have argued That Ford’s trip to Washington is inappropriate during an electoral campaign.
“When we ask people: from the party leaders, who is better to face a stalker, Doug Ford wins for a great margin about the other main leaders of the party. So this is where they want them to be the elections,” Coletto, “said.
“It’s I think he called early elections. He saw the opportunity. And his visit to Washington [on Tuesday] He is only based on his attempt to try to focus attention on that instead of anything else. “
Even so, Trudeau remains prime minister, and having more than one political leader as a public spokesman on the tariff issue could be problematic.
“Multiple Canadian voices dilute the message, giving more space for Trump to dominate the story,” News told CBC in an email Gary Hufbauer, a senior non -resident member at the Peterson Institute of International Economics of Peterson with headquarters in Washington.
“Better so that a single strong spokesman represents Canada,” he said, adding that Trudeau is “with much the most plausible.”
Meanwhile, Ford’s role as Captain Canada was under scrutiny when it was discovered that he was happy that Trump, a Republican, would have won the US presidential elections on Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
“Captain Canada has no clothes,” said Sheila Copps, former liberal vice president, Sheila Copps in a column for Hill Times.
“Doug Ford lost that position when it was revealed last week in a filtered hot microphone recording that was a big Trump fan who celebrated when Donald Trump came out victorious.”
(Ford had said that while he was “100 percent” happy that Trump won “, then the guy took out the knife and the King threw it to us”).
Coletto, of Abacus data, said it could still be a vulnerability for Ford, depending on how many people realize it, but Turnbull ruled out the suggestion. “WHO Did anyone think I was going to support the presidential elections? I didn’t think he would support Harris, “he said.
“I think what he said is exactly what he would have thought of having happened. [Ford] He supported Trump and then gave him a tariff command. So now he doesn’t support him. “
After being captured in a video saying that he was happy with the president of the United States, Donald Trump, won the most recent US elections until the threat of tariffs, the leader of the PC, Doug Ford, told the journalists that he had thought that “things could be a bit different” with this Trump administration.
