Ontario Premier Doug Ford in Ottawa on Wednesday. Mr. Ford says he wants to lead his party to a fourth majority government.Keito Newman/The Canadian Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he wants to lead his party to a fourth majority government as he touted his ability to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump during a speech to the party faithful that sought to highlight the Progressive Conservatives’ record after nearly eight years in power.
The speech at the PC convention on Saturday was initially closed to media, but the party later reversed course after significant backlash and accusations of secrecy. However, the bulk of the three-day convention at the Toronto Congress Centre in Etobicoke, including sessions on campaign strategy and fundraising and a “fireside chat” with the Premier and party members, were still off limits to reporters, who were escorted in and out of the room by political staff.
Both the federal Conservatives and provincial Tories held conventions this weekend, with federal Leader Pierre Poilievre winning a crucial leadership vote with a resounding 87.4 per cent. Mr. Ford – having won three back-to-back majorities – was not facing any such test, and the PC event was a more low-key and closed-off affair.
Poilievre wins 87.4% in leadership vote, cements hold over Conservative Party
Ontario PCs backtrack on plan to bar media from covering Ford’s convention speech
Mr. Ford, during a 15-minute speech to about 1,000 people at a “Dinner with the Leader” on Saturday evening, thanked the membership and said he hopes to be at the helm of his party for a fourth term.
“You’re helping us build a stronger, more united PC Party – a party that will continue to work for the people, and a party that I look forward to leading to win a historic, fourth majority mandate with your help in the next election,” Mr. Ford said, to cheers and applause from the crowd.
His party won victories in 2018, 2022 and in 2025, when Mr. Ford called an early election.
Claiming the previous Liberal government “left Ontario in shambles,” Mr. Ford said the Progressive Conservatives are standing up to the challenges posed by the current U.S. administration.
“Despite President Trump’s tariffs and threats, we are building a province that is more resilient, self-reliant and competitive than ever before,” Mr. Ford said.
The Premier later also echoed his “Team Canada” message – one that faltered in recent weeks when Mr. Ford publicly criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney’s auto agreement with China.
“We are working as part of a strong, united Team Canada, to stand up to President Trump, protect Ontario, and protect the true north strong and free,” Mr. Ford said.
Mr. Ford initially spoke out against the deal struck by Mr. Carney with Beijing that will see Canada ease tariffs on 49,000 Chinese electric-vehicles in exchange for relief for the canola sector. The Premier and Mr. Carney later patched things up over pizza after a meeting in Toronto last week, with Mr. Ford hinting that he supports a new automotive strategy that the federal government is set to announce.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford after the First Ministers’ Meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Auto layoffs have persisted in Ontario, and on Friday hundreds more were out of work after General Motors cut a third shift at its Oshawa facility.
In his speech, Mr. Ford claimed credit for fixing the federal bail system and boasted of “clearing encampments out of parks” and “shutting down drug injection sites.”
The Ford government’s decision to close 10 supervised consumption sites and replace them with treatment and addiction centres was criticized by harm-reduction advocates who said the move will cost lives amid the toxic drug crisis. But the province has said the sites were doing nothing to get people to stop doing drugs and were fuelling crimes.
Ford also spoke about welcoming billions in investment to the province as well as expanding subways and public transit, although some projects – such as the Eglinton Crosstown light-rail line in Toronto – have been mired in years of delays. He highlighted his plan to build a tunnel under Highway 401 in Toronto, as well as his government’s efforts to build a road to the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario to unlock critical minerals, seen as crucial to Canada’s economic independence.
Mr. Ford said he’s pushing the federal government to take the harmonized sales tax off newly built homes, regardless of cost. Ottawa and the province have already pledged to remove their portion of the tax for new homes under $1-million, but Mr. Ford has previously said more needs to be done to boost the sluggish housing market.
“That’s a message I took to the Prime Minister this week in Ottawa, and I’ll keep pushing until we get it done so we can get shovels in the ground and keep the dream of homeownership alive in Ontario,” Mr. Ford said.
Liberal MPP Adil Shamji, who attended the convention as a member of the opposition, called Mr. Ford’s speech “uninspiring and deflated.”
He said he believed the Premier’s desire for a fourth term as Ontario PC leader stems from the fact that Mr. Poilievre performed well in his leadership review.
“It’s been obvious for a long time that he has his eyes set on Pierre Poilievre’s job, and I’m sure he’s very disappointed right now,” Mr. Shamji said of Mr. Ford. Mr. Shamji was standing outside, which he said was because the PC Party would not allow him to speak with reporters inside the building.