Ontario’s premier is calling an early election, saying his government needs a fresh mandate to help Canada’s fight against potential tariffs from US President Donald Trump.

The leader of Canada’s most populous province says he will be calling an election in Ontario because he says he needs a mandate to fight U.S.

Doug Ford, Ontario’s Conservative leader, has recently said that President Trump was “going to try to devastate our country” with a plan to impose tariffs on Canadian exports.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford plans to call a snap election Wednesday, using the threat of 25 per cent tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump to justify his early call. That election call would send Ontarians to the polls on Feb. 27, more than a year before the June 2026 fixed election date.

Doug Ford could trigger an Ontario election as early as next week, two sources close to the government confirmed to CBC News. Both sources said they expect the election to be called in the first week of February,

Due to Trump’s tariffs, Canada cannot afford to have the focus of one of its key provincial leaders diverted into trying to win an unnecessary provincial election.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford plans to call a snap election Wednesday, seeking an even larger majority than his current government holds and using the threat of 25 per cent tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump as a justification.