Vic Fedeli says a snap election would not just be about politics.
On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated that he 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.
Vic Fedeli, at a press conference Friday morning at the North Bay Regional Health Centre, stated Ontarians cannot underestimate the severity of these Trump tariffs.
"We heard Donald Trump again yesterday on a video to the world economic forum saying, 'We don't need Canada's oil and gas, we don't need Canada's lumber, we don't need Canada's cars, they should become our 51st state, and if they don't, we're going to put tariffs.'
"This is very, very serious," stated Fedeli on Friday morning.
That election call would send Ontarians to the polls on Feb. 27, more than a year before the June 2026 fixed election date.
Fedeli, who was in Washington, D.C. with an Ontario delegation during the Trump inauguration on January 20, is the Ontario minister of economic development, job creation, and trade. He says the impact of these tariffs on Ontario will be immense.
"There is a severe economic impact about to hit Canada and hit the province of Ontario, and we are going to need a very strong mandate to be able to fund a recovery," said Fedeli.
"This will be tens of billions of dollars that we are going to ask the people of Ontario to let us borrow to be able to help families and businesses throughout the next weeks, months and God only hope it's not years."
Ford, who already has a large majority government, suggested he is not satisfied with the 79 out of 124 seats his Progressive Conservatives currently hold.
Snap elections in Ontario have been costly in the past, such as David Peterson's call in 1990 three years into his term that cost his party the election.
Fedeli believes the situation now is very different than back in 1990.
"This isn't about the politics of it," said Fedeli.
"This is about fighting Donald Trump, having the tools in place. It's all about the tariffs, that's our sole focus is the tariffs, and the people of Ontario, and quite frankly, the politics need to be put aside, the historical politics and the comparisons. This is about helping the people of Ontario, helping the people of Canada as well by fighting the tariffs."
Fedeli says they are preparing for economic retaliation.
"We're going to use everything in our toolbox," he said bluntly.
"It will include things like we will no longer buy American liquor at the LCBO. That's a punishing move. We have critical minerals. Think about this for a moment. I heard President Trump say, 'We don't need Canada's lumber.' Well, they buy 84 per cent of all the lumber they import comes from Canada. So it's hard to argue with the facts, though.
"He just doesn't seem to pay attention to the facts. Think about another couple of quick statistics. More interest in Northern Ontario, 80 per cent of all the nickel that is used in United States aerospace construction comes from Ontario, 56 per cent of all nickel used in United States defence construction comes from Ontario. So it's hard to say 'We don't need anything from Ontario.' They are going to need our critical minerals. You will not be able to build an F35 airplane."
With files from the Canadian Press
