(Toronto) The Premier of Ontario will visit the Lieutenant Governor on Tuesday at 3 p.m. to ask her to dissolve the Legislative Assembly, which will kick off the provincial election campaign.
Posted at 2:21 p.m.
Elizabeth Dowdeswell is expected to accept Doug Ford’s request and the campaign should therefore officially begin on Wednesday, for a general election in just over a month, on June 2. But politicians have already been campaigning unofficially for several weeks – two of the three main parties have even published their election platforms.
Polls released so far suggest that the Progressive Conservative Party could be re-elected, and that the Liberal Party could unseat the New Democratic Party (NDP) to form the Official Opposition at Queen’s Park.
But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath argued Tuesday that her party was best suited for what she called “task number one”: defeating the Progressive Conservatives.
At an event in Toronto, Mme Horwath pointed out that his party has been the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly since 2018, as the Liberals enter the race this time with just seven incumbents. “We know the things that matter most to people can be resolved if we come together this time and ensure that Doug Ford is defeated by voting for the NDP,” she said.
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca pointed out that Mr. Ford and Mr.me Horwath seem to want to direct their attacks against him. “I’m going to focus on the 15 million people who call this province home, and what they need, what they’re looking for, and what they want, coming out of this pandemic: a quality of life that they deserve, in my opinion,” Mr. Del Duca said.
The Liberals released a series of videos online Tuesday morning aimed at introducing Mr. Del Duca to voters. Although he was a minister in the former Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne, polls suggest he is not well known to the general public. He had been beaten by the Conservative candidate in the last general election in 2018.
Meanwhile, Elections Ontario is encouraging residents to vote early this year, in hopes of reducing crowds at polling stations during the pandemic. Wearing a mask will not be compulsory for voters and staff, but it will be offered to those who wish.
For Ontarians who want to avoid this rally, there will be 10 days of advance voting, instead of five, and Elections Ontario will offer a new online process to obtain a mail-in ballot.
Elections Ontario has also launched a new app, which will allow voters to locate their polling station on a map, view candidate information and learn about all the options for how to vote.
Voters will also be able to receive notifications when a new candidate registers and obtain an electronic version of the voter information card, with barcode.