Provincial party leaders talking tariffs in Waterloo Region on Monday

It seems like everybody is talking about Trump tariffs, and rightly so.

There is almost universal consensus that nobody will benefit from sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States and harsh retaliatory tariffs on this side of the border.

With this crisis looming, Ontario has also been hurled into a provincial election cycle, now into week two. A pair of the main party candidates were in Waterloo Region for campaign events on Monday.

Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie made the keynote address to a meeting with the Greater Kitchener and Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. Green Party leader Mike Schreiner was campaigning in the Kitchener Centre riding with candidate and current deputy Green leader, Aislinn Clancy.

Crombie took a few minutes to be a guest on The Mike Farwell Show. She said that she appreciates Doug Ford’s hardline stance in the face of the tariff threat and agrees, that the province needs to fight back.

But, when it comes to the election, her beef is that after six years of the Ford government, the province isn’t prepared to shoulder this kind of fight.

“My fight with him (Doug Ford) is on how vulnerable he has left our province and that the basic supports are not in place for people at a time like this when they are feeling vulnerable and jobs are at risk.”

Mike Schreiner was also a guest on The Mike Farwell Show and he too was talking jobs.

“I’m calling on the government to bring in an investment tax credit to unlock business investment in Ontario. Even the threat of tariffs has frozen investment which then directly relates to jobs for people.”

Crombie echoed those sentiments.

“Right now, we need to attract investment and create jobs. People are worried and rightly so, they should be. This government has not protected jobs. They have not created jobs,” she said. “Our unemployment rate is the highest it’s been in a decade and jobs are leaving the province. They are going to other provinces and they are going to the U.S.”

Schreiner also spoke about the housing crisis and how the tariffs would only exasperate that.

“I’ll be proposing a first-time home buyers plan because we cannot allow a whole generation of young people to not have the ability to have and own a home they can afford.”

Schreiner said when it comes down to it, an election right now is the last thing Ontarian’s need.

“We should not be in an election. In fact, we should be recalling the Ontario legislature this week to have an all-party response to Trump’s tariffs. But unfortunately, we can’t recall the legislature because the premier has put his job ahead of your job.”

While speaking to the KW Chamber, Crombie said a Liberal government would work to rebuild the province’s health care system while also making sure everyone has a family doctor.

New Democrat leader Marit Stiles was in eastern Ontario making stops in Oshawa, Belleville and Ottawa today. She said an NDP government would implement a federal-provincial income support program, direct agencies to focus on local procurement and look for new supply chains for industries reliant on trade.

The provincial election is set for Feb. 27.