The leader of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, has kicked off his provincial election campaign, saying he needs a strong mandate to fight the tariffs threatened by U.S.

The writ has dropped, and Ontario has officially entered its 44th election cycle. Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie are all hitting the campaign trail Wednesday.

For Doug Ford, this will be the top issue of the campaign and the one he is likely to focus on — and he likely hopes voters will focus on it, too. Amid political chaos in Ottawa, the provincial leader has been at the forefront of Canada’s pushback as Trump threatens 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles launched her campaign in Toronto, pitching herself as the best person to fight back against Mr. Trump, while Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie appeared in Barrie, an hour north of Toronto, and focused on improving health care. Both have dismissed the early election as needless.

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford pitched himself Wednesday as the best steward of the economy in the face of looming tariffs, but the other party leaders say his record from the last seven years suggests otherwise.

“If you have been following it all, you know that Ford and the (Progressive Conservatives) in Ontario have wanted to have an early election for some time,” John Shields, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) said.

Ontario's legislature will be dissolved on Tuesday and the most populous Canadian province will vote on Feb. 27 to elect its next government, Premier Doug Ford's office said.

The Ontario premier says he's ready for a street fight if Trump makes good on threats of a trade war with Canada

Trump pledged in his inaugural address that tariffs would be coming in a speech in which he promised a golden era for America. He later said Canada and Mexico could be hit with the tariffs as soon as Feb. 1, though he signed an executive order requesting a report coordinated by the Secretary of Commerce by April. 1.

Ontario’s take-no-prisoners Premier Doug Ford is threatening to ban U.S. alcohol in stores and cut power to American homes and businesses close to the border in his war on Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs.

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.

The leader of Canada's most populous province of Ontario said Friday he will be calling an election next week because he needs a mandate to fight U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs. Conservative Premier Doug Ford said he will call an early election next Wednesday.