Doug Ford shakes hands with members of the public. Photo: Robert Bell/Flickr

On Saturday, March 10, 2018, Doug Ford — brother of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford — won his bid to become the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives.

It was a heated leadership campaign rife with off-the-cuff references to Trump’s presidential victory south of the border, and those conservatives who voted for Ford would like to see him make Ontario great again.

As for political pedigree, Doug Ford has a huge shadow to dodge since his late brother was internationally known as not just being the mayor of Toronto but as the mayor of Toronto who smoked crack.

Regardless of how many Liberals claim that the Ford name is now tainted, it didn’t seem to bother the Tories enough where it mattered. And they think he could topple the Liberals’ Kathleen Wynne.

His own political career includes a one-term stint as a Toronto city councillor as well as being the runner up in the 2014 election where he lost to John Tory.

In his attempt to gain the leadership of the rocky PC party, he had to best the favoured candidate, lawyer Christine Elliott, which he finally did on the third ballot.

Elliott was no newbie to politics, she was a former MPP who was making her third attempt at the helm of the large ship, slow-turn, phenomenon that is the Ontario PC party.

Doug Ford’s win was a stunning upset, even more so when cast through the lens of the American presidential race.

Elliott represented a highly educated woman with a long history in law and politics running against a bombastic leadership contender who knows how to work the old boys’ room and the media’s glare.

“Tonight we took the first step in defeating Kathleen Wynne,” Ford told media and supporters the night of his win. Ontarians go to the polls June 7, 2018.

Doug Ford is right to keep his eyes focused on Kathleen Wynne, a two-person race to the finish. I can’t remember a past election where the NDP really had this province fired up. They are certainly not acting like they have their head in the game when the game is an election and the focus should be on winning.

Even in response to the budget, the NDP is on the defensive. At least Doug Ford has the nerve to act on the offense. Why can’t Andrea Horwath act more like Jagmeet Singh?

After these U.S. elections, it would make sense to scare the Trump out of Canadian voters, or at least capitalize on the fact that some people may not be able to tell the difference between what Donald Trump and the Republicans stand for versus what Doug Ford and the Tories stand for.

A new campaign has popped up north of Toronto criticizing Doug Ford on his own turf. notdoug.com posters were found in Unionville.

One says: “Doug hates ‘elites.’ But Doug is an elite just like the others. Don’t be fooled.”

Another says: “Doug Ford accepted endorsements from two pastors known for their homophobia and anti-Semitism.”

These criticisms could fit Donald Trump or Doug Ford respectfully.  

If you log onto their website, the font’s colouring of orange may hint to at least an intellectual alliance with the NDP if nothing else; hinting that it is in fact Horwath and not Wynne who could stop our province from voting in an unapologetic neo-con.

The Not Doug website has certainly done its homework, with some historically nasty Doug Ford moments. The worst is what Doug Ford had to say concerning a residential treatment home for autistic teens. Ford said that presence of the home in Etobicoke has, “ruined the community.”

Yikes. I don’t think Trump could have come up with anything worse. Well…

Photo: Robert Bell/Flickr

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Krystalline Kraus

krystalline kraus is an intrepid explorer and reporter from Toronto, Canada. A veteran activist and journalist for rabble.ca, she needs no aviator goggles, gas mask or red cape but proceeds fearlessly...