OpinionCanada’s own Trump rises as Trudeau spars with The Donald at G7 over the fate of the global order

Robert Delaney says the timing of Trumpian Doug Ford’s election as a regional premier in Ontario is ominous, as the US president continues his assault on the liberal world order

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Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford speaks after his election as premier of Ontario on June 7. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:30am, 12 Jun 2018Updated: 2:47am, 12 Jun 2018

There are bound to be stronger ties between US President Donald Trump and Canada in the days ahead, even after the scorn he showed his host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at the G7 gathering this past weekend.

How can that be? The answer is Doug Ford, the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, which will take over leadership of Canada’s largest province by both population and economic heft.

As a first order of business, Ford promised a line-by-line audit of government spending and a commission of inquiry to investigate the government of his predecessor, Ontario Liberal Party leader Katherine Wynne, for any possible wrongdoing.

With a scorched-earth approach to politics, the new Ontario premier’s instincts and ideological mindset are thoroughly Trumpian. His eagerness to tarnish his predecessor, a woman with a long track record in politics, isn’t his only similarity with Trump. Ford also:

Aims to fight legislation and policies aimed at reducing Canada’s carbon emissions;
Has vowed to cut funding to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, or CBC (as a provincial leader, Ford can’t touch a Canadian federal Crown corporation, so his comments on the issue showed a fundamental misunderstanding about the extent of his power);
Was handed a successful business co-founded by his father, which Ford leveraged to transition into politics;
Has, throughout his political career, positioned himself as a foil to “downtown elites”;
Was an integral part of a scandal-plagued administration (Just Google “Rob Ford crack video”).

US President Donald Trump meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the G7 Summit in the Charlevoix town of La Malbaie, Quebec, on June 8, just days before animosity between the two leaders stole the headlines. Photo: Reuters