PV Ontario Bureau
Doug Ford’s victory in Ontario’s provincial election is a major setback for workers, tenants, students and all those struggling under the province’s deepening economic crisis.
Once again, Ford has secured a majority government, but with the support of just 19.5 percent of eligible voters – less than one in five Ontarians. Voter turnout remained at historic lows, reflecting growing disillusionment among working people who see no real alternative on the ballot.
In the fog of Ford’s campaign rhetoric about “protecting Ontario” in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats, the Conservatives’ real record of corruption, privatization and corporate handouts was largely obscured throughout the election.
“Ford will undoubtedly use this mandate to escalate privatization and attack workers’ rights,” said Drew Garvie, leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario). “We know from experience that Ford wastes no time in pushing through his corporate agenda. In 2018, as soon as he took office, he cut social services, scrapped minimum wage increases and gutted environmental protections. In 2022, after securing another majority, he moved swiftly to privatize hospital services and sell off protected land in the Greenbelt. This time, we can expect more of the same – and worse.”
Ford’s so-called “Protect Ontario” campaign played on real fears about job losses and economic instability but, in reality, his policies are about selling the province off to the corporations he represents. His government will continue handing over public assets and services to corporate monopolies – whether it’s critical minerals to US companies under “Fortress Am-Can,” expanding alcohol sales to retail giants like Loblaws and Circle K, or privatizing healthcare through Shoppers Drug Mart and private clinics.
Result reveals failure of NDP, Liberals to present alternative
The election also revealed the deep failure of the mainstream opposition parties to present a meaningful alternative. On the central issue of Trump’s tariffs, neither the Liberals nor the NDP put forward any plan that fundamentally differed from Ford’s.
Instead of calling for an end to corporate-dominated free trade agreements and public ownership of key industries like steel and auto, both parties reinforced the free trade framework that has undermined Ontario’s economic sovereignty for decades. Their limited criticisms of Ford focused on procedural questions – whether he truly needed a new mandate or whether his trip to Washington was appropriate – rather than challenging his entire economic strategy.
“The opposition parties handed Ford an easy victory by failing to offer a real alternative,” said Garvie. “Instead of standing up to corporate power, they proposed half-measures that did nothing to address the root causes of the crisis. The NDP’s grocery rebate was a perfect example – essentially a public subsidy for corporate price gouging that would only increase the profits of grocery monopolies like Loblaws while food prices continued to rise.”
The Ontario NDP’s vote share and seat count fell again. Many voters expressed frustration over the party’s disgraceful expulsion of Sarah Jama for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza before the NDP deemed it politically convenient. This alienated many progressive voters, contributing to further disillusionment and disengagement. In the end, the only new seat the NDP gained was Jama’s in Hamilton Centre.
The Liberals managed to grow their vote share by focusing on healthcare, particularly the shortage of family doctors. However, their platform ignored the broader privatization agenda that has led to healthcare cuts and corporate profiteering, and their leader failed to win a seat. The Green Party, despite adopting stronger messaging on economic inequality, failed to expand beyond the two ridings they already held.
Lack of independent labour political action
With no genuine alternative, many working-class voters simply stayed home. A key factor in Ford’s advantage was the absence of independent labour political action. Without escalating pressure from the labour movement, opposition parties were not forced to adopt strong working-class policies. Instead, some unions took a narrow, transactional approach, even endorsing Ford in an attempt to secure short-term gains for their members at the expense of broader working-class solidarity.
“The labour movement must break from this false choice of outsourcing politics to the NDP or making deals with the front-runners,” Garvie argued. “We need independent labour political action, escalation toward mass mobilization, and a broad fightback against austerity and privatization.”
Despite an election system designed to exclude real alternatives, the Communist Party ran a strong and effective campaign. With seven candidates, nearly 40,000 leaflets distributed, and tens of thousands of workers reached through debates and canvassing, the Party’s vote count was the highest since 1987. The Communist Party campaign in Windsor-Tecumseh received 606 votes – nearly 1.4 percent of the total – placing it close to the Green Party candidate.
“The media blackout and anti-communism couldn’t stop us from reaching people,” Garvie said. “Our longstanding solidarity with Palestine, our work in local strikes and roots in working-class struggles all helped push back against anti-communism and expand our base. We know that real change isn’t won at the ballot box alone – it’s won in the streets and in workplaces, through mass struggle.”
While the mainstream parties focused on superficial tweaks to a system designed to exploit the vast majority, the Communist Party advanced a People’s Alternative which includes rent rollbacks and real tenant protections, a $25 minimum wage, expanded public healthcare, free education, public ownership of key industries, and an end to corporate profiteering. The election strengthened the movement for socialism in Ontario, and the Party is now preparing for the upcoming federal election, expected within weeks.
Ford’s re-election comes at a moment of deep crisis. The return of Donald Trump, escalating global war, and the deepening push for austerity by Bay Street all signal that working-class and democratic movements must urgently prepare for major struggles ahead. Ford’s government will gladly implement corporate-driven cuts, attacks on unions, and expanded privatization.
“Some may look at this election as a continuation of the last seven years, but we are at a much more dangerous juncture,” Garvie warned. “Labour and community movements cannot afford to wait. We need immediate organization and mobilization, including local anti-cuts committees and an escalation toward province-wide Days of Action. The fightback must begin now – on the streets, in workplaces and in communities.”
The Communist Party is calling on all workers, tenants, students and progressive forces to join the fight for a People’s Alternative. “This is not the time for despair – it is the time to organize,” Garvie concluded. “Only a mass, working-class movement can defeat the corporate agenda and put power where it belongs: in the hands of working people.”
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