TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford officially set a provincial election in motion Tuesday for Feb. 27, more than a year before the next fixed election date. The election had been set for June 2026, but Ford said he needs a new mandate to deal with four years of a Donald Trump presidency in the United States.

Doug Ford is set to officially trigger an early provincial election campaign Tuesday, sending Ontarians to the polls Feb. 27 in a move criticized by his opposition as unnecessary but that the Premier argues he needs in order to win a stronger mandate as U.S. tariffs loom.