Ford government enjoys polling bump after latest U.S.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is enjoying a substantial polling bump after the latest twist in the trade war with the United States, according to a new poll that puts the Progressive Conservatives back in front.

The new study by Liaison Strategies was conducted in the days after President Donald Trump slapped 50 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian products after talks collapsed.

Polling work in Ontario on Aug. 23 and 24 found 39 per cent of people would support the Progressive Conservatives, with 35 per cent selecting the Liberals.

Twenty per cent would vote for the NDP, while five per cent would vote for the Greens or another party.

The figures mark a reversal of fortunes for Ford’s party, which has struggled in polling this year after the government briefly bought a private jet for the premier, a clampdown on transparency laws and a spending scandal.

“This is a very different Ontario race than the one we saw in July,” David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, said, pointing out the Progressive Conservatives are six points better off than they were last month.

“The obvious context is the trade war. This poll was in the field right as the latest U.S. tariffs took effect and as Ford and Trump turned the fight into something personal. Whether voters like Ford in general or not, this is the kind of issue that can temporarily change the frame around a premier.”

The latest poll saw both the Liberals and the NDP drop as the PCs gained.

Ford made headlines on Monday after calling Trump a “loser” and the “king of bankruptcies” in a series of attacks he later admitted got a “bit heated.”

The volley of attacks was not repeated on either Tuesday or Wednesday, although Ford insisted nobody had told him to tone down his words when talking about the president.

Valentin said the latest polling shows significant improvement for Ford and the Progressive Conservatives, but is not a complete turnaround.

“The PCs have reclaimed the lead, but that should not be mistaken for a clean bill of political health for Ford,” he said.

“Ford is much less damaged than he was a month ago, but he is still deeply underwater. The party is in a better place than the premier, personally.”