Toronto : Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Doug Ford to ask for his help in the upcoming federal election campaign, but the premier told him he would be too busy governing Ontario. Federal and provincial Tory sources said Poilievre phoned the premier on Monday to belatedly offer his congratulations for the Progressive Conservatives’ Feb. 27 re-election. The conversation — 18 days after Ford’s victory, which then-prime minister Justin Trudeau had saluted moments after it was official — lasted almost half an hour.
But those privy to the chat said it was at times stilted and awkward because the two leaders have little personal rapport. Sources say Poilievre asked Ford for his “opinions and advice” about winning Ontario, not for any endorsement in an election campaign that will officially begin Sunday.
Far from a rapprochement, sources said, it was an opportunity for Ford to flex as the most powerful Tory politician in Canada after his high-profile stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It was also a chance for him to express his displeasure to Poilievre at how some federal Tories disparage his three-term government as “not conservative enough.” Several veteran Tories with strong ties to both the federal and provincial parties helped to arrange the phone call.
One operative confided that Poilievre’s refusal to send out a congratulatory social media post to Ford on his election win last month was churlish. “It was ridiculous and childish. Conservatives should be happy when Conservatives win,” said one insider, speaking confidentially in order to recount internal discussions.
Ford — a keen student of polls who pores over public-opinion research — was mindful Poilievre was calling him a time when support for the federal Tories is dropping as new Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals surge. While the premier assured the Tory leader he always casts a ballot for his local Conservative candidate in elections, that would be the extent of his involvement in this campaign. “I’m staying out of it,” said Ford, repeating what he has said publicly in recent days. Emphasizing he “will work with anyone” in power in Ottawa, the premier patiently explained to Poilievre that, in Canada’s trade war with Trump, political stripes must be set aside.
That’s why Ford hosted Carney for breakfast last week at Wally’s Grill in Etobicoke, where they discussed strategy for dealing with Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods. But the federal Tories were stung when, the morning after the call with Poilievre, the premier was having coffee at his home with Liberal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland. Freeland, who posted selfies with Ford on Instagram, was also a special guest at Wednesday’s provincial cabinet swearing-in ceremony at the Royal Ontario Museum. “It’s no secret I have a great relationship with Chrystia Freeland. I have a great relationship with (Intergovernmental Affairs Minister) Dominic LeBlanc,” Ford said Tuesday. When reporters asked whether he had “a better relationship with Mark Carney or Pierre Poilievre,” Ford was noncommittal. “I don’t know either one of them, to be very frank,” the premier said. When a reporter pressed him on “who would you like to get to know better,” he replied with a shrug, “Either one. I’ll work with anyone.”But his strained relations with the federal Tories long predate Poilievre’s tenure.
