Canada’s chattering class was understandably consumed with Chrystia Freeland’s stunning resignation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet on Monday. So much so, they may have missed a fascinating image of Ontario Premier Doug Ford that could potentially reimagine his political career down the road.
Taken by photographer Carlos Osorio for Reuters, it shows Ford in the middle of a media scrum. The Premier is looking straight ahead and answering questions in a confident manner. The eyes of every reporter in the room are focused squarely on him.
Colin D’Mello, the Queen’s Park Bureau Chief for Global News, aptly described it on X as a “last supper shot.” My mind also wandered to Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece when I first saw it. In comparison to other iconic photos of political leaders, including Evan Vucci’s powerful image of a defiant U.S. President-elect Donald Trump after surviving an assassination attempt in July, it’s worthy of being mentioned in this conversation.
The importance of Ford’s photographic moment goes well past any 15 minutes of fame, to paraphrase a famous quip, often misattributed to Andy Warhol. It’s a photograph that could reshape his public image into something much bigger.
Ford has largely replaced Trudeau as the leader of Team Canada in the fight against Trump’s impending 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods. The prime minister basically abdicated this role (if he ever really had it) after his Nov. 29 dinner meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Trudeau reportedly told Trump that the tariffs “would kill the Canadian economy completely,” to which the President-elect responded that maybe “Canada should become the 51st state” and Trudeau could become “governor.” Trump’s teasing of the weak, ineffective Governor…err, prime minister has continued ever since.
Ford, along with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, has also become the face of Canada on several U.S. cable networks. He’s taken the lead role in critiquing the tariff tussle with Trump — and pushing back when needed.
“They need our energy, the Americans,” Ford told Fox Business’s Neil Cavuto on Dec. 13. “We ship 4.3 million barrels every single day down to the U.S. Ontario sends energy, electricity to New York state, down to Michigan, to keep your factories going, keeping the lights on in New York. That’s what we have to offer — and much more.”
When Ford told Canadian reporters “we will go to the extent of cutting off their energy, going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin” if Trump’s tariffs are implemented, the U.S. media noticed. “That’s the last thing I want to do,” Ford said to CNN’s Erin Burnett on Dec. 17, “I want to sell more electricity, more power to our U.S. friends and closest allies in the world. But that’s a tool we have in our toolbox.”
What has Trump’s response been to Ford’s pushback? “That’s OK if he does that, that’s fine,” he told CNBC reporter Bob Pisani on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “The United States is subsidizing Canada, it’s truly a subsidy and we shouldn’t have to do that.” This wasn’t a surprising response, although Pisani added that the President-elect reportedly told him off-camera, “We hope we can work something out.”
A glimmer of hope, perhaps.
It’s not surprising that Trump would respond more positively to Ford. The Ontario Premier is a far more confident speaker than Trudeau. He generally uses short, pithy sentences and straightforward language to make his points clear. He presents as a strong leader at the podium and during interviews. He mixes conservatism, populism and retail politics in a fashion that appeals to large viewer demographics on Fox News, CNN, CNBC and elsewhere.
Contrary to left-wing popular belief, Ford and Trump aren’t the same type of politician. They have different personalities, political views and policy preferences. Nevertheless, they often present themselves in a similar fashion that could potentially open the door to mutual respect and engaging conversations.
It’s the type of public image that Ford has tried to establish since becoming Ontario Premier in June 2018. He knew that his old feisty personality as a Toronto city councillor and defender of his late brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, wouldn’t fly if he wanted to succeed in provincial politics. So, he reinvented himself by letting his true personality shine: a friendly, folksy demeanour that he sometimes guarded or shelved during his municipal career. It’s helped him become a popular leader and one of Canada’s most trusted politicians during COVID-19. He’s made mistakes, and had to apologize and walk back certain policies. Nevertheless, the political metamorphosis has been remarkable to witness.
Could it lead to Ford reconsidering his options and entering federal politics?
That would be a difficult task. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been extremely successful since assuming this role in Sept. 2022. He’s maintained the strong support of red meat conservatives, and built newfound support from Canadians from all walks of political life. He’s way ahead in the polls against Trudeau, and will very likely become Canada’s next prime minister in 2025.
Ford would therefore have to take a backseat to Poilievre for quite some time. This may not appeal to him, but a longer tenure as Ontario Premier and Team Canada leader just might. And he’ll always have that iconic photo in his back pocket if things ever change.
National Post