Doug Ford secured another union endorsement on Monday, his 10th of the campaign, with surely more to come. This time it was the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), Local 793, a construction-focused union representing more than 20,000 workers.
This comes on top of endorsements from LiUNA, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a couple of different Unifor locals, sheet metal workers and more. Ford even secured the endorsement of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, the only time in their history that the public service union has endorsed the PC Party of Ontario.
It’s not surprising that Ford has been endorsed by so many private sector unions, especially in manufacturing and the building trades – he did this last time. Now, though, he’s collecting more support from unionized workers just by supporting their industries and the infrastructure projects they build.
There haven’t been any secret backroom deals to capture the labour vote from the NDP, it’s just that Ford’s PC Party supports major construction projects while the NDP, and the Liberals, are seen as the parties of no.
A recent poll by Abacus Data shows the Ford PCs leading in the current election with 46% of the vote, Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals with 24%, while Marit Stiles and the NDP took 21%. What is worse for both of these progressive opposition parties is that Ford and his PCs are leading among unionized voters – both private sector and public sector.
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When Abacus CEO David Coletto broke down the vote by union membership, Ford had 47% among private sector union members, Crombie had 23% and the NDP had 17%. Among public sector union members, Ford had 34% of the vote to 29% each for the Liberals and NDP.
These numbers should be worrisome for the Liberals and utterly devastating for the New Democrats. The NDP was founded as the party for labour, for the working-class voter, and they are clearly not winning that vote any longer.
The election has been dominated by the economic challenge of the Trump tariffs, an issue which Ford has dominated. The whole situation has made it difficult for the NDP or Liberals to break through.
On the one hand they are calling for a Team Canada approach which Ford is leading, but on the other, they are trying to find ways to critique him.
Stiles was pushing on the issue of health care on Monday morning, promising to hire 15,000 new nurses over three years and to improve nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals.
“Hospitals across Ontario are facing extreme pressure, with many emergency rooms having to close their doors. Patients are being treated in hallways because of a severe shortage of nurses,” Stiles said.
Crombie, meanwhile, is also focused on health and her push to increase the number of family doctors.
“This election, voters have a choice: a luxury spa, or a family doctor? A fantasy tunnel, or an affordable home?” Crombie said.
Crombie even made a bizarre push-up challenge to Ford while laughing at the end of an answer to a question about her party’s Super Bowl ads.
Ford on Monday was at BWXT Technologies in Oakville, a precision manufacturing facility for CANDU nuclear reactors. Ford was promising to protect manufacturing in the province in the face of economic upheaval due to the Trump tariffs.
Saying that China is the real problem for the United States and President Donald Trump’s administration, Ford pledged to ban Chinese firms from energy procurement.
“Canada and the U.S. need to remain united and focused on the real trade war we’re fighting against China,” Ford said.
And that is why Ford is winning with blue collar workers, with people in the trades, with those who are making things. He is consistently pushing one main message; the threat is here, and Doug Ford will protect Ontario and your job.
In a time of anxiety and uncertainty, Ford’s message appears to be resonating.