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Marco Vigliotti is the editor-in-chief of iPolitics and QP Briefing. He reports on politics in Ottawa and Toronto, and has covered Parliament Hill for the better part of the past decade. He also worked for the Ottawa Citizen/Sun and The Hill Times.

Marco Vigliotti

Editor-in-Chief

Ontario Premier Doug Ford lavished praise on prime minister-designate Mark Carney this week, crediting him as an “extremely astute business mind” and speculating that he would enjoy a better relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump than his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.

Ford, the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, has said he wouldn’t endorse anyone in the federal race, which he predicted will start later this month.

But his comments have many wondering if Ford prefers Carney over federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who is known to have a rocky relationship with the premier.

Asked about Ford’s comments, a Toronto-area Liberal MP said the premier was “practically endorsing” Carney, adding that Ford strongly dislikes his federal Conservative counterpart.

A source in the Carney campaign acknowledged that Ford is supportive of Carney, and noted that the premier “really hates” Poilievre.

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The feeling is mutual in the Poilievre camp, who has often accused Ford of acting like a Liberal and being too close to the Trudeau government, pointing, specifically, to the premier’s historic deficit spending.

When reached for comment, Audrey Champoux, Carney’s spokesperson, said the two leaders had a “very productive conversation” on Wednesday, and that they’re looking forward to working together.

An Ontario Progressive Conservative source said that while it’s clear the Ford and Poilievre camps don’t get along, the premier’s comments about Carney show that he will work with anyone “as long as it’s to protect Ontario and Canada.”

Ford regularly states his willingness to engage with political officials of all political stripes, citing his productive relationships with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Hamilton Mayor Andrew Horwath, well-established New Democrats, as well as Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca, the former Ontario Liberal leader.

That being said, the source noted that Ford’s embrace of the incoming prime minister certainly will raise eyebrows in federal Tory circles.

“That’s always been his MO. He worked [with Chrystia] Freeland for the sake of Ontario,” they said, referring to Ford’s close relationship with the former finance minister.

“But also… this is interesting because Pierre’s team refuses to work/communication [with] Ford. There is a definitely a rift between them. Ford just says ‘I’ll work [with] anyone.'”

Ford’s comments come with extra weight considering the heightened profile he’s enjoyed in recent months as he’s aggressively lobbied against U.S. tariffs.

Ford called a snap provincial election in January citing the need for a strong mandate to deal with the threat of tariffs, and he was able to effectively make it the ballot box issue, despite efforts from the opposition parties to highlight the province’s healthcare and affordability crises, and the premier’s ethics issues.

It’s exactly that focus on countering the U.S. tariff threat — and the need for strong federal leadership — that likely prompted Ford’s praise for Carney, according to Conservative strategist Jeff Rutledge.

“I think this is the premier hedging his bets a little given what’s going on right now,” said Rutledge. “He creates the relationship that he thinks is going to get the job done, and I think that’s just what this is.”

“I would not say that this is a ringing endorsement of Prime Minister Carney to be to remain as prime minister.”

Carney was officially sworn-in as Canada’s 24th prime minister at Rideau Hall on Friday, alongside his new cabinet, though it remains to be seen how long they will govern before facing the electorate.

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While the next federal election must take place by Oct. 20, the expectation in political circles is that Carney will follow Ford’s playbook by calling an early election while Canada-U.S. relations are front of mind for voters. The prevailing theory is Carney will again visit Governor General Mary Simon to trigger a dropping of the writs before Parliament returns from prorogation on March 24.

Recent polling suggests the Liberals have orchestrated a remarkable comeback in public opinion data, erasing nearly a 3o-point deficit to the Conservatives over the last two months. The Liberal brand’s resurgence coincided with the recent leadership race, as well as Trump’s annexation threats and trade war with Canada.

Rutledge said, ahead of Carney’s swearing-in, the federal government has felt “rudderless” since Trudeau announced his decision to step down. As such, he continued, Ford is looking to see clear leadership coming from the new administration.

“If it’s supposed to be Team Canada, but your first-line centre is missing, then provinces just want someone to step up,” he told 

A spokesperson for Ford’s team echoed that view, saying that the premier’s positive words about Carney are just about setting the right tone for the future.

In turn, following the meeting, Carney thanked Ford in a social media post for “standing up for Ontario.”

“We’ve got a big fight ahead of us, and we’ll be working together every step of the way,” he wrote. “We’re strongest when we’re united.”

Veteran Conservative operative Thomas Gendron echoed the theory that Ford’s comments were largely the premier’s political instincts kicking, but, he continued, it’s hard to deny the overlap between Carney and Ford from a policy standpoint.

“What I took away from that conversation, and what’s alleged to have occurred, is they’re on the same team [and] they’re looking at problems the same way,” said Gendron. “There’s a lot of areas that Premier Ford and Mark Carney are going to see eye-to-eye on, especially social issues, perhaps more than Ford and Poilievre.”

“There is no secret that Poilievre and Ford have completely different brands of politics, and there’s a big emphasis on the progressive versus the conservative end…, but those aren’t necessarily combative against one another.”

It should be noted that while Poilievre and Ford both lead conservative parties, they are not directly affiliated. Unlike other parties, like the NDP, there is no formal connection between the provincial and federal parties, and therefore no explicit incentive to team up.

Regardless, said Gendron, you can largely throw the politics aside given the magnitude of the economic threat facing Canada from south of the border. Now is no time to be limiting relationships based on marginal policy differences, he noted.

“Political areas… are set completely aside because all the commentary and focus is on the same premise, which is protecting Canadians and protecting the economy,” he said. “And Carney has run on that exact message during the Liberal leadership race.”

“The premier has come forward with the specific notion of Carney being a businessman similar to President Trump. And…, the fact that negotiations can be held, he firmly believes and hopes that there is an opportunity for a genuinely productive discussion and middle-ground between Canada and the U.S.”

Basically, Gendron felt there were contrasts between Ford and Poilievre, both politically and policy-wise, but his praise of Carney shouldn’t be interpreted as a shot towards the federal Conservative leader.

“The way I know the premier, as far as how he speaks and interacts, he’s a pretty genuine guy,” said Gendron. “When he says something, it’s usually what he means, and he tries his best not to give implicit messaging wherever he can.”

“So, I don’t think I would read into it as something negative against Pierre Poilievre. As a matter of fact, I know he’s been cautious to not speak ill of particular parties… because all of that is completely irrelevant in the face of U.S conversations we’re having right now.”

Doug Ford’s embrace of Mark Carney raises eyebrows as federal election looms

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