Ontario Progressive Conservatives campaigning as if COVID-19 pandemic over, experts say – CBC

Pandemic likely to colour election campaign despite new tone from Tories, experts say

Apr 24, 2022

Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives are campaigning as if COVID-19 is over — but experts say the pandemic will most likely colour the election campaign in some way, and it may even give the incumbent party a boost with voters when it comes to unmet promises.

Although the official campaign has not yet started, Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet ministers have been touring the province making a flurry of promises under the banner of “building Ontario,” making stops across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as the southwest and the north. Transportation is a major focus, with pledges to build highways, subways and electric vehicles, as is health-care infrastructure like hospital and long-term care expansion projections.

The Tories appear squarely focused on rebuilding the province from the pandemic and are positioning themselves as the one party capable of doing so ahead of the expected June 2 vote.

“They’re really trying to proceed as though the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror,” said Cameron Anderson, a political science professor at Western University.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/elxn-ont-pcs-1.6429385