A look at Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Leader Doug Ford

TORONTO — Doug Ford, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, has called an early election. He leads the party for a third consecutive campaign.

Born: November 20, 1964.

Early years: Ford was born and raised in Etobicoke, what is now part of Toronto.

Family: Ford is married to Karla Ford and the couple has four daughters.

Before politics: Ford spent several decades working for, and then running, his father’s company, Deco Labels. He led the company’s expansion into the U.S. when he launched a branch in Chicago. The company also made brief forays into Ohio and Florida and it also bought a New Jersey label company.

Politics: Ford jumped into politics when he ran for Toronto city council and won the seat previously held by his brother, Rob Ford, who won Toronto’s mayoral race in 2010. After Rob Ford was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Doug Ford pinch-hit with just weeks to go in that year’s mayoral race, but ultimately lost to John Tory. He won the Progressive Conservatives’ leadership contest in 2018 and led the party to a majority victory in the provincial election.

Quote: “When you have a strong mandate in politics, and you have a strong mandate from the people for the next four years, to last over the four years of the Trump administration, I can tell you, the opposition treats you with a little more respect…So we’re asking the people of Ontario, we’re asking for your vote. We’re asking for a mandate. We need the largest mandate in Ontario’s history to move this province forward.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press