Ontario's Doug Ford projected to win rare third majority government

The leader of Ontario, Doug Ford, is projected to have won a third term in office, with voters in the Canadian province giving him a decisive victory.

Ford, who has led Ontario since 2018, called the snap election 15 months earlier than required, saying he needed a clear mandate to fight US President Donald Trump over tariffs he threatens to impose on Canadian goods.

Early poll results on Thursday indicate that his Progressive Conservatives secured a third majority in a row - a rare feat in Ontario politics - winning more than 80 seats out of 124 in the legislature.

The left-wing New Democratic Party came second, forming the official opposition, while the Liberals were in third place.

The election was called by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) 10 minutes after polls closed on Thursday evening.

Voter turnout appears to be near historic lows. As of 23:00 local time (04:00 GMT) with 97% of polls reporting, just over 44% of Ontarians had cast ballots in the election.

That is essentially tied to the lowest ever turnout of 44% in 2022.

Ford ran his campaign under the slogan "Protect Canada", reflecting his view that Canada needs to stand firm against US tariff threats.

• Trump says US will impose additional 10% tariff on China

Ford has appeared regularly on US television news networks in recent months as a de-facto spokesperson for Canada's position in its fight against the tariffs.

President Trump said on Thursday that the tariffs he plans to impose on Canada and Mexico will go ahead next week, after he delayed them a month in exchange for security assurances at the shared borders.

Around 75% of Canadian exports go to the US, and economists have warned that the tariffs would be devastating for Canada's economy while raising costs for Americans.

Ontario is home to a large automotive sector that is deeply intertwined with the US - car parts often make several trips back and forth across the US-Canada border before a vehicle is fully assembled and sold.

Ford has suggested that 500,000 of Ontario's 16 million people could lose their jobs if the US follows through on the blanket 25% tariffs.

He has called for strong retaliation, suggesting Canada cut its energy supply to the US and calling for provincial liquor stores to pull American booze from their shelves.

He has also proposed the idea of "Fortress Am-Can" - a slogan to sell Trump on a stronger energy alliance between the two countries in a bid to avoid tariffs altogether.

Opposition parties have criticised Ford for calling the snap election, accusing him of taking advantage of the rift in US-Canada relations to boost his own popularity. They also questioned the decision to push for a costly election amid economic uncertainty.

Ford has also been the subject of numerous controversies, including an ongoing criminal investigation into a deal to sell a piece of environmentally protected land for real estate development.

At a speech to supporters on Thursday, Bonnie Crombie, leader of the Ontario Liberals, said while the party fell short of forming government it should be "very proud" of the seats it gained.

"People counted us out. Tonight, you proved them wrong," said Crombie, who failed to win her own seat. She vowed to continue on as leader.

The last time a government in Ontario formed three consecutive majorities was last under Leslie Frost, a Progressive Conservative leader who won his third and final term in 1959.