At the midpoint of the provincial — oops, lest we forget, federal — campaign, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have reshaped their platform to counter the latest cutbacks by Doug Ford’s Tories.

The point is to draw a direct line between an unpopular Ford’s provincial Progressive Conservatives and his federal Conservative counterparts led by Andrew Scheer.

Point. Counterpoint. Counterpart. It’s not hard to connect the dots — and superimpose them over the battle lines that form Ontario’s electoral boundaries.

Unveiling their platform this week, the federal Liberals targeted Canada’s biggest province. And tailored their proposals to Ontario’s youngest voters, who helped them win power in the last election and could prove decisive this time:

Upon winning power, Ford suspended a scheduled $1 increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and imposed a 2-1/2 year freeze until the next inflation adjustment for Ontario’s lowest-paid workers.

By contrast, if he regains power, Trudeau promises to hike the minimum wage to $15 for federally-regulated workers.

Ford’s provincial government has announced widespread cuts to OSAP student loans. Trudeau’s retort?

If re-elected, a federal Liberal government will increase Canada student grants by 40 per cent.

In a miserly attack on postsecondary graduates, Ford rescinded the six-month “grace period” on interest payments for students fresh out of school (and perhaps out of work). His government claimed it wise to “align” Ontario with Ottawa’s existing grace period, ostensibly to “reduce complexity for students.”

Trudeau’s platform goes in the other direction, extending the federal grace period to two years. So will Ford harmonize the interest-free period to once again “reduce complexity for students?”

The list goes on:

Ford’s government sidelined Ontario’s anti-racism directorate; Trudeau’s government would double funding for its anti-racism strategy.

Ford cut spending on tree planting in his first budget; Trudeau would budget $3 billion to plant 2 billion trees over the next decade.

Ford reduced child-care funding; Trudeau would boost it.

Ford revoked free prescription drugs for all Ontarians up to age 24 and over 65; Trudeau wants a universal pharmacare program.

You get the idea. In this contest of point-counterpoint, these two counterparts are fighting it out to the last Ontarian, the last student loan and the last tree.

During his first year in office, drunk on power and intoxicated by populism, Ford baited Trudeau every chance he got. Starting with their first meeting, when Trudeau paid a courtesy call at Queen’s Park to congratulate Canada’s newest premier, only to be ambushed by Ford’s attack on so-called “illegal border crossers” which he (absurdly) attributed to one of Trudeau’s tweets upholding our refugee laws.

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The grudge match culminated with Ford’s doomed crusade against a carbon levy, for which he budgeted $30 million to mount a legal challenge, launch an ad campaign, and “stick it to the Liberals” by ordering gas stations to affix anti-tax stickers on gas pumps (conveniently forgetting the provincial gas tax, the federal carbon rebate, and the glue — most stickers quickly coming unstuck).

Now that Trudeau is counterpunching, Ford is ducking for cover. The legislature is dark, the premier is hiding in the shadows, and his provincial government is laying low.

Ford has quietly rebuffed the baiting from Trudeau by earnestly claiming to be “busy governing.” But a group of students touring Queen’s Park this week was overheard asking their local Progressive Conservative member how much longer the premier would be “on vacation.”

Ford had hoped to avoid dragging down his federal cousins, if only he could stay away until voting day on Oct. 21 by delaying legislative sittings until the following week. But a premier of Canada’s biggest province can only insulate himself for so long before events catch up to him.

And the news cycle intrudes. On Wednesday, parents heard that schools will start closing down in parts of the province ⸺ two weeks before election day ⸺ after unionized CUPE support staff announced a planned strike to protest stalled bargaining.

Not exactly what Ford had been bargaining on. Earlier this year, when his government brashly and unwisely put itself on a collision course with unions representing teachers and staff, the premier perhaps thought he had the upper hand.

Since then, Ford has been booed in public (on the same stage where Trudeau was cheered), plunged in public opinion polls, and become an albatross for the federal Tories. Against that unflattering backdrop, the premier is suddenly publicity-shy.

But with students at risk of missing classes, how much longer can the premier play hooky? With his budget cuts starting to sink in, how much longer can Ford ignore the attacks — and the alternatives — from his longtime federal adversary?

All these months later — and mere weeks before Ontario voters cast their federal ballots — Ford may be forced to come out of hiding for his moment of reckoning with angry parents and political adversaries.

In politics, the wedge becomes a whirlwind. And you reap what you sow.

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