Andrew Scheer appears on the verge of becoming Canada’s next prime minister, leading either a minority or majority government.

That’s the view of many pollsters and pundits as the federal election enters its final weekend, and it’s hard to bet against such an outcome at this time.

So confident is Scheer about winning that the Conservative leader has gone so far as to start telling voters what he plans to do during his first 100 days in office.

But if voters really want a sneak peek of what a Scheer-led government would look like, they need to look no further than the Ontario government under Premier Doug Ford.

That’s because, despite coming from sharply different personal backgrounds, Scheer and Ford are strikingly similar when it comes to their approach to government and what they see as the best ways to tackle major issues facing Canada today.

Indeed, Scheer and Ford share common goals, common beliefs, common grudges and a common background of idolizing former prime minister Stephen Harper when it comes to spending cuts and governing style.

In effect, Scheer and Ford are policy twins — and the evidence is clear.

First, they both want to kill the federal carbon tax and replace it with incentives, and in some cases fines, for polluters to clean up their dirty emissions. Ford is fighting the carbon tax in the courts and has ordered anti-tax stickers on all gas pumps. Scheer has vowed to repeal the tax and instead invest in more green technology.

Second, they both propose massive reductions in government spending — and all the time trying to insist that cuts worth billions of dollars won’t actually hurt anyone. Scheer plans to cut $18 billion from much-needed infrastructure spending, slash foreign aid by 25 per cent, cancel government help for struggling businesses, freeze government hiring and cut unspecified “nonpersonnel operating expenses.”

In his first months in office, Ford took a similar approach, slashing everything from student aid to child-care funding, legal aid and tree planting.

Third, they both oppose a national pharmacare plan. Scheer believes a better way to ensure Canadians have access to necessary drugs is to plug coverage gap for people without provincial or employer plans. Ford has already killed a provincial plan that provided free prescriptions drugs to young Ontario residents up to the age of 24.

Fourth, they both aren’t keen on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Ford has already cancelled a planned hike in Ontario and Scheer prefers tax breaks for lower-paid workers.

Fifth, they both oppose a national ban on handguns, suggesting a better way to fight gun violence is to get tough on gangs with stiffer jail sentences for convicted criminals in gun-related cases.

Sixth, they both love oil pipelines. Scheer has pledged to revive the Energy East pipeline proposal, which would carry oil from western Canada to eastern Canada. Ford has publicly declared support for pipeline projects, including Energy East.

Seventh, they both want to crack down on irregular border crossers and enforce a more vigilant immigration policy. Scheer wants to hire more border guards, close “legal loopholes” dealing with refugees and focus on suspected organized crime members, although there’s little evidence that’s a problem. Ford has attacked “illegal border crossers,” slashed government funding on legal support for refugees and has suggested Ontario has to “take care of our own” before pushing for immigrants to move there.

At the same time, the ties between the pair go even deeper. For example, both relied heavily on evangelicals and anti-abortion groups in winning their respective leadership races.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Also, both Scheer and Ford loyalists have worked on both the federal and Ontario campaigns. Earlier this year several key Ford aides joined Scheer’s election team in Ottawa and dozens of Queen’s Park staffers are “volunteering” on Scheer’s campaign, a move made easy when Ford recessed the legislature in early June until after the election.

So alike on policy, so aligned on the role of government — that’s why it’s so easy for Canadians who want to know what they will get with Scheer to just look at what Ontario is now getting with Ford.

Read more about: