Doug Ford is destined to become the Premier of Ontario and one of the most powerful politicians in the country, before summer comes.

The operative word is “destined.” How else do you wrap your head around the presumed ascension of one who, a couple years ago, presented as a man singularly unsuited to guide a prosperous and diverse province.

It’s hard to envision that Ford has changed. However, political circumstances have. And when luck, timing and opportunity converge, destiny is an apt explanation for the phenomenon.

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Ford’s path to the Pink Palace at Queen’s Park is being greased by some of the most spectacular political intrigue bordering on tragi-comedy. He couldn’t have designed it better.

Ontario’s ruling party has fallen to such disrepute that an opposition party simply has to show up, say as little as possible, stay sober and plan the victory party even before the votes are counted on election night, June 7.

That’s been the conventional wisdom as poll after poll show Kathleen Wynne and her Liberal party plunging to unrecoverable depths in public opinion.

Eschewing the more contentious planks in the typical Conservative platform, Patrick Brown presented himself as a moderate, progressive Conservative who offered an Ontario for all people, all classes, creed, sexuality, race. Believe it if you wish. Some elements of the Conservative base felt betrayed but compromise is the art of politics. Why bring attention to your fundamental, divisive and controversial traits when victory lies in the path of least resistance? So the Conservatives elected Brown their leader, released a broad platform and started planning to govern.

You know the rest. Brown was accused of sexual impropriety and the party immediately asked him to resign. Brown did. A new mini leadership race was called. Brown changed his mind and registered to seek the job he just vacated. More charges emerged of party shenanigans and irregularities in local Conservative party ridings, under Brown’s leadership. Oops. Brown changed his mind again and dropped out of the race. Ford pinched himself. And before anyone had a chance to know what these would-be leaders really represent, the short, short, short leadership race ended in chaos and embarrassment March 10 when the party could not name the winner for hours.

Ford emerged winner out of the misty bog. Yeah!

Despite all that. Despite Ford’s personal unpopularity with the general voter — a leftover, no doubt, from his reign as enabler-in-chief of his mayor brother, the late Rob Ford; despite the traits that, until recently, would relegate a politician to extinction, Ford is odds-on favourite to win the prize and complete his grand family plan to see him as premier one day, fulfilling the dream of his late father.

The only way to counter his grip on the path to power is to meet it with an overwhelming coalition of like-minded opponents. For example, Olivia Chow’s left-wing supporters had to move over to moderate Conservative John Tory in order to keep Ford out of the mayor’s chair in 2014. It would likely take a similar blurring of political lines between the Liberals and the New Democrats to block Ford.

Voters are clearly tired of the years of Liberal rule. That leaves room for Andrea Horwath to step into the breach — something she and her party have failed to do. While any informal coalition of Liberals and New Democrats would, by natural selection, favour the NDP, the party has to earn it. So far, lacklustre best describes the New Democrats, fewer than three months to voting day.

Meanwhile Ford only needs to stay out of trouble and watch his glib pronouncements. That may be more difficult than imagined, considering his past as a Toronto city councillor and chief mischief-maker in his brother’s regime.

Who concocted a backdoor plan to deliver Ferris wheels and monorail and megamall to Toronto’s waterfront? Doug Ford.

Who attacked libraries? Who badmouthed people with autism? Who called city councillors “little monkeys”?” Doug Ford.

Who was forced to apologize to then-police chief Bill Blair after attacking the police investigation of Mayor Ford’s suspected interactions with known drug dealers? Doug Ford.

The main difference four years later is the seat of government. City hall is a place of consensus-building with independent councillors and a mayor seeking a coalition on each and every issue, without the benefit of a formal cabinet or party discipline.

Queen’s Park is the opposite. It’s tailor-made for Ford’s brass knuckles approach. He could ram through half-baked schemes as easily as long-held conservative ideals.

For example, Ford can, with the stroke of a pen, kill the LRT planned for Sheppard Ave. East and along Finch Ave. West into his riding, and replace them with subways that he will claim will cost taxpayers nothing. And his supporters would eat it up. (Mike Harris filled in the Eglinton subway and decades later we are building an underground LRT in the same corridor).

Some will say the job will temper his tactics. Not likely. The leopard does not change his spots.

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Toronto had Rob Ford. America has Trump. Ontario, enamored by the same populist affliction, like moths to the lamp, appears set to fly into the fire.

That’s our privilege. Heaven help us.

Royson James� column appears weekly. rjames@thestar.ca

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