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Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Mulroney has obvious political skills and potential, but her inexperience has been evident, and she has appeared rattled and frustrated at times. It takes time to get accustomed to the barefaced nastiness of politics. Her lack of familiarity with the inner workings of the legislature and the many hidden corners of Ontario’s bloated and bureaucratic superstructure could prove a serious liability against as skilled and ruthless a practitioner as Wynne. Should the Tories win in June, she might benefit from time in a PC cabinet before she’s ready for the top job.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Granic Allen is a one-note instrument who manages to turn every issue into a diatribe about the evils of Patrick Brown. She knows how to command a stage and has handled herself remarkably well for a first-time candidate, but other than her obsessive dislike of Brown and fury over the Liberals’ sex education curriculum she offers little outside the cathartic effect of a primal scream. Her remedy for the windmills erected across much of rural Ontario in the name of alternative energy is to “rip them out” regardless of legal contracts, costly reimbursements or the impact on farmers who have come to rely on the income the leases generate. Her relentless onslaughts on the ousted leader bring to mind a parrot trained to squawk “Patrick Brown! Patrick Brown!” at every cue.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Of the two populist candidates, Ford is the more experienced, though PC members will have to decide how eager they are to replicate the Ford family’s often chaotic reign at Toronto’s city hall. The Ford campaign is an unapologetic echo of Donald Trump and his one-man presidential extravaganza. Ford, a millionaire born into a privileged family who inherited his father’s business, tours the province denouncing “elites,” assailing critics and offering simple slogans in response to complex problems. His assault on Elliott showed his willingness to risk a longstanding friendship for the opportunity to score political points. He demonstrates a Trumpian belligerence in the face of opposition, and an obliviousness to his own inconsistencies: he was in the midst of questioning Mulroney’s “commitment” when she noted that, until a month ago, he wanted to be mayor of Toronto. His solution to Ontario’s many challenges is straightforward: make him premier and he’ll figure it out.