You can’t blame Premier Kathleen Wynne for letting her justifiable frustration with the Harper government spill over in this long election campaign.

After all, the Tories have gone out of their way to snub, belittle and even insult the Wynne government at every turn – culminating in their gleeful refusal to extend even the minimum amount of cooperation for Ontario’s proposal to create its own pension plan. Wynne would have to be superhuman to resist the temptation to fire back.

But the premier risks going considerably beyond that as she gets increasingly involved in the campaign alongside Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. She’s aiming her fire not only at Harper but at the NDP’s Thomas Mulcair, and that’s starting to make her electioneering look purely partisan.

Premiers must strike a careful balance when it comes to federal campaigns. It’s fine – in fact, an essential part of the job description – to stand up for your province and press its demands. So for Wynne to speak out strongly when Ottawa disses Ontario on pensions, transfers, infrastructure funding, native issues and more means she’s just doing her job.

Premiers are also leaders of political parties, so it’s normal to line up with your natural ally at the federal level. And the Ontario Liberals are more aligned with their federal cousins than are Liberals in, say, Quebec or B.C., so it’s no surprise to see Wynne appearing alongside Trudeau, as she did last Monday at a rally in Toronto.

Still, none of the other premiers have thrown themselves into the campaign with quite the unrestrained enthusiasm that Wynne is showing, and for good reason.

Premiers are elected to represent all their people, not just party loyalists. Even many of those who vote for them may choose another party at the federal level. That’s one reason why leaders such as B.C.’s Christy Clark and Quebec’s Philippe Couillard, both Liberals, voice support for Trudeau but aren’t out stumping for him. They let their grassroots volunteers and lower-level party workers give a more discreet hand to the federal leaders.

It’s also just plain smart to hedge your bets. Premiers know they will have to deal with the prime minister, whoever he turns out to be after Oct. 19. That’s why Wynne’s vocal criticism of Mulcair at last Monday’s Liberal campaign rally was both overly partisan and politically short-sighted.

Instead of just making plain her support for her fellow Liberal, Justin Trudeau, the premier went after the NDP leader, saying he “talks a good game” on issues like child care and Senate reform but doesn’t have clear plans. “The ideas are either incomplete, or they’re unworkable, or they’re impossible,” she said.

Of course, Liberals and New Democrats are locked in fierce battles for seats in Toronto, so the party rivalries are understandable. But the premier should take a step back and look at the wider picture.

Many Ontarians who are fed up with Harper are considering the NDP as a realistic alternative. Even if Wynne gets her wish and the Conservatives go down to defeat, it’s quite possible Mulcair could end up in 24 Sussex. Does she really want to make an enemy of him now, when the parties are locked in such a close fight?

That won’t serve the best interests of Ontarians after Oct. 19. Premier Wynne should take a longer view and tone down the partisan rhetoric.

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