The Ontario PC Party took its turn trying to woo Windsor-Essex voters.
Hundreds of people jammed a hall Thursday night at the Fogolar Furlan Club in Windsor for a rally hosted by PC Party Leader Doug Ford, on his second stop in Windsor-Essex during the current provincial election campaign.
The visit comes a day after his NDP rival, Andrea Horwath, made several stops in the area.
Ford's stop in Windsor comes as the election campaign enters its final week and the Tories are neck-in-neck in the polls with the NDP, with both parties hoping to unseat the Liberals under Premier Kathleen Wynne next Thursday.
The leader was accompanied on the platform by three of Windsor-Essex's PC candidates, Adam Ibrahim of Windsor-West, Mohammad Latif of Windsor-Tecumseh and Chris Lewis of Essex. Former Tory leadership rival Christine Elliott introduced Ford.
Ontario PC candidates Chris Lewis of Essex, left, Mohammad Latif of Windsor-Tecumseh and Adam Ibrahim of Windsor West acknowledge cheers at a rally at the Fogolar Furlan Club in Windsor, May 31, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
Ford used a brief, ten-minute address to describe the PC Party's talking points of the campaign, such as lowering hydro rates by 12%, ending "hallway healthcare" and reiterating that Ontario is "open for business".
Wynne's Liberals and the NDP were, as expected, targets during Ford's message.
"I love the hard-working people in Windsor," said Ford to loud cheering. "My friends, tonight, the Liberals and NDP are watching, and they are scared."
Ford touched on the news delivered earlier in the day that the Trump administration implemented a tariff on Canadian steel, which could have an impact on the auto industry in Windsor. Ford pledged to work with the U.S. on getting the tariff reduced.
Jobs were also a topic during the rally, with Ford calling attention to Windsor's periods of high unemployment and blaming the Liberal party for it.
"We lost thousands of jobs right here in Windsor," said Ford. "We're going to compete. We're competing against our American friends, we're competing against the rest of the world, and on June 7, the world's going to have a real wake-up call."
Ford concluded his remarks with confidence that Windsor-Essex's PC candidates will break through on election night.
"When our all-stars get elected, a new day will dawn, a day of prosperity, opportunity and growth the likes this province has never seen," said Ford.
Supporters hold up signs as Ontario PC leader Doug Ford pauses during a rally at the Fogolar Furlan Club in Windsor, May 31, 2018. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.