Ontario's next provincial election is scheduled for June 7, 2018. Now that we're less than a year away, TVO will be keeping close tabs on how the parties position themselves as voting day draws nearer.
The Agenda on Politics Podcast: Patrick Brown's balancing act
David Reevely of the Ottawa Citizen on the PC leader's balancing act.
The Liberals want social-justice credibility, but they don't want to pay for it
OPINION: Policies like the minimum-wage increase are what happen when progressive ideals meet penny-pinching priorities, writes John Michael McGrath.
Three things to watch for in the 2018 election season
OPINION: With six months to go before voting day, John Michael McGrath highlights key issues that will shape the race.
Is ‘OHIP+’ really the best option for free prescription drug coverage in Ontario?
Experts tell Steve Paikin the drug plan proposed by the NDP would have been more effective than what the Liberals have implemented.
'Tis the season for Ontario politicians to be jolly
Steve Paikin takes a look at what the three major provincial party leaders have to be happy about this holiday season.
The Agenda on Politics Podcast: Elections in the new north
TVO's northwestern Ontario hub editor Jon Thompson talks about northern riding changes.
Ontario’s deficit is growing — and the Fair Hydro Plan is largely to blame
A new report from the Financial Accountability Office says that the province will add $75 billion to its debt over the next four years.
The latest auditor general report shows it’s hard for governments to make a plan and stick to it
ANALYSIS: The Liberals will run for re-election on the strength of new policies. In an otherwise moderate report, Bonnie Lysyk points out they haven’t done particularly well with the ones they have.
A closer look at the fine print of the People’s Guarantee
Can the Progressive Conservatives’ promises withstand six months of scrutiny?
The Agenda on Politics Podcast: History's lessons for the 2018 election
John Michael McGrath speaks with Steve Paikin. Listen.
The Agenda on Politics Podcast: Dispatches from Ontario's deep south
TVO.org's Mary Baxter discusses how the election will play out in southwestern Ontario.
One little sentence sets the Progressive Conservative platform apart
The non-partisan Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy has deemed the estimates underlying the Tories’ platform reasonable, Steve Paikin reports.
Patrick Brown is angry about Liberal waste, but his platform is Liberal-lite
OPINION: The Tories unveiled their election platform this past weekend, and while it contains substantial changes to Liberal policy, it’s not a root-and-branch destruction of the Wynne legacy, writes John Michael McGrath.
Tough times for Ontario New Democrats
Steve Paikin asks: Will ‘same policies, without the scandals’ be a good enough rallying cry for the NDP?
With the college strike finally over, politicians get down to what matters: Blame
OPINION: The Liberals say the NDP hurt students by forcing a drawn-out debate over back-to-work legislation. John Michael McGrath says they’re really concerned about the ballot box.
Is the relationship between the Ontario Liberals and the public-sector unions too close?
The way the Liberals have been embracing the union movement lately raises some troubling questions, Steve Paikin writes.
What we learned from the Liberals’ fall economic update
ANALYSIS: In his latest big speech, Finance Minister Charles Sousa threw some bones to small businesses and hinted at developments on the horizon.
Why the college strike is the Liberals' worst nightmare
ANALYSIS: Whether they legislate instructors back to work or let the strike drag on, the Liberals will pay a political price, writes John Michael McGrath.
Ontario Liberals wrestle with the principle of local democracy
Respecting the will of party members is important. But so is forming a winning team.
Four things we learned from the Progressive Conservatives’ policy motions
ANALYSIS: Voters finally have some evidence of what the Tories will run on in next year’s election. John Michael McGrath takes you through the highlights.
Playing politics with reproductive rights
OPINION: The Liberals want to protect women seeking abortions. They also want to torment the PCs, says John Michael McGrath.
The Liberal traps Patrick Brown has (so far) avoided
The Ontario Liberals keep advancing policy designed partly to entrap the leader of the opposition. So far, he’s managed to avoid stepping in any of those cow patties, writes Steve Paikin.
Two hard decisions for two prominent Liberals
Steve Paikin writes that Deb Matthews appears poised to exit provincial politics, following her cabinet colleague Brad Duguid.
Get ready for an orgy of election campaign ads
The next Ontario election may still be more than eight months away. But the ad wars are about to begin, writes Steve Paikin.
Is Patrick Brown the moderate leader Red Tories have been waiting for?
Steve Paikin writes that a debate is raging over which brand of conservatism the Progressive Conservative leader represents.
Handicapping the next Ontario election
Expert pollsters and strategists offer their takes on the 2018 vote with less than nine months to go.
Are circumstances ripe for another NDP government?
Ontarians electing an NDP government in 2018 seems improbable to many. But so did electing an NDP government in 1990, Steve Paikin observes.
One possible solution to Patrick Brown’s taxation problem
Steve Paikin asks: Is there a way for Ontario’s Progressive Conservative leader to sell his party on pricing carbon?
A Premier Conversation
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Many recent opinion polls show that Kathleen Wynne is the least popular premier in the country. And yet, the Liberals are still competitive in voting polls. The Agenda checks in with the premier to understand her party's policies and politics.
The next nine months will make or break Kathleen Wynne
Steve Paikin writes: Though she’s deeply unpopular, the premier still has time to turn things around before the next election. Can she?
The north wants in: Why new ridings in Ontario’s most remote region won’t curb northern alienation
OPINION: Even with two new provincial seats, northern Ontario’s political influence will continue to wane, writes David Tabachnick.
Patrick Brown deserves tough questions. Why did the Liberals give him such an easy one?
OPINION: The Liberals’ recent, futile attempt to tie the Tory leader to The Rebel is dumb politics, writes John Michael McGrath.
Face facts, Ontario: It’s Kathleen Wynne to the finish line
Steve Paikin writes: It might be hard to believe, but sometimes politicians mean what they say.
The Ontario Tories finally get their star candidate
Steve Paikin writes that Caroline Mulroney’s entrance into provincial politics gives Patrick Brown and the Progressive Conservatives a lift.
A simple request for more truth in political advertising
Steve Paikin argues that a new CUPE Ontario ad attacking the PCs — and the Tory response to it — illustrates why so many people are cynical about politics.
Progressive Conservatives hoping for a breakthrough in northwestern Ontario
Could electricity prices end the provincial Tories’ three-decade shutout in the northwest?
The Progressive Conservatives' not-so-secret weapon
The new political action group Ontario Proud is growing — but can it make an impact on the 2018 provincial election?
It’s the best of times and the worst of times for Ontario Tories
Patrick Brown’s Progressive Conservatives are riding high in the polls — but the party is plagued by bitter infighting over its nomination process, Steve Paikin writes.
John Tory’s fight with Queen's Park kicks into election gear
ANALYSIS: The mayor of Toronto is picking a political fight with the Liberals, and it’s already figuring in next year’s provincial election planning.
Ontario election preview: The Liberal deputy leader
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Ontario election preview: The PC leader
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Ontario election preview: The NDP leader
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Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner on The Agenda, June 7, 2017
Three paths to victory: How each party is hoping to shape the next year in politics, and next year's provincial election
OPINION: Ontario voters are scheduled to go to the polls on June 7, 2018. Here's how each party hopes to win them over.
Anyone for a snap election?
Officially, Premier Kathleen Wynne is committed to holding the election next June. But there are plenty of reasons she may want to do it sooner, Steve Paikin argues.
Last chance for those who think Kathleen Wynne needs to step down
Steve Paikin writes: June is the premier’s last viable opportunity to make way for a new party leader before the 2018 election.
The 2017 budget tries to make trouble for Liberal opponents on the left and the right
OPINION: The Liberals are using the privilege of government to make a budget that will cause problems for both the New Democrats and the Progressive Conservatives in the build-up to next year's election.