On the last day of Ontario’s provincial election campaign, Progressive Conservative (PC) leader Doug Ford made a high-energy stop in London, a key battleground where the Tories have struggled to gain ground in recent elections.

Ford visited Armo Tool, a manufacturing plant in east London, where he received a warm welcome from workers. Sporting a red and white jersey with “NEVER” emblazoned on the back, Ford handed out ‘Canada, Not For Sale’ hats—a clear swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and talk of annexation.

“We’re not backing down,” Ford declared, vowing to stand up to Trump.

“Thirty-six hundred products are coming in from the U.S. They’re done. They’re gone the second he puts one tariff on us. That’s over a billion dollars,” he said, adding that Ontario provides electricity to 1.5 million homes in New York, Michigan, and Minnesota. “That’s one tool we will not hesitate to use.”

London: A PC Target in a Strong NDP Region

Currently, the PCs hold just one of four ridings in the London region, represented by Rob Flack in Elgin-Middlesex-London. The other three ridings are firmly in NDP hands.

Ford made it clear that he sees London as a crucial battleground in his bid for a third majority government.

“We need a voice for London,” he told the crowd. “Right now, London doesn’t have too loud of a voice, and we’re still showing them tonnes of love.”

This was Ford’s second visit to London during the campaign, mirroring NDP Leader Marit Stiles’ two stops earlier in the week. Noticeably absent from the region? Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie, leading some to speculate that the Liberals may be avoiding vote-splitting in a strong NDP area.

King’s University College political scientist Jacquie Newman weighed in on the Liberals’ absence:

“The three NDP incumbents are solidly embedded. So it may be that the Liberals have looked at this and said, ‘If we get involved here with strong incumbents, all we’ll do is split the vote and end up with more Conservatives in Queen’s Park.’”

The Local Battle

In London-Fanshawe, Ford was joined by PC candidate Pete Vanderley, who is taking on NDP incumbent Teresa Armstrong, Liberal Kevin May, and Green Party candidate Wil Osbourne-Sorrel.

With the final votes looming, Ford is making a last push to expand PC support in a traditionally tough region—but whether London voters will shift remains to be seen.