FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
15 October 2025
QUEEN’S PARK – Today, Stephanie Bowman, MPP for Don Valley West and Ontario Liberal Critic for Finance and Trade, issued the following statement in response to the announcement of Premier Ford’s new U.S. ad campaign.
Yesterday, Ontarians learned that Premier Doug Ford intends to spend $75 million of public money on another ad campaign targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public, in addition to the $40 million already spent this year. In doing so, he will transfer tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to some of the largest media corporations in the United States.
We have seen this approach before, and it hasn’t worked. Instead of wasting $75 million on American advertising, Premier Ford should be focused on protecting Ontario from the economic fallout of tariffs and this trade war. Spending that amount of taxpayer money enriching U.S. media giants, in the middle of an affordability crisis, trade war, and record unemployment, says a lot about this government.
Ontario Liberals believe that money would be better spent providing affordability relief for people, protecting jobs, or supporting workers who have lost theirs. Just last night, we learned that Stellantis is pulling production of the Jeep Compass at the Brampton Assembly Plant. The $75 million being spent on more useless feel-good ads would be better spent supporting the 3,000 workers in Brampton who will not be returning to work—and others like them.
Premier Ford knew this production halt was a possible outcome as far back as February, when Stellantis paused retooling at its Brampton plant amid tariff and trade uncertainty. What was he doing to prepare for this scenario? We would much rather be hearing about his work with decision- makers in the auto sector than speed cameras, bike lanes, and heroics at Home Depot.
The shine has worn off the Premier’s Captain Canada cape. We need a hero here in Ontario, someone who’s serious about creating jobs for the 700,000 people in our province who are out of work—and preserving the jobs that are on the line.