This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Batchel. I welcome Conrad Black, distinguished biographer and

National Post columnist to help me understand the election cycle underway in Canada. We begin with

the election in Ontario, and we need to meet a man named Doug Ford. But right now, is the provincial elections and there are the general election, all in question. Conrad, a very good evening to you. My understanding of Ontario is that it's a very powerful province that has its own mind, and Doug Ford is someone you very heartily recommend. What about Ontario's vote should we watch for as it goes forward?

Good evening to you.

Yeah, good evening to you, John.

Well, today is Thursday, that is, is election day.

And all the polls show him well ahead.

It's always a three-party race in Ontario, and all three parties have,

at times in the last 20 years, operated the government here. You're right. It has about

40% of the population of the whole country. So it's a very important province, and it has, I would say, probably 50% of the economy of the whole country.

And often in the history of Canada, the premiers of Ontario in Quebec's second province, but mainly French province, those two have been the real

opposition in the country rather than the official opposition leader in the federal parliament.

That is not the case now, but there is a history of Ontario and Quebec really flexing their muscles within the country.

And the constitutional setup in this country gives the provinces rather more powers than the states of the U.S. have.

With that said, the premier, he is a businessman.

His brother was the mayor of Toronto, got a good deal with publicity some years ago for controversial statements he made.

He was a very delightful man and a good mayor, and the people liked him, but he did have a substance problem.

And when he was in that state, he said some things that were slightly embarrassing.

Not worse than that, but they became kind of amusing.

Doug Ford has no such problem.

He has the mind of a successful, small-ish businessman.

He's not a shopkeeper, but I think he may have 50 to 100 employees in a very prosperous business.

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