TRILLIUM TALK: Premiers get ever so close to Oval Office

Welcome to a special edition of Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature. 

Although this segment usually runs on Sunday mornings, we're ramping things up now that a provincial election has been set for Feb. 27.

Every weekday during the campaign, Village Media's Scott Sexsmith will sit down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the big developments of the day. 

On the show this afternoon is Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, who was in Elmvale today for a campaign stop with Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie. 

NDP Leader Marit Stiles will be in Sudbury this afternoon to unveil her party's northern platform, while Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner was in the riding of Dufferin—Caledon this morning.

PC Leader Doug Ford doesn't have any public events planned for Thursday — one day after returning from Washington, where joined fellow provincial premiers in meetings with White House officials.

They didn't get any face time with U.S. President Donald Trump, but the premiers said they're optimistic that their anti-tariff message is being heard. 

As for Canada becoming the 51st state, that rhetoric isn't slowing down. As soon as the premiers left, Trump's deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs took to X.

"Pleasant meeting with the Premiers," wrote James Blair. "To be clear, we never agreed that Canada would not be the 51st state."

Pleasant meeting with the Premiers.

To be clear, we never agreed that Canada would not be the 51st state. We only agreed to share Premier Eby’s comments.

Further, we said the best way to understand President Trump’s position is to take what he says at face value. @SergioGor https://t.co/gw7jPiBsVh

— James Blair (@JamesBlairUSA) February 12, 2025

Looking for previous episodes of Trillium Talk? You can find them all HERE.

And be sure to check out our site's 'Ontario Votes' page for everything you need to make an informed decision at the ballot box, including local campaign headlines, candidate profiles, party promise trackers — and in-depth daily coverage from The Trillium.

Operated by Village Media, a leader in local journalism, The Trillium is a comprehensive news and information source devoted exclusively to insider coverage of Ontario politics.

Passionate and plugged in, The Trillium delivers the major political headlines of the day while unpacking complex policy changes and digging deeper into key issues that impact every Ontarian. Our dogged journalists also keep a close watch on legislative debates, question period, public appointments, lobbying activity and regulatory proposals.

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