Doug Ford isn’t “for the little guy” – he’s a mercenary for the millionaire class | Martin Lukacs

A surging NDP can defeat Canada's Trump - whose folksy act is a front for an assault on working people and the environment

A recent episode perfectly captures the appeal of Ontario Tory leader Doug Ford. Asked about a delayed mining plan in the province's north, this is how he answered: "If I have to hop on a bulldozer myself, we're going to start building roads..it will benefit local people but it is also going to benefit everyone in Ontario." The statement quickly went viral.

In a single gesture, witness the dizzying acrobatics of right-wing populism. There's the posture of an unflinching maverick, spitting on his hands and getting the job done. There's the plain-spoken concern for the common man and woman. And then there's the actual result: a resource scheme that would enrich multinational corporations - who'd help themselves to a 10-year tax holiday - while trampling Indigenous rights and razing one of the last intact wild areas in Canada.