Good morning. What is Doug Ford really like? He’s been wearing a rotation of hats, and with the Ontario election campaign under way, we try to dig into the answer. More on that, plus a checkup on Canada’s aluminum industry and Congo’s vulnerability to foreign armies.

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It’s a question I get often as a Queen’s Park reporter for The Globe and Mail, and especially now that we’re in a provincial election campaign (Oh, you didn’t notice? Well, we are!)

I’ll start off by saying I don’t know Ford personally – nope, never been to his backyard – but I have interacted with him dozens of times at press conferences, events and at brief moments, in the halls of Queen’s Park. Heading into the campaign, Ford embraced his newfound “Captain Canada” persona – the uniter-in-chief, leading the group of premiers as chair of the Council of the Federation, and standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat. Oh, but he also wanted Trump to win the election, in case you hadn’t heard.

So, what’s he like? That depends on which Doug Ford you meet, and when. He barged onto the provincial scene like a bull in a China shop when he was first elected in 2018. He cut legal aid, made unpopular changes to the autism program and increased class sizes, in an undeniably terrible first year in government that resulted in a series of reversals. But by 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he faced the cameras every day, trying to offer comfort and answers where there were often none. People felt like they knew Doug.

He parlayed his ubiquitous performance into a second majority government in 2022, before making national headlines in the summer of 2023 for his now-aborted plan to allow development on parts of the protected Greenbelt land – a decision now under RCMP investigation. “I made a promise to you that I wouldn’t touch the Greenbelt. I broke that promise. And for that, I’m very, very sorry,” Ford said directly to Ontarians during a press conference, in one of his most memorable moments as premier.

As the head of the premiers’ group, Ford has now embraced a diplomatic persona promoting a “Team Canada” approach. When he appears at press conferences, you can observe first-hand his strategy, honed during the COVID era, of looking straight into the camera, breathing deeply, and (trying) to stay calm – talking to the public as if he was shooting the breeze in the back of a truck.

During his recent trip to D.C. to meet with U.S. officials, Mr. Ford approached a group of frigid reporters standing outside the White House, telling us “you guys must be frozen” because, well, he was. He then declared the meeting as constructive, without actually revealing whom he was meeting with. (B.C. Premier David Eby later filled into the blanks.)

Ford can, by his own admission, go off the rails. He was recently caught on camera telling police chiefs at a gala in London, Ont., that people who commit murders during home invasions should be sent “right to sparky” – a reference to the electric chair. His campaign attempted to retract the remark as a poor-taste joke six hours after the Toronto Star broke the story.

And sometimes, well, he gets mad at us. He was especially fired up as he revealed his decision at a press conference on Jan. 24 to call an early election, telling reporters who were peppering him with questions: “you better pray that we get elected, because I’m going to protect everyone’s job, including the media’s job.”

He also derides his opponents, NDP Leader Marit Stiles and, especially, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, whom he frequently criticizes for her time as mayor of Mississauga. “I almost fell off the stage, David, when Bonnie Crombie said she’ll cut taxes,” Ford told debate host David Common at Monday’s debate. (She often counters that she “lives rent-free” in Doug Ford’s head.)

Both Stiles and Crombie accused Ford of ignoring the crisis in health care and failing to tackle affordability, and criticized his redevelopment plans for Ontario Place, which include $2.2-billion in taxpayer subsidies for a foreign-owned spa as well as his pitch for a Highway 401 tunnel, which Crombie dubbed a “fantasy tunnel.”

His team has begun limiting questions to six reporters per event on the campaign trail. The change came after he was asked repeatedly about his “hot mic” comments about wanting Trump to win the election but later feeling as though he’d been stabbed. He also skipped the two post-debate scrums with journalists, prompting his rivals to accuse him of hiding from his record.

So who is Doug Ford?

There are many different sides to him, evidently. But I would venture to guess that he hopes the public sees him in one way: simply as Doug.

As he launched his campaign, Ford made this pitch to voters: “You know me, and the kind of leader I am,” he said.

“You may not always agree with me, and that’s OK.”

Canada’s aluminum industry employs around 9,500 people, mostly in Quebec. Now, the country that helped build this business threatens its survival. The Globe’s Frédérik-Xavier D. Plante was in Saguenay to tell the story from the ground.

At home: Opposition parties criticized record federal spending on outsourcing, saying it is at odds with repeated pledges by the Liberals to cut back on outside help.

Abroad: Hamas will release six Israeli hostages instead of three, in return for Israel allowing mobile homes and construction equipment into the Gaza Strip.

Under the radar: With the world distracted by other crises, a weakened Congo falls prey to foreign armies.

Above the meter: Inflation in Canada rises to 1.9 per cent, as higher energy prices offset the lingering effects of the federal tax holiday.

On the road: Here’s how to plan an epic road trip with your furry best friend.