Wynne's pre-election concession brings out a relaxed, energized Doug Ford

As Doug Ford met with local Progressive Conservative candidates behind closed doors Saturday morning in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean — as safe a Conservative riding as there ever was — reporters were huddled over their smart phones, watching Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne admit defeat.

With less than a week to go before election day, Wynne stunned the political world with an emotional concession speech. 

She admitted she would not be premier after June 7, and implored voters to choose local Liberal candidates in order to keep either a Progressive Conservative or New Democrat government to a minority.

• Wynne acknowledges election is lost, urges voters to ensure NDP or PC minority
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Shortly after the Liberal news conference was over, there was a brief cheer from behind those closed doors In Nepean. And then, reporters were invited in for their daily media availability with the PC leader.

You might have expected Ford to make at least a little political hay with the fact that his apparent arch-enemy had handed her head to him on a silver platter.

But no. Even though he was asked several times and several ways about Wynne's stunning news, Ford answered only with his usual comments about how "this election is about change."

Curious response

It felt like an odd response to one of the most surprising political moves in Canadian history.

Maybe Ford, who never seems comfortable taking questions from reporters, didn't know how to respond to such an unprecedented development. Maybe the PCs want to keep their focus on their main NDP rivals, whom they are trying to paint as unfit to govern.

Or maybe Ford feels he needs the threat of the now famously unpopular Wynne as part of his campaign rhetoric. Having her openly admit she's going to lose — even though everyone can see that — doesn't actually help him.

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In fact, her unpopularity is why Wynne dropped her emotional bombshell. Although she didn't say she would step down as leader, it's become conventional wisdom that she'll do so as early as election night.

That leaves candidates free to run on their personal records, without the burden of 15 years of Liberal party baggage that many voters have come to associate with Wynne. 

Kathleen Wynne says it's 'really hard' to admit election defeat

7 years ago

Duration 1:24

Liberal leader acknowledges her party won't win June 7 vote

Unusual yet practical

Candidates were shocked by Wynne's concession, and were only told about it in a conference call shortly beforehand.

Bob Chiarelli was clearly taken aback by Wynne's "unusual" decision but argued that it was also "practical."

The longtime Liberal in Ottawa West–Nepean said he hears at the doors that people don't want to vote Conservative (although polls show the PCs as major contenders in the riding), but aren't sure who to support.

We want to take the concerns about Kathleen Wynne off the table and we want to say, 'What type of government do we want in Ontario?'- Bob Chiarelli

"A lot of them are expressing concerns about the NDP. They express concerns about Kathleen Wynne," Chiarelli told the CBC. "So we want to take the concerns about Kathleen Wynne off the table and we want to say, 'What type of government do we want in Ontario?'"

Once the shock of Wynne's news wore off, local candidates were talking a good game Saturday afternoon about how Liberals could keep either the ideological NDP or the slash-and-burn PCs to account in a minority government.

And indeed, a minority government would be the best-case scenario for the Liberals now. It's the only way for them to have any influence at Queen's Park.

Fighting for official status

But Saturday's move was probably less about strategic minority-vs.-majority manoeuvring and more about saving Liberal seats — any Liberal seats.

This is now a party fighting to retain its official status, which requires them to win eight ridings. And the move may not work.

Liberal supporters may feel let down and abandon the party that has admitted it's going to lose. Or some loyal Liberals might stick with the party, dividing the left-of-centre vote and allowing the PCs to win.

If that happens, Liberals could lose in tough races like Orlé​ans, Ottawa South and Ottawa West–Nepean — just the sort of ridings that Wynne's concession was supposed to help them keep.

By the end of the day, Ford and his supporters appear to have come to the same conclusion.

Nine hours after that closed-door meeting, more than 600 of the PC faithful were packed into a room with 350 seats. They were hooting and hollering.

Ford still gave the same canned comments on the need for change, on hydro rates being too high, on allegedly questionable NDP candidates. His comments didn't differ one bit from earlier in the day, but Ford himself seemed different.

Gone was the stiff automaton of the morning's press conference, replaced by a relaxed, energized Ford.

"Man, I'll tell ya, I went to thousands of rallies," Ford told the placard-waving crowd, "but I'll tell ya, not like this one. This is great!" 

And the crowd went wild.

Ford still didn't say a single word about Wynne admitting defeat. But he didn't have to.