Doug Ford can't coast on not being Kathleen Wynne: Robyn Urback

The campaign strategy for Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford has now become clear: say little, avoid specifics, remind voters that you are not Premier Kathleen Wynne.

This is a good strategy for, say, a houseplant running to be Ontario's next premier. In fact, I am confident a houseplant really could win the provincial election if only afforded the opportunity.

Houseplants are neutral. Put up against the current deeply disliked premier (and the largely absent NDP Leader Andrea Horwath) an unremarkable inanimate object like a houseplant stands a chance. Its foremost credential of not being Kathleen Wynne would surely be enough.

But Ford is not a neutral figure; in fact, many Ontarians already perceive him negatively, despite the fact that he has said little of substance since, or even before, becoming PC leader.

Voters who are fed up with the Wynne Liberals but don't fit within Ford Nation need a reason to set aside whatever aversion to Ford they might have.

But practically all Ford has offered so far is a few cheesy catchphrases and a promise to erect a big "Ontario is open for business" sign at the border. (Anyone know a good labels and tag company?) And there is little indication that he intends to change course.

As of Thursday, Ford's campaign would not say whether he would deliver a fully costed platform, as previously promised. It would not say whether it would hold daily campaign events. It has also taken the unusual step of not having a media bus following the candidate during the campaign trail, which some have interpreted as his team's way of trying to shield Ford from excessive scrutiny.

That may be so, or it may be that the whole concept of media bus trailing a candidate is increasingly unnecessary in a digital age. In isolation, that latter interpretation is easy to buy. But paired with other examples of Ford's opaqueness (lack of costed platform, short notice for media availabilities, a declined debate invitation and an annoying tendency to dodge straightforward questions) it's not far-fetched to think Ford's team might be hoping a few reporters might get stuck in traffic on the way to some of his campaign events, and thus, cannot ask him questions.

The strategy behind this tactic is fairly obvious: Every time Ford opens his mouth he risks saying something that could compromise his now-narrowing lead. To explain how he will both scrap the carbon tax and fulfil the PC's various spending promises risks him saying something unpopular like "raising taxes" or "cutting back," which necessitates an expert level of packaging and spin.

The PCs failed to properly sell their cutback plan last time around (indeed, whenever the wind whistles through the leaves, I can still hear the word "attrition"); Ford is simply not explaining his.

When asked Thursday, Ford wouldn't say why his campaign would not have a media bus. He repeatedly dodged a question last week about whether he would keep Wynne's publicly funded daycare plan. He won't say whether he would fulfil the Liberals' promise of daily commuter train service to Niagara.

• Doug Ford is ditching the media bus for the upcoming campaign
• Doug Ford on becoming PC leader, uniting the party and taking on Wynne

Here's what Ford has said: He will find $6 billion in "efficiencies" but hasn't said where. He is maybe open to liberalizing pot and alcohol sales but won't commit. He has mused about possibly eliminating the 15 per cent foreign buyers' tax, but we'll have to see on that one.

Ford will also lower hydro rates somehow and shorten hospital wait times in one way or another. And again, this will all be made possible by finding efficiencies in areas and eliminating red tape in others, while cutting zero jobs and perhaps lowering your taxes.

If you don't trust your candidate, this is the way to go: minimize exposure to media scrums, keep promises insultingly vague and coast on not being Kathleen Wynne. Ford can't hurt himself if he's in a bubble.

It may be that this is the best the PCs can hope for in candidate Doug Ford. But if so, that raises alarm bells about another unconscionable Liberal victory. The PCs tried selling "not Wynne" before — with decent polling numbers going into the election and an arguably less polarizing candidate, and they still lost.

Ford doesn't need to seduce new recruits to Ford Nation, but he does need to try to offer something to voters who are stuck between a refusal to vote Liberal and a distaste for what's left. Saying nothing isn't it.

This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.