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Hamilton Spectator
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Doug Ford shrugs off attacks by Pierre Poilievre's Tories: ‘I'm done with all this stuff'
Enough's enough. That's the message from an exasperated Premier Doug Ford about the sniping from embattled Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's caucus toward his Ontario Progressive Conservative government. 'I'm done with all this stuff. Honestly, I'm just done,' Ford told the Star on Wednesday. 'We're going to govern,' said the premier, whose provincial Tories were re-elected Feb. 27 with a third consecutive majority. His comments came the day after Conservative MP Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu-Appelle) claimed Poilievre, who lost his Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, was 'more popular in Ontario than Doug Ford is — just based on the votes' cast Monday. Ford's provincial party received 2.1 million votes in February, winning 80 of the 124 seats at Queen's Park in an election with 45 per cent turnout. In contrast, Poilievre's party garnered 3.3 million Ontario votes and won 53 of the 122 federal seats here, finishing behind Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals' tally of 3.7 million votes and 69 seats. Some 69 per cent of Ontarians cast federal ballots. Speaking to CTV Power Play's Vassy Kapelos on Wednesday, Scheer, a former Tory leader, complained that Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston were not there for the federal party in this campaign. 'I wish conservatives at other levels around the country would help, would be more cognizant that it's about the people. It's about the people that they represent as premiers or as other politicians. It's not about settling interpersonal differences,' he told Kapelos. 'There are dynamics that we have to figure out to make sure that doesn't happen again. But again, more people wanted Pierre Poilievre to be prime minister in Ontario than wanted Doug Ford to be premier. That's just a fact.' In an explosive interview early Tuesday, Tory MP Jamil Jivani blasted the premier for 'sabotaging' the federal Conservatives and being a 'hype man' for Carney's Liberals. 'He couldn't stay out of our business, always getting his criticisms and all his opinions out, distracting our campaign, trying to make it about him, trying to position himself as some kind of political genius that we needed to be taking cues from,' Jivani (Bowmanville-Oshawa North) told CBC's David Common. 'I see Doug Ford as a problem for Ontario and for Canada,' said the MP, who once worked for the premier as an aide. 'He's not doing a great job in running this province, and now he's trying to exercise his influence over other levels of government and it's not like this guy is doing anything particularly well. I'm speaking from experience. I tried to fix problems in this province, and he kept getting in his way, and all his goons around him all the time, they wouldn't make anything better,' he said. 'He has taken the provincial Conservative party and turned it into something hollow, unprincipled, something that doesn't solve problems. He's glad-handing with (Transport Minister) Chrystia Freeland, having coffees and lattes with Mark Carney.' Jivani took to social media Wednesday posting a doctored photo of the premier as a professional wrestler ripping off a yellow Ontario PC singlet to reveal a red Liberal T-shirt. Doug Ford fires back at federal Tories' claims he 'sabotaged' Pierre Poilievre That was after Ford had reminded reporters the federal party did not help him in February. 'Last time I checked, Pierre Poilievre never came out in our election,' he said in Mississauga. 'Matter of fact, he … or one of his lieutenants told every one of his members, don't you dare go out and help the PCs. Isn't that ironic?' The Star reported Wednesday that Poilievre's office specifically ordered Conservative MPs not to publicly congratulate the provincial Tories on their victory in February — even though many share the same campaign volunteers in their ridings. That reflected a schism that has festered for years. Six weeks ago, the Star revealed Poilievre only reached out to Ford for the first time on March 17, two and a half years after he became federal leader. The premier told him he would be too busy governing Ontario, the Star has learned. During the campaign, Ford had questioned the federal Tories for not copying his strategy of making the election a referendum on U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff attack against Canada. 'Sometimes the truth hurts,' the premier said two weeks ago when pressed on his political czar Kory Teneycke's assertion that the CPC was guilty of 'campaign malpractice' for not using Trump as the ballot question like Carney's Liberals did. Despite losing his seat to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy, Poilievre, a 21-year MP, has vowed to stay on as federal leader.
CBC
09-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ontario NDP promise grocery rebate while PC leader Ford touts border security measures
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford touted his party's border security measures amid the threat of U.S. tariffs, as the NDP focused on pocketbook issues Saturday with the promise of a monthly grocery rebate for millions of people. Ford continued to hammer home his campaign message about protecting Ontario's economy, saying that even though U.S. President Donald Trump has put off his tariff threats until early March, "an unprecedented economic risk" still looms. "The simple truth is, as long as Donald Trump is president, the risk of tariffs will never go away," Ford said during a campaign stop at a regional airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Trump has been threatening to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods unless Canada improves security at the border. Ford said his government's Operation Deterrence, announced last month as part of Ontario's response to the tariff threats, has so far intercepted eight illegal border crossings and led to the seizure of 21 illegal firearms and 624 kilograms of cocaine. If re-elected, Ford promised to spend $50 million to expand the Ontario Provincial Police's Joint-Air Support Unit with two new H-135 helicopters to support the Niagara Regional Police and the Windsor Police Service with increased border patrols, security and enforcement. Opposition parties have slammed Ford's claim that he needs an even larger electoral mandate to deal with four years of Trump, and have said the election campaign must focus on provincial health-care and affordability issues. NDP promise to introduce grocery rebate NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the rising cost of living is top of mind for Ontarians and that's why an NDP government would introduce a monthly grocery rebate for lower and middle-income households. Stiles said up to four million households would benefit from the program and a family of four could get up to $122 per month to help offset the cost of groceries. "That's over $1,400 per year," Stiles said at a campaign stop in Toronto on Saturday. "What I hear from people as I'm criss-crossing Ontario is that everybody is fed up with paying too much for basics like bread, rice and vegetables," she said. The tax-free rebate amount would be based on how much the cost of grocery staples has increased over the last several years and tied to the recipients' annual income and household size. The NDP said families and individuals with a net income of up to $65,000 would get the full credit, and the rebate would decrease for households earning between $65,000 and $100,000. The party said the program would cost about $409 million per month. A report by researchers at several Canadian universities released in December concluded that a Canadian family of four can expect to spend more than $16,800 on food in 2025 — and increase of about $800 from last year. If her party forms government, Stiles said it would also introduce measures to prevent co-ordinated price hikes among Ontario grocers and install a consumer protection watchdog. Meanwhile, the Liberal party made a pledge Saturday to appoint a special investigator to look into various moves by the Ford government, including the closure of the Ontario Science Centre and the now-reversed plan to develop land in the protected Greenbelt. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie had made a similar promise last June, long before Ford called the Feb. 27 snap election. Opening up the Greenbelt sparked a public outcry that hit a fever pitch in the summer of 2023 and led to an RCMP investigation that's still ongoing. Ford has denied any wrongdoing and said last week that he has not been interviewed by the RCMP in its Greenbelt probe, but he does not know if any of his staffers have been questioned.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ontario NDP pledges grocery rebate as PC leader Ford touts border security measures
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford touted his party's border security measures amid the threat of U.S. tariffs, as the NDP focused on pocketbook issues Saturday with the promise of a monthly grocery rebate for millions of people. Ford continued to hammer home his campaign message about protecting Ontario's economy, saying that even though U.S. President Donald Trump has put off his tariff threats until early March, "an unprecedented economic risk" still looms. "The simple truth is, as long as Donald Trump is president, the risk of tariffs will never go away," Ford said during a campaign stop at a regional airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Trump has been threatening to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods unless Canada improves security at the border. Ford said his government's Operation Deterrence, announced last month as part of Ontario's response to the tariff threats, has so far intercepted eight illegal border crossings and led to the seizure of 21 illegal firearms and 624 kilograms of cocaine. If re-elected, Ford promised to spend $50 million to expand the Ontario Provincial Police's Joint-Air Support Unit with two new H-135 helicopters to support the Niagara Regional Police and the Windsor Police Service with increased border patrols, security and enforcement. Opposition parties have slammed Ford's claim that he needs an even larger electoral mandate to deal with four years of Trump, and have said the election campaign must focus on provincial health-care and affordability issues. NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the rising cost of living is top of mind for Ontarians and that's why an NDP government would introduce a monthly grocery rebate for lower and middle-income households. Stiles said up to four million households would benefit from the program and a family of four could get up to $122 per month to help offset the cost of groceries. "That's over $1,400 per year," Stiles said at a campaign stop in Toronto on Saturday. "What I hear from people as I'm criss-crossing Ontario is that everybody is fed up with paying too much for basics like bread, rice and vegetables," she said. The tax-free rebate amount would be based on how much the cost of grocery staples has increased over the last several years and tied to the recipients' annual income and household size. The NDP said families and individuals with a net income of up to $65,000 would get the full credit, and the rebate would decrease for households earning between $65,000 and $100,000. The party said the program would cost about $409 million per month. A report by researchers at several Canadian universities released in December concluded that a Canadian family of four can expect to spend more than $16,800 on food in 2025 – and increase of about $800 from last year. If her party forms government, Stiles said it would also introduce measures to prevent co-ordinated price hikes among Ontario grocers and install a consumer protection watchdog. Meanwhile, the Liberal party made a pledge Saturday to appoint a special investigator to look into various moves by the Ford government, including the closure of the Ontario Science Centre and the now-reversed plan to develop land in the protected Greenbelt. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie had made a similar promise last June, long before Ford called the Feb. 27 snap election. Opening up the Greenbelt sparked a public outcry that hit a fever pitch in the summer of 2023 and led to an RCMP investigation that's still ongoing. Ford has denied any wrongdoing and said last week that he has not been interviewed by the RCMP in its Greenbelt probe, but he does not know if any of his staffers have been questioned. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2025. Sonja Puzic, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
CBC
28-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Doug Ford to launch re-election campaign in Windsor
Ontario Progressive Conservative party leader Doug Ford will launch his re-election campaign in Windsor on Wednesday, the party announced Tuesday afternoon. Following morning remarks and media availability he will hold a roundtable with Unifor Local 444 and visit workers at Harbour Technologies, a local manufacturer. Ford has dubbed his campaign the "Campaign to Protect Ontario." He has repeatedly said he believes he needs a new mandate from Ontarians to respond to the economic threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods.
