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When I think about this wasteful, unnecessary election it seems sad and laughable that Doug Ford needed a mandate to save us from Donald Trump.
The people of Ontario should be careful about what we ask for because we may get it in the end.
The Ontario government has come under fire numerous times for appointments given to associates of the premier and the Progressive Conservative Party. The best example was when Ron Taverner, a close friend of Premier Doug Ford's family, was going to be named the OPP's next commissioner when he did not meet the base requirements for the position.
Let’s not just shrug over Ford’s decision to put his newly elected nephew in Ontario’s cabinet. There are lots of examples of nepotism for friends, family and the unqualified in Trump’s government, but Doug Ford has the same tendencies.
Donald Trump has shown little respect for democratic processes. In the last provincial election Ford is thought to have advised his PC candidates to avoid speaking and attending to local election debates.
The Ford government used Ministerial Zoning Orders (MZO) 17 times more than the previous 20 years according to an Auditor General’s report. These MZO’s allow the minister to override and short-circuit local municipalities development plans. These MZO’s are done in the dark, cannot be appealed and could be open to secret influence of developers. Which brings up how developers could have made over $8 billion from Ford’s broken promise on the opening of the Greenbelt to development.
Ford is so concerned about democracy that he has threatened to use the notwithstanding clause to override Charter rights on three occasions. The first was to override the courts when he wanted to reduce the size of Toronto’s city council. In November 2022 Ford threatened to use the notwithstanding clause on CUPE education workers unless they cease the strike and return to the bargaining table.
Most recently, he has offered to use the notwithstanding clause on the weakest and most traumatized people in Ontario to break up homeless encampments. Overriding the Charter of Rights and Freedoms should not be done lightly nor indiscriminately, yet our democratic protector uses it like it’s an item from a restaurant menu.
The Supreme Court in the United States has become a political puppet of Trump. In our own backyard, the Ford government was set to “assume complete control” over selecting the next chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. Ford first amended the Justice of the Peace Act as part of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act.
Not even the most disingenuous Ford puppet could credibly explain what the appointment of JPs had to do with pandemic recovery. These changes, fixing an unbroken system, were a thinly veiled trojan horse to allow the attorney general and Ford to select their preferred judicial candidates more easily – just like the Donald.
The reason that Mr. Ford claims to need a new mandate is that Donald Trump is threatening to end NAFTA and apply 25 per cent tariffs. Do you know who else breaks contracts whenever it suits him?
Ford scrapped cap-and-trade climate plan which would have allowed Ontario to avoid the federal carbon tax. Ford’s decision to tear up 750 renewable energy contracts shortly after winning the election last year cost the Ontario taxpayers more than $230 million.
Recently the Conservative government cancelled (early renegotiation) its contract with the Beer Stores. The Ontario Liberal Party claims the costs will add up to $1 billion in direct payouts to the Beer Store, grocery chains and convenience store owners, as well as foregone revenue for the LCBO.
It is not just the wasted money when Doug Ford cancels contracts willy-nilly. It sends a bad message to investors and governments around the world that Ontario is not trustworthy or reliable. It is not good for business.
At this critical moment in Canada’s history, is Ford the best person to protect Ontario’s interests? Does he really need a mandate to negotiate or is he just being a “smart” politician taking advantage of a scared and distracted people for his own gain?
Ford has been caught on microphone saying that he is glad Trump won the American election. I think that there is evidence that our own premier has some Trump tendencies of his own.
Breaking contracts, the use of the notwithstanding clause to override basic legal rights, the interfering with judicial appointments, questionable donations given at his daughter’s wedding by Greenbelt developers and government appointments given to friends and cronies. It is not on the same scale as Trump but it has a familiar ring. Perhaps Ford is too similar to Trump to be an honest and objective negotiator to protect Ontario’s interests.
The people of Ontario should be careful about what (and who) you ask for to defend us, because we may get it (in the end).
David Howell
Orillia
