Doug Ford asked to apologize over 'divisive' comments about immigrants
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is being asked to apologize for "divisive" comments made on Monday about immigrants coming to Ontario "to collect the dole."
Ford was in Tecumseh addressing the skilled labour shortage in the province when he made the comments.
“You come here like every other new Canadian. You work your tail off," Ford said. "If you think you're coming to collect the dole and sit around, it’s not going to happen. Go somewhere else.”
‘Collecting the dole’ is a term used in some countries to refer to collecting unemployment benefits.
The Premier was in Windsor-Essex to make an announcement reaffirming the province’s commitment of $9.8 million for a new mega hospital in the area.
Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, who labelled the comments “divisive” and “disappointing,” issued a statement asking for an apology from Ford.
“This kind of divisive language is deeply disappointing,” Del Duca said on Twitter. “A Premier is supposed to unite Ontarians, not wedge us further apart. As a son of immigrants, I know first-hand how people like my parents helped to build Ontario. Doug Ford should apologize for his callous comments.”
When reached for comment, Ford's spokesperson Ivana Yelich told CTV News Toronto that Ontario is “open to anyone and everyone who wants to work hard, support their family and contribute to their community.”
“Ontario is in desperate need of skilled and unskilled workers to fill its labour shortage,” Yelich said. “While the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program is effective, it’s extremely oversubscribed, which is why for the last several years we have been calling on the federal government to increase the amount of economic immigration into the province,” Yelich said.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath echoed Del Duca’s statements, saying that Ford chose to “traffic in demeaning stereotypes” with his comments.
“He should apologize. But we've been here before. Sadly, this is who he is. Our diverse, welcoming province deserves better,” Horwath said.
Mike Schreiner, leader of the Ontario Green Party, responded to the comments by stating that “immigrants work hard and make vital contributions to our province.”
“To suggest otherwise is inexcusable and only divides people,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.