Doug Ford lashes out at federal environment minister calling him a 'real piece of work'
Premier Doug Ford is slamming federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault as a “real piece of work” in the wake of public remarks he made suggesting that Ontario has “no plan to fight climate change.”
Ford made the comment during a press conference in Hamilton on Thursday, during which he was asked about the environment minister’s latest criticism.
“That guy's a real piece of work isn't he?” the premier said. “We're doing everything we can (on climate change). Matter of fact I will put our record on the environment against any government in the history of this province or right across the country.”
On Wednesday Guilbeault told reporters in Ottawa that he found Ford’s criticism of the federal carbon tax “incredibly rich coming from a premier who has no plan to fight climate change.”
Ford, however, defended his government’s record on Thursday and chastised Ottawa for not investing in the province’s Ring of Fire mineral development project in its most recent budget.
He went on to say that he “differentiates the leadership” of other federal ministers like Chrystia Freeland and Dominic LeBlanc from Guilbeault “because they are great to work with.”
“We're putting $1 billion dollars to make sure we pull critical minerals out of the ground to put in the EV vehicles and the batteries, to make sure we take cars off the road. We're putting an electric arc furnace at Algoma (Steel Group) and Dofasco, taking two million cars off the road. We are building the largest transit system in North America to get people out of their cars,” he said. “So I am not into the politics. Let’s move forward and let’s get things done. That is about all I have to say about that minister (Guilbeault).”
This isn’t the first time that Ford has clashed with Guilbeault.
Back in January, the premier told reporters that he was disappointed with remarks the federal environment minister made suggesting that Ottawa could try to block the development of a parcel of land that Queen’s Park had removed from the Greenbelt.
Guilbeault, for his part, expressed frustration with working with Queen’s Park last week while discussing Ontario’s plans to build housing near Rouge National Urban Park.
"Collaboration is impossible," he said at the time. "There is zero desire. I think the government of Ontario has been very clear: no desire for public consultation, no desire for transparency, and no desire to understand what the environmental impacts and the health impacts to Ontarians would be of going ahead with these developments."
With files from The Candian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.