Doug Ford warns re-elected PM Justin Trudeau that he will be on 'front line' making sure he keeps promises
One month after criticizing Justin Trudeau for calling an “unnecessary election” during the fourth wave of the pandemic, Ontario Premier Doug Ford congratulated the newly re-elected prime minister, adding that he will be on the “front line” making sure he fulfills his campaign promises.
“[The candidates] each fought hard for what you believe in, representing the diverse views of millions of Canadians,” the premier said at the beginning of a news conference on Wednesday.
“But after a difficult and divisive campaign … Now is the time to put our political differences aside and focus on the task at hand, navigating through this fourth wave of COVID-19.”
Ford said that he has spoken with Trudeau and that he will be working to make sure he keeps his election promises to the people of Ontario.
“Make no mistake about it, I’m going to be right in the front line of making sure that all those promises he’s committed to, he fulfills them.”
Some strategists have argued that with Trudeau back in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ford’s chances of re-election just got a bit easier.
“Ontario has a unique history of voting one way federally and another way provincially,” Conservative strategist Kayla Ilafelice told CTV News Toronto.
“When Doug Ford has an opponent at the federal level, it makes his job a lot easier.”
When Stephen Harper was in power at Parliament, voters in Ontario tapped Liberals Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne to lead, but soon after the Trudeau government was elected in 2015, Ontarians turned to the Progressive Conservatives.
Ilafelice says that the opposition could give Ford some “traction in terms of his popularity.”
The next Ontario election is slated for June 2022.
WHERE HAS FORD BEEN OVER THE PAST MONTH?
Ford, who is the leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party, has been relatively silent since the writ dropped on Aug. 15, with the exception of a single news conference on Sept. 1 in which he blamed the election for the province’s delay in implementing a vaccine certificate program.
After making the comments, which some have argued were political in nature, Ford said that he would not get involved in the federal election.
On Wednesday, his first news conference since Sept. 1, Ford reiterated that he has been absent from the public eye for that reason.
“I didn't want to get involved in this federal election,” Ford said at Queen’s Park.
In the meantime, Ford said he has been working “around the clock” in Ontario’s fight against COVID-19.
“We're making sure that we're fighting the fourth wave , making sure we are taking care of the people, making sure hospital capacity is up to par and helping people, but there is not one day I stopped, I go 24/7,” he said.
Health Minister Christine Elliott was asked about the premier’s whereabouts during a news conference last week, to which she replied he had “been around.”
Although the federal election was held on Monday, the Ontario legislature is still prorogued until Oct. 4 and there are no apparent plans to return to Queen’s Park any sooner.
With files from Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Colin D’Mello
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.