Finance Minister Vic Fedeli apologized in the legislature after calling the deputy leader of the NDP an “idiot” during question period.
The remark was caught on tape during a heated moment in the legislature, in which Fedeli was responding to a question about the Ontario Cannabis Store and the private company in charge of the warehouse.
“Why won’t the premier tell us who’s running those warehouses and how they landed those contracts?” NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh asked the government
Fedeli’s response turned up the temperature of the discussion. The minister leveled an insult saying the NDP doesn’t “understand how business works” before announcing that the day-to-day operations of the OCS would not be publicized due to security reasons.
“That’s how business works,” Fedeli said loudly in the legislature.
Seconds later, as he was taking his seat, Fedeli’s voice was clearly captured on his desk microphone calling Singh an “idiot.”
His comment is audible at the 1:25 mark in the video above this article.
Singh expressed her disappointment calling the insult “petty” and says the decorum in the house is “concerning.”
“They do often resort to personal insults,” Singh told reporters after question period.
Fedeli later withdrew the comment, which he admitted was “unparliamentary” and offered an apology in the legislature.
