Ford defends decision to name nephew minister of multiculturalism
Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended his decision Monday to name his nephew minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, saying the newly elected legislator has spent years representing one of the most diverse communities in the province.
Ford was asked about the appointment in a joint news conference with Toronto Mayor John Tory - his first time taking questions since he introduced his new, 30-person cabinet last week.
The premier said his nephew Michael Ford has “extensive experience,” having previously served on Toronto city council and as a school trustee.
“I think he'll do an extremely good job,” Doug Ford said Monday. “He has a lot of knowledge and he's been an elected official probably longer than more than 60 per cent of our caucus.”
He noted the ward his nephew represented on city council, Etobicoke North, is “probably one of the most multicultural areas in the entire province.”
Tory, who worked with Michael Ford when he was on council and appointed him to the police services board during that time, described him as “thoughtful” and “hard working.”
“He does understand his community as well as anybody else, and it is one of the most multicultural communities in all of Toronto, if not all of Canada,” he said. “So give him a chance.”
The cabinet presented Friday has many ministers in the same roles they held under Ford's last government, including in key files such as housing and education.
Among the changes was the appointment of former solicitor general Sylvia Jones as deputy premier and health minister.
There were also a few new faces aside from Michael Ford, including Michael Kerzner, a bioscience and technology entrepreneur elected in York Centre named Solicitor General, and Graydon Smith, the former mayor of Bracebridge, Ont., who will serve as minister of natural resources and forestry.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Storage shed or shipping container? B.C. Supreme Court settles long-running bylaw dispute
A long-running dispute over whether a structure on a Surrey property violates a city bylaw that prohibits shipping containers on residential lots has been settled by the B.C. Supreme Court