QUEEN'S PARK -- Ontario Premier Doug Ford will not run for leader of the Conservative Party despite receiving “endless” supportive messages in the days since Andrew Scheer announced his resignation.
In an exclusive year-end interview with CTV News Toronto, Ford said he declined numerous requests from voters and supporters to seek the leadership because he is “busy turning the province around.”
“Endless. It’s endless messages, people coming up (saying) you should run,” Ford said in his Queen’s Park office on Monday. “I appreciate the support, I appreciate their confidence.”
Ford has been in this position before—when Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown resigned in January 2018, Ford announced his leadership bid just days later.
“Sometimes politics does funny things,” Ford said. “You don’t think you’re going to be involved and then something falls right on your front doorstep.”
“I decided to jump in. I’m happy I did.”
The gambit paid off handsomely for Ford, who was elected party leader three months later and then crowned premier three months after that.
This time, however, Ford is leery about chasing the prime minister’s job, especially after being cast as the villain by Justin Trudeau during the recent federal election campaign.
Ford might also be reading the political tea leaves and suggests the next federal Conservative leader might not get another shot for years.
“I personally think this minority government is going to go the distance, almost the distance.”
When pressed for a reason why, Ford boiled it down to one thing—money, and the ability to bankroll another election so soon after the October vote.
“The Liberals have no money, the NDP have no money, the Conservatives have money. So they’re going to stick together -- the NDP and the Liberals—as long as they can I believe and good luck to them.”
Ford also lamented the in-fighting within the Conservative party, telling CTV News Toronto that politicians have a habit of wanting to “eat their own”
“I can see it right across all parties,” Ford said. “Politicians have a habit, and this goes back for decades, they can’t help but eat their own.”
“The Conservatives are no different than the Liberals or the NDP, they just want to eat their own.”
Ford, who has faced intense criticism from within his own party, dismissed the idea of even leaving the federal leadership door open by a crack—at least for now.
“I’m so busy turning the province around, I’m going to focus 100 per cent on the province and we’ll see what the future brings for us.”
