By his own admission, Doug Ford believes that the Liberals’ use of the Emergencies Act during the freedom convoy was the right thing to do. “Stood shoulder to shoulder with the Prime Minister” on it, he said. So why, then, is he fighting so hard to avoid testifying at the inquiry? What does he personally or his government as a whole have to hide? It must be something pretty awful, because it’s not every day that making yourself look guilty as sin of anything anyone can possibly dream up to pin on you should strike you as being a better political outcome than just answering a few simple questions in your capacity as leader of the province.
And what nonsense his reasoning is, too. Yes, the inquiry was triggered by a decision made on the federal level. But had it not been for situations taking place at a busy border crossing and in a gigantic city both in Ontario in which municipal and provincial police from Ontario were heavily involved, that decision would never have been made. Saying that Ford or Sylvia Jones or anybody else had no communication with anyone on any other level of government or policing at any time and nothing to do with what decisions were made and when is laughable. In case he has forgotten, Ford and his government kind of run the place. I don’t blame him, I’d like to forget that myself. But if I want to forget it, no one important will care. No one is counting on my input and leadership on matters of provincial concern. Not so in Ford’s case. If he was a real leader, he would cut the parliamentary privilege and court silliness and be accountable for both the decisions he made and the ones he didn’t. Even if you’re a Ford supporter, I’m not sure how you see this as anything but the complete and utter cowardice and shadiness that it is.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended his decision against testifying at the public inquiry into the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act in the provincial legislature Tuesday, saying the inquiry is not a provincial issue.
Opposition members grilled Ford repeatedly in question period about his refusal to testify — their first chance to do so, after he did not show up on Monday.
“This is a federal inquiry into the federal government’s decision to use the federal Emergencies Act,” Ford said in response to a question from New Democrat leadership hopeful Marit Stiles. “For Ontario, this was a policing matter, it was not a political matter.”
Ford’s comments came as he fights a summons to testify at the inquiry, which is examining the federal government’s use of the Emergencies Act to end the so-called Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa and Windsor, Ont., last winter.
Whenever I see this, it makes me think of those crime shows where a bunch of witnesses say they know nothing even though it’s pretty obvious that they know way more than they’re letting on. I can just hear Joe Kenda saying “You have a nice evening, Scappy.”
I stand shoulder to shoulder with you letting me see that photo again.