Doug Ford says Ottawa and Toronto responses to 'Freedom Convoy' were 'like night and day'
Doug Ford says Ottawa and Toronto responses to 'Freedom Convoy' were 'like night and day'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he does not agree with a finding of the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) that was critical of his government's actions during the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa.
And he all but suggested former mayor Jim Watson and former police chief Peter Sloly failed in their respective duties.
"I find the province of Ontario’s reluctance to become fully engaged in such efforts directed at resolving the situation in Ottawa troubling," Rouleau wrote.
Neither Ford nor then-Solicitor General Sylvia Jones participated in the mandated inquiry into the federal government's use of the Emergencies Act during the protest, despite being called to testify. Ford cited parliamentary privilege as a reason he and Jones could not testify, as the legislature was in session.
Ford was asked about the report, which was released Feb. 17, at a media conference in Vaughan on Tuesday. He said he disagreed with the commissioner's finding.
"Well, that's their opinion; it's the furthest from the truth," he said. "We were on this every single day."
The commission found Ford refused to participate in tripartite discussions with Ottawa and the federal government, based on the view that the convoy was "protesting a federal vaccine mandate on Parliament’s doorstep." However, many protesters were opposed to all vaccine-related mandates, the majority of which were provincial in nature. Ford had told Watson he didn't believe political meetings would be productive, and that the protest was an issue for law enforcement.
Ford thanked OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique and the police officers who were deployed to the city during the protests before offering a comment comparing Ottawa to Toronto, which also saw a brief convoy-related protest.
"I'm just going to phrase it this way: the mayor of Ottawa and the police chief, they had their jobs; the mayor of Toronto, Mayor (John) Tory, and (Interim) Chief (James) Ramer, they had their jobs. It was night and day," Ford said.
The convoy protest in Toronto on Feb. 5, a week into the ongoing situation in Ottawa, did not turn into the occupation that was seen in the nation's capital. Toronto police closed several roads and did not allow large vehicles to access the area around Queen's Park, in contrast to Ottawa police letting trucks onto Wellington Street in front of the Parliament buildings. Ford suggested the city of Toronto made better decisions.
"When the convoy came to Toronto, they came, they did their little protest and they were gone because Chief Ramer had operational experience, he was ready. Mayor Tory did a great job and that's about as far as I'm going to say about the folks in Ottawa. The people who were in charge are no longer there."
Sloly resigned while the convoy protesters were still entrenched in the core and Watson did not seek re-election last October.
Ford's actions during the protest, or perceived lack thereof, became a point of political tension in the legislature in the days after the report's release, with the opposition NDP accusing the premier of "ghosting" residents of Ottawa. Rouleau's report said greater collaboration between all levels of government could have helped iron out jurisdictional troubles that plagued the early response.
While the province did provide documents to the POEC and some senior officials testified, the lack of testimony from Ford and Jones put the commission at a "regrettable disadvantage in its understanding of Ontario’s perspective," Rouleau said. The premier's greater focus was on the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, which was disrupting trade between Canada and the United States.
Ford wouldn't comment further on the convoy response in Ottawa. While he did not name Watson or Sloly during his response, he said he would "leave it at that" before ending his media availability.
The report found a series of operational failures by the Ottawa Police Service led to the protest spinning out of control. A separate audit by the city’s auditor general said a lack of communication between the police and the city also contributed.
At the moment, wildfires are burning across six provinces and one territory in Canada — and they’re still spreading in what’s being called an unprecedented fire season. While firefighters work tirelessly to battle the merciless flames and prevent further destruction, scientists say the wildfires are linked to climate change and that this will be the new normal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he raised concerns about reports that LGBTQ2S+ rights and democracy are under threat in Poland during a Friday visit with its prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, in Toronto.
Air Canada says travellers should be prepared for further flight disruptions as it works to return service to normal following a technical malfunction Thursday.
As more Canadians pass their family cottages down to the next generation, 'major shifts' in the ownership of recreational homes will occur, according to Re/Max. But amid concerns around the cost of housing, some may be wondering whether they can afford to keep that family cottage. Here's what younger generations need to know about inheriting a recreational property and the market today.
A 38-year-old sergeant in the Canadian Army was fined $3,000 and issued a severe reprimand after he made what a military judge described as 'utterly disgusting' anti-Jewish comments while conducting an infantry training course in 2021.
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament. The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is committed to keeping David Johnston in place as Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference, despite a majority of MPs voting in favour of his stepping down from the gig.
Three Toronto men have been charged with attempted murder after they allegedly shot an innocent dog walker in Schomberg, Ont. in a case of mistaken identity.
Planning to pass time in Montreal's many parks this summer? Check yourself for ticks, warns one woman who recently contracted Lyme disease. Jasmine Rochereul, 23, says she spent much of last summer sprawled in city parks, where she believes she picked up the tick-borne illness.
There will be a lot of music, revelry and fun in downtown Sudbury on Friday evening as the Downtown Sudbury Business Improvement Association launches its 'Ultimate Summer Kick-Off' Party. For many, it also marks the unofficial start to patio season.
A popular beach in Bracebridge is open to the public two days after sewing needles were found in the water, but a second beach has since closed over safety concerns.
A local addiction treatment facility is expanding and moving operations to the Mission Services building on York Street. Quintin Warner House staff say the move will mean improved programs for more clients.
A bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth that was toppled and damaged by protesters two years ago was put back in its place Friday on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature after a lengthy set of repairs.
A dozen sheriffs and Calgary Police officers roamed Calgary's core for three months, but the provincial pilot program is officially over as of this week.
A Calgary father and son face a lengthy list of criminal charges after being arrested in connection with the sexual exploitation, assault and extortion of multiple teen girls.
The Weyburn Police Service (WPS) says it has charged a 27-year-old woman following the theft of several "high-powered" firearms and a large amount of ammunition from a residence in nearby Yellow Grass.
