Ford says government will 'always be there for Ottawa' despite lack of cabinet minister
Ontario Premier Doug Ford did not say whether he plans to appoint a new cabinet minister from Ottawa after Merrilee Fullerton's sudden resignation.
"We make sure that we listen to all 444 municipalities no matter if they have a cabinet minister or not a cabinet minister," the premier told reporters in Hamilton, Ont. on Thursday. "We'll always be there for Ottawa."
After Fullerton's sudden departure last week, Ottawa - the province's second-largest city - now has no representative at the cabinet table.
Asked what plans he has to address that, Ford said he has been on the phone with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe "almost every single day."
"I was on the phone this morning with him. I'm on the phone all the time," he said. "So you're well-represented in Ottawa. We'll always take care of you."
The closest cabinet representative to Ottawa is Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, who represents Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.
Two Progressive Conservative MPPs represent Ottawa ridings: Carleton MPP Goldie Ghamari and Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod.
MacLeod was in cabinet during the Ford government's last term but was not reappointed.
Stéphane Sarrazin’s riding, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, includes the eastern tip of Ottawa, but the lion's share is outside the city.
FORD PRAISES FULLERTON
Ford also said Fullerton was a "wonderful minister."
"I know she wants to spend time with the family. There's no harder worker than Merrilee Fullerton. She contributed a tremendous amount to our team," he said.
Fullerton, a family physician, left medicine for politics in the lead-up to the 2018 election when she won her seat and won again, handily, in 2022.
"A strong sense of duty brought me to politics after decades as a family physician serving my community, to continue my work toward solutions that would address the shortcomings of our health-care system and improve health services for individuals," she wrote in her resignation letter to Ford on Friday.
"To serve the people of this province has been a profound honour."
Fullerton held three cabinet posts in her time in government, starting in 2018.
Richmond Hill MPP Michael Parsa has replaced Fullerton as minister of children, community and social services.
FORD: SUTCLIFFE 'A GREAT MAYOR'
Ford also couldn't resist taking a jab at former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson during his answer.
"He's a great mayor, by the way," Ford said about Sutcliffe. "I've had more phone calls probably in the last week than I did in four years from the previous mayor.”
There is no love lost between the two. The public inquiry into the Emergencies Act heard that Watson, in a conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accused Ford of shirking his responsibilities during the 'Freedom Convoy' protests.
Commissioner Paul Rouleau wrote that a lack of engagement by the premier had residents of Ottawa feeling abandoned by their provincial government.
"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.
Ford has denied that, suggesting Watson and former police chief Peter Sloly didn't do their jobs properly.
- with files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.