Premier Doug Ford finally resurfaced this week after going MIA following the recent firing of his chief of staff and Etobicoke pal Dean French over a mother of a patronage scandal.
But Doug was as far away as he could be from his political troubles, flipping pancakes at the Calgary Stampede in Alberta with Jason Kenney and the rest of the cowboy-hatted posse of Con premiers (aka The Resistance) dedicated to all things right wing. From there it was to Saskatchewan for some pressing of the flesh with friends of Premier Moe.
Anything to get away, it seems, from questions about the maelstrom back home where the recent cabinet shuffle that was supposed to “reset” a Ford government in crisis has instead been followed by revelations that friends of friends in Ford’s Family Compact are being handed six-figure patronage plums.
French took the fall for that one. Turns out the lacrosse-playing friend of French’s son, another relative of French and his niece, were all handed lucrative jobs for which they apparently had zero qualifications, except membership in the Ford fan club. The Globe later revealed two more questionable appointments with connections to French, all of which have since been rescinded. Then there was the bizarre report of French showing up at Queen’s Park the day after he was fired to read the riot act to staff and claim he was still in charge.
Ford swears he didn’t know anything about it, with the preem’s minions dutifully leaking to the Star and other media outlets that Dougie allegedly “hit the roof” when he found out about all those folks lining up at the trough. French was trying to pull a fast one on Ford, or so the story goes.
Hard to believe Ford would be so oblivious for the simple reason that Ford and French are thick as thieves. Also, the premier’s late brother Rob’s former chief of staff, Earl Provost, was among those handed an appointment (a trade position in Chicago) when the others were announced at the time of the cabinet shuffle.
It’s also surfaced that the father of Ford’s fave Etobicoke MPP, Kinga Surma, who was recently elevated to associate minister of transportation, has also been hired as a policy advisor.
It’s possible Doug was out of the loop. Just how in touch the premier is with the day-to-day workings of government has been a recurring theme of a bonkers first year in office.
But for those of us in the Big Smoke used to Fordian politics, the cronyism comes as little surprise.
Doug has always had a penchant for using the power of any office he’s held to win favour for his friends when he wasn’t furthering his personal or business interests. In fact, the number of Ford friends appointed to high places in his government has been raising questions from the moment he took office.
But the most recent revelations of pork-barrelling are telling for what they say about the depth of the arrogance – and double-dealing – that has infected this government. “For The People?” More like “Sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.”
Yup, ole Doug has been having a grand old time on taxpayers’ dime while tearing shit down for the sake of tearing shit down, and losing money hand over fist with one ill-considered move after another. That’s what you get when you elect an ideologue.
This week, there was more news of the disastrous financial consequences of Ford government folly. Turns out the cap-and-trade program Ford axed when he first got elected – blowing an estimated $1.5 billion in the process – ended up killing some 227 green energy projects.
But hey, if you were one of the first 500 lucky people at various provincial attractions over the Canada Day long weekend, you got in free thanks to Doug’s waiving of the entrance fees. Give us circuses.
Ford could seemingly care less as long as he’s got the so-called “downtown elites” and “media party” to blame. He’s governing for “the only people that matter.” That’s what he told the estimated 10,000 or so who showed up for Ford Fest at the Markham Fairgrounds a couple of weekends ago.
True to form, Doug is blaming everyone but himself (again) for the chaos that’s been standard operating procedure since his government took power. In that context, his recent cabinet shuffle looks more like a reload than a reset.
The most notable moves:
• Caroline Mulroney has been replaced as attorney general and moved to transportation. Some are calling it a demotion. Others say it’s a lateral move. Mulroney will technically be in charge of Ford’s TTC subway takeover plan, but we all know Ford will be calling the shots. That plan looks like it’s headed for a train wreck, which only makes Mulroney, who has her own leadership aspirations, the perfect scapegoat when things start to go sideways.
• Rod Phillips, who was sucking air in the environment portfolio, replaces Vic Fedeli as finance minister, a move that will make Phillips’ friends on Bay Street happy. And Doug wants nothing more than to impress the business elites.
• Paul Calandra, the former Stephen Harper attack dog (and all around tool) when he was a federal MP, is Ford’s new house leader, which is as sure a sign as any that Ford is scraping the bottom of the barrel – and that he intends to keep tight reins on his caucus, a job he used to rely on French to do.
• Lisa MacLeod has been booted as minister of children and social services. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the damage has already been done. Now that she’s the minister of tourism her duties will include overseeing redevelopment of Ontario Place, another project close to Ford’s heart.
• Stephen Lecce has replaced Lisa Thompson as minister of education. It was only a matter of time before Lecce would find his way to the cabinet table given how he has been among the more eager clapping seals in Ford’s caucus. But no one believes the former Harper staffer will be more than a figurehead to carry out Ford’s agenda.
Ford’s cabinet has gone from one the smallest in Ontario history to one of the largest. Talk about patronage. The moves (and the boost in salary that comes with the appointments for the lucky chosen) may be enough to cover up the fissures and hard feelings developing in the caucus over the government’s plummeting approval ratings. The hope in the premier’s office is that all will be forgotten by the time the Legislature resumes sitting in late October. But don’t bet on it. The rot runs deep.
Meanwhile, don’t expect any Ford sightings outside photo opportunities posted on Twitter of the premier enjoying his summer with friendlies as far away from Queen’s Park as possible.
@enzodimatteo
