What to know
- Doug Ford was caught on a hot mic saying, “Thank God we don’t have the media. No questions, no answers.”
- The premier later said he was “having a little bit of fun” and insisted he has “no problem with the media.”
- Ford defended his record on transparency, calling himself “the most transparent, most available premier ever in Ontario.”
- His comments come amid ongoing criticism of his government’s handling of freedom-of-information laws and access to government records.
- The premier’s office did not respond to Now Toronto’s request for comment before publication.
People across Ontario are giving Premier Doug Ford the side-eye after he was caught on a hot mic thanking God that reporters weren’t in attendance for a question-and-answer session at a recent event.
“Thank God we don’t have the media. No questions, no answers. We’re good to go, guys,” Ford can be heard saying in a clip of the event shared by reporter Tina Yazdani on social media.
In a later clip posted by Yazdani, when questioned about why he wouldn’t want the media in attendance, Ford said he was “having a little bit of fun.”
“I see the media all the time. I have no problem with the media,” he said, adding that his comments were “a little tongue in cheek.”
Ford also tried to get ahead of criticism from reporters, saying the media are “very thin-skinned” when he jokes around.
The premier then defended his record of accessibility, saying he is “the most transparent, most available premier ever in Ontario.”
Ford’s comments come as his government has faced repeated scrutiny over transparency and access to information, including changes to Ontario’s freedom-of-information rules and questions over the availability of government records. Critics have argued those changes make it harder for the public and journalists to scrutinize the government.
Most recently, the premier took some heat for the $25,000 bill the province reportedly footed for an oversized Lake Ontario sign. This came as Canada finds itself in the midst of an ongoing trade war with the United States, with the American president signing an executive order calling for Lake Ontario to be renamed “Lake America.”
Read More
“But you don’t have to worry. I’ll still come out and take the questions,” Ford said.
Ontarians call out Ford for lack of transparency, Trump-like actions
Despite vocalizing his commitment to transparency, many people online are calling out the premier for a lack thereof.
Read More
“He’s so transparent that he had to pass a law to keep his phone records from being made public,” one X user commented.
“Transparent people don’t change FOI laws going back decades all to keep the people from finding out what they have been up to,” another posted.
“Transparent? Is this guy kidding? He has done everything in his power to be anything but. What a joke.”
Meanwhile, others are drawing comparisons between Ford and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“He calls the media thin-skinned, insults just like Trump insults the media,” one X user commented.
“He’s following the Trump playbook. Every day something new to deflect yesterday’s news. Ford: ‘If I say it often enough, they’ll believe me’.”
Now Toronto reached out to the premier’s office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
