What to know
- Premier Doug Ford is facing backlash after making a personal remark about Liberal MPP Stephanie Smyth during a heated debate on government transparency.
- Smyth is calling for an apology, accusing Ford of deflecting repeated questions about accountability and access to records.
- The exchange has sparked widespread reaction online, with Ontarians criticizing the tone of the debate and renewing concerns about political conduct.
A heated debate at Queen’s Park veered sharply off course when Premier Doug Ford fired a personal jab at Liberal MPP Stephanie Smyth. What began as a pointed exchange over government transparency quickly escalated, with critics accusing the premier of dodging accountability and crossing a line that has shifted attention from policy to political conduct.
Former CP24 reporter-turned-Liberal critic Stephanie Smyth, who became Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Toronto–St. Paul, in 2025, is calling for an apology after Ford insulted her during a recent debate.
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The debate, which focused on legislation restricting public access to records of the premier, cabinet ministers and their staffers, got heated when Smyth brought up Ford’s accountability.
“Why does this Premier, who claims to be accountable, make it so very hard to hold him accountable?” Smyth questioned.
Before the premier hit back, saying Smyth was only an MPP, “Because CP24 didn’t want her anymore.
“Bottom line. Simple,” Ford said to the Speaker of the House. “She was just a promoter for [the] Liberal agenda, NDP agenda, when she was doing interviews. You think there could be anything else? That is the facts, that is the truth,” he continued.
“It hurts, doesn’t it? It hurts when you’re not wanted.”
While Speaker of the House Donna Skelly did not ask the premier to withdraw his statement, two opposition members shouting back at Ford were warned, while all present members were warned about making personal attacks and using inappropriate language.
Meanwhile, later on in the question period, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy was asked to withdraw comments after he said, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
Smyth calls Ford’s actions “Trumpian”
Later on, while calling for an apology from the premier, Smyth told reporters that Ford’s personal attack shows that the work her party is doing is working.
“We’re drawing attention to this issue of FOIs and accountability,” Smyth said, adding that Ford was asked about his cellphone records dozens of times.
“Finally, when I did ask again, he was out of other things to talk about, so he made it personal. That is unacceptable and… beneath the office. Not to mention Trumpian, we’re seeing more and more of that with him.”
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Following the back-and-forth between Smyth and Ford, both Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and Interim Ontario Liberal Party Leader John Fraser called for the premier to apologize.
“If you’re willing to dish it out, you better be ready to take it,” the premier responded.
Smyth repeats call for accountability
In a video posted on her social media channels, Smyth shared that the premier’s comments stung at first.
“But then I started thinking, he sure wanted me when I was at CP24, interviewed him dozens of times,” she shared.
“I don’t want to make this about me, I want to make this about this premier side-stepping accountability. We asked him over and over, about 12 times today, about his cellphone records: “What is he trying to hide?” Smyth continued.
“He wouldn’t answer. Every time he would go on [talking] about jobs or some other piece of nonsense that had nothing to do with the accountability we are looking for.”
Smyth said the premier will be sorry he made those comments.
“We’re still going to keep asking. In fact, I have tabled an opposition day motion for May 4, about the FOI legislation specifically, so it isn’t going away,” she continued.
She also repeated her initial question.
“Speaker, if the premier has nothing to hide, why does he work so hard to hide?”
Ontarians respond to debate
Following the drama between Ford and Smyth, people in Ontario did what they do best: hopping on social media to share their take.
Many people are sharing their frustration with the premier.
“Instead of trying to defend his record or the legislation in question, Ford pivots to a nonsensical personal attack on MPP Stephanie Smyth. His ‘It hurts when you aren’t wanted’ is clearly more about Ford’s position as Premier than Smyth’s position as MPP,” one Redditor commented.
“Absolutely disgusting behaviour of a supposed professional,” another shared
“I can’t describe how done I am with this man. I never voted for him once. I know that this is just how things work, but it’s just incredibly frustrating to have to deal with this guy because other people either don’t care or suck at decision-making.”
Some people are also calling for the Speaker of the House to apologize for not stopping the back-and-forth.
“[Smyth deserves] an apology from the speaker @SpeakerSkelly for allowing it to happen and not stopping @fordnation in his #misogynistic attack on women!!” one X user commented.
“Absolutely disgusting, misogynistic and unparliamentary behaviour. Not called to Order or stopped by @SpeakerSkelly,” another commented.
And others are tired of the comparison between Trump and Ford.
“Trumpian? Seriously? Doug definitely needs to apologize but stop with the Trumpian crap, it’s getting stupid at this point,” one person wrote on X.
“Why go to the Trump comparison every time a politician acts like a dick? I saw Carney act very disrespectfully to a female reporter just today. Was his behaviour Trumpian too?
