What to know
- Ontario MPP Stephanie Smyth accepted Premier Doug Ford’s private apology to her, posting a statement on X.
- Last week, Ford hit back at Smyth, making a misogynistic dig at her former career as a CP24 reporter after she questioned his accountability.
Ontario Member of Parliament Stephanie Smyth said Doug Ford has apologized for the hurtful remarks he made towards her last week.
On Sunday, Smyth, who represents Toronto–St. Paul’s as a Liberal MPP, revealed on X that Ford reached out personally and apologized for the comments he made about her past at news channel CP24.
“Premier Ford has reached out to me to apologize for the personal comments he made in the legislature last week. I accepted and thanked the Premier for his apology. I will continue to work hard to hold the Government to account and shine a light on the issues that matter most,” her statement read.
In a legislature session on Thursday regarding a new law that will restrict public access to Ford’s and his cabinet members’ records, Smyth brought up the lack of accountability, asking, “Why does this premier, who claims to be accountable, make it so very hard to hold him accountable?”
Ford hit back, aiming a personal jab at her former career as a CP24 reporter.
“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.”
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Smyth’s statement continued, where she reminded her fellow MPs that “we owe it to our constituents, and to each other, to bring our best.”
“The legislature exists for one reason: to debate the issues, to find what is best for our province. That is much larger than any one exchange.”
Social media users weren’t impressed with Ford’s private apology, with one comment under Smyth’s post on X reading, “If he said the offensive comment in public, the apology should be made in public as well. The high road is not working out for us. But perhaps it’s just me. You are a better person in accepting it.”
Another social media user wrote, “Thank you for posting Premier Ford’s private apology to you. Mr. “Transparency” @fordnation would be wise to express a sincere apology to the citizens of Ontario for his inappropriate and misogynistic behaviour.”
