What to know
- Doug Ford avoided questions from a CityNews reporter about an Integrity Commissioner investigation into Labour Minister David Piccini during a Dec. 19 press conference in Buffalo.
- The incident sparked online backlash, with Ontarians accusing the premier of dodging accountability and restricting reporters’ questions.
- Ford’s office said the event was run by the New York governor’s office and that the premier addressed the issue with the media the next day.
People across the province are questioning Doug Ford’s accountability after he dodged a question from a Toronto reporter during a recent media scrum.
During a press conference in Buffalo, New York, on Dec. 19, CityNews Queen’s Park reporter Tina Yazdani says that she was never called on to ask a question.
“No accountability. From the moment we arrived at this press conference we were instructed to ask ‘on-topic’ questions only, and that we would be given ‘one question each’ when we were called on,” Yazdani posted on X, adding that Ford refused to take her questions.
“We made a final attempt in Buffalo to ask Premier Ford about the new investigation into his labour minister, but he dodged our camera & ducked into his vehicle,” Yazdani wrote in another post that included a video of her running after the premier as he left the scrum.
In a report for CityNews, Yazdani shared that she was planning to ask the premier why Labour Minister David Piccini, minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, has not been fired in relation to the ongoing Skills Development Fund scandal.
The province’s Integrity Commissioner, Cathryn Motherwell, is currently digging into whether or not the labour minister broke any laws while administering the fund, which is worth a whopping $2.5 billion.
During the conference, the premier took one question about Piccini, with a reporter asking if it was time he stepped down from his position. Ford responded by saying he was sure the minister would cooperate with the Integrity Commissioner.
Now Toronto reached out to Yazdani for comment, but had not heard back at the time of publication.
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PREMIER’S OFFICE RESPONDS
Now Toronto reached out to the premier’s office to inquire why Yazdani’s question was not answered, if there are any policies or guidelines governing how questions are selected during press scrums, and asked them to address citizens’ concerns about the province limiting questions from reporters.
“The press conference was organized and run by the Governor’s office, not the Premier’s office,” Hannah Jensen, a spokesperson for the Office of the Premier of Ontario, told Now Toronto in an email on Monday.
“Premier Ford took the same question the day after with all major media outlets,” Jensen continued.
PEOPLE REACT TO FORD DODGING QUESTION
Online, people are sharing their take on the incident, and many are not impressed with the premier. This includes Toronto City Councillor Josh Matlow.
“When government refuses to be accountable and tries to control what the media is allowed to ask, it’s a very slippery slope,” Matlow commented. “Thank you Tina for your journalistic integrity and refusing to back down. In fact, you had the courage to call it out.”
“They’ve forgotten that they work for us and not the other way around. Blame needs to be put on the voter base for allowing them to act this way,” one X user shared. “Stop treating politicians like your favourite sports team – start holding them accountable for everything they do.”
“Thank you for pushing to hold him accountable. Sadly, he seems to dodge it time & time again. I commend you for your commitment to credible and ethical reporting,” another person posted.
“I don’t know why Ford would avoid questions, this investigation won’t do anything. Even if it finds all kinds of issues, Ford will just dismiss the results, say he has faith in the minister, and carry on.”
“The open corruption in the Ford government is unbelievable.”
