Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he has “nothing to do with” a contract held by a Brampton-based defence manufacturer to supply U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with armoured vehicles.
Ford made the comment during a news conference on Tuesday morning after he was asked about criticism of the deal between Roshel and the U.S. government.
His response came after NDP Leader Marit Stiles released a statement “calling for an end” to Ontario manufacturing contracts with ICE in the wake of the shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota this month.
In the statement, Stiles accused ICE of “unleashing lawlessness in the streets” and expressed disappointment that Ford had previously “celebrated the contract.”
“I am going to correct this story once and for all. I heard it on the news. I don’t direct companies to go sell military vehicles down south or around the world…” Ford said on Tuesday.
“I don’t know where this came from to be very frank with you. It is on social media and that. We all know that everything that is on social media is 100 per cent accurate. It is a terrible, terrible thing that social media.”
Stiles first took to social media on Monday night to share a clip of Ford from a December news conference where he referred to the contract between Roshel and the U.S. government as “fantastic” and suggested that it showed that the Brampton-based manufacturer is capable of taking orders “from anywhere in the world.”
In the social media post, Stiles called it “indefensible for Ontario to be selling armoured vehicles to ICE.”
Ford, however, pointed out during his news conference that his government has nothing to do with cross-border trade and can’t influence the business relationships held by a private company.
“We didn’t buy these vehicles, I didn’t know about these vehicles. It is very similar if (can manufacturer) Massilly (where the news conference was held) sold cans somewhere. I don’t know that nor should I,” he said. “We don’t have anything to do with what crosses the border.”
The Canadian Press has previously reported that the U.S. government awarded a sole-sourced contract to Roshel worth the equivalent of about C$10 million for 20 Senator STANG emergency response tactical vehicles.
The procurement documents, reviewed by the Canadian Press, said that only Roshel met the requirements for vehicles needed “to support agents in the field” and could complete the order within a 30 day timeline.
