Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday he will work with politicians of any stripe, but noted he has been working “extremely well” with the current Liberal government in Ottawa, a government that could soon be promoted to majority status in a trio of byelections next week.
“I don’t look at political stripes, and I don’t give two hoots. I’ll work with anyone,” Ford told reporters at an unrelated news conference in North Bay, Ont. when asked if he was comfortable with the Liberals obtaining a majority.
Ford noted he has been able to work well with “an NDP mayor in Toronto” as well as NDP premiers in British Columbia and Manitoba.
“If it’s a federal government of any political stripe, I will work with them,” Ford said. “And it so happens to be Prime Minister Carney, we’re working extremely, extremely well.”
He noted the two recently unveiled a nearly $9 billion plan to spur construction of new homes by lowering development charges, as well as a plan to cut the HST off of new homes.
“We work very well together. I don’t control the federal elections or the byelections. But whatever happens, happens, and I’m going to continue working collaboratively with the federal government, no matter what political stripe they are,” Ford said.
While they were elected to a minority a year ago, Carney’s Liberals could secure a majority government following a trio of byelections set to take place on April 13.
Thanks to the most recent floor crossing this week, the party needs just one more seat to secure a majority.
Two of the byelections will be held in Toronto ridings: University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest. Both of them have been Liberal strongholds for the past decade, suggesting Carney may be poised to return the Liberals to majority status next week.
Asked if he’s comfortable with the Liberals getting to majority status largely through five floor crossings – four Conservatives and one NDP – Ford said “that’s the system we have” and that those MPs will “have to face their voters when they go back to the polls.”
While he stopped short of endorsing any party, Ford reiterated that his partnership with Carney has been good for the province.
“As long as he works with the province of Ontario and supports us, that’s all that matters,” Ford said. “And so far, we’ve been working very well together. Sure, we may agree to disagree the odd time, but at the end of the day, we’ve done phenomenal work together in supporting the people of Ontario jointly.”
While the premier expressed anger earlier this year about a deal Carney struck with China that would see Canada import Chinese-made electric vehicles, he toned down his rhetoric and even praised the plan after the two men appeared to patch things up over pizza.
Ford, by contrast, declined to endorse Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre or his campaign in last year’s election and later accused his staff of instructing MPs not to help PC MPPs during the Ontario election.
“Matter of fact, him or one of his lieutenants told every one of his members, ‘don’t you dare go out and help the PCs.’ Isn’t that ironic,” Ford said last year.
Ford’s former campaign manager Kory Teneycke was openly critical of the federal Conservative campaign, while some of Poilievre’s MPs attacked Ford afterward, suggesting he was a secret Liberal.
