Ontario Premier Doug Ford accused Opposition Leader Marit Stiles Tuesday of “stepping over a line” with a comment about how he could end up “in jail” if an inquiry were called into the Greenbelt.
“The Trump-style rhetoric is unacceptable, as far as I’m concerned,” Ford told reporters.
On Monday, Stiles said that if she becomes premier, she would call a public inquiry into the Greenbelt that could expose “dirty deals” and result in Ford ending up “in prison.”
The RCMP is currently investigating the Ford government’s decision to open up land in the Greenbelt to developers, but no charges have been laid and it’s not clear who the investigation touches.
“Inside the legislature, words get said, but that that one was over the top, and yes, we go back and forth, but she stepped over the line,” Ford said Tuesday.
Speaking with reporters, Stiles said it’s “rich” for the government to accuse her of making “Trumpian” remarks when they’re under investigation over the Greenbelt themselves.
“They’re clutching their pearls when this very government is under RCMP criminal investigation for matters related to the carve up of the Greenbelt, for those dirty deals they made with developers behind closed doors,” Stiles said.
Ford criticized for similar comment in 2018
Referring to Stiles, Ford said his government wouldn’t “lower ourselves to the Trump-style rhetoric that she’s feeling right now.”
But while the PCs expressed outrage at Stiles Tuesday, her comment echoes one made by Ford himself back in 2018 when he suggested that then-premier Kathleen Wynne and other Liberals might be in jail if they had behaved in the private sector as they had in government.
“If Kathleen Wynne tried to pull these kinds of shady tricks in private life, then there would be a few more Liberals joining David Livingston in jail,” Ford said in a press release at the time, referring to a former Liberal staffer sentenced to jail in connection with deleted emails around the gas plant scandal.
At the time, Wynne responded by calling Ford a “bully” and comparing him to Trump as well.
The old press release was viewable online Monday night, but redirected to the PC Party’s homepage by Tuesday morning.
The party did not immediately respond to an email asking if they had actively removed it.
Words fly in Question Period
Earlier in the day, Government House Leader Steve Clark took aim at Stiles in the legislature for her comments the previous day.
“Speaker, yesterday we saw the Leader of the Opposition invoke dangerous American-style, Trumpian rhetoric that quite frankly has no place in this legislature,” Clark said during Question Period after Stiles asked a question about OSAP.
“That type of rhetoric lowers the tone in this house. It has no place in this legislature, our province or our country.”
Energy Minister Stephen Lecce chimed in saying “shameful” as Clark spoke.
Clark added that Ford is focused on the economy and on the “generational threat that we have with the Americans, on the tariffs.”
Responding to Clark, Stiles shot back that his comment was “pretty rich, coming from a government that is under RCMP criminal investigation.”
Asked by reporters Monday whether she felt her comment was appropriate given it echoes the “lock her up” comments Donald Trump repeatedly hurled at Hillary Clinton, Stiles reiterated she feels the government is “corrupt” and is involved in “dirty deals.”
She said Tuesday she believes she is simply voicing what Ontarians are thinking.
“I think I’m saying out loud what a lot of people are saying quietly, which is that this is a premier and a government who have to answer to the people. If you have nothing to hide, why are you working so hard to hide things,” Stiles said.
