DOUG FORD,
Conservative leadership hopeful vows to clean up party ‘from top to bottom’
Doug Ford touched on each of his populist pledges Monday at his first Ottawa campaign rally, promising to “clean up the establishment and the elites at our own party ” before doing the same to the province.
The standing room-only crowd of about 400 supporters at the Infinity Convention Centre cheered as Ford invoked his late brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, and jeered as he blasted his favourite target, Premier Kathleen Wynne.
“This Ontario government is in a financial mess, not with their money, with all of our money, our grandchildren’s money as well,” he said, saying he would put the “grassroots people first, not the establishment, not the elites.”
Ford billed himself as a “principled leader,” and acknowledged opponent Christine Elliott as a “wonderful person,” while saying he has the “utmost respect” for Caroline Mulroney. He did not mention Patrick Brown while touting himself as the true voice for fiscal conservatives.
“It’s one thing to replace Kathleen Wynne,” Ford said. “It’s another thing to replace Kathleen Wynne with Liberal-lite.”
Ford criticized his own party for what he called “internal issues” with the nomination process at “40 or 50 ridings” across the province.
Ford did not delve into specifics, but said the issues are “dividing the party.
“That’s scandalous,” he said, likening the nomination process to “a Ponzi scheme.”
“You need a principled leader, you need someone with integrity. I’m the only person that’s going to go down there and clean house. I’ve said it over and over again: I’m cleaning house from top to bottom. The party’s over.”
Ford touted his experience with Toronto city council for his solutions to the province’s “skyrocketing ” debt.
“People are being forced to choose between heating and eating,” he said.
“We need someone that has experience with a budget — not in the opposition benches asking four or five questions a year, someone that’s actually worked on a budget.”
There was a decidedly mixed reaction in the room when Ford brought up Ontario’s sex-ed curriculum, with some supporters whooping and crying “Shame!” while others stayed silent.
After sharing a story about the Ford brothers’ battling council — “where it was always 44 against one” — during budget negotiations, Ford told a story about his nephew, Rob Ford’s son Dougie.
Ford said Dougie, a Grade 2 student, was mortified one day to tell his uncle they had learned about sex in class.
“That’s staggering,” said Ford. “So those are things we need to change. … We are going to revise (the curriculum). It’s done. I feel the parents are the first educators. And I’m not saying get rid of it … we’re going to critique it.”
Ford was more direct, and earned a significantly healthier applause, when he turned his attention to the carbon tax.
“The carbon tax is gone. It’s a job killer. I’m environmentally friendly, but this Green Energy Act is a scam,” he said, claiming “Bay Street is making billions.”
“The party’s over with the taxpayers’ money,” he said.