Ford flip-flops on gift of Indigenous books
Premier being ‘cautious’ receiving Wynne offering
Doug Ford has turned a page on his relationship with his predecessor Kathleen Wynne.
The current premier initially rejected a gift of two books from the former premier — books by author, Toronto Star reporter and Massey Lecturer Tanya Talaga — as he is “very cautious when it comes to accepting gifts,” said Ford spokesperson Simon Jefferies.
“He didn’t know the cost of the books at the time,” Jefferies said Wednesday afternoon. “The premier has since accepted the books.”
Earlier in the day in the legislature, Wynne said she had attended the Massey lecture Tuesday night in Toronto, given by Talaga, “an Indigenous woman who has shone a light on past and current abuses that have created the urgent crisis of youth suicide in Indigenous communities.”
“I’ve sat in many seats in this legislature, starting up in the visitors’ gallery in the 1990s, and in every seat that I’ve sat in, I’ve been able to see the increasing harshness of the debate in this house,” Wynne said.
“It occurred to me again last night that one of the serious casualties of partisan political polarization is the possibility of any collaborative move towards reconciliation.” Wynne spent about $40 on the tomes — Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City and All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward — but when she sent them over to Ford during question period, the premier said, “I can’t receive gifts” and passed them to his seat-mate, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli.
Wynne replied: “You can’t receive gifts?” later saying, “I believe that the premier will find that the gift of the two books falls well within the ability of the premier to accept the level of gift.”
The limit for members of provincial parliament is $200.
“I was surprised,” by the rejection, Wynne said.