Apology shows Ford is a changed man
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has had a rough few weeks in office, to put it mildly.
Ford has been criticized for announcing yet another provincial stay-at-home order due to escalating COVID-19 cases. Critics have blasted him for everything from keeping struggling businesses closed to halting in-person learning in Ontario schools on several occasions. He announced two controversial policies that would have closed playgrounds and given police the ability to randomly pull over drivers and pedestrians to question why they are not at home, but he quickly walked them back when the public erupted.
No matter how mentally strong you are as an individual, this steady stream of missteps, pitfalls and personal attacks will play a negative role on your psyche.
This could be clearly seen during Ford’s press conference on Thursday. Forced into self-isolation at his mother’s home in Etobicoke due to a young staffer testing positive for COVID-19, the emotions unexpectedly poured out of a man whose public image had taken a pretty bad beating from both the political right and left.
“I hear it every day. Every single day,” the Premier said. “People telling me their stories. The stories that can make you cry. Families that haven’t been able to hold hands.” His voice cracked a bit, his spirit was broken — and he needed to regain his composure. “We moved too fast, and I know that some of those measures, especially around enforcement, went too far. Simply put, we got it wrong, we made a mistake.”
Ford then announced a new paid sick-leave program for Ontario workers — the very program he had refused to embrace time and time again.
If nothing else, Ford’s surprising acknowledgment of his failings in recent weeks could temporarily silence the critics who have been calling for the Ontario Premier’s head on a shiny silver platter.
For instance, Canadian-based author/columnist David Moscrop suggested in the Washington Post on April 18 that Ford “must resign” because he “was never fit to be premier of Ontario. The pandemic didn’t reveal that; it just bathed it in the garish light of emergency.” Meanwhile, former CTV host Don Martin wrote on April 20, “I’ve never seen such raging ineptitude as Ford is now showing as Ontario premier … To the Progressive Conservative caucus of Ontario, it’s time to impose adult supervision on a premier acting on consistently and dangerously bad advice and instincts. Or get us a new premier.”
Both men obviously have a right to their opinion. However, these politically charged attacks come from a place of frustration rather than logic and reason.
Besides the fact that Ford won’t resign or change the mandarins around him, there’s no playbook or magic formula for a politician to make decisions during a pandemic. Mistakes are going to be made, and they will be plentiful. Fortunately, they can be rectified and lessons learned will surely be retained. That’s what the Ontario Premier seems to be suggesting.
Plus, it’s a bit rich to attack Ford without mentioning the enormous amount of strategic and tactical mistakes that other Canadian politicians have made during COVID-19.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau foolishly threw everything and the kitchen sink into a working relationship with a little-known Chinese vaccine maker, Cansino Biologics Inc. The company abandoned its project in August after multiple failures. Trudeau then had to scramble and set up vaccine agreements with Pfizer, Moderna, Astrazeneca and others.
Meanwhile, B.C. Premier John Horgan recently implemented temporary police powers for travel restriction and roadblocks to reduce non-essential travel. Similar to Ford’s short-lived proposal, B.C. police could ask motorists for their identification and an explanation of the purposes of their trip during COVID-19 measures. Yet, this move has barely received a whisper of the criticism that Ford endured — and it’s in place right now.
Using Moscrop and Martin’s logic, neither Trudeau nor Horgan were ever fit to serve in office. They’ve both handled issues ineptly during COVID-19. They both could use some adult supervision. And they both should resign.
Or is what’s good for the conservative goose not as good for the progressive gander?
Here’s another way to look at Ford’s apology at the podium.
This wasn’t the same Doug Ford who had steadfastly defended his late brother, former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, from allegations of alcohol and drug addiction, including smoking crack cocaine, between 2013-14. This wasn’t the same Doug Ford who reduced the number of seats in Toronto City Council in a high-profile 2018 case that went to the Ontario Court of Appeal. This wasn’t even the same Doug Ford who did a stunning about-face during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and became one of the world’s most trusted political leaders in terms of managing COVID-19 responsibly and effectively.
Rather, this was a Doug Ford who recognized the mark of a good politician was to acknowledge a mistake and/or error in judgment, change course and make things right. This newest version, Doug Ford 4.0, could turn out to be the most intriguing of all.
NO PLAYBOOK ... FOR A POLITICIAN TO MAKE DECISIONS DURING A PANDEMIC. — TAUBE