PCs criticized for using civil servant in video

Ford government crossed a line by including chief medical officer, opposition MPPs say

The Progressive Conservatives “crossed a line” by having Ontario’s chief medical officer — a senior civil servant — appear in a TV news-style video by the governing party’s partisan publicity arm, critics charge.

Dr. David Williams was in an item about the importance of getting a flu shot posted online Monday by the taxpayer-funded PC caucus “Ontario News Now” social media operation that follows Premier Doug Ford and cabinet ministers to events.

While Government House Leader Todd Smith argued the content amounted to a harmless public service announcement and accused rival parties of playing “political games,” opposition MPPs said Thursday the doctor’s appearance sets a potentially dangerous precedent jeopardizing the neutrality of the civil service.

“They crossed a line when they asked a public servant to appear on partisan advertising,” said interim Liberal leader John Fraser, echoing concerns from the NDP.

“What’s next? ‘We want you to say this?’ ” Fraser added. “When they ask a public servant (to appear), does the public servant feel obligated to do that because they have new masters? It puts them in a very awkward position.”

Williams did not reply to a request for comment from the Toronto Star but the Ministry of Health issued a statement saying “the government is committed to using every communications tool available” to promote flu shots. The statement did not address queries about a senior public servant appearing on a partisan political publicity vehicle.

New Democrat MPP Sara Singh said government public service announcements should be made through official channels, not through the PC party’s publicity wing in a way that is “blurring the lines” between partisan politics and the civil service.

“Ontario News Now is being used by this government as a quote-unquote media outlet and we all know that’s false,” she told reporters.

“Ontario News Now is an outlet that was created by the Ford administration and is extremely partisan … it’s confusing to people that are watching that thinking it’s real news and really it is not.”

Speaking for the government, Smith characterized Ontario News Now as “a modern-day newsletter” and maintained the importance of flu shots “is not a partisan issue.” Smith added the PC caucus is entitled to decide how to spend its budget, supplied from taxpayers by the Legislative Assembly. The New Democrats, as the official opposition, also have a caucus budget.