A day of reckoning for Ford
Doug Ford is riding high these days in opinion polls because of his performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But a day of reckoning is looming for the Ontario premier that could spell the end of his turbulent political career and lead to the defeat of his Conservative government in the next election, exactly two years from now.
That day will come when the findings are released by the first of several inquiries being set up to investigate Ontario’s troubled long-term-care system. Ontario’s nursing homes have been hot spots of COVID-19 outbreaks, with about 1,700 residents killed and more than 5,000 infected so far.
For decades, far too many of these facilities have been understaffed, underfunded, overcrowded, poorly managed and badly in need of repairs and upgrading.
Ford insists he wants answers to what’s wrong with the system, adding, “We need to get this fixed.” He also suggests it’s not his fault because he inherited a mess from the previous Liberal government.
In fact, though, Ford has done little to improve conditions in these facilities since being elected on June 6, 2018. Indeed, in many cases, his actions — or inactions — have actually worsened conditions.
Once the inquiries get under way, Ford won’t be able to escape that reality, which will likely haunt him all the way to the June 6, 2022, election.
That’s what happened to former premier Mike Harris who, in 2001, was riding high in polls until he had to testify at the inquiry into the Walkerton water scandal. On the stand, Harris was questioned about whether his government’s policies were in any way to blame for the tainted water outbreak, which killed seven and sickened more than 2,300 residents in the Walkerton area
Just three months after testifying, Harris abruptly announced his resignation. One year after the damning Walkerton findings were released in 2002, the Conservatives under then-leader Ernie Eves were trounced by the Liberals in the provincial election.
Ford is facing the grim possibility of having to testify in four — and possibly more — investigations into conditions in the long-term care system.
Provincial ombudsman Paul Dube is launching a probe into how the government handled the system in the pandemic.
Ontario’s patient ombud office will probe systemic problems, focusing on staffing levels and more. Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton has promised an “independent commission” to study the system and opposition parties are calling for a separate, full public inquiry.
Ford’s record with the long-term-care system has been abysmal since he was elected.
First, the Ford government dropped the mandatory annual inspections of all homes that was adopted by the previous Liberal government.
Only 2,800 inspections were conducted in 2019, most of them related to specific complaints or to critical conditions.
Second, Ford cut funding increases for the long-term-care system to less than the rate of inflation.
Third, there’s been no movement on any of the new long-term-care beds that were approved before the 2018 election.
Fourth, Ford made no move to address critical staffing issues, including the shortage of nurses and the low pay and lack of full-time work for personal support workers in these facilities.
Fifth, his government was exceedingly slow in providing protective equipment to staff and testing staff and residents for COVID-19 — with much of it coming only after many deaths.
Sixth, Ford cut some $1 billion over a decade to Toronto Public Health, funds vital for helping to ensure health and safety in long-term-care residences.
Also, it’s fair to ask whether Ford’s determination to cut spending and red tape laid the groundwork for what has happened, including a program of streamlining government in order to cut taxes.
These inquiries are likely to produce stinging indictments that may well prove to be the swan song for the Ford Conservatives.
Tellingly, while Ford’s personal approval ratings are high, the Liberals are ahead of the Tories at this time with 38 per cent compared to 36 per cent, a poll released last week by Abacus Data indicates.
Inquiry findings that blame Ford for making a bad system even worse will damage those poll results even more.
A day of reckoning is looming for Ford, for sure.
Bob Hepburn is a Star politics columnist and based in Toronto. Twitter: @BobHepburn