Marit Stiles says Doug Ford could end up in prison if a public inquiry is called
“Other governments have had people end up behind bars for less than this,” the Ontario NDP leader said yesterday
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles says that if elected premier, she would call a public inquiry into the Ford government, and that Premier Doug Ford could end up “in prison” by the end of it.
“When I’m premier, I’m going to call a public inquiry into all of this, and we’re going to get our hands on all of that,” Stiles told reporters yesterday, regarding the disappearance of public access to records involving the government’s recent private jet purchase and the Greenbelt scandal. “And you know what? Maybe you won’t get another mandate, because you’ll be in prison, Doug.”
Related: Most Ontarians oppose Doug Ford’s Freedom of Information changes
Per the Canadian Press, Ford did say he has provided all requested Greenbelt records to the RCMP.
“To every agency that’s ever asked, it’s all been transparent. We’ve given them everything they need,” he said. “But again, I’m focusing on the economy. That’s what I’m focused on. That’s what matters, not something that happened years ago.”
In her comments, Stiles reiterated that the provincial government’s recent Freedom of Information changes severely restrict transparency. Documents from Ford’s office and the offices of provincial cabinet ministers are now exempt from public disclosure. This includes the premier’s cellphone records, which journalists have requested through Freedom of Information.
“Why is the premier hiding all this information from the people of Ontario? Why doesn’t he want anybody to know what is on his phone?” Stiles said. “Because there are dirty dealings around the Greenbelt. The RCMP is investigating, and at the end of this there might very well be charges laid. Absolutely. Other governments have had people end up behind bars for less than this.”
Related: The Ford government’s $28.9-million private jet has been sold back to Bombardier
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
