Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Will He Be A Witness?

If there's one thing Doug Ford doesn't want to do, it's being a witness at the Emergencies Act Inquiry. Susan Delacourt writes:

Many mysterious characters drifted into Ottawa during last winter’s convoy protest. Three days into the public hearings on that event, the most mysterious actor to emerge so far is Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

In fact, two Doug Fords showed up in Ottawa on Monday. One, the in-person version, was appearing at an event with Justin Trudeau and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, talking glowingly about how well they all worked together.

To hear the premier describe it, they were as tight as the Three Musketeers when Canada’s capital and border points were under siege last February.

“Yes, I stood shoulder to shoulder with the prime minister,” Ford said on Monday about whether he supported the declaration of an emergency in February. “We’ve worked collaboratively with the mayor and the prime minister.”

But there is disagreement on that score:

Ontario, for instance, simply did not show up at proposed “tripartite” meetings with the City of Ottawa and federal government — a point that provoked frustration from mayor Watson and federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, the inquiry heard.

Watson had hoped Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation might get involved in efforts to pressure truckers into ending the illegal blockade; Blair asked why he was reading in the media that Ontario viewed the tripartite committee as useless.

“I think I was disappointed that they didn’t participate,” Ottawa city manager Steve Kanellakos said during his testimony on Monday. At several points in his retelling of events over this tense time last winter, Kanellakos talked of how Ford’s government was pretty hands off, preferring to leave this mess as a police matter to sort out.

To be clear, Ford was no Pierre Poilievre:

Unlike the man who has been newly named the federal Conservative leader, Ford did not cheer on the protesters or meet with them. Surprisingly, perhaps, Ford managed to duck the wrath the convoy directed at Trudeau, even though Ontario, as much as the federal government, was responsible for the COVID measures that had the convoy folks all riled up. Still, no “F-- Ford” flags flew during the Ottawa occupation.

And, after Trudeau declared an emergency, Ford declared an emergency in Ontario. His final alliance with Trudeau has put Doug in a tight spot. He's hoping he can fly under the radar.

Image: The Toronto Star


14 comments:

lungta said...

Has Fords nature ever really been in question?
Cursory examination by anyone and he wears inept selfish pandering weasel in the beginning, middle and to the end I imagine.
Does Canadian law recognise "the 5th"?
Doug will try it anyway.

Owen Gray said...

He wants the inquiry to keep its distance, lungta.

the salamander said...

I find ‘chronology’ awfully useful Owen ..
Birthdays, Anniversaries, etc

In some cases as a young man, I had to thoroughly read & be aware of complete Case History or Medical History of certain folks, even review ‘Murder Books’ re a few entrusted ‘to my care’ or supervision.. or joint concern. My superiors ‘seriously frowned upon’ any level of failure or carelessness re such necessary task

Chronology may reveal Progression or Pattern.. it’s often Indicative that ‘there’s more to come’ or ‘habit’. Better said ‘repeat offender’? Doug Ford suddenly ‘became woke’ re the Trucker ‘Freedom Convoy(s)’ & Ottawa Occupation on February 11 and declared an Ontario Emergency. On Feb 15 the Federal Government invoked the Emergency Act & every Provincial Premier had been informed in advance by the Federal Government. It was astonishing to me, reading that Alberta & Saskatchewan were ‘blindsided’ by this ‘News’. Doug Ford up in Muskoka at his inherited family cottage too ?

I now hear he bravely ‘stood shoulder to shoulder’ in the trenches with Trudeau
A ‘stalwart’ under heavy fire ! Really ?

I find Partisan Mainstream Media frowns upon ‘Chronology’. It’s a ‘Problem’ at times. Far better to just muddle Fact & Fiction into ‘news’ or scandalous rumour. This is the era of Flood The Zone With Shit’ (Steve Bannon’s Legacy for Mainstream Partisan Media). ‘Journalism’ .. or what remains of such Reportage - at risk of extinction accordingly. Michael Harris excluded.. he calls it ‘as it is’.. even David Akin spoke out.. ‘we’re not Poilievre’s stenographer !’

The Indy Blogger cadre or cohort is our Last Redoubt ! ? Say it ain’t so.. ! ! ��

Owen Gray said...

The indies aren't in it for money, sal. That makes a difference.

Trailblazer said...

Off subject!
Who the fuck in this world rules??

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/19/biden-gas-prices-oil-production-midterms



TB

Owen Gray said...

Thanks for the link, TB. Big money calls the shots.

Graham said...

I think DF escaped the wrath of the clownvoy because the whole point of it, really, is because those people hate trudeau. I mean really, really, hate the guy. They detest the very air he breathes and the ground he walks on. It’s a hate so strong as to defy logic and twists them into knots of nastiness that they have little control over. Much of their hate is based on misinformation or fallacies. There is no reasoning with them, there is no JT action or words that can assuage their feelings.
The best thing the liberals and JT can do before the next election is to get a new leader, a good one, because then the ammo to be used by pp and crew to fight him will be useless, wet, puny, deactivated. I hope they do choose a new, bright leader, I suspect they won’t. For most of us it isn’t personal it’s just that we don’t want pp or someone like him, or harper, to get back in the big chair.
But it’s nothing personal.

Owen Gray said...

Poilievre is simply the wrong man for the job, Graham.

Northern PoV said...

" I hope they do choose a new, bright leader"

Well Graham, I see no one in Lib ranks today who fits that bill (Freeland as leader is a clusterf**k in waiting.)

OTOH, BC has a really good person who could step up, as she suddenly finds herself stabbed in the back by her current party.

Owen Gray said...

Who is that, PoV?

Graham said...

N POV is referring to Anjali Appadurai. She was a late comer to the NDP leadership contest and was voted out of contention last night for irregularities in her campaign and how she claimed her donations and backers. Many feel she has been unfairly treated. She does seem to be smart and has some good ideas. It’s too bad the party couldn’t figure a better way here. It may well hurt them at the polls next time.

Owen Gray said...

It doesn't help when a party trips over itself, Graham.

Northern PoV said...

Anjali Appadurai has been characterized as Canada's Greta. Dogwood helped her launch a surprise campaign for the NDP leadership.


She "was voted out of contention last night"

I supposed one could say 'voted out' ....

i.e. The votes of a secret cabal (NDP Exec who are hiding their involvement)

Just last year, the Fed NDP ran Anjali Appadurai in Jody Wilson's (Lib) riding and came within 500 votes of the dweeb that the Libs ran. After she outmaneuvered the NDP-braintrust, Horgan, the outgoing NDP Premier blamed the Greens and called her a 'thug' for daring to challenge the kings of greenwashing.

imo, Anjali ran, not to win, but to make Eby defend his positions on Site C, LNG and Old-Growth logging.
Eby was sleep-walking into a coronation. The fact is that the establishment of the party blew their response. Rumour has it that Anjali recruited 14k new members.
(Me among them. ;-) )

They had an anemic membership of only 11k and Eby recruited no new members.

The NDP electoral-officer (FF lobbyist) disqualified Anjali with dubious accusations. The steel-workers supporting Eby did the same things they accuse Dogwood of. Elections-BC cancelled their independent investigation because the candidate was disqualified by the party.

Gordian Knot?

Owen Gray said...

Sounds like someone is working hard to do her in, PoV.