NDP, Liberals ask integrity commissioner to probe Ford's anti-tariff trip to Washington, D.C.
Both parties say Ford's trip is being used for partisan purposes during snap election campaign
The Ontario NDP has formally asked the province's ethics watchdog to investigate Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford's recent trip to Washington, D.C., alleging Ford used the visit for partisan purposes during the snap election campaign.
In a letter to Integrity Commissioner David Wake, NDP Leader Marit Stiles said that in calling the election, "Ford has put himself and Ontario into an unprecedented situation."
"In my view, his actions have repeatedly and intentionally blurred the lines between partisan campaigning and official provincial business. This demands transparency and accountability," Stiles continued.
The request was sparked by social media posts Thursday featuring video from Ford's trip. Ford and the country's other premiers travelled to the American capitol this week to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods.
Ford went in his capacity as premier, but he is also in the midst of campaigning for re-election.
The roughly half-minute video includes clips from the trip and features narration from Ford. It was posted to Ford's accounts on X, Instagram and Facebook. An original version included the Ontario PC logo at the end, as well as Ford's campaign slogan, "Protect Ontario."
After the video drew the attention of the opposition parties, the original was deleted and an edited version with the PC logo and slogan removed was re-posted by Ford.
"New campaign videos published by Doug Ford today use footage of his visit to Washington to promote a clearly partisan political message encouraging Ontarians to vote for the PC Party," Stiles said in her letter.
Ahead of the trip, Wake wrote that it would not violate the caretaker convention — a principle that during an election only select government business should continue, including routine matters or those that are urgent and in the public interest.
Wake wrote that in the context of current U.S.-Canada political relations, the trip met the urgent and public interest criteria. However, he said that such work was appropriate "provided that the activities are not then used for partisan purposes."
In its own letter to the integrity commissioner Thursday evening, the Liberal Party expresses concern over "a clear violation of the rules you outlined to take advantage of government resources and turn them to partisan advantage."
"Taxpayer-funded ads and press junkets are not a tariff response strategy — they are a blatant attempt to sway voters," says Ottawa South MPP John Fraser in the letter, shared widely by the party.
"From day one Mr. Ford has framed his ability to respond to tariffs as the centrepiece of his campaign, justifying the election call because he needed 'a strong mandate to outlast Trump,'" Fraser says.
A spokesperson for Ford's campaign said the re-posted video was edited "out of an abundance of caution."
"Footage of the premier being the premier is routinely used in political social content; however, out of an abundance of caution, the video was reposted without campaign branding," Ivana Yelich said in an email.
In her letter, Stiles specifically asks Wake to investigate whether Ford has violated the caretaker convention and whether the agenda for the visit was determined by "public servants acting in the public interest, or by partisan staffers trying to optimize the trip to the benefit of their election campaign."
"Ontarians deserve to know if taxpayer funds are being inappropriately used for partisan purposes before they go to the polls in this critical election," she said.
Yelich said earlier this week the PC party covered travel expenses, such as airfare and hotels, for Ford and any of his staff currently involved in the campaign. Costs related to an appearance with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and networking events were paid by the province, she said.
During a Tuesday campaign stop in the Barrie area, Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie said Ford's trip was not appropriate in the middle of an election.
"Why isn't his focus the people of Ontario and protecting us all of the time, not just some of the time when it's convenient for him?" she said.
"The only job he's gone there to protect is his own. Clearly, that's why he's called an early and unnecessary and expensive election in Ontario."
Crombie has previously said she believes the trip contravened the caretaker convention.
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With files from Mike Crawley and The Canadian Press