Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during an event with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 11 in Washington.Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office erred in bringing a videographer and photographer to official events on his recent trip to Washington, the province’s top bureaucrat has found, fuelling criticisms that the Progressive Conservative Leader improperly used the mission for campaign purposes.
Cabinet Secretary Michelle DiEmanuele, who leads Ontario’s public service, also said she warned Mr. Ford’s chief of staff to avoid electioneering during the trip and that a video of the mission should not be used for campaign purposes, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Mr. Ford, the PC Leader who is running for re-election in the Feb. 27 vote, travelled to Washington on Feb. 11 and 12 to lobby American officials against enacting punishing tariffs on Canadian goods.
He went on the trip in his capacity as Ontario Premier, joined by the 12 other provincial and territorial leaders, most of whom also met with White House officials to voice their concerns about a potential trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51st state. Mr. Ford also travelled to Washington again on Friday to attend the National Governors’ Association meeting, alongside Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.
The trips have raised the ire of Ontario’s opposition parties, who have accused Mr. Ford of using the visits for partisan purposes during the election campaign and of breaching the “caretaker” convention, guidance that exists at both the provincial and federal levels and generally restricts government business to urgent matters during the writ period.
In a Feb. 20 letter responding to concerns raised by Liberal candidate John Fraser, Ms. DiEmanuele said she learned that the videographer and photographer who accompanied Mr. Ford on the first D.C. visit are not public servants and were added to the list of staff attending the mission events by the Premier’s Office.
“These individuals typically do travel with the Premier and were added to the list in error, as they were not part of Premier’s Office caretaker staff,” Ms. DiEmanuele wrote.
“Their attendance should have been flagged internally and further assessed as part of the election period protocol.”
She added that she shared the information with Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake and Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa, and has asked Mr. Ford’s chief of staff, Patrick Sackville, to consult with Mr. Wake on the appropriate use of video and photos during the election period.
In his initial complaint to Ms. DiEmanuele on Feb. 13, Mr. Fraser said Mr. Ford’s travel is a clear violation of the rules to take advantage of government resources for partisan advantage.
“Taxpayer-funded ads and press junkets are not a tariff response strategy – they are a blatant attempt to sway voters,” he wrote.
Grace Lee, a spokesperson for Mr. Ford, defended the attendance of the videographer and photographer on the trip.
“Like the prime minister and other premiers, the premier is always accompanied by a photographer and videographer. Out of an abundance of caution and respect for taxpayers, the party paid for the travel and accommodation expenses for the staff currently involved in the campaign who travelled with him to Washington,” she said in a statement.
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie’s campaign accused Mr. Ford of playing “fast and loose with the rules.”
“This whole election is a sham and a diversion. He has zero regard for Ontario taxpayers, and even less for the rules and conventions of our democracy,” spokesperson Bahoz Dara Aziz said.
After Mr. Ford’s first trip to Washington, his X account posted a video with footage from his visit that ended with the PC Party logo and slogan “Protect Ontario.” The video was later taken down and reposted without the campaign branding.
Ms. DiEmanuele said in her letter that Mr. Ford’s visit to Washington, which included a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was planned in advance and that the support from public servants was consistent with other government missions. She added that about 58 per cent of the audience at the chamber event were Americans.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles has also asked the Integrity Commissioner to investigate the Washington trip as well as the subsequent video.
A spokesperson for Mr. Wake said the office would not be commenting. Elections Ontario did not respond to a request for comment.