Doug Ford says he will run for Ontario PCs if Dalton McGuinty calls an election
With warnings of a potential snap summer election in Ontario, city councillor Doug Ford has set his sights on provincial politics.
“If [the premier] calls the election in July, I’m gone,” Councillor Doug Ford told the National Post on Friday. The elder Ford sibling at city hall has long mused about moving his office to Queen’s Park.
“It’s more serious now because this province is in the same shape that the previous administration left city hall,” said Mr. Ford. “He’s run the province into the ground and we have to stop it.”
Premier Dalton McGuinty raised the spectre on Friday of a possible election over disagreements with the other parties about the budget.
If the election is called, Mr. Ford says he will seek to represent the Etobicoke North riding, currently Liberal held, that he now represents municipally. He says he is “fully behind” PC leader Tim Hudak.
“I think he’s just blowing smoke,” Mr. Ford said of the premier. “I think he’s posturing. My comment on the radio was bring it on, lets go. Can you say two words: David Peterson,” he said, referring to the former Liberal leader who called an unexpected election and lost.
He isn’t concerned what effect his comments could have on relations between the city and the provincial government. “The premier hasn’t done a lot for us,” said Mr. Ford. To his constituents, he said:
“I can do more for them provincially, than municipally. Municipally, we have that covered with Rob. I’m going to cover the provincial side, and stay tuned on the federal side,” he said, adding later that he didn’t mean anything by that. “But we have got a big family.”
Doug Ford says he will run for Ontario PCs if Dalton McGuinty calls an election | News | National Post
