Trudeau uses Ford as wedge against O’Toole

Liberal leader points to Ontario premier’s vaccination mandates

OTTAWA—Premier Doug Ford served as a political foil for Justin Trudeau on Tuesday as the federal Liberal leader targeted Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole in Ontario, a province where the Liberals need to gain more seats in their quest for a majority.

Ford has laid low since the federal election campaign kicked off Aug. 15, but has taken a stand on COVID-19 vaccinations that led him to oust one of his own MPPs from caucus — and left him more aligned with Trudeau than O’Toole on the question of whether vaccinations should be mandatory for elected representatives.

O’Toole “encourages” his candidates to be vaccinated but refuses to require it — a plank Trudeau continued to hammer Tuesday, along with what he said is O’Toole’s support for a “two-tier health-care system.”

For his part, O’Toole accused Trudeau of being “desperate” to win a majority government, while saying that he supports “innovation” by provinces in health care that would reduce wait times — as long as there is free, “universal access” to medically necessary services.

Campaigning in Hamilton, Trudeau paid Ontario’s premier a backhanded compliment of sorts as he slammed O’Toole for lacking leadership.

“Even Doug Ford has said that he’ll make vaccines mandatory for some essential workers,” said Trudeau.

“Look, there are a lot of things Premier Ford and I don’t agree on,” he added, citing the need for more “hard work” with the Ontario government to reach an agreement on $10-a-day child care and standards for long-term care. “Well, none of this happens if Erin O’Toole is sitting across the table from Doug Ford,” he said.

Trudeau went on to say that a lot of parents, “myself included,” are worried about sending their children back to school this fall. “I think about my seven-year-old who can’t get vaccinated yet.”

The Ford government requires vaccination disclosure policies as of Sept. 7 for public and private sector workplaces — but it has also left open options that are more in line with O’Toole’s approach. Those include allowing unvaccinated workers in hospitals, long-term care, home care, community care and schools to remain on the job if they attend vaccination education sessions and agree to regular testing.

But the Ford team downplayed Trudeau’s comments, sidestepping any slight, intended or unintended.

“We don’t really see that as a swipe. He’s trying to use it as a wedge against O’Toole,” said a source close to the premier.

The Star has reported an informal détente between Ford and Trudeau. But senior federal Liberals also say Trudeau will not shy away from drawing a contrast between himself and any conservative premier, as he did last week in Alberta when he took shots at Premier Jason Kenney, an O’Toole ally.

Trudeau’s criticisms at a Calgary rally were much more pointed than any he directed Ford’s way. He said Kenney made “wrong decision after wrong decision” during the pandemic.

“While Jason Kenney was making decisions that were hurting all of you and blaming people in Calgary Skyview for the pandemic, the reality is Erin O’Toole and the federal Conservatives weren’t there to fight for you. He was too busy praising Jason Kenney to have your backs.”