It never takes premier Doug Ford long to display his ignorance. I expect whomever in his office reads the comics to him had to explain the meaning of ‘nepotism.’ Giving newly-elected nephew Michael Ford a cabinet post was not just the same-old Doug Ford but it was a finger in the eye for common sense. Not that common sense had any standing in Ford’s cabinet choices.
You have to consider keeping Caroline Mulroney in transport and Stephen Lecce in education as worse than nepotism. Neither minister has a background that would enable them to ask the right questions of their staffs. Lecce is the product of private schooling and a career in politics. Caroline Mulroney grew up in politics and was educated in the United States. Neither brings anything but loyalty to the conservative party to their jobs.
We should have some sympathy though for Sylvia Jones. This lady has been dumped into a can of worms in taking over health from Christine Elliott. Unless Ford gets rid of bill 124 (with its pay constraints) immediately, that lady’s hands are tied. Our healthcare system is going down the toilet so fast, you would swear that Elliott and the pandemic gave it one massive enema. The medical staffs are suffering burn-out and the non-medical people are all fighting for their jobs, while ignoring doing them.
But, back to nepotist and nephew: To suggest that the younger Ford’s experience is from stints on school board and at city hall in Canada’s largest and most polyglot city is a joke. Aside from the nephew’s inability to contribute anything useful in cabinet, I disagree with the shallow-minded critics who complain that a person of colour should have the job. A person’s colour or ethnic background should have nothing to do with it. I had been the go-to guy when the party wanted to have foreign language media at an event through the 70s and 80s. When they started hiring people of ethnicity or colour to do the foreign language communications, what they were often doing was putting someone into the role who would bring old-country prejudices to the job.
As a sixth-generation Canadian of mixed-European origin, I had none of those prejudices and I got along very well with the foreign-language media. They turned out in droves for my party’s events.
-30-
Copyright 2022 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to: