Under No Circumstances Do You Have to Hand it to Doug Ford
A few comments about his ass and Ford enjoys waves of positive coverage
"I have a lot of real estate on my ass, so he has a lot of room to kiss my ass."
These immortal, and objectively funny, words were uttered by Ontario premier Doug Ford when asked about his previous comments that US President Donald Trump should kiss his ass. Ford, often known for colourful comments, has made great political hay off of the US-Canada trade war. His third majority was gained almost explicitly due to his "Canada is Not For Sale" branding. It remains the premier's strongest card to play. In June, polls showed Ford with just 21 per cent approval, the lowest he's ever seen since 2018. Ford's approval climbed to 24 per cent in July, but after Ford's bluster and public comments about Trump, it shot up to 36 per cent, with the PCs leading polls in 39 per cent.
Ford's rank opportunism is obvious when examined beyond the surface-level. During the 2025 snap election, the premier was caught on a hot mic saying he was "100 per cent" happy that Trump won the 2024 election. Much less reported than the "kiss my ass" comment was Ford's comments that the Democratic party is being split. "Socialists, communists on one side... hard-working smart pragmatic Democrats are being under attack by their own party right now."
Indeed, Ford has done more domestically aligned with Trump's ideology than nearly any other premier in Canada. Pushing laws that rip democratic power from the populace, the PC's "Better Regional Governance Act" allows the provincial government to appoint regional chairs that pass policies with only a third of council support. As The Pointer explains in the context of the Niagara Regional Council, the Regional chair, who is not yet known, will have "unilateral powers to set budgets, hire and fire the Region's chief administrative officer and quash by-laws, subject to a two-thirds of council override."
Eric Wickham, Ontario reporter for PressProgress, compiled a comprehensive and extensive article in April that explains further dictatorial effects of Ford's policies. From exempting himself and cabinet ministers from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests (after a court ruled his personal cellphone was subject to FOIs since he conducted business on it), to taking control over eight school boards, to weakening judicial independence and amalgamating thirty six conservation authorities into nine, Ford has shown contempt for transparency and democratic guard rails.
Indeed, Ford was in the midst of a scandal before the trade talks crumbled. The Trillium and POLICORNER reported in mid-August that the Progressive Conservative Party sent someone to surveil then-Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie in 2023 during a vacation in Jamaica. Though a spokesperson was adamant that Ford was not aware, and the premier himself said he didn't approve of it, he said "things happen." This scandal has temporarily disappeared from headlines in the wake of the Trump barbs.
Scott Martin
Listing Doug Ford's autocratic tendencies in their totality would be a tedious and repetitive exercise. Needless to say, Ford is the same he's always been. What's truly remarkable, however, has been the near-total pivot of coverage from news outlets papering over the damaging history of his governance. The trade collapse has taken over the news cycle. For almost a week, nearly every story concerning Ford has related to tariffs, Trump or US trade. Interest in covering his current scandal has almost evaporated.
Let's not pretend this state will last. As always, scandals will return. Time will tell whether the particular Jamaica story will resurface or simply fade away. However, the uncritical coverage of Ford's colourful comments and typical folksy oafishness effectively provides him with free public relations. As guest Isaac Peltz and I discussed on this week's episode of The North State podcast in the context of Carney; this nationalist fervor in the wake of a trade deal collapse has led legacy news to lean into blanket approval of Canadian politicians who pose as anti-Trump.
Uncritical nationalism such as this is damaging for our news media ecosystem. If politicians who align with Trump politically can score easy points off of antagonistic theatre to sweep away their damaging policies, it reveals how paper-thin the principles of journalism in this country truly are. Critical coverage should not slow on the whims of an aspiring autocrat like Ford.
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