Ontario Premiere Doug Ford Says his daughter’s stag and doe party was a “private family situation” that was approved by the province’s integrity commissioner.
Ford’s comments come a day after Global News published a report saying that the developers, described as “personal friends” of Ford, had built a deer and a deer for his daughter’s wedding in early August. Doe attended the party.
A source told Global News that the invitation to the party came with a request for the couple to donate up to $1,000, and seemed “pretty cheesy” at the time.
Another source who said he received an invitation labeled the party a “pay-for-play” event and questioned the ethics of attending the party.
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Asked about Stag and Doe by reporters at an unrelated press conference on Friday, Ford said the party was a personal matter, adding that her daughter and her husband are “private citizens”.
Ford said, “I know what we should and shouldn’t do.” “Our family has been in politics for 30 years, we know thousands of people, and I went to the integrity commissioner – they cleared it not 999, but 1000 per cent, 1,000 per cent”
Ford dismissed questions on the matter as “ridiculous”.
“It’s nothing, in my opinion, it should involve my daughter who is not involved in politics,” he said. “So I appreciate you keep asking, but anyway… it’s a private family situation and that’s all.”
The province’s integrity commissioner determined that since the premier had said he had “no knowledge of the gifts” and “no discussion of government business”, Ford was in the clear.
“The commissioner issued an opinion that there was nothing to indicate non-compliance Members’ Integrity Act relating to these incidents,” the commissioner said in a statement to Global News.
However, when asked by reporters on Friday why the developers were invited to the in-person event, Ford said his family has an “open policy at our house”.
“We know tens of thousands of people – people I’ve known for 30 years,” he said.
Ford said that when there is an event in his home, he “doesn’t ask for a list of names.”
“Whenever we have an event, everyone is welcome at the Ford family home,” he continued.
Ford did not reveal the names of the developers attending the party, saying only that he knew of “hundreds of developers” and hundreds of “people in the private sector”.
“I know hundreds of health care workers and police officers,” he continued. “And I believe in developing the province. I believe in bringing builders here. Just imagine if we didn’t have builders going out and building homes and building businesses and building infrastructure. Maybe we’re here in Ontario.
– With files from Global News’ Isaac Colon and Colin D’Mello
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