It may have been dubbed the ‘gravy plane’ by his political opponents, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford maintained on Monday that the private jet his government purchased, and then quickly vowed to sell after backlash, was strictly for the ‘meat and potatoes’ of running the province.
Ford acknowledged that it was too late to make his pitch for the $28.9 million private plane, but said he wanted to better explain the decision to Ontarians who questioned the optics of the pricey purchase at a time when many are struggling to make ends meet.
Ford maintained that the plane, a used Bombardier Challenger 650 jet, would’ve paid dividends by helping to unlock the potential of the north, and in the ongoing tariff fight with the United States.
“I just want to explain to the people, our province is massive, I have to get to the north numerous times, there’s no charter flights up in the north,” he said from Ottawa. “They are cancelling stops in the majority of all northern jurisdictions … so I’ve got to find another mode of transportation, that’s what it comes down to.”
He also cited a recent trip to Texas for what he called a fruitful trade mission.
“I have to get around, I have to go to the U.S. more … it’s part of the job,” he said.
“If I didn’t charter a plane I wouldn’t have been able to gather over $6 billion dollars of investment from Texas.”
The premier also stressed that the plane would have been widely used, and wasn’t by any stretch his personal aircraft.
“This was not Doug Ford’s plane, it was a government plane (to be) used by multiple ministries,” he said.
Despite his justifications for the private plane, and noting that past premiers have had them, in the end Ford said he listened to the people of Ontario.
“I heard loud and clear, because I’m the only person in the world who gives out his cell number, and I heard loud and clear from the people that this was not the time to purchase a plane so I’ve directed the staff to be in contact with Bombardier (to) sell it immediately at the same cost,” he said.
“I’m the premier that listens to the people,” he emphasized. “If they don’t like something, I’m not too shy to change my mind.”
‘I’ll always be frugal’: Ford
Ford said accusations of misspending hit especially hard since he’s long fashioned himself as a penny-pincher when it comes to the public’s money.
“I have expensed $0 for eight years,” he maintained. “I pay for it out of my pocket.”
“I’ve never promoted that, but since it’s about dollars and cents I have to tell the people of Ontario that’s what’s happening. I’ll always be frugal and respect the taxpayers’ money,” he said.
He also took a shot at the media for unfair coverage, saying both the federal government and province of Quebec evaded similar scrutiny when they secured private jet purchases with price tags that far eclipsed Ontario’s.
“There’s no one is this country that is scrutinized more than I am,” Ford said. “I’m willing to take that.”
“What really disturbs me is the inconsistency with the media. We have the federal government… they went out and bought $753 million [worth] of jets for the ministers, rightfully so by the way, we live in a massive country – no word [from the media],” he said.
“When it comes to Quebec buying $107 million, three jets, which I agree, they live in a massive province, no scrutiny. But when I do it, I guess there’s a double standard.”
