Liberals claim Fords plan to visit Washington during election is explicitly partisan [Video]

As Premier Doug Ford prepares to trigger a provincial election on Wednesday, opposition parties are raising concerns about his two planned trips to Washington D.C. during the campaign, calling them “explicitly partisan” and an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds.

The moment the Ontario legislature is dissolved and an election is called, the government enters caretaker mode – a long-standing convention that prevents a political party from using taxpayer resources for partisan purposes during an election campaign.

While the Premier and cabinet ministers retain their rights, privileges and responsibilities during and after an election, those powers are limited in use and must only be used in the caretaker capacity.

Premier Ford has signaled, however, that his party intends to defy the caretaker convention by traveling to the United States twice during the election campaign in an effort to underscore the threat of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian-made goods.

Ford is scheduled to lead …