Doug Ford says he will remain on duty as premier, flying to meet with American officials in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threat even as he wages a re-election campaign — something opposition politicians say is an inappropriate use of his office and defies democratic norms.
Ford’s comments in recent weeks appear to push the boundaries of what’s known as the “caretaker convention,” a federal and provincial practice that continues day-to-day government operations but pauses all but the most important emergency decision-making. At the start of an election, Ontario’s legislature is dissolved and does not conduct business, but the premier and cabinet members remain in place and are expected to exercise caution around their government roles.
“I’ll still be Premier every single day,” Ford said last Friday. “I’ll be talking to our ministers. We’ll be getting policies out there.”
Ford has said he’ll be travelling to Washington, D.C., twice …