NDP calls on Ford to fire PC MPPs on appointments review committee

Taras Natyshak asks: Is the committee failing on purpose?

QUEEN’S PARK — While Doug Ford was handing out appointments to cronies, some PC MPPs were undermining the committee tasked with reviewing those appointments. Now the NDP wants Ford to remove his MPPs on the standing committee on government agencies.

“Time after time, the Conservative MPPs on the appointments committee helped appointees skip appearing before committee. They claimed that’s because the government was already vetting every candidate thoroughly,” said NDP MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex), who is a member of the committee.

“Were the Conservatives helping passengers sneak onto the Gravy Train on their own, or was it under Ford’s orders?”

Amid the growing patronage scandal, Conservative committee members were desperate to block further meetings of the committee. “We have a group of people that are working behind the scenes diligently to ensure the qualifications of individuals who have expressed interest,” said PC MPP Rick Nicholls on June 4.

Meanwhile, on July 11, Doug Ford told media “I’m going to do a complete review, putting appointments through the treasury and continue vetting them a lot deeper.”

On Wednesday, the Premier’s Office revealed to Queen’s Park Briefing that any review of appointments would be done by Ford’s office itself.

“Doug Ford policing Doug Ford is how he got himself into this mess in the first place,” said Natyshak. “The NDP has been revealing inappropriate appointments. The media has been unearthing inappropriate appointments. Yet they all seem to get through the crack vetting squad Ford’s got in place.

“The Conservatives have been sneaking brutal patronage appointments onto the gravy train. His committee members have been failing, his supposed review process hasn’t helped a bit — it’s pretty clear Ford still has no interest in doing the right thing until he gets caught.”