Standing outside Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital during a campaign stop Sunday, Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie took aim at Doug Ford, as Canada gears up for a trade war with the United States.
“He’s going to remove American brands off the shelves of the LCBO, okay, fine, I support that,” said Crombie. “Where’s the rest of the plan? Where’s the stimulus for our industries? What about jobs?”
The Liberal leader accused Ford of not doing enough to diversify Ontario’s economy, saying he’s abandoned the province during a crisis by calling a snap election.
“He’s roaming around the province rather than being at his desk, working for Ontarians during the crisis,” she said.
Crombie did not specify how she would handle the tariff response differently, but she did say, like Ford, she would work closely with the federal government and supports removing interprovincial trade barriers.
Aside from tariffs, she says there are other things at stake including access to health care and the lack of family doctors.
“We need to reform access and improve access to family medicine,” said Crombie. “That means recruiting 3,100 doctors, it also means compensating them better to attract the more than 6,000 family doctors that have left.”
The Liberal leader also made a pit stop at incumbent Karen McCrimmon’s campaign kick-off in Kanata-Carleton, where NDP candidate Dave Belcher and PC Candidate Scott Phelan are also running.
“Even when we knock on doors it’s still health care,” said McCrimmon. “They’re worried about the tariffs, but they know that because they don’t have a family doctor, that is hurting their immediate family fight now.”
Doug Ford, along with NDP leader Marit Stiles did not have any scheduled campaign events Sunday. While Green Party leader Mike Schreiner spent part of the day campaigning in Bellville.
Ontarians head to the polls Feb. 27.
