In a fundraising email sent out on Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford asked supporters to contribute to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario to support his “pro-jobs” record as leader.
The email cites a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) which gave Ontario a score of A-.
“When I became leader of our party I promised I would slash red tape and modernize regulations, the keys to help attract investment and create jobs. It was a promise made – and a promise kept,” the email claimed.
“We’re supporting individuals, families and businesses on the ground, and removing regulatory roadblocks.”
Critics have accused the Ford government of unnecessarily harming small businesses in the province through the use of wide-sweeping lockdowns.
“Is this a joke? Doug Ford has just sent out a fundraising email asking for money because of how he’s supposedly done such a great job supporting businesses in Ontario,” tweeted True North contributor Anthony Furey.
“The email cites a CFIB report card as proof, but what it doesn’t mention is how when the CFIB put forward a modest proposal the other month to allow Ontario small biz to re-open to a maximum of 3 customers at a time, Ford turned them down.”
In January, the CFIB called on the provincial government to create a plan to allow small businesses to carefully reopen and to expand the amount of provincial support they could receive.
“Only 37% of Ontario small firms are fully open at this late stage in the pandemic,” said CFIB president Dan Kelly at the time.
“More of Ontario’s small business community is closed than any other province in Canada and officials have signalled that reopening may be months away. By contrast, 64% of BC small businesses are fully open.”
Recently health officials warned that there was a “very real risk” of a third lockdown following the incoming third wave of the coronavirus.
“Without the ability to respond quickly and effectively, without the ability to control spread in the community, we face the very real risk of a third wave and potentially a third lockdown,” said the co-chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table Adalsteinn Brown last week.
