Canadian Press NDP MPP Taras Natyshak, left, says Ontario Premier Doug Ford's comments about a detainee who fled the country were derogatory.

TORONTO — An Opposition MPP is slamming Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s comments about a mentally ill patient as “derogatory” and unhelpful.

Thursday morning, Ford called into a Toronto talk radio show to talk about Zhebin Cong, a patient at the city’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) who was found not criminally responsible for the 2014 murder of his roommate.

Cong, who has schizophrenia, left CAMH unaccompanied on July 3 and boarded a flight out of the country, according to police.

‘Crazy, crazy people’

Ford called the man a “nutcase” and said his government has to make changes so that “crazy” people aren’t on the street.

“This is what we have to change, Jerry, right across the board, making sure these crazy, crazy people that want to go around chopping people up, they’re out on the street,” he said to host Jerry Agar.

“Letting this guy loose? You gotta be kidding me … There’s gonna be people held accountable. You can’t let guys like this loose. You throw away the key.”

Listen to the premier’s comments here: