Doug Ford is no joke. And he’s not kidding about partnering with Tanya Granic Allen, one of the most regressive Progressive Conservative social conservatives in the movement he now leads.

Homophobia. Islamophobia. Anti-abortion hysteria and harassment. Demonizing gay marriage.

Lord knows, and Ford knows, the camp of Granic Allen — an anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-Muslim, burka-baiting candidate — put him over the top in last month’s leadership vote. No Tanya, no Tory leadership triumph.

As a fringe candidate, she stunned TVO viewers by blurting out “anal sex” during a memorable leadership debate. Now, her obsession with obscure references in a three-year-old health (sex education) curriculum has put her on the frontlines.

When Tanya speaks, Doug listens — as he did during the party’s leadership debates by enthusiastically endorsing her demands to “repeal” the sex-ed curriculum (and embracing her vows to rip out all wind turbines in the province).

When the kingmaker demands a seat at the table, the king makes way — allowing her to seek the party nomination in Mississauga Centre, then sending warm good wishes after her victory last weekend. Far from barring her as an outlier, Ford blessed his comrade in arms and partner in populism:

“I congratulate my friend, @TGranicAllen, on her nomination as the Ontario PC Candidate for Mississauga Centre,” Ford tweeted. “Together, we will defeat Kathleen Wynne and bring change for the people!”

Mark his words, change is coming.

To be clear, Ford hasn’t publicly uttered all the words spoken by Granic Allen, notwithstanding his record of vulgarisms when denigrating people who annoyed or challenged him (calling a female reporter a “little bitch,” or complaining a home for autistic teens had “ruined” the community). The so-called straight shooter has played a double game of first embracing Granic Allen, and only later distancing himself — but never denouncing her hateful words.

Asked about her collected sayings — the ones we know about — Granic Allen declined to be interviewed by Star reporter Rob Ferguson. The Ford campaign contented itself with a prepared statement from a spokesperson doing damage control:

“These comments do not reflect the position of Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford or the party,” the Tories declared.

Confronted later by reporters, Ford added: “I don’t agree with those comments. … We welcome every single person in this province, no matter where they come from, no matter what race, what culture.”

Despite dissociating himself from the words, Ford pointedly associated himself with the speaker: He approved her nomination, and then publicly celebrated it on Twitter two weeks later.

So what is Ford signing on for by signing Granic Allen’s nomination papers?

She told Sun News in 2013, a decade after Ontario legalized same-sex marriage, that it was the “demise of society.” And yet society has survived.

She speaks of an “abortion holocaust,” comparing the founder of Planned Parenthood to the fomenter of the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler, according to the National Post.

In 2014, she retweeted an image of mayoral candidate Olivia Chow caricatured as the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong, with a caption referring to socialist “parasites.”

In a 2013 blog, she mused, “The niqab and burka … are masks which cover the face. I don’t believe people should dress like ninjas … bank robbers.”

Why would a God-fearing Christian dehumanize people of another faith by behaving like a bully? People who pray to their Lord shouldn’t prey on true believers who bow to Allah.

Ford’s predecessor as PC leader, Patrick Brown, walked the line between wooing social conservatives while winning over Muslims and gays, but ultimately drew a line at bigotry. Brown made a point of marching in Pride and declaring the party open to gays (“it doesn’t matter who you love”); he also condemned Islamophobia in the legislature while federal Conservatives played politics in Parliament.

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Not Ford, who is giving a free pass to bigotry by looking the other way while making excuses for the inexcusable. He is not only empowering Granic Allen’s strident rhetoric by giving her a bigger platform, but adding his own voice to her musings on abortion and sex ed.

Echoing her demands, he has vowed to “repeal” the health curriculum and has publicly questioned the right of teenagers to abortions unless parents approve.

There is little mystery to their mutually complementary musings: Granic Allen enabled his leadership triumph, Ford is merely returning the favour by being her enabler.

Martin Regg Cohn is a columnist based in Toronto covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @reggcohn is a columnist based in Toronto covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @reggcohn

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