PC Leader Doug Ford gave conflicting answers on whether he’d run a deficit if elected premier June 7 but pledged to put his family printing business into a trust as required by law.

Emerging from his first caucus meeting with Progressive Conservative MPPs on Tuesday — all but two of whom opposed his leadership bid — the former city councillor from Etobicoke said “we’ll have a better answer in a week or so” on his fiscal plans for Ontario and a platform for the spring election.

Ford said the meeting was “great” but didn’t reveal any details.

“I’m the type of guy, I can play a game of hockey, get in a little scuffle and then go out and have dinner with the person and drive him home. We’re a team. We can’t wait to take on (Premier) Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals.”

The PC campaign manager will be Kory Teneycke, a former communications director to prime minister Stephen Harper who went on to become a vice-president at the now defunct Sun News Network and later an executive at Quebecor.

Although he was critical of Wynne’s throne speech plan to run as much as an $8-billion deficit to expand pharmacare to seniors and fund more dental care in next Wednesday’s pre-election budget, Ford appeared unclear on whether a PC blueprint would contain red ink.

“It’s going to be balanced. We’re going to make sure we work on every single nickel to make sure it’s justified,” he told reporters in a brief scrum on his way into the two-hour meeting.

Asked later about a possible deficit, Ford replied: “Let’s take a look at it. I want to discuss that with our caucus.”

Doug Ford visited the Ontario legislature on March 12 for the first time since becoming leader of the province’s Progressive Conservatives. Ford says he plans to be “out on the road” as much as possible before the June 7 election. (The Canadian Press)

But Ford insisted he can “very easily” cut provincial spending and make promises, which, so far, have included lowering hospital wait times and electricity rates while finding about $6 billion in “efficiencies” he has not identified.

“There’s a lot of inefficiencies in the provincial government that we’ll be able to find,” boasted Ford, the brother of late Toronto mayor Rob Ford.

Under provincial law, Ford must place his interest in Deco Labels, a company co-founded by his father in 1962, into an arm’s-length trust if elected premier.

He has held a preliminary meeting with provincial integrity commissioner J. David Wake and has 60 days under the Members’ Integrity Act to make an initial filing of financial disclosure, listing all assets and liabilities for himself and wife Karla Ford — the same disclosure required of MPPs.

Should the Conservatives defeat Wynne, Ford would be required to put his business interests in a trust whose manager and structure must be approved by Wake, with Ford limited to getting quarterly statements on the value but not the nature of assets within the trust.

“I plan on sitting down with the integrity commissioner over the next couple of days,” he said.

The provincial integrity commissioner monitors the personal finances and business dealings of provincial politicians to avoid conflicts of interest, issuing annual reports that are available to the public.

Ford accused Wynne of campaigning for the June 7 election on the taxpayers’ dime with promises to come in the budget next week.

“That’s ridiculous. I’ve never seen that. We’re in debt up to our eyeballs, at $311 billion in debt, and she wants to lump another $8 billion into the deficit? That’s unacceptable.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Ford, who was supposed to be introduced at a “unity rally” Monday night by his leadership rival and runner-up Christine Elliott, said he had no idea why that didn’t happen.

“I’m not too sure … you know something? I just showed up. So I’d have to get the answers on that.”

Elliott and fellow leadership candidates Caroline Mulroney, daughter of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, and social conservative Tanya Granic Allen joined hands on stage with Ford at the Etobicoke rally, but none spoke to the crowd of hundreds at an Etobicoke convention centre.

“Christine’s going to play an important role on our team, in our government,” Ford pledged.

Read more about: