Doug Ford’s government is leaving the dangerous impression it’s fair game to put political pressure on police to make arrests by stonewalling questions swirling around the premier’s embattled chief of staff, critics say.

The concerns grew Thursday as opposition parties grilled the Progressive Conservatives over a Star report that Ford’s top aide, Dean French, was accused by PC whistleblowers of instructing them to direct police to raid outlaw cannabis shops to get video of “people in handcuffs” on TV news for partisan advantage.

“The government might not want to answer questions on this matter but the people of Ontario have the right to know,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who asked for a second day whether Ford has spoken to French about the situation.

Neither the government nor French has denied the order was given to political staff during a conference call on Oct. 17, the day cannabis became legal. Ontario’s integrity commissioner is considering a request for an official investigation from Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, who questioned whether there had been an “abuse of power.”

Several Conservative sources told the Star said objections were quickly raised about the order, which was not carried out, earning French’s ire. One staffer who questioned the directive was subsequently fired and the government has provided no public explanation.

Ford was at a hospital announcement in Mississauga on Thursday and did not attend the legislature’s daily question period, leaving Finance Minister Vic Fedeli to field questions.

Read more:

Ford’s unelected chief of staff wanted officials to order police to raid pot stores, sources say

Doug Ford repeatedly evades questions about Ontario Power Generation firing

Opinion | Martin Regg Cohn: Chief of staff has a cheerleader in Doug Ford — no matter what lines are crossed

Fedeli evaded every query on French and the fired staff member by talking about his recent fall economic statement, leaving opposition parties frustrated.

“It is very important for the government to recognize the breach that occurred here. This is serious business,” said Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers (Ottawa-Vanier), a former dean of law at the University of Ottawa.

“To deflect the question is not appropriate. You have to answer and promise that there is no interference in police investigations,” she added, noting there are police probes into a PC candidate nomination race in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas and into a Highway 407 data breach that led to the resignation of a Brampton PC candidate during last spring’s election campaign.

“We want to make sure there is no (political) interference at this point, either,” Des Rosiers said.

Horwath said she has never seen a minister “blow off” questions in the way Fedeli did.

“I wasn’t intending to blow it off,” Fedeli told reporters. “They’ve asked the premier over and over, and he’s answered over and over, and I think he’s done an adequate job.”

But Ford has not said whether he’s asked French for an explanation on the police issue and admitted Tuesday he had not asked French about a Globe and Mail report that French ordered Ontario Power Generation to fire vice-president Alykhan Velshi, a former chief of staff to ousted PC leader Patrick Brown.

“It’s not on my radar,” Ford said at the time, expressing “1,000 per cent support” for French. He did not, however, repeat that endorsement on Wednesday when asked about French in the legislature.

Schreiner called on Ford to make public the results of any investigation into French.

“It’s clear to me the government doesn’t understand the serious nature of the premier’s chief of staff interfering in police business for political purposes,” he said.

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

Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake, who serves as the independent ethics watchdog for MPPs and political staff, said he is reviewing the complaint about French to determine if a conflict-of-interest rule has been broken under the Public Service of Ontario Act.

The request from Schreiner is to determine whether French took any steps that were “an inappropriate and/or and illegal abuse of power.”

Des Rosiers said citizens cannot have faith in police unless they are certain that investigations and arrests are not politically motivated.

Read more about: