The Canadian Press Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his staff are violating democracy by interfering with elected members, ousted Tory Randy Hillier says.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his staff are controlling Progressive Conservative MPPs through a "culture of fear and intimidation," one ousted member told reporters Tuesday.

Randy Hillier, who Ford kicked out of caucus on March 15, said that he thought the PCs' election would give birth to a "dynamic, honest, resurgent Ontario."

Instead, the MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston said, the opposite happened.

"My expectations slowly began to erode. And this erosion increased to become a crisis of confidence," Hillier, who was a PC MPP for 12 years, said.

You can't hog-tie me and gag me and then complain that I'm not a team player.Randy Hillier

He said Ford and his top advisors are violating democracy by muzzling MPPs and interfering with their ability to represent constituents.

"As I stated to Doug Ford on many occasions, you can't hog-tie me and gag me and then complain that I'm not a team player."

MPPs aren't scheduled to speak in debates when they're "out of favour" with the PC leadership, Hillier said. He also said they can't read petitions from their constituents in the legislature or even discuss an idea for a private members' bill without permission from Ford's office.

"You cannot have a representative democracy under such constrained restrictions."