EXCLUSIVE: Doug Ford says he hasn’t lost his way, despite recent backlash

Ontario Premier Doug Ford exclusively speaks with CTV News Toronto about recent backlash he's faced and what he's focused on now.

Premier Doug Ford said Thursday he does not feel he’s lost touch with the average person, despite a backlash over a scrapped plan to buy a jet and new polling numbers showing his popularity declining.

“I’m in touch with the people on a daily basis,” Ford told CTV News Toronto in an exclusive interview.

He said no other politician “in the entire world” hands out his phone number to people as much as he does.

“I’m behind 9,323 messages,” Ford said, holding out his phone.

“There’s no politician in the world that gives out his number and is as accessible as I am, and I call as many people as I can back. I get hundreds and hundreds (of messages) a day, and I hear the people. No one has ever done that, no one will ever do it.”

The premier was forced to backtrack recently on the purchase of a $28.9 million private jet that he said would be used to drum up investment in the province with trade missions and to more easily get around Ontario.

He apologized for not better communicating the case for the plane, but said he nevertheless still felt he needed it and that it was ‘kind of embarrassing’ Ontario doesn’t have one. Polling numbers released this week showed his PC party now trailing the Ontario Liberals, despite the fact that party does not currently have a permanent leader. The poll also showed Ford’s approval rating sitting at just 27 per cent among Ontarians.

Asked Thursday if he’s taken to heart any of the suggestions he’s lost his way, Ford shrugged off the criticism.

“No, I’m staying focused. You know, in politics, you’re up, you’re down,” Ford said. “And you know, we’re still in a strong position, and we’re going to keep moving forward.”

Greenbelt scandal ‘a long time ago’

When it comes to new laws that effectively block any further transparency about the Greenbelt scandal, Ford suggested the ordeal is in the rear-view mirror.

“Well, we’ve cooperated. Anything that they need, we’ve sent over. But as far as I’m concerned, that’s quite a long time ago. We’re moving forward,” Ford said.

A story published by The Trillium Thursday said the organization was expecting hundreds of documents that would have shed more light on the scandal. But those requests were abruptly stopped in their tracks by new legislation rushed through by the PC government last week.

“We’re going to focus on the economy and the jobs, and that’s what people are concerned about, the uncertainty right now that Donald Trump has created, not just here, but around the world,” Ford said.

Economy ‘top priority’

Ford spoke to CTV News Toronto on the sidelines of a roundtable discussion with consular officials from 16 countries, hoping to drum up trade with non-U.S. partners through a series of targeted trade missions in the coming months.

He said the province’s economy remains his “number one” priority.

“The foundation of everything else – our health care, education, infrastructure – is the economy. So we’re going to stay focused on the economy,” Ford said. “We’ve done an incredible job in building this province. Over a million more people are working today than they were when we took office, and we’re seeing tens of billions of dollars being invested in Ontario.”

Possible ‘Course correction’

Responding to Ford’s remarks, CTV Political Analyst Scott Reid said the premier appears to be trying to get back to a topic that resonates with voters.

“I see today’s meeting as a course correction, a deliberate, clear, unmistakable attempt by him and his office to get back to the issues that work best for him with voters,” Reid said.

Speaking about the economy and the trade war, Reid said, is much safer ground for Ford than some of the other issues that have been coming up.

“Whenever he is talking about Canada-U.S., whenever he is talking about Trump, whenever he’s talking about standing up for Canadian industry, Ontario industry and Ontario workers, that is a better day than the kind of days he’s been having for the past month,” Reid said.

He added time will tell whether the course correction will work.

‘Full court press’ for defence bank

Ford also said Thursday he’s planning a “full court press” to persuade Prime Minister Mark Carney to locate a new defence bank in Toronto.

“At the end of the day, he’s going to make that decision, and hopefully he’ll make the right decision, because really the right decision is here in Toronto,” Ford said.

“We have all the banks here, the financial sector here, we have 700 defence companies all throughout Ontario. So I think this is the natural spot to have the defence bank.”

The province previously launched a bid to try make Toronto the home for the new institution. The federal government confirmed Thursday that Canada has won an international contest to host the bank, but the government has not yet decided which city to build it in.