Video footage that some might find absolutely hilarious is circulating online today of Ontario Premier Doug Ford answering questions for a group of young men he happened to walk by in a Toronto parking lot.
It is unclear who shot the video, but as of Monday afternoon it had been shared by several Twitter, Instagram and Reddit accounts, racking up tens of thousands of collective views.
"Somalis in Toronto catch Ontario Premier Doug Ford at a Gas Station and ask him the hard hitting questions the streets needed to know," reads the caption of the first tweet containing the video, published Monday just before 8 a.m.
Said hard questions focused on Ford's relationship with Somali-Canadians in Toronto, and on his government's sweeping cuts to OSAP and other provincial education programs.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford gets criticized for all his provincial cuts by a group of young men who wanted answers from him in the streets of Toronto @CP24 @CTVNews @CityNews @globalnewsto @laurenonizzle #toronto#ontario#dougford pic.twitter.com/TA2kDOUNbP
— Kyle Larry (@btownwasteman) December 16, 2019
The video begins with Ford walking out of a Circle K convenience store as two people behind the camera shout his name.
"Yo Doug, yo man, I want to ask you a couple questions, man" says one as he approaches the Premier from inside a moving vehicle.
Always game for an interaction with the public, Ford walks up to the young men calling for his attention with a big smile on his face.
"I heard you don't like the Somali people," says one young man as Ford leans in toward the car's window.
"Oh brother," says Ford. "You've gotta be kidding me. We've been taking good care of them for 40 years!"
The young men disagree and chide Ford as he walks away for "not dealing with us like your bro [late former City of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford] did."
For those that don’t know, Doug Ford’s riding is nearly half Somali-canadian. Every election, someone from their community runs against him and almost wins. He frequently narrowly misses getting elected. Would be good to support them in their fight against him. https://t.co/Hxs9xJ2diC
— Chelsea (@ChelseaLaVecch) December 16, 2019
"You're dissin' fam! And you're dissing my people that go to school?" shouts one of the young men. "You're a waste yute! You're a waste yute, my n****!"
"Goof!" shouts another at Ford as he gets into his truck. "You're a goof!"
The men appear to be referencing the Ford government's various cuts to education across Ontario here, including significant cuts to financial aid for post-secondary students.
Some viewers of the clip are using it to further ignite dialogue surrounding the province's education system and to point how out changes made by Ford's government have been negatively impacting teachers and students alike.
Others are remarking upon how funny it is, and agreeing with the men behind the camera that Ford is a "waste yute" — defined by Urban Dictionary as "Toronto Slang with Caribbean Roots. A youthful person that is a waste of time and space."
the city of toronto agrees doug ford is a wasteyute pic.twitter.com/mLaJTKqUZ4
— merry mulatto🎄 (@sketchyvagli) December 16, 2019
At 55 years old, Ford isn't exactly young, though arguments could certainly be made that he's youthful.
Neither Ford nor the Premier's Office have commented on the contents of the video or the allegations contained therein.
Ford has regularly expressed his support for Toronto's Somali community over the years — though his presence has not always been well-received.
Media depictions of Somalis as drug dealers in relation to Ford's brother, Rob, at the height of his crack video scandal, have also been criticized for contributing to negative stereotypes and "criminalizing" the community.
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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