It's not every day that an MPP audibly calls the Premier a "piece of sh*t" in the Ontario Legislature — but it is today.
Things got heated (and petty) at Queen's Park on Wednesday when, during question period, NDP MPP Taras Natyshak asked Ford a pointed question about his riding of Essex.
The resulting exchange saw Natyshak say something he was forced to withdraw, and not too long later publicly apologize for.
If you missed it, Here's what happened inside the Ontario Legislature:
— Colin D'Mello CTVNews (@ColinDMello) June 24, 2020
During an exchange over the Windsor Essex lockdown, NDP MPP Taras Natyshak called Premier Doug Ford a "piece of shit" (NDP confirms the term was used.)
Natyshak withdrew the comment. #onpoli pic.twitter.com/sDCsKvuejq
Natyshak's region, which includes Windsor, only got approval to move forward into Stage 2 of the reopening process today (save for the municipalities of Leamington and Kingsville).
Before this, Windsor-Essex had been the only public health region in Ontario not to get the green light to reopen, as Toronto and Peel did on Monday, due to ongoing outbreaks among migrant farm workers.
Apparently dissatisfied with the Premier's handling of the situation, Natyshak criticized Ford today for only agreeing to open parts of the Windsor area after weeks of "local officials, businesses and citizens have been begging him to show leadership."
"Will the Premier finally commit to deploying all available resources to test, trace and contain the outbreak on farms so that all communities in Windsor, Essex and Chatham-Kent, who have sacrificed so much, can safely reopen and rebuild our economy?" asked the NDP MPP.
No MPP gets under Premier Doug Ford’s skin more than the NDP’s @TarasNatyshak. Ford is furious Natyshak just called him “a piece of shit.” Comment was withdrawn and will not be in Hansard. #onpoli #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/CobKbgqJvk
— Robert Benzie (@robertbenzie) June 24, 2020
Ford fired back in kind, telling the legislature that farmers in Windsor had personally complained to him about Natyshak.
"I wasn't going to mention this, but now, since he sent a missile over, I’ll tell what you the head of the association said," Ford said of a local farm association leader.
"They named the member from Essex, without prompting from me, named his name and said he has done absolutely nothing here —absolutely nothing... he actually called you out by name."
This apparently prompted Natyshak to shout "you're such a piece of sh*t" toward Ford — audio of which can be heard faintly in footage from today's legislature sitting.
Ford stopped in his tracks as the MPPs around him erupted into 'oooh's and 'WOW's.
"That's the first time I've ever heard anything like this in the House here, honestly... it is," said an incredulous Ford.
@TarasNatyshak: "I used un-parliamentary language in the House to the premier and I want to apologize to him and my colleagues in the House. I try to hold myself to a higher standard. But I'm scared for my community. I'm incredibly frustrated" at the delayed action by the govt.
— Steve Paikin (@spaikin) June 24, 2020
Natyshak immediately withdrew his comment when told to do so by House Speaker Ted Arnott, and later apologized for his outburst.
"I used unparliamentary language in the House in a question to the Premier," said the Essex politician while speaking alongside his party's leader, Andrea Horwath, Wednesday afternoon.
"I try to hold myself to a higher standard and today my frustrations and my fears for my community definitely got the best of me and I apologize."
Ford, for his part, was like "meh."
When asked for his thoughts on the matter during his government's daily COVID-19 update, Ford said he forgives Natyshak.
"It's water off a duck's back," said the Premier. "Let’s just move on."
by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO
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