The prime minister says he can not tolerate just as many provincial restrictions as the next person.
Doug Ford spoke 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton‘s Rick Zamperin on the state of the province and some of the issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
He says he is grateful for everyone’s hard work and patience and admits it was not easy.
“My team comes to me and says, ‘Hey, you have to be patient.’ I keep saying I run out of patience just like everyone else. We have to move forward. ”
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Ford admits that he sometimes felt as if he was trapped between a rock and a hard place when it came to making pandemic-related decisions such as setting up locks.
“I’m damned if I do it, and I’m damned if I do not do it. But I have always sided with caution. I always listen to the chief medical officer. ”
He says medical officials are seeing positive things with the numbers declining and more capacity being made in hospitals.
Ford was also asked about his thoughts on a possible truck rally at Queen’s Park protesting restrictions and vaccine mandates like there were in Ottawa.
“I just hope it is always a peaceful protest, we live in a democracy (so) if people want to come down and protest, God bless them. I understand their frustration. ”
He also says he feels for the Ottawa businesses that were negatively affected by the protests on Parliament Hill because they could not reopen safely.
With the premiers meeting soon to ask for more health care transfer money, Ford says it’s long overdue for the issue to be resolved.
“We can not sustain spending on Canadian health transfers. And I have to be fair to this government – it’s not just this government. It has been government after government for decades … It is just not sustainable. “
Ford says he hopes this government will solve the problem, adding that health care spending used to be a 50-50 split between federal and provincial governments – and now counties are on the hook for more than 75 percent of the cost.
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However, he says he is not prepared to enter the federal arena of politics if the opportunity presents itself. At least, not yet.
“I love my job as Prime Minister, I love the people of Ontario and we still have a lot of work to do and move forward and make our economy thrive.”
He adds that he is currently 100 percent focused on the province, and that he is grateful and proud to be Prime Minister of Ontario.
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