Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles has challenged Premier Doug Ford to sue her after she was kicked out of the legislature for calling his government “corrupt,” repeating the claim outside the protected confines of the chamber.
Stiles rose during Question Period on Wednesday to again ask the government about its controversial skills development fund, training money the auditor general said was handed out in a way that could create “an appearance of real or potential preferential treatment.”
“It is the endless grift of an anti-democratic, and yes, corrupt, government,” Stiles said, to some cheers from her opposition colleagues.
Speaker Donna Skelly told her to withdraw the comment. Stiles rose again and refused before she was named and ordered to leave the chamber.
Stiles said she’d made the comments, which she had made before, out of frustration.
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“I’m fed up, we’ve been in here for five weeks and every day I’ve been asking this minister to come clean, I’ve been asking the premier to answer our questions and the minister of labour just keeps shifting the blame,” she told reporters.
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“One day he’s saying he’s responsible for choosing these companies, the next day he’s blaming a civil servant. He’s hiding behind unions and working people.”
Since the beginning of October, the government has been on the defensive over the skills development fund.
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The auditor general found the pot of money was “not fair, transparent or accountable” in how it was handled. Opposition parties have called repeatedly for Ford to sack Labour Minister David Piccini or for him to resign, but the premier has stood by him, saying he is “not getting rid” of Piccini.
Speaking to reporters after being removed from the chamber, Stiles repeated her claim that the government was “corrupt.” She is protected from legal action when she makes the claim inside the chamber, but not when she repeats it outside.
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MPPs don’t have the protection of parliamentary privilege outside the legislative chamber.
“This privilege protects legislative bodies from legal liability for statements made in the course of their duties, allowing them to call the executive branch to account without fear,” lawyer Dennis Grigoras wrote in an article about MPP privilege.
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“Parliamentary privilege, however, is not limitless. Statements made outside of privileged forums, for instance, can make assembly members legally liable,” Grigoras wrote.
The opposition leader challenged the premier to take her to court.
“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: (if) Doug Ford wants to sue me, bring it on. I welcome the discovery process,” Stiles said.
“I’d love to learn more about what happened with the skills development fund and the Greenbelt.”
Stiles made similar comments last year in relation to the Greenbelt scandal.
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