Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed surprise on Wednesday upon learning about the Progressive Conservative Party’s alleged expenditure to conduct surveillance on former Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie in Jamaica in 2023. Reports from The Trillium and POLICORNER revealed that the provincial party purportedly utilized nearly $3,000 from donor and taxpayer funds for stays at two luxury resorts in Jamaica as part of their opposition research activities aimed at monitoring Bonnie Crombie. The sources cited in the story remained anonymous.
The reported surveillance reportedly occurred six days after Crombie assumed the Liberal leadership in December 2023 while she was vacationing in Jamaica for three days, as detailed by The Trillium and POLICORNER. CBC News has not verified this information independently. The Ontario PC Party issued a statement acknowledging their engagement in opposition research, which included the trip to Jamaica in December 2023.
During a news conference unrelated to the incident, Ford expressed disapproval of the alleged spying activities and confirmed that he had addressed the issue with the party upon learning of the claims. He clarified that the expenses were covered using party funds, which are partially sourced from taxpayer money through per-vote subsidies in Ontario.
Ford emphasized the dynamics of political activities, noting that incidents such as this are common in the realm of politics, drawing a parallel to media coverage during his trips to the U.S. When questioned about his awareness of the situation relieving him of any responsibility, Ford asserted that he trusts his team to ensure appropriate spending.
The former Liberal leader, Bonnie Crombie, declined to comment on the allegations but confirmed her vacation in Jamaica in December 2023, where she stayed at one of the resorts listed in the PC party’s 2023 financial statement. CBC News obtained a copy of the party’s 2023 financial report, revealing expenses at the Ocean Eden Bay and Royalton Negril Hotel in Jamaica, without specifying the details of these expenditures.
Opposition party leaders, including NDP Leader Marit Stiles and interim Leader of the Ontario Liberals John Fraser, criticized the alleged surveillance as unethical and an abuse of power. They demanded accountability from Ford regarding the involvement of party members in the surveillance operation and the misuse of public funds for such activities.