NDP statement on reported return of Rod Phillips to Doug Ford’s inner circle

QUEEN’S PARK — NDP Ethics and Accountability critic Taras Natyshak released a statement on Rod Phillips’s rumoured return to the inner circle of Doug Ford’s government. The former minister broke the rules and vacationed in St. Barts while Ontario suffered through a stay-at-home order and a brutal wave of COVID-19 — and CTV Toronto is reporting that he’s been promoted to author of the Ford campaign platform:

“Doug Ford kept Rod Phillips near and dear to him even after his elaborate St. Barts vacation cover-up. Phillips jetted off to luxurious St. Barts, covering up his tracks as he went with pre-written messages, pre-recorded Christmas greetings, and a fake Zoom background, while the rest of Ontario hunkered down and followed public health advice to stay home over the holidays.

With news reports that the two old buddies will be once again working together on the Conservatives' next platform, it’s obvious Doug Ford sees that selfish, bad choices like Rod Phillips’s covered-up vacation is at the heart of everything the Ford PCs do and say."