Co-authored by John Jalsevac
TORONTO, Ontario, December 2, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford may have been ordered removed from office by a judge over a conflict of interest involving a city council measure regarding donations to his football foundation, but controversy continues to swirl over the decision.
National Post columnist Christie Blatchford has quoted an unnamed lawyer’s 17-page analysis that raises the question of why Ontario Justice Charles Hackland dictated the removal of Ford when other measures were available, including the restitution of the $3,150 in question. The lawyer notes the matter first came to light in August 2010, giving voters a chance to judge Ford’s integrity during the election later that year. That election saw Ford win by a healthy margin of more than 90,000 votes over main challenger George Smitherman, an openly homosexual former Liberal cabinet minister. “They endorsed him to a very significant degree,” the lawyer said.
Although Ford is seen by some as his own worst enemy, many have pointed out that outgoing Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has emerged unscathed and is on track for a gold-plated politician’s pension despite costing Ontario billions of dollars through scandals involving health care, mismanagement of government agencies, a cancelled power plant and G20 security. One blogger has identified no less than 30 scandals during the McGuinty tenure that began in 2003, with the electronic health records scandal (overseen by Smitherman) alone costing some $1 billion.
In comparison, the $3,150 at the center of the Ford controversy, which he is accused of improperly soliciting using council letterhead, is a mere pittance. According to Ford he only ever solicited the donation “because I love to help kids play football … I never believed there was a conflict of interest because I had nothing to gain. And the city had nothing to lose.” Nonetheless, Ford had admitted previously he hadn’t read the portion of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act that applied in that situation. Ignorance, as it is said, is no excuse from the law.
But the phenomenon of the book being thrown at right-leaning politicians like Ford while leftists such as McGuinty and Smitherman get off with free passes for their transgressions raises the question of political bias. A leftist campaign against Ford began during his election campaign, when the fact he was convicted of failing to provide a breathalyzer sample in Florida over a decade ago was trotted out by Smitherman and company.
Harassment intensified after his election and perhaps reached a zenith when Ford committed the unpardonable sin of failing to pay homage at two lewd gay pride parades, in favour of spending time at his family’s cottage. Leftist rag NOW Magazine even went so far as to follow him up to Huntsville and published photos of the cottage. (Ford did, however, show up and read a proclamation at a rainbow flag-raising ceremony in May 2012 that marked what was called an “International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.”)
Other tactics included printing doctored photos showing a nearly nude Ford on the front page of the strongly gay supportive NOW, appearances at his home by news reporters and comedienne Mary Walsh and almost daily attacks in the pages of the Toronto Star and the bevy of free street box weeklies that pepper Toronto.
Of note is that the lawyer leading the charge against Ford, Clayton Ruby, is the same lawyer that has represented Canada’s arch-abortionist Henry Morgentaler, and who clamored for Morgentaler to be admitted into the Order of Canada. In 2001, Ruby criticized constitutionally guaranteed funding of Catholic schools in Ontario. He also defended former gay NDP MP Svend Robinson during his bid to avoid incarceration for stealing a $64,000 ring for his homosexual partner.
It came as no surprise, then, that the left crowed with delight at the news Ford was to be removed from office. A “touchdown for accountability to Toronto council,” tweeted Smitherman, who was promptly attacked for hypocrisy by Sun Media columnist Christina Blizzard. “Doesn’t this guy have any shame? Ford gets tossed from office over a $3,000 charitable donation. Smitherman calls that ‘accountability’ — when on his watch as health minister, hundreds of thousands of dollars in sole-sourced contracts were handed out to consultants with ties to the Liberal party. Smitherman should have been called the minister of boondoggles. Worse, it’s possible Smitherman could yet become mayor.”
Others have come to Ford’s defence. Ontario Progressive Conservative party leader Tim Hudak said “Toronto needs Rob Ford.” Hockey “Coach’s Corner” host Don Cherry – who intoned “put that in your pipe, you left-wing kooks” during a speech at Ford’s inauguration – said the mayor is being “nailed to the cross and only because of who he is … Here’s a guy that has dedicated his life to helping under-privileged kids and this is what happens to him? …He didn’t waste or lose billions of dollars like so many other governments have.”
Hackland’s decision is being appealed and Ford’s lawyer, Alan Lenczner, has filed court papers asking for a stay of the ruling that is to remove the mayor from office effective December 10. The stay application will be heard December 5 and the appeal on January 7.