Last week, it was revealed that 20 Progressive Conservative (P.C.) MPPs had billed taxpayers roughly $120,000 for stays at luxury hotels in downtown Toronto, all while each of the MPPs lived within 50 kilometres of Queen’s Park.
An utterly unacceptable case of financial misuse, no doubt, and unsurprising, nonetheless.
Under Doug Ford’s premiership, revelations like these have become depressingly predictable, and this latest chapter is no different.
And, like the depressing predictability of the scandals themselves, Ford’s response followed a familiar script: a minister resigned, Ford apologized, the money was promised back, and the government moved to scrap the rule that allowed the stays in the first place. Within a week, the province was expected to move on.
But simply “moving on” is precisely how we got here – and it’s what Ford is banking on. In 2023, the RCMP launched a criminal investigation into the Greenbelt land swap, a decision that stood to enrich developers with ties to the government before public outrage forced a reversal. A year later, the Ontario Science Centre was closed abruptly, with little consultation and less explanation.
Each scandal arrives, generates headlines, and fades – but the pattern doesn’t.
Yes, the hotel bills aren’t unique, but they’re a powerful demonstration of what has come to define this government: corruption in its dealings and incompetence in its execution.
Granted, no political party is immune to financial misconduct, and the Liberals and NDP have certainly had their share of corruption in the past, but the frequency with which this P.C. government finds itself at the centre of these stories is blatantly obvious. The sums involved may seem modest, especially compared to other notable instances of government corruption, but the dollar amount shouldn’t be the primary focus, it’s the principle.
Tax dollars exist to fund hospitals, fix roads, and keep classrooms open, not to cover nightly suites for MPPs who could, and should, have driven home. It’s frustrating to see a government cut funding for public services and utilize those funds for its own luxury accommodation. It only makes it worse that these stories arrive with such regularity that we’ve grown accustomed to them.
And to that end, the deeper issue is the absence of consequences. When a government learns that every scandal blows over, it has no reason to behave differently. It’s frightening to consider what that lesson produces over eight years in power.
Yes, the news cycle bears some responsibility here, and so do we. Stories like these dominate headlines for a week before disappearing, and part of the blame for forgetting falls on the public. The Greenbelt was supposed to be unforgettable, yet most Ontarians would struggle to recall the details today.
Ford knows this better than anyone, and his government has made a habit of taking full advantage of a political culture that doesn’t care enough to hold it to account.
This is why the hotel expenses matter beyond the dollar figure. There’s a systemic component at work here, both in what it reflects about a failing government and in the political culture that allows it to occur. A government that faces no sustained scrutiny becomes a government that stops fearing any repercussions at all, and a province that forgets each scandal by the next one has effectively agreed to tolerate them.
Stronger spending controls would help, as would stricter approval processes and independent review of MPP expenses. But mechanisms only matter if the public demands they be enforced and holds government to account when they aren’t.
Ontarians shouldn’t accept a government that treats their money carelessly and their memory as an asset. This behaviour has become a hallmark of the Ford government, and its familiarity should make it more alarming, not less.
Demand better from the people elected to serve this province. Remember this scandal when the next one arrives. Ultimately, accountability, not apology, should be at the heart of how Ontario responds, and that response starts with refusing to move on.
– Journal Editorial Board
Tags
Conservative government, corruption, Doug Ford, Ontario government
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