Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed surprise on Wednesday upon learning about allegations that his Progressive Conservative Party had spent funds to reportedly monitor former Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie while she was in Jamaica in 2023. According to reports by The Trillium and POLICORNER, anonymous sources claimed that the party used nearly $3,000 from donors and taxpayers to conduct surveillance on Crombie at two luxury resorts in Jamaica for opposition research purposes shortly after she won the Liberal leadership in December 2023.
CBC News has not verified the reports by The Trillium and POLICORNER. However, the Ontario PC Party acknowledged conducting opposition research that involved a trip to Jamaica in December 2023. Premier Ford distanced himself from the alleged spying, stating his disapproval during a separate news conference and mentioning his discussion with party officials after the claims surfaced.
Ford clarified that the expenses were covered by party funds, which partly consist of taxpayer money through per-vote subsidies. He likened the Jamaica trip to media coverage of his U.S. travels, suggesting that such activities are common in politics. Crombie did not comment on the allegations but confirmed her vacation in Jamaica in December 2023, staying at one of the resorts mentioned in the PC party’s financial statement for 2023.
When asked about his awareness of the incident, Ford emphasized his reliance on his team for appropriate spending oversight, indicating that he does not monitor all expenditures closely, especially during campaigns. In response to inquiries about the continuation of such tactics, Ford expressed hope that they would not persist, advocating for fair and balanced elections.
The PC Party’s 2023 financial statement obtained by CBC News from the NDP revealed expenses at the Ocean Eden Bay and Royalton Negril Hotel in Jamaica. While details on the purpose and duration of these expenses were lacking, opposition leaders, including NDP’s Marit Stiles and interim Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser, criticized the alleged surveillance as unacceptable and an abuse of power. They called for accountability within the party and raised concerns about the misuse of public and donor funds for targeting political adversaries.