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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the second-hand private jet purchased for his use to travel provincewide and beyond will be sold, after facing backlash from numerous critics.
On Friday, Ford’s office confirmed it was buying a pre-owned Bombardier Challenger 650 for $28.9 million to aid “certain, flexible, secure and confidential travel” across Canada and the U.S.
On Sunday, however, the premier’s office said the plan has changed.
“Despite the best of intentions, I have heard and agree that now is not the right time for the expense of a government plane,” a statement from the premier’s office said.
He went on to say the province is working with Bombardier and other partners to sell the plane “as quickly as possible.”
Criticism was swift following Friday’s news about the $28.5 million, 12-seater aircraft purchase, with some labelling it Ford’s “gravy plane.”
“At a time when people can’t afford to buy groceries or gas, Doug Ford is buying himself a private jet,” said interim Liberal Leader John Fraser. “It doesn’t get much more out of touch than that.
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“I guess the gravy train just wasn’t enough, now he’s got to get a gravy plane.”
In response to Ford’s reversal, Fraser said in a statement on Sunday that the premier “didn’t see the light. He felt the heat.”
“Trying to buy a private jet while families are struggling to afford groceries and gas tells you everything you need to know,” Fraser said.
“Doug Ford says now isn’t the right time? There’s never a right time to spend $28.9 million on a private jet.”
The premier’s office stressed on Friday the plane “isn’t a private jet, it’s a plane for government business only,” but did not reply to a question asking if anyone other than Ford would get to use it.
The Ontario NDP also questioned the purchase.
“Ford needs to answer to the people of Ontario: Why is he using their hard-earned money to buy himself a plane,” a statement read. “Maybe it’s time to start flying economy like the rest of us.”
The premier’s original planned purchase of the plane was a shift from his previous stance on using taxpayer-funded travel resources.
Ford in 2019 faced backlash on plans to build a custom OPP van for official travel, but he pushed back on his use of a government plane, claiming he was the only premier in history that refuses to use “the premier’s plane.”
In the statement from Ford’s office on Sunday, the premier said he would continue to build relationships with business and political leaders in Canada and the U.S. to “fight tariffs, attract investments and create jobs for Ontario workers.”
—with files from Global News’ Colin D’Mello and Isaac Callan
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