Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed surprise on Wednesday upon learning about allegations that his Progressive Conservative Party had spent funds to conduct surveillance on former Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie in Jamaica in 2023. Reports from The Trillium and POLICORNER revealed that the party purportedly utilized nearly $3,000 from donors and taxpayers to monitor Crombie at two luxury resorts in Jamaica, citing information from anonymous sources familiar with the operation.
The alleged surveillance allegedly occurred six days after Crombie’s election as Liberal leader in December 2023, while she was vacationing in Jamaica, as reported by The Trillium and POLICORNER. CBC News has not independently verified these claims. However, the Ontario PC Party issued a statement acknowledging that such activities are part of their opposition research, including the trip to Jamaica in December 2023.
During an unrelated press briefing, Ford distanced himself from the reported surveillance, stating that he disapproved of the alleged spying and had addressed the issue with the party following the revelations. He clarified that the expenses were covered by party funds, which include taxpayer contributions through per-vote subsidies.
Ford emphasized that incidents like these are not uncommon in politics, comparing it to media coverage of his trips to the U.S. When questioned about his awareness of the situation, Ford stated that he relies on his team to oversee expenditure during campaigns and expressed hopes that similar tactics would not be repeated in the future.
While Crombie declined to comment on the allegations, she confirmed to CBC News that she had vacationed in Jamaica in December 2023 and stayed at one of the resorts mentioned in the PC party’s financial statement for 2023. The financial records obtained by CBC News disclosed expenses at the Ocean Eden Bay and Royalton Negril Hotel in Jamaica, but details on the nature of spending at the latter were not provided.
Opposition leaders, including NDP Leader Marit Stiles and interim Leader of the Ontario Liberals John Fraser, condemned the reported surveillance as unethical and demanded accountability from Ford regarding the incident. Stiles criticized the alleged actions as reminiscent of divisive politics, while Fraser characterized it as an abuse of power and public funds, raising concerns about the extent to which Ford would go to target political adversaries.