Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed on Wednesday that he was not informed about the Progressive Conservative Party’s expenditure on surveilling former Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie during her trip to Jamaica in 2023. Reports from The Trillium and POLICORNER indicated that the party allegedly spent close to $3,000 from donor and taxpayer funds on surveillance activities at two luxury resorts in Jamaica to monitor Crombie shortly after she secured the Liberal leadership in December 2023. The sources cited in the story remained anonymous.
The surveillance operation reportedly occurred while Crombie was on a three-day vacation in Jamaica, following her election victory. CBC News has not verified the claims made by The Trillium and POLICORNER. However, the Ontario PC Party acknowledged conducting opposition research, which involved the Jamaica trip in December 2023, as part of their standard political practices.
Ford, during an unrelated press briefing, disapproved of the alleged spying and stated that he addressed the matter with the party after learning of the incident. He clarified that the expenses were covered by party funds, which are supported by taxpayer contributions through a per-vote subsidy system in Ontario. Ford likened the situation to media coverage of his U.S. trips, stating that such occurrences are common in politics.
When asked if his lack of awareness absolved him of responsibility, Ford emphasized his reliance on his team to oversee expenditure decisions, particularly during campaign periods. He expressed hope that similar tactics would not be repeated, advocating for fair and balanced elections.
Crombie refrained from commenting directly on the allegations but confirmed her vacation in Jamaica in December 2023, staying at one of the resorts listed in the PC party’s 2023 financial report. Details from the report obtained by CBC News from the NDP disclosed expenses at the Ocean Eden Bay and Royalton Negril Hotel in Jamaica, without specifying the purpose or claimants of these expenditures.
Opposition party leaders, including NDP Leader Marit Stiles and interim Ontario Liberal Leader John Fraser, condemned the alleged surveillance as unethical and an abuse of power. Stiles criticized the use of public funds for private surveillance, demanding accountability within the party, while Fraser questioned the extent to which Ford would go to target political rivals and raised concerns about potential past occurrences of similar actions.