OTTAWA, ON – John Fraser, MPP for Ottawa South and Interim Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, has released the following statement:
“Today, during the inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act, testimony from the City of Ottawa showed that the Ford Government ignored appeals for assistance from the City.
“Premier Ford then went on to say that he had “zero tolerance” for what was happening to the residents of downtown Ottawa.
“His failure to act on the appeals from the City shows that, in fact, he was willing to tolerate the kind of lawlessness and disruption that was happening.
“The bottom line is that the Premier ignored what was happening in Ottawa for two weeks and that inaction led to an intolerable situation for the people of Ottawa and helped protests spread to our borders.
“It was a failure of leadership that residents and businesses in Ottawa and Windsor paid the price for. Premier Ford must explain his government’s decision to not act.”