FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2025
QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario Liberal MPP Stephanie Smyth, Critic for Ethics, Integrity & Accountability, has asked the Integrity Commissioner to investigate whether Labour Minister David Piccini violated the Members’ Integrity Act or breached parliamentary convention in administering the Skills Development Fund (SDF).
The request follows an Auditor General report finding that the SDF selection process lacked fairness and transparency.
Recent reporting shows Minister Piccini personally intervened on a grant application represented by lobbyist Michael Rudderham, a close friend whose wedding he attended in Paris earlier this year. The low-ranked project received millions in public funding after the Minister’s intervention. Piccini has admitted his office selected lower-scoring projects that “aligned with government priorities” and later attended a hockey game with an executive from the same company, sitting in that executive’s family rinkside seats.
“It’s clear the Minister and Mr. Rudderham have a long-standing personal and professional relationship,” said MPP Smyth. “That much is not in dispute. What Ontarians deserve to know is whether the Minister used his office to benefit a friend or donor — and that is exactly what the Integrity Commissioner should be investigating.”
The Ontario Liberal request asks the Commissioner to determine whether the Minister’s actions advanced private or political interests, showed preferential treatment to certain applicants, or breached sections of the Members’ Integrity Act relating to conflicts of interest, improper influence, or the use of insider information.
“We hope the Integrity Commissioner takes on this request and makes it clear that Doug Ford can no longer endorse or condone this kind of unethical behaviour in his government,” Smyth said. “This is part of a long pattern of donation-driven decision-making that rewards friends and insiders over the people of Ontario.”
“Ontarians are working harder than ever just to stay afloat,” she continued. “Tax dollars should be treated with care and respect, but this government treats the public purse like a personal piggy bank — rewarding donors and padding its campaign war chest for future elections. Doug Ford promised to end the gravy train, but he’s become the gravy train.
“This government isn’t tracking the jobs it claims to create or whether projects meet their targets. They’re funding low-ranked applicants who fail to deliver while more deserving projects are ignored. It’s a racket — and we intend to expose it,” said Smyth.
Smyth believes a full and independent investigation would benefit all Ontarians. “It’s time to take off the folksy charm mask and show people what’s really been happening with their money.”
Media Contact:
Lorne Levy | (416) 931-8384 | [email protected]