Doug Ford acknowledges division in his family over COVID-19 rules
CBC
Ontario Premier Doug Ford acknowledged division in his family over COVID-19 restrictions at the same time as he announced his government's plan for ending the province's vaccine passport system.
The pandemic has "fractured us as a society" with differing views about vaccines, public health measures and personal freedoms, Ford said during his news conference Monday.
"All of it has polarized us in a way that we could have never imagined," Ford continued, reading from prepared remarks. "I've experienced this in my own family; it's been one of the hardest things my family and I have ever gone through."
This is the first time he has spoken publicly about disagreement within his family over COVID-19 restrictions. Ford did not go into detail, but one of his four daughters, Krista Ford Haynes, has in recent months become an increasingly vocal opponent of masking rules, vaccine mandates and pandemic restrictions imposed by governments.
She is also an outspoken supporter of the protesters who shut down the most important border crossing in Ontario for a week and who continue to occupy downtown Ottawa.
WATCH | Premier Doug Ford speaks of divisions over COVID-19 rules in his family
Ford announced Monday that Ontario's proof-of-vaccination system will end on March 1, but has not announced a date for lifting the provincewide masking rules for indoor spaces. His announcement came "not because of what's happening in Ottawa or Windsor, but despite it," Ford said during the news conference.
"This period has been one of the most divisive times in our history," Ford added.
It's unclear from the context if the period he was referring to is the entire pandemic or the past month of protests, but the extent of the divisions is a point of debate.
While there is fresh polling suggesting a majority of Canadians now want to see restrictions being lifted, there's been consistent polling data for months showing broad-based support for COVID-19 prevention measures such as workplace vaccination mandates, vaccine passports and mandatory masking.
As well, polling has shown little support for the protests that began in January ostensibly triggered by the vaccination requirement for cross-border truckers.
Ford also mentioned pandemic-driven rifts last Friday during his news conference to announce Ontario's state of emergency aimed at bringing an end to the protests, but did not mention his family
"The toughest thing I can tell the folks out there about this whole pandemic is the divide we see from co-workers, from friends and family," he said.
A source in the premier's office says the division with his daughter has been very painful for Ford but rejects any claim that the rift has been a factor in his response to the pandemic.
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