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The elites of this party, the ones who have shut out the grassroots, do not want me in this race. But I’m here to give a voice… to give a voice to the hardworking taxpayers of this province, people who have been ignored for far too long.”
Ford made this anti-elite announcement, ironically, in the basement of his mother’s sprawling house in Etobicoke, source of the Ford political dynasty which includes his late father (Doug Ford Senior, an MPP from 1995-1999), late brother (Rob Ford, city councilor and then Toronto mayor from 2010-2014), and nephew (Michael Ford, former trustee and currently a councilor in Rob Ford’s former ward of Etobicoke North). Doug himself served and ran unsuccessfully for Mayor in 2014 against John Tory.
In terms of political dynasties, read, elites, the Fords really don’t have much competition in the GTA, or even in Ontario. But that’s not how Ford will depict it. Despite their wealth and influence, the Fords have a family tradition of communing with the common man, and connecting with voters far less fortunate than they.
So who are the elites Ford is referring to? It’s a long list: members of caucus (who didn’t want a leadership vote so close to the election), the party executive (split as to whether they want to hold one anyway, over the opposition of elected members), and the backroom operators and bagmen some accuse of facilitating Brown’s ouster, to install more saleable replacement ahead of the election, for the good of the party, perhaps, but also, for the good of all those who have an interest in seeing the Tories defeat the Liberals this June.
That replacement could take many forms, all of whom also would also be “elite” in Ford’s book: MPP Vic Fedeli, the newly-installed interim leader, who has announced his intention to run for the job; Rod Phillips, former head of Postmedia newspaper chain and candidate in the new riding of Ajax; and Toronto Mayor John Tory, until he demurred this weekend via social media. But one name stands out above others – and in terms of elites, it’s the one most likely in Ford’s sights.
That name is Caroline Mulroney, candidate for the PCs in York-Simcoe. Mulroney is the daughter of a former Prime Minister, a Harvard-educated lawyer, accomplished and well-connected. She delivered a smooth and engaging performance at the last federal Conservative leadership convention, where she served as co-emcee. She is polished, urban and urbane – everything Ford is not – and while little is known about her personal political leanings, she would put a strong female face to the party’s platform, now that Brown’s image can no longer grace its cover. [...]
