Transcript: Doug Ford on Rob Ford allegations, a funeral and Pravda
Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother, had a contentious exchange with city hall journalists on Friday.
Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor’s brother, had a contentious exchange with city hall journalists on Friday. A transcript:
Q: We’re waiting to hear from the mayor’s office — are you and your brother — is
Mayor Ford attending the police funeral on Monday?
Ford: One hundred per cent. Our support for all our police never wavers. We love our police, and we support ‘em 100 per cent. And that’s what I have always said from Day 1, I believe they should be the highest-paid folks in the country doing police work, because they have the most dangerous job in the country, and we support our front-line police officers.
Q: Why doesn’t the mayor support the investigation by co-operating with the police as he’s been requested to do?
Ford: We differentiate between the police chief, that’s very political and has an agenda, in my opinion, to get rid of the mayor, versus the front-line police officers, and again, in my opinion, talking to the front-line police officers, the mayor has more support than the police chief.
Q: Isn’t Gary Giroux —
Q: But it’s the detective —
Q: Gary Giroux is the one who’s asking questions, a detective sergeant. He’s a front-line officer. Should the mayor not speak with him, then?
Ford: You know something, Detective Giroux, I understand, is a great police officer, and he reports directly into the chief. So we’ll leave it at that.
Q: Earlier today we spoke with the deputy mayor and we asked him if he understands that there could be concern about the mayor attending the police funeral because of the ongoing investigation. Do you recognize that concern?
Ford: No. How can you even put that in the same bucket? This is a police officer, serving in Etobicoke, that put his life on the line for the people of Toronto. And 100 per cent we will be going there in support of our front-line police officers.
Q: But you’re not concerned about causing a distraction?
Ford: Again. It shouldn’t be a distraction if the media doesn’t distract people. This is about the police officer that lost his life. It’s not about the mayor. It’s about the police officers that go out there day in and day out, look at their families before they leave their house, and you don’t know if they’re going to return. Not too many jobs, outside of the fire and a few other jobs, you look at your family in the eye and you don’t know if you’re coming back home that night.
Q: So why is the mayor allegedly hanging out in a crack house in Etobicoke?
Ford: Well, you know something, I know, OK, let me cut to the chase, Don (Peat, Toronto Sun reporter). Because your paper’s gone a little offside.
Q: The paper that endorsed you in 2010?
Ford: Everyone changes. Until the media —
Q: So did the mayor.
Ford: Can you let me finish, Don? Until the media, stops it’s Soviet Stalin-era
Pravda journalism, and for the folks that don’t know what
Pravda journalism, back in the day of Stalin, that tries to coerce, get the people to believe in what they’re doing.
Q: What are you talking about, Doug?
Q: What has the media gotten wrong about your brother?
Ford: Oh, come on. Let’s not even start. Ask the common —
Q: Why does your brother not want to share his side of the story? He’s not giving us his version of events.
Ford: As we can see, the media’s a little thin-skinned when you call a spade a spade here. It’s not just this administration saying it. Unfortunately, you don’t talk to the common folk like we do, from one end of the city to the other. You don’t go to the events that the mayor goes to like we have every night; when he walks in there, he’s a rock star. The mayor is feeling healthier than he ever has, he’s focused on his diet plan, he’s focused on working out —
Q: Why do we care about his diet plan?
Ford: — two hours a day. And you know something, he’s of healthy mind, and he’s moving forward, and in my humble opinion, we don’t underestimate our opponents in the next election, Rob Ford stays the course, drops 60-70 pounds, looking good, he’s going to win the next election.
Q: Are you saying it’s OK for the mayor to allegedly participate in illegal activities as long as he has voters’ support? Are you saying that’s OK?
Ford: No. Again, you guys want to beat this to death. I’ll tell you what I hear on the street. People are getting sick and tired of listening to the media. They don’t want to listen to this anymore. They want to move forward with the city. You’re beatin’ a dead horse here.
Q: Doug, it’s a live horse —
Q: We’re not beating a dead horse —
Q: The horse is totally alive, because the mayor —
Ford: The mayor has not been charged. He wasn’t on the wiretaps, what was it, 57 people they interviewed, 57 wiretaps. So again —
Q: But they were talking about him.
Ford: He has apologized, very clearly, he’s movin’ on, he’s done a great job for this city, and he’s the only elected official down here that watches every single penny, and he doesn’t have a political agenda. His agenda is the people’s agenda.
Q: Are you not concerned for his safety if he’s allegedly hanging out with these gang members and allegedly offering $5,000 and a car for the crack video?
Ford: Well, that’s allegedly. And it goes back to the media twisting the story. “Allegedly.”
Q: Those are court documents.
Ford: Allegedly, allegedly, we could say (CP24 reporter) Katie Simpson robbed the First National Bank. Give me a break, it’s allegedly.
Q: But that’s not in the police documents.
Q: This is in a police affidavit.
Q: It’s a police document.
Ford: I know, I know. Isn’t that amazing, how all this timing took place? In my opinion, folks, this is a clear, clear agenda, very well-organized agenda, from some of our competitors, and in my opinion —
Q: This is nonsense.
Ford: — they don’t want Rob Ford here. Let’s pre-date this, folks. You guys were after him from Day 1, when he said, you know, “I’m running for mayor.” Let’s make no mistake about it. Maybe you guys are living in a glass bubble, all you media. You gotta start talking to the real folks.
Q: The mayor has admitted to smoking crack.
Q: This is about allegations the mayor is hanging out with gang members, and the mayor is offering to buy —
Ford: Let me assure everyone. The mayor is not hanging out with gang members. I can assure that.
Q: How do you know that?
Q: Why won’t he come out and tell us that?
Ford: The mayor is not hanging out with gang members. He is focused, he is going to events, he’s doing everything he can to make sure this budget falls in line. Because they want to raise taxes and give themselves all a pay hike, it’s only been a couple weeks. That’s what we’re focused on. I’m focused on the budget, moving this city forward. I know you folks want to sit out here and just pound this for the next god knows nine months. But the people are going to decide. Not the media. Not the police chief. And not the self-serving politicians down here. It’s the people. And you guys lose track of the people. You think you can pull (one or wool) over the people’s eyes, but the people get your game. They understand the game.
Q: Has the mayor done heroin since he was elected?
Ford: They’re smarter — the people —
Q: Has the mayor done heroin since he was elected?
Ford: No. He hasn’t. The people —
Q: Has the mayor hung out with gang members since he was elected?
Ford: The people — the people — again, no.
Q: He has never hung out with gang members?
Ford: You guys get all excited, don’t you?
Q: We’re not excited, Doug. These are serious questions.
Ford: I know they’re serious. There’s very serious allegations. Folks, I wasn’t the one who decided to release some of the documents. And then time it a little longer, release a little more. What are they going to release next? What are they going to release next? I think Rob’s —
Q: Why won’t the mayor address the documents?
Q: The timing of a release of a document doesn’t change what’s in them.
Ford: I know it doesn’t. It just feeds you guys more. It calms down for a week, and they just release something, and it builds it up again.
Q: Are you alleging a conspiracy of the judicial system, the chief of police —
Ford: No, we support the judicial — you’re wrong.
(Crosstalk)
Ford: David (Nickle, president of the press gallery), David, we support the judicial system. Because you know something, the judicial system, they tried to take Rob down three times, and they’ve failed. And you guys have failed. Now they’re trying a fourth time to take him down, and they’re going to fail again. It’s very, very simple. And you know something? You think people are naïve out there? We talk to more folks than you do. People aren’t naïve. They know exactly what’s going on. The city’s never been run better, ever, than what Rob Ford has done. We’re going to continue running — I got an idea. Let the people decide. Let the people decide. And maybe you folks should send a little more time with the crooks up at Queen’s Park, that are stealing billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money. Instead, you want to go on personal attacks to the mayor. Go on personal attacks to the premier that’s absolutely shafting the taxpayers of billions of dollars, when the mayor has
saved over a billion dollars. Anyways.
Q: This is beyond a personal issue. The allegation is that he negotiated with an alleged gang member.
Ford: It’s the allegations.
Q: So he should address it.
Ford: Any allegations, Natalie (Alcoba, National Post reporter), do you —
Q: Why can’t he just say? If he’s disputing it, he should come out and say it.
Ford: This is unprecedented, Natalie.
Q: But he’s not — why is he not —
Ford: Do you guys let me answer? Ever? Do you ever let me answer? Holy jumpin’. So again, there’s all these allegations, allegedly. Is this not unprecedented? Unprecedented! That these documents have been released and he’s been judged, the jury’s already convicted him, and they want to execute him. At least you guys want to execute him. If there was a rope here, you’d bring him out to the middle of the square and hang him up. But the people don’t feel that way.
Q: We want to know what he has to say.
Ford: You know, folks, you know something, you’re gonna see that he doesn’t want to talk about anything in front of the courts, it’s very simple. Other people want to talk — unprecedented, again, that’s in front of the courts — but Rob Ford is not at liberty to speak about what’s in front of the courts. Anyways, everyone have a great weekend; I know you’re going to miss this place. And I’ll see you guys on the weekend staking out my mother’s place or my place.
