Premier Doug Ford’s use of a personal cell phone is being scrutinized after Ontario’s auditor general scolded the province for use of personal emails for official government communications. Global News' Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Colin D’Mello reports – Aug 15, 2023uses his personal cell phone for government business, but are refusing to divulge his phone logs, citing the need to maintain privacy of callers and the government’s inability to assess the nature of the phone calls.
“The practical reality is the premier performs many roles and is never fully off-duty,” the government’s submission reads. “Accordingly, the premier makes and receives calls in his different roles as necessary at all times of the day.” Releasing those call records, the government argues, would “ignore the fundamental privacy rights of both the premier in his personal capacity and those he may communicate with.”
Even if the records were in the government’s possession, lawyers argued, it would be ” impossible to determine” which phone calls are related to constituency or government matters and which calls were personal in nature. The response, from Government House Leader Paul Candara, indicated that even cabinet ministers were aware that the government business was being conducted on the premier’s cell phone.
Ford said his Chief of Staff Patrick Sackville helps manage the messages and requests he receives on his personal phone.Ex-RCMP official accused of leaking secrets acted with ‘authority,’ defence to argue“If your family needs help, you need help, your business needs help, send it over to me,” he continued. “Give me a few hours or the next morning, but I get back to every single person.”