Bowmanville–Oshawa North MP Jamil Jivani used a conservative conference in Calgary to sharply criticize Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s leadership, arguing that Ford’s focus on power over principle risks fueling public cynicism and undermining federal Conservatives.Speaking on a panel at the Canada Strong and Free Conference in Calgary, moderated by Western Standard publisher Derek Fildebrandt, Jivani accused Ford of treating politics primarily as a means of staying in office rather than advancing ideas or values.“I don’t think Doug Ford or people in his administration believe they have an ideology,” Jivani told the audience at the Westin Airport Calgary Hotel.. “There are people who think the goal of politics is to have power and maintain power for as long as possible, at whatever cost. And there are people who want to do politics because they believe in certain values or ideas or changes that they would like to create.”.In an interview after the panel, Jivani drew a sharp contrast between Ford and federal Conservatives. He argued that Ford appeals to voters satisfied with the status quo, while his federal colleagues are trying to offer something “new and different.”“I believe that more Canadians are going to want something new and different, and fewer Canadians are going to want the status quo,” he said. “So I think the numbers are on our side, and I’m confident that over time we get stronger and he gets weaker.”.After being asked about Ford speaking out against crime only after someone he knew was tragically killed in a home invasion, Jivani criticized him for only responding to pressing issues facing Canadians after they directly affected him,“You might remember that until someone tried to steal a car from his driveway, he wasn’t very vocal about the increase in auto thefts in the Toronto area,” Jivani said. “I don’t think politicians should wait for a problem to affect their personal lives before they take a position.”Jivani warned that this approach leaves voters disillusioned, suggesting it makes citizens feel “politics isn’t even worth getting involved in in the first place.” He recalled that during the last federal campaign, Ford’s public comments criticizing federal Conservatives in Ontario discouraged volunteers working on the ground.“For weeks and weeks, I had been seeing volunteers putting their effort into trying to help win this federal election, kids who never voted before, single moms making time after her shift to come knock on doors,” Jivani said. “When they would open up their phones and see stories of the so-called conservative Premier of Ontario trashing what we were doing, they felt discouraged. They deserved someone to speak up for them.”.Jivani described himself as an optimist about conservatism’s future, saying Canadians will be open to conservative ideas if they are presented as practical solutions to everyday problems.“If we convince people that we can make their lives better, they will be open to thinking about conservative ideas as a solution to their problems,” he said.The Calgary gathering brought together conservatives from across Canada to debate strategy and direction. Jivani’s remarks highlighted both internal divisions and the broader question of whether conservative leadership should be rooted in pragmatism or principle.
