‘Different this time’: Critics say Ford’s ‘get off your A-S-S’ remarks are an escalation

Premier Doug Ford has seldom been shy successful his presumption that radical receiving authorities enactment similar Ontario Works should beryllium looking for “gainful employment” but comments helium made connected Monday, and repeated Tuesday, correspond a displacement successful code for immoderate critics.

At an unrelated lawsuit successful Coburg, Ont., connected Monday, Ford held distant connected his views astir what radical surviving successful stateless encampments should do, and however they would beryllium capable to determination connected from precarious surviving situations.

“Get an exertion and driblet it disconnected (at) 1 of these companies and commencement working, you request to commencement moving if you’re steadfast — bottommost enactment — if you’re unhealthy, I’ll instrumentality attraction of you the remainder of my life, your life, we’ll instrumentality attraction of you,” the premier said.

“But if you’re healthy, get disconnected your A-S-S and commencement moving similar everyone other is.”

Ford repeated the taxable of his comments astatine different event, this clip successful Niagara Region, connected Tuesday morning, suggesting that radical should “find gainful employment” if they’re healthy.

“We walk implicit a cardinal dollars, we person a cardinal radical that are connected Ontario Works oregon ODSP,” helium said. “We request to get these folks backmost working.”

The taxable of the comments — that radical who person enactment from the authorities should find full-time enactment — is not fundamentally new.

In the summertime of 2023, for example, Ford said radical receiving Ontario Works were “sitting astatine home, collecting your hard-earned dollars,” telling recipients to “find gainful employment.”

The latest mentation of the message, however, has advocates disquieted the government’s stance is hardening and the code has shifted.

“I deliberation the comments are antithetic this time,” Ron Anicich, of the ODSP Action Coalition, told Global News.

“The past clip we heard thing remotely similar this coming from the provincial authorities was backmost successful the Mike Harris era… truthful we’ve got our backs up connected that. It’s thing we’re highly acrophobic about. We’ve heard this before, we cognize wherever this is heading.”

Anicich said Ford’s contention that radical receiving authorities enactment and surviving successful an encampment should get a occupation instantly is unreasonable and fundamentally unrealistic.

“If you marque $733 per period and you’re surviving successful a park, I neglect to spot however you could perchance find a occupation and person accordant employment nether those circumstances,” helium said.

“What we request to person is simply a societal assistance programme that allows radical to unrecorded indoors arsenic an important archetypal measurement towards getting a occupation — that’s what mode it works.”

The premier’s comments astir homelessness person besides been seized connected by the government’s governmental critics — who accidental they amusement a deficiency of empathy for a situation which they reason the authorities has allowed to fester.

“It’s a nonstop effect of authorities aft government, and successful peculiar this government, failing to make the genuinely affordable options that radical request retired there,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said.

“I deliberation this premier whitethorn spot this arsenic conscionable inexpensive authorities but erstwhile helium makes comments similar this, they often extremity up someway being reflected successful authorities argumentation and legislation. Bad legislation, atrocious argumentation that we extremity up having to fight, they lose, backtrack (and) thing bully gets done.”

For years, towns and cities successful Ontario person been asking the state to code increasing and disposable homelessness.

Research published by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario recovered that past twelvemonth determination were 1,400 encampments astir the province. The probe recovered that those encampments were recovered successful some tiny towns and large cities.

Municipal pleas for assistance crescendoed successful the buildup to the summer’s yearly AMO league successful Ottawa, wherever the authorities was asked to name a curate for the record to triage a coordinated response.

Ontario’s Big City Mayors — which represents 29 of the province’s largest municipalities — called for contiguous enactment and a coordinated effect to assistance them with the profoundly analyzable problem.

The Ford authorities suggested it was unfastened to listening and moving with section authorities but has not announced immoderate measures requested by mayors astir the province.

Ontario Liberal MPP Adil Shamji said that authorities policies were the origin of encampments crossed the province, and said the premier holds the keys to fixing the problem.

“For arsenic agelong arsenic Doug Ford underfunds for wellness care, underfunds for intelligence wellness and addiction services, does not bash thing to lick the lodging situation successful our midst,” helium said.

“I deliberation the blasted falls squarely connected Doug Ford’s assets.”