Ontario Premier Doug Ford got an unusual present when he arrived at the provincial legislature: a can of gravy, which some people think symbolizes the increasing costs of the premier’s office.
According to Global News, the Premier’s Office under Ford has grown in size and cost over the last five years. There are now 48 staff earning over $100,000 a year, up from 20 employees on the provincial Sunshine List in 2019.
The Premier’s Office currently has around 80 employee positions listed in the government directory. The salaries of the 48 staff on the Sunshine List alone grew to $6.9 million in 2023, up from $2.9 million in 2019.
Ford now presides over the most expensive Premier’s Office in provincial history. He has been accused of operating his own gravy train, a term his brother Rob Ford used as a campaign slogan in 2010.
Liberal MPP John Fraser, who made the gravy train accusation, tried to emphasize his point by giving Ford a can of mushroom gravy.
“I did that to remind him that he more than doubled the staff in his office to 48 people who are all on the Sunshine List, all of whom make more than the median family income in Ontario,” Fraser said.
“I think that’s obscene.”
Before Ford arrived in the legislature, Fraser waved the can of gravy around before putting it into a black bag with a note attached, and asked a Legislative Page to take it to the government benches.
Housing Minister Paul Calandra accepted the bag and asked another cabinet minister to put it in the premier’s desk.
“It was important to remind him of his own words,” Fraser said. “What’s happening in his office and the expansion of his office is the gravy train.”
Global News asked the Premier’s Office about the increased spending and whether any steps are being taken to reduce it. The Premier’s Office did not respond.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner thinks the premier should review his office expenses and cut costs.
“The premier’s office budget needs to be reduced and the premier can figure out the best way to do that,” Schreiner said.
