'Disgraceful': Ontario's opposition demands Doug Ford apologize for animal hospital joke about overflow patients
CTV
Premier Doug Ford’s joke about sending patients waiting for an MRI or a CT scan to a newly opened animal hospital is garnering criticism from opposition MPPs at Queen’s Park.
Premier Doug Ford’s joke about sending patients waiting for an MRI or a CT scan to a newly opened animal hospital is garnering criticism from opposition MPPs at Queen’s Park.
Ford made the comment Tuesday, at the grand opening of the King Animal Hospital in King City, Ont., a private veterinary facility.
"By the looks of it, we know where we can send the overflow patients now for MRIs and CT scans and everything else, so keep an extra room for some other patients," Ford said.
The flippant joke did not land with Ford's opposition, however.
"The fact that Doug Ford was able to make that joke yesterday revealed a lot. It showed the dire state of Ontario's healthcare system is a laughing matter to him," Dr. Adil Shamji, MPP for Don Valley East and Ontario Liberal Critic for Health, said in a news release.
"Nearly 10,000 Ontarians died while waiting for MRIs and CT scans last year alone, and the Premier of Ontario just joked that the hundreds of thousands of patients still waiting should line up like animals at a veterinary clinic."
Ford's office did not respond to CP24's inquiry about the premier's quip earlier this week. Instead, his camp underlined the investments it has made in Ontario's healthcare system since 2018.
