Anger after Doug Ford tells homeless people to "get off your a** and start working"
Ontario Premier Doug Ford sparked anger on Monday with comments about the province’s unhoused population, suggesting that people experiencing homelessness can simply “get off [their] A-S-S and start working like everyone else is.”
Ford made the controversial comment while speaking at a press conference in Cobourg about the waitlist for access to affordable housing in the province.
In a confusingly worded sentence, the premier asked, “You know what the best way to get people to be able to get out of the encampments? Get out of homeless?”
Ford continued, “Get an application and drop it off [to] one of these companies, and start working. You need to start working if you’re healthy.”
The premier said that, while the province is more than willing to “take care of” unhoused people who are struggling with health issues, he bluntly stated, “If you’re healthy, get off your A-S-S and start working like everyone else is.”
Here’s the video of the Premier telling healthy people in encampments and who are homeless to ‘get off their A-S-S and start working’ #onpoli pic.twitter.com/mKNJmJf3JE
ā Siobhan Morris (@siomoCTV) September 23, 2024
Ford’s populist message has not been well-received by many, and several people took to social media in the wake of the premier’s comments to place blame on the provincial government.
Yeah, after he gets off his fat ass and fixes the damn problems that create homelessness in the first place!
Ford cut rent controls
Ford cut mental health spending
Ford scraped basic income plan
Ford cancelled grants to low income students
Cut income for low income familiesā¦ā KNugent4118 šØš¦šØš¦šØš¦ (@KNugent4118) September 23, 2024
While the premier was quick to suggest unhoused people should “start working,” others pointed out that Ford skipped more than half of City Council meetings back while serving as a Toronto city councillor in 2014.
He also rarely shows up in the Legislature.
ā Bob Chandler (@leftylabourtech) September 23, 2024
Others took issue with Ford’s claim that the province is willing to “take care” of people with health concerns.
Youāre a cruel liar, @fordnation š¤„
You donāt ātake careā of āunhealthyā peopleā¦
You donāt pay ODSP recipients with disabilities enough to keep a roof over their heads.
ā Elon (@elonaltar) September 24, 2024
While the message has sparked outrage, others stand with Ford, agreeing with his controversial take.
“I don’t know him, but I agree with every part of his statement,” wrote one commenter on X, adding, “I drove a taxi for 18-20 [hours] a day, seven days a week, for six months straight, just to get off the streets. Do whatever you have to do, but strive every day to be better.”
It’s worth noting that while the premier suggests that entering the workforce is easy, Doug Ford himself started off working forĀ a family business where a position was all but guaranteed and has enjoyed the advantage of familial name recognition in his subsequent political career.
Aside from Ford’s personal advantages in life, the politician has personally stripped away critical social services that these very communities rely on.