Actor Kiefer Sutherland was not impressed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s evocation of his grandfather, famed Canadian politician Tommy Douglas, and took to Twitter on Monday to voice his displeasure.
“I personally find your comparison of your policies to his offensive,” he wrote, adding in a post-script, “You’re lucky my mom’s not active on Twitter.”
Douglas, who was premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party for a decade after that, is widely recognized as “The Father of Medicare” in Canada.
Sutherland’s lengthy tweet was in response to Ford’s tweet eight days earlier, which linked and quoted an op-ed piece written by his minister of children, community and social services, Lisa MacLeod: “It’s time to make government work for the people again - not the other way around. I think Tommy Douglas would approve.”
MacLeod’s piece compared Ontario’s budget policies to those of Douglas, and praised Douglas’ fiscal achievements as a source of inspiration.
But Sutherland objected to the comparison, noting that while his grandfather was fiscally responsible, “it was never at the expense of social and human services to those in need.”
Sutherland added, “I can only ask, as the grandson of this man, for you to stop posting his picture and using his name as part of your political agenda. After all, I knew Tommy Douglas and you Sir, are no Tommy Douglas.”
