Rod Phillips must resign for this blatant hypocrisy.
At this moment, Ontarians are being strictly locked down.
Ontarians have been told to stay home, avoid all non-essential travel, and basically hunker down.
And yet, Ontario’s PC finance minister Rod Philipps has decided to exempt himself from those restrictions.
Instead, he chose to travel outside of Canada for a vacation:
BREAKING: ON Finance Minister Rod Phillips travelled outside Canada this month, @NEWSTALK1010 confirms. His office says he went on previously planned trip after leg closed: “Had I been aware then of the eventual December 26th shutdown, we would have cancelled.”
BREAKING: ON Finance Minister Rod Phillips travelled outside Canada this month, @NEWSTALK1010 confirms. His office says he went on previously planned trip after leg closed:
"Had I been aware then of the eventual December 26th shutdown, we would have cancelled." #onpoli #cdnpoli
— Lucas Meyer (@meyer_lucas) December 29, 2020
According to Phillips, he left on December 13th for a vacation with his wife.
As of this time, it is believed he is still on vacation.
Notably, his office is refusing to say where he is.
Further, his Twitter account has been posting Tweets that make it appear he is still in Canada.
Here are some recent Tweets:
“It’s #ChristmasEve. To my constituents in #Ajax & people across Ontario, all the best during this special time of year. Even as COVID-19 changes how we celebrate, we should reflect on what makes Christmas so special to us – including family & the act of giving. #MerryChristmas!”
It's #ChristmasEve. To my constituents in #Ajax & people across Ontario, all the best during this special time of year. Even as COVID-19 changes how we celebrate, we should reflect on what makes Christmas so special to us – including family & the act of giving. #MerryChristmas! pic.twitter.com/AX7hKWA88n
— Rod Phillips (@RodPhillips01) December 24, 2020
“As we all make sacrifices this #Christmas, remember that some of our fellow citizens won’t even be home for Christmas dinner over Zoom.
Thousands of front line heroes will be at work, looking out for us.
Who is the special hero in your life you want to thank?”
https://twitter.com/RodPhillips01/status/1342134976796622849
Philipps may not be violating the letter of the law, but he is certainly violating the ‘spirit’ of everything the Ontario government has been demanding of everyone else.
For example, Doug Ford recently said this:
Rather than lead by example or make any personal sacrifice, Phillips has decided to use his large, secure, taxpayer-funded salary to travel internationally and go on vacation while most Ontarians are locked down at home.
In a sane world, this would be more than enough to compel Phillips resignation.
But as we have repeatedly seen, our leaders no longer feel any need to serve or sacrifice, instead they simply issue orders and threats at us while exempting themselves from pain.
If this was Justin Trudeau, Conservatives would be pushing for his resignation, and would be justified in doing so. And it should be the same for Phillips:
“If Justin Trudeau went on vacation outside Canada during this time, conservatives would rightfully be demanding his resignation. The same should be done for Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips. They should be demanding that he resign.”
https://twitter.com/SpencerFernando/status/1344061783229620226
PS: If you are in Ontario – especially if you are a PC Party supporter or member – I encourage you to contact your MPP or party official and make your feelings about Phillips’ actions known.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – Twitter
