Doug Ford brushes off Dean French questions, says reporters want to 'get into the weeds'

Premier Doug Ford brushed off questions Monday about a controversy around government appointees with personal ties to his former chief of staff, suggesting the public doesn't care about it.

Dean French abruptly left his job as Ford's top adviser more than two weeks ago when it first emerged that people given lucrativeforeign postings were connected to him.

His first comments came Monday during a joint news conferencewith other premiers in Calgary, but he quickly pivoted to other topics.

'We're not here to talk about Dean French'

"I know the media, you want to get into the weeds," he said. "Do you really think when I walk down the street in Alberta, people worry about Dean French? ... You know what they worry about? They worry about a job."

Ford said he had already addressed the issue.

Ford revoked the agents-general appointments in London and NewYork City of Taylor Shields and Tyler Albrecht shortly after Shields was reported to be related to French and it emerged that Albrecht played lacrosse with French's son.

Four days later, Katherine Pal resigned from the PublicAccountants Council after the NDP noted that she is a niece of French's wife.

At that point, Ford's staff say he ordered a review of pendingappointments, though they won't say who is conducting the review, how many appointments are pending, what criteria is being used, and if any revoked appointments will be announced.

'A lack of respect'

The opposition parties want such a review to be conducted externally, and not by the same office that originally signed off on the appointments in question.

New Democrat Taras Natyshak said Ford has been hiding instead of taking responsibility for a patronage scandal.

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser criticized the premier for hisresponses Monday.

"The premier's refusal to answer questions regarding Dean French today demonstrates a lack of respect for the people of Ontario, the very people whose interests he was elected to represent," Frasersaid in a statement.

Ontario's strategic transformation adviser was fired last week asa report emerged that he had known French for a long time, includingbuying life insurance from him. The civil service said the office he led was being eliminated after reviewing its structure.