Justin Trudeau, Doug Ford Put Campaign Behind Them With 1st Meeting

Their little disagreement that’s before the Supreme Court of Canada didn’t come up. 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ’s carbon tax , which his government is fighting in court, wasn’t mentioned at their “phenomenal” meeting in Ottawa Friday. 

“There’s things we’re gonna disagree on and things we’re gonna agree on,” Ford told reporters after the meeting, which was their first since the federal election. “But I think we really had a great meeting and really moved the ball down the field per se.”

‘It’s politics’

Trudeau’s near-daily attacks on Ford during the recent campaign is water under the bridge, the premier said. 

“You know something? The prime minister’s family’s been in politics for years, our family’s been in politics for years, it’s politics. Now, we have to do things that people want. People expect us to work together.”

He said the two levels of government would focus on their shared priorities: public transit, infrastructure, health care and the economy. He wouldn’t say whether he would support a national pharmacare plan, which Trudeau’s Liberals have promised to implement.

“We’ll sit down and talk to the rest of the premiers about that.”

Trudeau also struck a conciliatory tone when he spoke at a photo op before the meeting. 

“What a pleasure to welcome Premier Ford to Ottawa,” the prime minister said.

“We’re obviously not going to agree on everything. But the things that we do agree on, I look forward to working respectfully and collaboratively, cooperatively in ways that are going to benefit the people of Ontario and indeed people right across the country.” 

The two laughed about Ford’s attempt to speak French at Queen’s Park Thursday. 

“Bonjour, comment ça va?” he’d said when a reporter invited him to tell her, en français, whether he’d learned French like he promised to in 2018 . 

“Do you know any good French teachers?” Ford asked Trudeau.

“I know a few,” Trudeau answered. “I was one. But I’m sorta busy.”

Ford was also asked whether Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer should keep his job. 

“I can’t answer that. That’s gonna be up to the party,” Ford said. “I think the world of Andrew. I think he did an incredible job during the election.”

Members of the federal Conservative party will vote on Scheer’s leadership in the spring.