Ontario Premier Ford Says Poilievre Didn’t Come Out to Help His Campaign as Conservative Spat Continues

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says federal Conservatives need to ‘do some soul searching.’

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to the media at the Queen's Park Legislature in Toronto, on March 10, 2025. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford is defending his decision not to appear beside Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during the federal election, saying the federal Tories declined to help during the provincial election.

“The last time I checked, Pierre Poilievre never came out in our election,” Ford said during a press conference in Mississauga. “Matter of fact, him or one of his lieutenants told every one of his members, ‘Don’t you dare move to help the [Progressive Conservatives].’ Isn’t that ironic?”

Ford said he did not want to “dig deep into this,” and that Canadians had chosen the Liberal Party to lead Canada. “I'll hold them accountable like I would, no matter if it’s a Conservative government or a Liberal government,” Ford said.

When asked by a reporter why there is a divide between the federal and provincial Conservatives, Ford said he likes “a lot of the MPs” and that “all they have to do is make a phone call.”

Shortly after Ford’s comments, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani posted on X a photoshopped image of Ford ripping off an “Ontario PC” shirt to reveal a “Liberal” one underneath.

Ford’s comments are the latest in a rift that has opened between the Ontario Progressive Conservatives and the federal Conservatives and which reached a new intensity on election night, April 28. Conservative MP Jamil Jivani accused the PCs of interfering with the Conservatives’ federal campaign and said Ford had been “distracting our campaign, trying to make it about him.”

“I think he’s not doing a great job at running this province, and now he’s trying to exercise his influence over other levels of government,“ said Jivani. ”And it’s not like this guy is doing anything particularly well.”

The Tory MP previously worked for the Ontario premier in the role of community opportunities advocate and as a special adviser from 2019 to 2022.

Jivani also accused Ford of being a “hype man to the Liberal party” by meeting with Liberal MP and former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on March 12 and Prime Minister Mark Carney on March 18.

During the election, Ford’s campaign manager Kory Teneycke said the Conservative Party had committed “campaign malpractice” by falling steeply in popularity. When questioned about the statements on April 14, Ford said the federal Tories would not have experienced such a downturn if Teneycke had been Poilievre’s campaign manager, adding that “sometimes the truth hurts.”

When asked about Jivani’s comments the day after the election, Ford said he was “focusing on unity right across this country,” and that “each other [sic] are not the enemies.”

“There’s one person that’s causing a real problem—not just here, around the world—and that’s President Trump,” Ford said in reference to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who leads the province’s Progressive Conservatives, was also asked about Poilievre. He said he “didn’t have a relationship with him,” and that there was a situation during the provincial campaign that “probably had ramifications on both sides.” According to The Globe and Mail, a Poilievre campaign adviser reprimanded Houston’s team in 2024 after Houston said he would invite Poilievre to campaign with him.

Houston was also asked if he thought the federal Conservatives should shift direction. “I think there are many shades of blue, and it can be a big tent, and it can be an effective big tent,” Houston said. “After four consecutive losses to the Liberal Party, I think it’s time for them to do some soul searching. I hope they do.”