‘Double standard’
Dear Editor:
An open letter to Premier Doug Ford and Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Joseph Racinsky.
I am writing to you today as a concerned Ontarian, seeking clarity and accountability regarding recent actions and messaging from Premier Doug Ford and his government.
This past weekend highlighted what I see as a troubling inconsistency. On one hand, the premier has publicly stated that he is “tired” of relying on our neighbours, emphasizing that Ontario can no longer rely on the United States and must instead become more self reliant and resilient.
On the other hand, earlier this year, the Minister of Education directed school boards to ensure that graduation ceremonies remain “strictly student-centred and apolitical.”
Yet despite this directive, the premier chose to deliver a commencement speech at a U.S. university that included clear political messaging. Ford spoke about Canada/U.S. relations and the risks posed by tariffs.
This raises a fundamental question. Why are students expected to have apolitical graduation ceremonies, while the premier uses similar platforms to deliver political messaging? The contradiction suggests a double standard: one set of expectations for students and institutions, and another for those in positions of power.
Further, I am deeply concerned about the broader message being sent to students in Ontario.
The premier accepted an honorary doctorate despite dropping out two months into his secondary education, and at the same time his government has ended tuition freezes, allowing institutions to increase fees, and implemented changes to OSAP that reduce grant availability while increasing reliance on loans. This makes post-secondary education less accessible with greater financial burdens on students and families. It is difficult to reconcile these policies with a government that claims to prioritize opportunity and fairness.
I guess I am asking if you support double standards regarding political messaging at graduation ceremonies? How do you justify increasing financial burdens on students while celebrating symbolic academic recognitions at the highest level of government while students struggle to get real ones?
Ontarians deserve consistency, transparency and leadership that reflects the same expectations placed on its citizens.
Kristen Reilly,
Fergus