Premier Doug Ford/Ontario Parliament
The MPP for Kiiwetinoong is expressing disappointment with an apology from the Premier for remarks made at Queen’s Park last Thursday.
The Premier called it politicking that got too personal in suggesting Sol Mamakwa jumped the line to get a vaccine.
“We’re two political parties. A lot of stuff goes in the legislature. Sometimes it gets personal. I apologize that I got a little personal there. My job is to defend our party…to defend the minister when he’s not there.”
In a Facebook post, Mamakwa says the Premier could have used his remarks to commit to making the vaccine more available to Indigenous people.
“In my experience, people only apologize for racist behaviour when they get called out on it,” complains Mamakwa.
“Premier Ford is actually expressing old colonial sentiments about indigenous peoples.”
Mamakwa got the vaccine in February to promote the importance of being vaccinated, after he was asked by public health officials and Indigenous leaders, who had concerns about the reluctance at the time of residents living in the Far North signing up to get the shot.
