Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday defended Toronto’s bid to host a multinational defence bank, saying he did not believe in attacking rival campaigns by other Canadian cities.
Ford made the comments after being asked during a news conference to respond to allegations that Toronto officials have been lobbying for their city by raising the threat of a potential Quebec sovereignty referendum. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver are all competing to host the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, which would finance defence projects for NATO members and allies.
The Ontario premier first tried to deflect the question. "Well, I say Go Habs!" Ford said in Toronto, referring to the NHL playoff run of the Montreal Canadiens, the only Canadian team in the second round. "You know, Montreal is great."