Premier Doug Ford says his government will turn “Buy Ontario” procurement directives into law this fall, after facing criticism from Canadian businesses that the province’s existing guidelines lack enforcement and are being skirted by public institutions.
“Absolutely,” Ford said, when asked whether he would legislate the province’s Ontario-First procurement directives. “We got to start protecting each other. They're famous for doing it in the U.S. Let’s see if they use our building products in a school or a hospital in the U.S…. not happening. And it cannot happen here in Ontario.”
The comments came in response to a story about St. Clair College's recent decision to award a new contract to Blackboard, a U.S.-based software company, without launching a competitive bidding process.