Ford asks ‘who’s running the country’ in attack on Trudeau, Guilbeault

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has taken a rare shot at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a lengthy radio interview, in which the premier also took aim at federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.

During an interview with AM 640’s John Oakley, Ford talked about Guilbeault and the federal government, labelling the environment minister “an extremist.”

“Sometimes I sit back and wonder, who’s running the country, Justin Trudeau or Guilbeault? And right now I don’t know who’s running the country,” Ford said.

The comments marked a rare attack on the prime minister, who has enjoyed an increasingly cordial relationship with Ontario’s premier in recent years.

The pair have made regular joint announcements, with Ford praising the Trudeau government for its investments in health care and the auto sector.

The two governments have clashed, however, on the issue of Highway 413, a new route the province wants to build between Milton and Vaughan.

In 2021, the federal government exercised its powers under the Impact Assessment Act to freeze the projects, stopping Ontario from beginning construction on the road. While a Supreme Court opinion has suggested the province may be able to overturn that decision, no final ruling has been made.

As frustration over the frozen route has bubbled over, the Ford government seized on recent comments by Guilbeault in which he suggested the federal government was opposed to building new roads.

When pressed by reporters after the comments, Guilbeault said he “should have been more specific,” clarifying the government doesn’t have the funds for “large projects.” He referred to the trosième lien, a highway tunnel connecting Quebec City to Lévis, as an example.

“Of course we’re funding roads,” he said.

“We have