Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his government from caucus for speaking out against COVID-19 lockdowns.
Ford says legislator Roman Baber will no longer sit as a Progressive Conservative and cannot run for the party in the 2022 election.
“I am the first to recognize that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on people. However, as Premier, my number one priority is the health and safety of all Ontarians. We must respect the advice and recommendations of public health officials and the Chief Medical Officer of Health,” said Ford in a statement.
“Mr. Baber’s comments are irresponsible. By spreading misinformation he is undermining the tireless efforts of our frontline health care workers at this critical time, and he is putting people at risk. I will not jeopardize a single Ontarian’s life by ignoring public health advice.”
The move comes after Baber issued a public letter today calling on Ford to end a provincial lockdown.
In the letter, Baber argues that lockdowns are causing a number of other serious problems including mental health and addictions issues, and hurting businesses.
Lockdowns are deadlier than Covid. I wrote a respectful letter to Premier Ford, asking to end the Lockdown. Look @ the data -the virus is real but the crisis is mostly in LTC. Let’s focus on LTC & hospital capacity, but ending the Lockdown is best for our health.#onpoli #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/IIuvB7OXQo
— Roman Baber (@Roman_Baber) January 15, 2021
Meanwhile, the ministry of health has now put out a fact sheet in response to Baber’s letter.
Earlier this week, Ford imposed a second state of emergency and imposed a stay-at-home order in an effort to fight rising rates of COVID-19.
