Ontario NDP leader kicked out of question period after calling Ford government ‘corrupt’

TORONTO — The leader of Ontario’s official Opposition was kicked out of question period Wednesday morning after calling Premier Doug Ford’s government “corrupt,” a sentiment Marit Stiles later doubled down on outside the Queen’s Park chamber.

Stiles made the comment as the opposition continued to hammer Labour Minister David Piccini over the scandal-plagued Skills Development Fund.

The auditor general found Piccini’s office has been heavily involved in selecting projects under the $2.5-billion fund and handed out money to applicants ranked low by bureaucrats.

All three opposition parties have called for Piccini’s resignation, calling it a “pay-to-play” scheme.

Piccini has refused to step down and maintains he has done nothing wrong. He also has the backing of his boss, Ford.

After Stiles used the word “corrupt” in the chamber, Speaker Donna Skelly warned her that it was unparliamentary language and asked her to withdraw it. Stiles refused.

Outside the chamber later on, she reiterated: “I believe the government’s corrupt.”

She told reporters she was “fed up” after weeks of pressing Piccini during question period.

“Every day I’ve been asking this minister to come clean. I’ve asked the premier to answer our questions and the minister of labour just keeps shifting the blame,” Stiles said.

“One day he’s saying that he’s responsible for choosing these companies and the next day he is blaming a civil servant.”

Piccini said in question period the ministry is “safeguarding the integrity” of the fund.

“Being responsible for applicant approvals, which I am, is not in contradiction with having important stop gaps in place,” Piccini said. “It highlights the robust internal risk assessment processes we have for this program.”

One recipient of the skills fund, Keel Digital Solutions, has come under fire for receiving money despite a lower score, with critics pointing out one of its lobbyists is a close friend of Piccini’s.

The province said it has asked the Ontario Provincial Police to look at the results of a forensic audit that identified “irregularities.” The OPP said they are assessing the audit before deciding if it is worth an investigation.

The company said in a statement that the audit refers to an unrelated contract it has had since 2020 with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to deliver student mental-health services, and it believes the government is conflating the two “for the sole purpose of distracting from a self-inflicted mess.”

Keel said it received skills development funding to provide digital mental health support for police officers.

The company said Wednesday it only received a low mark in the bureaucratic ranking system because it did not get a bump for being a manufacturer. It said 25 per cent of the overall mark in the government’s rubric is awarded for manufacturing and on-site job creation, which “don’t apply to a digital mental‑health platform.”

“In other words, we still scored strongly despite being ineligible for those manufacturing‑weighted points,” Keel said in a statement.

“This is exactly the kind of project SDF should fund. The program trains peer supporters and gives every member of participating police and first‑responder services access to accredited mental‑health content and AI‑enabled learning, so teams miss less work, burn out less and return to duty faster.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2025.

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press