Top Federal Official Urges Doug Ford To ‘Listen To His Health Experts’

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has fired back at Doug Ford after the Ontario premier called on the feds to further restrict international travel into Canada.

In an interview with Power & Politics earlier this week, Blair suggested a recent letter from Ford to Justin Trudeau was an attempt to "deflect and distract" from the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Ontario.

"I would encourage the premier to look at his data, listen to his health experts and [...] act on the facts," Blair said. "Frankly, we see an effort to deflect and distract from a very serious concern that everyone has in Ontario."

He added that the province has "serious problems" related to COVID-19, but suggested that recent cases are related to workplaces and social gatherings, not international travel.

Blair's comments come just days after the PM received a letter from Doug Ford urging him to explain why 88,000 air travellers had been exempt from hotel quarantine.

In response, Trudeau accused Ford of "playing politics," before claiming the feds attempted to work alongside the province to "tighten" travel measures.