Kiefer Sutherland to Doug Ford: Don't Use My Grandfather's Name

You're no Tommy Douglas, he tells him
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 11, 2019 2:48 AM CDT
Kiefer Sutherland to Doug Ford: Don't Use My Grandfather's Name
Ontario Premier Doug Ford attends Question Period at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto, on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018.   (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Tommy Douglas, the Saskatchewan premier who introduced North America's first universal healthcare program, is regularly cited on lists of the greatest Canadians—and his famous grandson wants another premier to stop using his name. Kiefer Sutherland fired back at Ontario premier Doug Ford on Monday after the leader tweeted a link to an editorial that claimed Douglas would have supported his cost-cutting policies, the CBC reports. "You are correct, my grandfather ... was fiscally responsible," Sutherland tweeted. "In addition to balancing the budget of Saskatchewan, he also provided the province with paved roads, healthcare, and electricity. He did it all within four years. Contrary to your argument, it was never at the expense of social and human services to those in need."

Douglas led Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961. His daughter, actress Shirley Douglas, married actor Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland's father. Sutherland told Ford he found the comparison of the policies "offensive," saying: "So I can only ask, as the grandson of this man, for you to stop posting his picture and using his name as part of your political agenda. After all, I knew Tommy Douglas, and you Sir, are no Tommy Douglas." He added: "You're lucky my mom's not active on Twitter." Ford's office declined to address the tweet, but said the province had been in "precarious fiscal condition" before his Conservative government was elected last year, Global reports. Lisa MacLeod, the Conservative member of the Ontario parliament who penned the editorial, tweeted that she "used to like" Sutherland's Designated Survivor show. (More Kiefer Sutherland stories.)

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