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Or sign-in if you have an account.Former Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie in Mississauga in February 2025. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /PostmediaThe story, as it understood at this point, is this: Shortly after winning the Ontario Liberal leadership in early December 2023, Bonnie Crombie took a brief vacation to a resort in Jamaica with her partner.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe Ontario Progressive Conservative party also sent someone to the same resort to “spy on” her.A report this week in The Trillium, which had first reported that the PCs used party funds at two Jamaican resorts in the same 2023 time period, quoted unnamed sources in a follow-up as saying someone was there to scrutinize Crombie as part of opposition-research work.Asked about the story at an unrelated news conference in Guelph on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said the first he heard about any of it was on Wednesday.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“Talk to the party,” the PC leader said. Ford said he didn’t approve of such a thing, but also did not apologize for what opposition MPPs have called “creepy” and “deeply disturbing” behaviour for a party staffer.The premier also stressed that the money spent — about $3,000 at two resorts — was from party funds, although much of that budget comes from the public in the form of a per-vote subsidy.While Ford said he didn’t agree with such tactics, he also shrugged them off, saying “it’s politics” and “stuff happens” in response to questions about whether he was responsible for the actions of his party.All of it fits what has become a familiar pattern at Queen’s Park. The governing Tories, fresh off a third straight election win, are caught in a scandal of their own making. Ford tries to change the channel quickly, but at the same time avoids speaking in detail on the matter. The opposition parties, having scarcely believed their good fortune that such a scandal has fallen into their laps, gets to stretch out the story for days by demanding answers to questions that the government — or, in this case, the PC party — is not particularly inclined to answer.It happened with the government’s brief ownership of a $28.9-million private jet to support Ford’s travels. It happened with revelations that more than a dozen PC MPPs billed taxpayers for overnight stays at Toronto hotels despite representing ridings that were within normal commuting distance to Queen’s Park. And it is happening again with the Crombie spy caper.The third-place Liberals quickly called a press conference at the provincial legislature on Thursday to defend the privacy of their former leader and to demand answers on the Jamaican operation.Calling it “an absolute violation of someone’s privacy” and the “lowest of the low,” MPP Stephanie Smyth said Ford and the PCs should acknowledge who approved the trip to the Caribbean and admit whether any type of report was produced as a result of it. Was Crombie photographed on her vacation? Do those photos exist anywhere?(A spokesperson for Ford told The Trillium that the people involved do not currently work for the government or the PC party.)The PCs spent aggressively in the early days of Crombie’s leadership to try to brand her as a wealthy “limousine Liberal” while also tying her to the unpopular Trudeau government of the day. (She had formerly been a Liberal MP.)Smyth on Thursday also tried to tie the spy mission to an exchange between herself and the premier during question period in April, when Ford told the MPP for Toronto-St. Paul’s that she was only at the legislature because “CP24 didn’t want her anymore.” Smyth had a long career in broadcast journalism before entering politics.Smyth said on Thursday that the incident with Crombie being followed is another indication of Ford’s “willingness to make politics intensely personal.”“I personally experienced it,” Smyth said. (Ford did not publicly apologize to Smyth for his comments, but did so privately, and she accepted his apology.)Marit Stiles, the NDP leader and leader of the Opposition, said on social media on Thursday that “spying on a woman who is one of your political opponents on her private vacation is creepy Trump-style politics that has no place here.”Stiles also said that “somebody signed off on that expense, and (Ford) knows exactly who. Heads need to roll.”Ford was in Guelph on Thursday with three Cabinet ministers to announce a “Data Centre Playbook,” guidelines that the province will use to determine the eligibility of potential data-centre developments.Allegations of party subterfuge, though, went some way to derailing that message.Crombie, who resigned as Liberal leader after failing to win a seat in the 2025 Ontario election, is running in the Mississauga mayoral race. She has not commented publicly on the spy story. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.