This week, Mayor Rob Ford was hit with a 2-week suspension from office for “unbecoming behaviour,” but it may be a woman who’s got more to worry about.
A poll released on Thursday shows only 23% of Ontarians support Ford’s suspension and a 59% to 45% plurality want him kicked out of office for the rest of his term, but the poll also shows where the majority of those surveyed agree with him: They see a woman should not pay more than men for their healthcare.
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Toronto Sun conducted the telephone poll on behalf of FairTaxpayer, an organization which opposes Ford’s decision to write a letter to a woman about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, commonly given to women during their periods. A “self-assessment” for the COVID-19 vaccine asks a woman a series of questions about the effects of getting the shot, including a question asking if it changed her menstrual cycle.
In response to the Toronto Sun’s own question asking for feedback, 57% of respondents believe that it is both appropriate and necessary to ask a woman if she has had her period for the past month. Of those respondents, 30% felt the same way about asking men. Seventy-three percent of respondents thought it’s inappropriate to ask a man about their menstrual cycle.
At Ford’s request, Councillor Ana Bailao brought in a motion on April 30 asking the city’s chief magistrate to suspend all meetings related to his apology for the mistake.
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The move earned Bailao “a demotion to city councillor from his usual role as a member of the executive committee,” reported the Globe and Mail.
As expected, Thursday’s poll demonstrates Ford’s decision earned him more support from Ford Nation than its total opposition. Forty-one percent of Ford supporters stated they approve of his apology. Twenty-three percent of those surveyed did not agree with Ford’s apology and 48% are still not sure what they think.
However, while respondents said they would choose Ford’s apology over the woman’s confession that she didn’t choose the COVID-19 vaccine or the question itself, 21% of those surveyed disagreed with the woman’s choice not to take the test. In addition, those people only represent 24% of the population.
If the conflict-of-interest scandal keeps mounting, Ford may need to rely on a female teammate. In April, Ford said he wants to reach out to Olivia Chow, the widow of former federal NDP leader Jack Layton.
Related: Mayor Rob Ford backs off of ‘state of emergency’ declaration
“If Olivia was interested, I’d do anything in the world for her,” he said.