Doug Ford’s $29-million taxpayer funded gravy plane
Doug Ford built his brand on taxpayer populism. Now he’s billing Ontarians for a $28.9-million private jet — and the symbolism is every bit as bad as the price tag.
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Article by Rebel News staff
Doug Ford did not rise to power as a champagne-sipping man of luxury. He rose to power off the back of a family brand built on resentment of the political class — the insiders, the freeloaders, the entitled crowd riding what Rob Ford memorably called the gravy train.
Doug Ford was elected by riding on the reputation of his late brother, Rob Ford.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) April 17, 2026
Rob Ford would be disgusted by this private jet.pic.twitter.com/snuifxOcMO https://t.co/Abz10hSjtq
That was the whole point. The Fords were supposed to be the ones who hated the perks, hated the waste, hated the fancy nonsense that politicians always seem to justify for themselves and deny to everyone else.
And that is why this latest move lands with such force.
Ontario has now confirmed the purchase of a pre-owned 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650 for $28.9 million, a jet the government says is needed to provide the premier with more certain, flexible, secure and confidential travel.
And let’s be honest about what makes this so politically toxic: it is not merely the cost. It is the class signal.
No serious person denies that aircraft can be useful tools for executives or government leaders. A small working plane for getting around a massive province on a tight schedule is one thing. A luxury intercontinental jet is something else entirely.
The Ford government says this purchase is about travel. But a Challenger 650 does not look like fiscal restraint. It looks like a politician who has been in power too long, surrounded by too many people telling him he deserves the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
That is a far cry from the Doug Ford who once boasted, in 2019, that he refused to use the premier’s plane. As reported by CHCH News and highlighted again by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Ford used to present himself as the rare politician who did not need that kind of pampered treatment.
What changed?
Not the average Ontarian’s finances. Those have only gotten worse. Housing is brutal. Debt is crushing. The cost of living has done real social damage, especially to younger people trying to start families and build anything resembling a middle-class life.
And Ontario is hardly swimming in prosperity. The province’s industrial base has been weakening for years. The auto sector is under pressure. Manufacturing has been hollowed out over decades. Yet somehow, amid all that economic anxiety, the province has found room in the budget for a premier’s luxury aircraft.
That is why the issue cuts deeper than an aviation procurement story. This is about transformation. Doug Ford was elected as a blunt instrument against elite entitlement. But after years in office, he increasingly looks like another politician who has learned to love the comforts of power.
There is also the simple common-sense test. If the purpose were purely practical — quick regional travel, security, efficiency — a smaller working aircraft would be easier to defend. Ontarians can understand the case for a tool. What they are being asked to accept here is a status symbol.
And once governments buy status symbols, taxpayers are expected to suspend all instincts and trust that the thing will never be abused, never become normalized, never be folded into the culture of insiders, handlers, entourages and political vanity. That requires more faith than this government has earned.
GUEST: Noah Jarvis to talk about the purchase, the hypocrisy behind it and why the symbolism matters just as much as the sticker price.
This is not just a story about a plane. It is a story about what happens when a politician who once campaigned against the gravy train decides he belongs in first class.
COMMENTS
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Fran G commented 2026-04-19 12:56:48 -0400Yes we are all more than tired of these fake Conservatives, Doug Ford being the worst. If he had been a MP he definately would have been the 1st to cross the floor to libs. (aside from increasing evil liberals numbers , most people would have been glad to be rid of him) -
Arta Withers commented 2026-04-18 14:09:21 -0400I’m old enough to remember when Jean Chrétien wanted a new PM jet because the one he used was old and not fancy enough. Every time he mentioned it there was public outcry. Bombardier built a luxury jet for someone that cancelled it without warning when it was completed. Bombardier phoned the PM and said have we got a deal for you! Chrétien not only bought the plane without consulting anyone it was delivered in two weeks. You would think he’d get a discount on the jet that Bombardier had been stuck with but he paid above the original cost. This was the period when our soldiers were sent to the Iraq with green fatigues instead of desert fatigues. It took months to get them because Chrétien said we have to get bids etc while our soldiers were borrowing fatigues from American soldiers. Regards, Albertadon
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David J Paddison commented 2026-04-18 11:13:51 -0400Food banks are “running dry” and he believes needs a $29M Bombardier 650…George Carlin was right when he said a few years back…“They (rich politicians) don’t give a %#*! about you/any of us..what they want is less for all of us and more for themselves”. I’m starting to really believe/think it doesn’t matter much who’s in charge any more at any level of government. We have so much debt/high interest payments Federally/provincially we’re all screwed and THEY DID IT. Too bad there doesn’t seem to be anymore Hazel McCallion’s or Rob Ford’s coming up through the political ranks anymore…all in it for themselves financially…
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Barry Desautels commented 2026-04-18 10:19:46 -0400Ego out of control. Doug Ford demonstrates the worst of politician behavior.
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Paul McCullough commented 2026-04-18 09:23:14 -0400Rob Ford had his personal demons, but he cared about the people and it showed. Doug Ford is a career politician who rode his brother’s corpse to power, and that shows too.
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Tony Salotti commented 2026-04-18 07:53:59 -0400Bad decision there Mr. Ford . You could have given that money to the hurtin’ Ontarians .
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Don Hrehirchek commented 2026-04-17 21:11:07 -0400Jets need a paved runway. They can not land on gravel runways. So that leaves only the “major” cities that he can visit. The rest he needs a prop job to get him and his crew back and forth.
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Matt Abrahams commented 2026-04-17 20:52:07 -0400The only reason Ford didn’t use the old plane is because it wouldn’t get off the ground with him in it!
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-04-17 20:37:49 -0400Ford is apparently insecure. He’s like that boy who wants what all his rich friends have. So he steals money to buy the latest toy. Time for douggie to grow up.
