Phillips had been in St. Bart’s from December 13 until Thursday, at a time when province health officials had instructed citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Phillips was accused of trying to hide his trip by pre-scheduling posts to social media which included a photograph of him holding a local brand of maple syrup and a video of himself telling viewers to protect the most vulnerable while sitting next to a fireplace. Both posts showed him in non-tropical settings.
Phillips said that it is common practice for public figures to pre-record and pre-schedule social media content, but added, “I understand in the circumstances why it seemed insincere. I apologize for that.”
In a statement issued Thursday, Ford said, “Today, following my conversation with Rod Phillips, I have accepted his resignation as Ontario’s minister of finance. At a time when the people of Ontario have sacrificed so much, today’s resignation is a demonstration that our government takes seriously our obligation to hold ourselves to a higher standard.”
Reporters questioned Phillips on Thursday morning shortly after his arrival at Toronto Pearson Airport. During the questioning, Phillips said he had made “a significant error in judgment,” adding, “I will be accountable for that.”
He said he was unaware that the province had been placed on lockdown since December 26 due to rising COVID-19 case numbers.
Ontario’s lockdown has closed nearly all of its non-essential businesses, requires schools to conduct distance learning after winter break ends and forbids all indoor non-religious gatherings and outdoor gatherings over 10 people. All arts, sports and entertainment venues are required to remain closed as well, according to Toronto.com. The province’s health officials say the lockdown could extend well into January 2021 if case numbers don’t decline.
Phillips tried to protect Ford for any blame related to his travels, stating that the premier had more important things to do than to keep track of his minister’s vacation plans. He reiterated that his decision to travel was his own. Phillips began serving as the province’s finance minister on June 20, 2019.
Ford said on Wednesday that he hadn’t been told about the trip beforehand, only learned about it shortly after December 13 and, in retrospect, and should have demanded Phillips’ immediate return, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Nevertheless, Andrea Horwath, leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, still blamed the premier.
“Doug Ford knew about Rod Phillips’s trip to St. Barts two weeks ago. Not only did Ford not fire him then, he helped him keep the trip a secret. Phillips’s resignation from cabinet today is not because of Phillips’s vacation, it’s because they got caught,” Horwath said.
Ontario’s COVID-19 cases have been steadily increasing since early September. On December 29, the province reported its highest-ever daily toll of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases with 8,360 being reported on that day.
As of December 31, the province is the second amongst Canadian territories with the highest numbers of overall cases and related deaths, reporting over 183,000 cases and 4,499 deaths.
Newsweek contacted Ford’s office for comment.
