Ford should focus on Ontario, not on replacing Scheer, LeBlanc says

The Ford government should be using Thursday's economic update to unveil its plan to combat climate change in Ontario, rather than resorting to "gimmicks" to criticize the federal plan, the federal intergovernmental affairs minister says.

Dominic LeBlanc offered that advice Wednesday, one day before the provincial government issues a fall economic statement that's expected to announce measures aimed at exposing the cost to consumers of the federal Liberals' carbon tax.

The Globe and Mail has reported that possible measures include slapping carbon tax stickers on gas pumps across Ontario and itemizing home heating bills and gas receipts to show the cost of the federal price on carbon pollution.

It's not clear whether the province's efforts to expose the cost will take into account — or even acknowledge — the fact that the federal government plans to issue annual rebates directly to Ontarians, which Ottawa says will more than cover the additional costs.

"We obviously hope that they use the economic statement to tell Ontarians about their plan to tackle climate change," LeBlanc said in an interview.

"They seem to spend a lot of time fabricating elements of our plan to criticize. We have a plan. They haven't yet developed one."

Thursday's economic statement will be the first since Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives swept to power in June.

Ford has seemed to go out of his way to pick fights with Justin Trudeau's federal Liberals, on everything from NAFTA negotiations to asylum seekers.

But he's concentrated his heaviest fire on the federal carbon tax.

Starting in January, the Trudeau government will impose the tax in the four provinces — Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick — that don't have their own plan to put a price on carbon pollution.

The Ford government has launched a legal challenge to the carbon tax, as has Saskatchewan.

LeBlanc said Ontarians would be better served if Ford spent more time focusing on his job as premier rather than manoeuvring to replace federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

"The one thing that's becoming clear is that Mr. Ford seems to want to be a part-time Opposition leader in Ottawa. That should be concerning for Mr. Scheer."

During a recent visit to Queen's Park, LeBlanc insisted he found some journalists who cover the provincial legislature consider it a fact that Ford aspires to be prime minister one day.

"I found that surprising. I can't imagine if you're sort of four months into a 48-month assignment and you're already looking for the exit ramp, that doesn't seem particularly constructive," he said.