Ontario’s Finance Minister, Rod Phillips, has resigned after public outrage over a recent holiday trip he embarked on to Caribbean in violation of his government’s coronavirus travel guidelines.
The Minister who is a member of the ruling Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario recently admitted that he travelled to the French island of St. Barts on December 13, after the legislative session ended.
While talking about the Minister’s resignation, Ontario Premier Doug 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.”
Ford disclosed Peter Bethlenfalvy has been asked by him to take up the Finance Minister’s role and deliver the 2021 budget of the government in addition to his current role as the president of the Ontario’s Treasury Board.
Phillips worked as Ontario’s Minister of Environment before he became Minister of Finance when the cabinet was reshuffled in 2019.
He has however returned to Canada and apologized for his wrongdoing.
