Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips has resigned his cabinet position after he embarked on a Caribbean vacation amid a provincewide lockdown during the Christmas holidays.
Phillips travelled to St. Barts in the Caribbean on December 13 despite provincial guidelines urging people to avoid all non-essential travel.
Premier Doug Ford announced the finance minister's resignation in a written statement, saying: "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."
The premier said he has asked Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy to assume the role of Minister of Finance and deliver the government's 2021 Budget.
"This appointment will help ensure economic stability in the months ahead, as we support Ontario families, workers and businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, and as we chart our path to long-term economic recovery," Ford said in the written statement.
Phillips, who will remain a member of the provincial legislature, said that he regrets his decision to travel with his family to the Caribbean during Christmas. "It was a significant error in judgment, a dumb, dumb mistake," Phillips told media. "Again, I apologize for it, I regret it, but all I can do now is make that apology and move forward."
In a written statement released after his resignation, Phillips again said that he regretted his decision to travel over the holidays. "I once again offer my unreserved apology,” he wrote.
Phillips, 55, entered public life in 2017 when he was acclaimed as the Progressive Conservative candidate for the Ontario riding of Ajax. Prior to entering politics, Phillips was the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and chairman of newspaper publisher Postmedia.
