Controversial Toronto Mayor Rob Ford slammed President Obama’s signature healthcare law during an appearance on a Washington, D.C., sports radio talk show Thursday.
“I don’t believe in all this public-funded health care because we gotta pay for it,” Ford told WJFK’s “The Sports Junkies.”
Ford said that in Canada, the country “can’t afford” their universal health coverage.
{mosads}“What you guys are doing down there, I just, I can’t get my head around it because it’s costing a fortune, and I don’t know where you guys are going to find the money, except the taxpayers pockets,” he continued.
“And I think people are taxed to death, and I don’t mind two-tier healthcare; if you want healthcare, you pay for it. I understand that. And we have general healthcare up here, or OHIP we call it, but, you know, it’s gonna cost a fortune for you guys to put in this ObamaCare, and I just don’t see how the people are going to be able to afford it, to tell you the truth.”
Ford added that he personally liked Obama but that he did not “like his politics.”
The embattled Canadian mayor admitted last month that he had purchased and smoked crack cocaine. On Wednesday, police documents said Ford offered $5,000 and a car for a video that reportedly shows the mayor smoking the crack.
During his appearance on the show, Ford denied the police findings.
“No. 1, that’s an outright lie,” Ford said. “And No. 2, you can talk to my lawyers about it. But I’m here to talk football, guys.”
The Toronto mayor said he also differed with Obama on the controversy over the Washington Redskins’ team name. He said both the Washington franchise and baseball’s Cleveland Indians should keep their names.
“What are we going to call them next, the Cleveland Aboriginals?” he said.
In an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year, Obama said he’d “think about changing” the team name if he owned the franchise.