Hubris. This ancient word is the most plausible explanation for why Ontario Premier Doug Ford thought it was a good idea to buy a $28.9-million private jet for his travels at a time when his province is languishing with high unemployment rates, rising inflation and an auto industry on the brink of collapse. 

If Ford’s advisors didn’t warn him that this was a big mistake, heads will roll. But it’s such an obvious blunder, it’s nearly inconceivable that no one in the inner circle raised concerns about the optics. More likely, the premier shrugged them off. Because buying a private jet is a let-them-eat-cake kind of move a man makes when he feels invincible.

Ford has elevated his political profile as leader of Canada’s most populous province to international status during US President Donald Trump’s second term. He clearly enjoys his “Captain Canada” moniker, and more than once has dipped his oar into sensitive US trade-war negotiations. It hasn’t always gone well. He was forced to backtrack on a surcharge on power sales to the US and yank an anti-tariff ad off the air after it angered Trump to the point he called off trade talks.

But none of that matters when you see yourself as a very important politician riding high in the........

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