Scheer skirts questions about Doug Ford during stop in Toronto

Last October, federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer paid a visit to Queen’s Park for a meeting with the Premier Doug Ford and the two shook hands several times in front of the camera.

But a lot can change in 10 months in politics.

While in Toronto on Friday for a health care announcement, Scheer wouldn’t even mention the premier by name when answering questions from the media.

When asked how he thinks Ford has done as premier, the federal Conservative Leader didn’t give a direct answer.

“When I talk to people in Ontario there’s a high degree of awareness that the same people who ran the disastrous government of Kathleen Wynne, the same Liberal staffers who designed the scandals, the corruptions the deficits, the tax increases here in Ontario are now working for Justin Trudeau and doing the exact same thing,” he told 680 NEWS reporter Richard Southern.

“Whenever you have a government taking over 15 year of Liberal scandals, Liberal corruption, wasteful spending, higher taxes, people want to avoid that scenario at the federal level.”

On the other side, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken a lot about Ford on the campaign trail — comparing the two men in saying that the middle class can’t afford “another Doug Ford.”

That was something Scheer was willing to comment on.

“I believe that Justin Trudeau would like to run this next election against anybody except for me,” he said.

“He’s constantly looking for other people to attack.”

Earlier this month a poll found 60 per cent of Ontario voters feel Ford’s policies will deter them from voting for Scheer.