It’s all in the family at Queen’s Park.As Premier Doug Ford copes with a nepotism scandal that cost him his trusted chief of staff, Dean French, it has emerged the father of newly minted Associate Transportation Minister Kinga Surma is working as a political aide.Two senior Progressive Conservative insiders confirmed to the Star what was first reported by iPolitics on Wednesday night. Miroslaw Surma, who did not immediately return a message Thursday, serves as a policy adviser to Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli.His daughter, Kinga, is the Tory MPP from Etobicoke Centre, who was elevated to cabinet in last Thursday’s major cabinet shuffle.“He’s a very nice man and he’s there every day,” said one senior Tory insider, speaking confidentially in order discuss internal human resources matters.A second high-ranking official confirmed that the Ottawa man joined the Ontario government shortly after the Conservatives were sworn in a year ago Saturday.Surma has served under former ministers Jim Wilson and Todd Smith during his tenure at Queen’s Park.Kinga Surma, a long-time Ford friend and member of the premier’s inner circle, did not return messages Thursday.But Ford’s office emphasized that “every staff member in the government is hired based on merit.”“If they do not perform to the standards expected they are removed from their positions. We will not comment further on internal staffing matters,” Kayla Iafelice, the premier’s director of media relations, said Thursday.During last year’s election campaign, it was disclosed that Ford was secretly taped assuring Tim Hortons patrons that they would not have to pay for PC memberships, a breach of party rules, while he was soliciting support for Surma during a 2016 nomination battle.While he denied the bogus membership allegations, saying he had never purchased $10 PC memberships for any candidate, he did not dispute the ...
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