Tory says his words are being spun unfairly to benefit NDP MP Olivia Chow — another rumoured but undeclared mayoral candidate.
Tory, a Newstalk 1010 host and former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, was a guest on Toronto's CP24 Live at Noon with Stephen LeDrew on Monday. Near the end of his segment, the conversation shifted to wage inequality between men and women, a topic he was set to address later on his show.
Tory said "quite a lot of writing" has suggested women make less money because they don't negotiate in the same manner as men and are less likely to ask for raises.
LeDrew pointed out that they have both worked for big law firms and female lawyers are "tough as heck" on salary negotiations.
"I will say to you the number of men who came to negotiate with me when I was running a law firm or a company was much higher than the number of women," Tory said. "The women don't come as often to complain, the men do. My experience is a little different in that I do think more men put a fuss up about their money and that may say a lot about both."
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Tory was president and CEO of Rogers Media before jumping into politics, first in a failed mayoral campaign in 2003 and then later as PC leader.
When LeDrew added that it is "a lot harder to say no to women," Tory responded with "no comment."
To put it kindly, the remarks didn't go over all that well on Twitter.
According to John Tory, women are paid less because we complain less. Asked for a raise twice and got denied. How is that MY fault? #TOpoli
— Hillary Davis (@hillary_eve) February 3, 2014John Tory thinks women are to blame for not getting equal pay with men. Yep. http://t.co/XBqlDc5NlY #outoftouch #TOpoli
— Lisa Kirbie (@LisaKirbie) February 3, 2014Man...John Tory continues to be an interesting idea in the abstract and an utter disaster in reality.
— James (@jchristidis) February 3, 2014Speaking of out of touch conservatives… did John Tory actually say women don’t make as much as men cause we don’t ask for it? @witopoli
— Jennifer Hassum (@jenhassum) February 3, 2014John Tory mansplains women don’t earn as much as men because they don’t ask for it. Out of touch. Toronto deserves better. #topoli
— ParkdaleHighPark NDP (@phpndp) February 3, 2014That stampede you hear is John Tory supporters heading for the exit. #TOpoli
— Gerard Di Trolio (@GerardDiTrolio) February 3, 2014Lawyer and consultant Warren Kinsella, who is reportedly on Chow's team, was among the first to pounce.
John Tory: he ran "a big law firm," and women didn't really "complain" to him as much as men did about their salary. Um, what? #TOpoli
— Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) February 3, 2014Kinsella wanted Tory to run for mayor in 2010 but has made it abundantly clear on his personal website that he's not a supporter this time.
Tory later told CP24.com that Kinsella was "trying to spin a non-story, trying to help out Olivia Chow."
Tory said he was simply referencing other articles which suggest women have different negotiating styles and denied the remarks were sexist.
"Of course anybody who's ever worked for me knows my views," he told the site. "They know that I don't have a chance of being sexist. There is no sliver of percentage point of me being sexist."
But Tory probably didn't do himself any favours when he later suggested on his radio show that women should learn how to play golf in order to improve their career prospects.
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According to a recent Statistics Canada report, the median hourly wages for women in Canada were 87 per cent those of men in 2011, up from 77 per cent in 1981.
What do you think? Will Tory's remarks come back to haunt him if and when he decides to run? Tell us in the comments.