A new dispute has emerged between Ford and the federal Conservatives amid ongoing tensions preceding Poilievre's leadership. When Ford asked members of his electoral bloc not to conduct the recent federal elections and not to campaign for federal candidates, it provoked the resentment of many Conservative MPs. A Conservative MP also pointed out that the party was led by Erin O'Toole at the time, implying that Ford's reluctance had nothing to do with Poilievre, and the MP expressed frustration with the prime minister's failure to support the federal Conservatives. Also, some Conservative MPs are concerned about the friendly relationship between Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Ford, while Freeland once described her relationship with Ford to The Toronto Star as "innocent." When asked about the frustration of Conservative MPs, Ford's office portrayed the current situation as positive. Similarly, a statement from the Prime Minister's office said: "The prime minister has said many times that he will work with any level of government, regardless of political affiliation, to do what is best in Ontario." A spokesperson for Ford also referred to other comments made by the prime minister in Ottawa on Monday while standing with Trudeau. At that event, Ford noted that Trudeau and his family have been involved in politics for decades. Furthermore, the prime minister claimed that in all those decades, there has never been such close cooperation between Ontario and the federal government as they are now investigating everything from the pandemic to the technology sector, adding: "So I appreciate the partnership." Meanwhile, another potential sign of the frosty relationship between the federal Conservatives and Ford's Progressive Conservative Ontario premiers is the attendance list for this week's PC party meeting in Ontario; Poilievre's office stated that he would not attend the event and did not clarify the reason. In the same vein, all Conservative MPs who spoke to CBC News about this story said they would not attend either, with one stating that since Ford did nothing to help the federal Conservatives, he will do nothing to support Ford.