The rare summer session gives Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government a chance to lay out its agenda, in a speech from the throne on Tuesday and a budget presentation. As their first order of business, MPPs re-elected Ted Arnott as Speaker. Arnott, a Progressive Conservative who represents Wellington-Halton Hills, has served as speaker for the past four years. After the vote, Arnott thanked members for electing him and thanked the legislature’s hundreds of employees — from cleaners to clerks — and said the convention couldn’t function without them. Arnott was nominated for the role against Nina Tangri, who served as undersecretary of small business and attrition. Tuesday will see a throne speech outlining the re-elected Progressive Conservative government’s agenda, followed by the budget, which is expected to remain largely unchanged since it was introduced but not passed in the spring before the election. The only new item Premier Doug Ford has indicated will be in the budget is a five per cent increase in Ontario Disability Support Program rates, which have been frozen since 2018 at up to $1,169 a month for a single person for basic needs and roof. Ontario NDP Interim Leader Peter Tabuns says now is the time to act on affordability and health care crises. (Chris Young/Canadian Press) So far, Ford shows no signs of deviating from what he set out in the budget his administration tabled in April — a budget that didn’t get a chance to pass because of the timing of the election. But his critics say staying the course ignores the worsening conditions facing the province. Green Party leader Mike Schreiner says Ford should double rates so disabled people don’t have to live in “statutory poverty”. The Liberals and the opposition NDP have also called on the government to increase those payments, and all three parties have also called on Ford to scrap wage cap legislation as a way to ease nursing shortages that have led to emergency room closures temporarily across the province this summer. “Now is the time for a new budget to address the new realities,” interim opposition and Ontario NDP leader Peter Tabuns said at a news conference in parliament on Friday. It’s not yet clear how long the legislature will be in session — for a short summer session or continue through the winter recess — but one bill the government has shown is a so-called strong mayoral bill. Ford said his government aims to have a system that puts more power in the hands of the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa before municipal elections scheduled for October. Burnout and employee turnover have left hospitals strapped for staff and forced some units to close temporarily. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Affordability, health care and education are three issues expected to dominate the discussions. The Ontario NDP and various groups are already calling for immediate action as Ontarians struggle to put food on the table and hospital units are forced to close temporarily due to staff shortages. “The honeymoon is over. Sixty percent of the people in the province were not thrilled with them on June 2,” Tabuns said. “Again, with the ER crisis, the cost of living crisis…love is getting thinner and thinner” Government officials were tight-lipped Friday about whether changes would be made to address growing pressures in light of the health care and affordability crisis, pointing instead to the money the government has already committed to health care .
Health Care
“I can’t imagine how they can continue to avoid problems with the health care system,” said Henry Jacek, emeritus professor of political science at McMaster University. “They have to show they’re going to do something that’s going to work,” he said, but he doubts it will be anything big enough to make a dent in the crisis, given the little relief my efforts have brought so far. More than a dozen hospital units have temporarily closed or reduced services ahead of the August weekend due to a shortage of hospital staff, many of whom are in critical or emergency care. Premier Doug Ford has not committed to repealing Bill 124, despite calls from health workers, the opposition and other groups. (Carlos Osorio/CBC) “There may come a point with the health care system that literally the number of people dying is something it can’t ignore,” says Laura Stephenson, a political scientist at Western University. Unions representing health workers, such as CUPE, are calling for the repeal of Bill 124 which capped the wages of health care workers, who are leaving the profession in droves with pay often blamed as the reason. Pam Parks, a registered nurse and president of a local CUPE, says she has been telling the Prime Minister and the health minister how bad the situation has been for months, but she feels the government isn’t listening. “The workforce they have here is great. And they’re falling apart. They can’t do it anymore… they need the government and the employer to realize they’re still here,” he says. Vice Principal Vanessa McFarquhar leads a tour of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School on September 4, 2020. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Ford has not hinted that he is considering repealing the bill, but said last week, “We are throwing everything we can into the health care system.” The Treasury spokesman says the government already gives nurses a retention bonus of up to $5,000 per person for two years and is investing $230 million this year “to strengthen existing programs so that hospitals and the health care system have the staff they need.” I need.” The government is also investing an extra $3.3 billion in the system this fiscal year to “be ready to respond to any crisis.”
Accessibility
Stephenson says the rising cost of living is a major concern for many, and Ford campaigned for his team to improve the situation for Ontarians. While gas and housing prices are falling, food prices are skyrocketing and more Ontarians are relying on food banks, he says. “I think they will try to take steps in that direction,” he said. Jacek isn’t so sure. With the prices of some items falling, the government can see that this is a shrinking problem, not a growing one, to deal with now, he says. Tabuns says Ontarians can’t wait for things to calm down. “Inflation eats away at their wages and companies use inflation as an excuse to make even bigger fortunes than we do,” he says.
Education
Public school unions are returning to the negotiating table with the government this summer. Ford is likely hoping to avoid attracting too much additional criticism on this record, since a smooth back-to-school is at the forefront of parents’ minds during negotiations, Jacek says. Jacek says that if he was advising Ford on what to include in the throne speech, he would say, “You should probably say something positive about what you’re going to do in terms of your relationship with the teachers.
Difficult tone in prediction: expert
Only time will tell what the tone of this meeting will be, but Tuesday’s speech from the throne will likely offer some clues about the type of Ford government we are likely to see. Jacek says the varied approaches the Ford administration has taken so far will make his tone difficult to predict. “Which Doug Ford will we see? The tough guy or Mr. Nice Guy?” Stephenson says that with an election now four years away, Ford can use the longer corridor to do things just outside his wheelhouse as crises demand.
