For the first time since they were elected in June, Ontario politicians will return to Queen’s Park on Monday for a roughly five-week summer session.
Here are five things to consider:
NEW PLAYERS AND INTERIM LEADERS
There will be plenty of new faces at Queen’s Park this week, with just over a quarter of MPs making their parliamentary debuts.
Two of the four political parties represented in the legislature will also be led by interim leaders. Former NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Liberal Leader Stephen Del Duca resigned from their posts after being defeated in the June 2 election and neither will be present during the summer session.
The NDP will be represented by Peter Tabuns, the MP for Toronto-Danforth, while the Liberals are led by John Fraser, the MP for Ottawa South. Fraser is no stranger to the role, having served as interim leader after Kathleen Wynne stepped down in 2018.
Both sides have said they will appoint permanent leaders in March 2023.
The Hamilton Center seat will be vacant. Although Horwath won his seat in the legislature, he has since decided to throw his hat in the mayoral race in Hamilton. By-elections will be called later.
APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET
The Progressive Conservatives’ first line of business on Tuesday will be to pass their 2022 budget, which they presented before the election and used as a political platform.
The $198.6 billion budget includes:
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About $158.8 billion over 10 years for roads, transit and hospitals
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A new personal income tax credit for seniors earning less than $65,000 a year. The government will credit up to 25 percent of medical costs up to $6,000 for those over 70.
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Eligibility for the tax credit for low-income individuals and families has been expanded to include people earning up to $50,000.
During the election, the PCs also pledged to increase funding for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) by five per cent and then legislate annual increases tied to inflation. For months, advocates have been calling for POSPD funding to be doubled.
It’s unclear if other changes will be made; However, in April, when the government postponed the election, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said “this is our plan”.
“This is the budget we’re putting forward and we’re going to get the people of Ontario to vote for this budget,” he said at the time.
The government appeared to reiterate this in a press release issued on Friday which said Bethanfalvy would “restore” the budget after the throne speech at 1pm.
The New Democrats want the government to go back to the drawing board for a budget that addresses what they call a health care crisis and rising inflation.”
ATTENTION TO HEALTH CONCERNS
The Progressive Conservatives are expected to face questions and calls for action to address a severe staffing shortage in Ontario hospitals.
Last week, about 25 hospitals were forced to reduce beds, refocus care or, in some cases, close emergency departments and intensive care units.
Critics see Bill 124, which caps pay raises for public sector employees at one percent a year, as a central obstacle to having enough staff on hand. Health unions say repealing the bill would be a good sign of good faith, but Premier Doug Ford rejected the idea last week. Ford says hospitals will bargain “fairly” with medical staff as their contracts affected by the legislation expire.
During the summer session, the NDP also plans to reintroduce failed legislation calling for an extended and permanent 10-day paid sick leave program.
New Democrats see the program as critical amid the spread of monkeypox, arguing that isolation periods for the disease can be as long as 21 days.
The Progressive Conservatives launched a temporary three-day paid leave program at the height of the pandemic that offers eligible workers up to $200 a day if they need to be tested, vaccinated or required to self-isolate due to of the COVID-19.
The program is currently set to expire on March 31, 2023. In late July, a Ministry of Labor spokesperson told CTV News Toronto that there was no further update on whether or not the program could become permanent.
The Ford government scrapped a liberal paid sick leave program after they were elected in 2018.
STRONG MAYORAL POWERS
The premier confirmed last month that he plans to amend Toronto’s city and municipal acts to give mayors stronger powers over proposals to council. Those powers, he said, would be given to the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto, allowing them to veto council decisions if necessary. Later, the powers could be extended to other great leaders of the city.
Two-thirds of the council could override a mayor’s veto, Ford added.
This would be the second time the Ford government has made structural changes to municipalities after an election without including them in a campaign platform.
After winning a majority in 2018, Ford halved Toronto’s city council from 47 to 25 seats and eliminated regional chair elections in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka.
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT SPEAKER?
Before any legislation can be voted on, MPs must vote for the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Their role is to preside over debate in the chamber and ensure that MPs follow the rules. They do not participate in debates, unless they are trying to maintain order during a fight, and only vote in the event of a tie.
Before the election, Ted Arnott, the MPP for Wellington-Halton Hills, presided as speaker. Her name is back in the running, but she’s up against Mississauga—Streetsville PC MP Nina Tangri, who, if elected, would be the province’s first woman.
After the end of the summer session, the deputies will take a break again until after the municipal elections on October 24.