Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report September 18, 2019

Quotation of the day

“It’s like the shoemaker’s daughter not getting shoes. They have to pull me off the ceiling when I hear the stickers are coming off … They didn’t use , that’s why (laughs). But no, all joking aside, things like that happen … we’ll get it fixed. If I was allowed to donate them, I would, believe me, but I’m not allowed to.”

Sticker magnate makes a quip about his family company when acknowledging ​ ​ ​ ​ problems with the rollout of the government’s mandatory anti- gas-pump stickers. ​

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The House is in extended summer recess until Monday, October 28.

Premier watch Doug Ford received both cheers and jeers when he took the stage at the International ​ ​ Plowing Match in Verner on Tuesday. After his speech, he claimed the “absolutely classless” New Democrats were the only ones saying boo.

The premier also took a spin on a tractor to plow a furrow, as is tradition among the provincial ​ ​ party leaders.

The PC caucus was out in full force, clad in matching straw cowboy hats gifted by Bruce Power. ​ ​ was serving up a raccoon pelt as a staple of the fur fashion industry, and Michael ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Parsa helped find a missing shoe. ​ ​ ​ ​

NDP Agriculture critic , who represents the Timiskaming—Cochrane riding where ​ ​ the Plowing Match was held, took the wheel of the orange tractor towing the equally orange hay ​ ​ ​ wagon carrying the New Democrat caucus into the festival.

During his remarks to the crowd, Agriculture Minister cordially invited Vanthof ​ ​ — his nephew — to Thanksgiving dinner. ​ ​

Ford talks agriculture trade mission, (not) stumping for Scheer, anti-carbon tax sticker problems at International Plowing Match Premier Doug Ford said won’t be “bullied” by other countries and vowed to stand up for ​ ​ farmers as he announced a ministerial trade mission to South Korea and Japan next month, with an eye to opening up markets for the agricultural industry.

Ford made the announcement at the International Plowing Match in Verner on Tuesday.

Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman and Trade Minister are jetting off October 12 to ​ ​ ​ ​ 24 to pump up the province’s agricultural industry. The trip overlaps with the federal election on October 21 and comes amid rocky relations between China and , the former of which has laid restrictions on Canadian beef, pork and canola exports.

‘No comment’ on recalling legislature to avert possible education strike Ford took questions from reporters on a slew of topics, but refused to wade into whether he would recall the legislature to head off possible job action from education unions, which the PCs did last December to pass legislation to avert a power workers’ strike.

The premier said he’s focused on getting a “fair” deal for workers as well as taxpayers and students.

School support staff represented by CUPE would be in a legal strike position on September 30. Meanwhile, the elementary teachers’ union has asked members for a strike mandate and is conducting strike votes across the province this month and next. Negotiations are ongoing, with CUPE and the province scheduled to be back at the bargaining table today.

Ford too busy governing to campaign for federal Conservative cousins The premier also reiterated he’s too focused on governing the province to be out stumping for his federal counterparts and CPC Leader . ​ ​

“I’m busy governing and it’s a full time job. I always joke around … they’re working me like a rented mule this whole summer,” Ford told reporters.

While the federal Liberals have repeatedly tried to link Ford to Scheer as a cautionary tale of Tory austerity agendas, Scheer has refused to mention Ford when asked about the Conservatives’ electoral prospects in Ontario, choosing instead to call out the former Kathleen ​ Wynne-era Grit rulers. ​

Ford, meanwhile, has vowed to steer clear of the federal fray. He noted Tuesday Scheer’s campaign team — which includes his former media relations director, Simon Jefferies — has ​ ​ not reached out to his office to do any joint canvassing.

But his government’s resistance to the federal Liberals’ carbon backstop is going full force, albeit with a hiccup over the rollout of the mandatory anti-carbon tax gas-pump stickers, which the Star reported aren’t sticky enough. ​ ​

Ford acknowledged Astley Gilbert, the company that printed the 25,000 decals for nearly $5,000, “messed up” and vowed to “get it fixed.”

Today’s events

September 18 at 10 a.m. — Scarborough ​ Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Lisa MacLeod will make an announcement at the Pan Am ​ ​ Sports Centre alongside area MPPs and . ​ ​ ​ ​

September 18 at 10 a.m. — ​ , associate minister of Children and Women’s Issues, and Jeremy Roberts, ​ ​ ​ parliamentary assistant to the minister of children and social services, will make an announcement at the Peel Children’s Aid centre.

September 18 at 10:30 a.m. — Mississauga ​ Seniors Minister and Long-Term Care Minister will make an ​ ​ ​ ​ announcement at the Malton Village nursing home. MPP will be in tow. ​ ​

Topics of conversation

● Rubicon, the political strategy firm run by Kory Teneycke, a registered lobbyist, longtime ​ ​ Conservative operative and close ally to Premier Doug Ford, won a lucrative contract ​ ​ from the PC government in the latest fiscal year, according to the public accounts released last week. ○ Rubicon received a $92,660 contract from the quasi-partisan, taxpayer-funded PC caucus services bureau in 2018-19. Alan Sakach, spokesperson for the ​ ​ caucus services bureau, confirmed to Queen’s Park Today that Rubicon was ​ ​ paid for work related to PC MPPs’ websites, including flowing Ford government information such as news releases and social media content onto their pages. ○ The disclosure for caucus services contracts with third parties is relatively limited; only the company name and fee must be publicly posted for contracts over $50,000. ○ Teneycke did not respond to requests for comment.

● MPP , who defected from the PC government over controversial ​ ​ changes to francophone services, says she’ll remain on the Independent bench, despite the PC’s recent pledge to bankroll a forthcoming French-language university.

○ Simard said in an interview she has “lost confidence in the governing party” and ​ ​ is still weighing the possibility of joining the (non-recognized) Liberal caucus, depending on who gets elected leader in March.

● Premier Ford and his Vaughan-area ministers took heat on social media after cutting the ribbon at Vaughan’s Niagara University, a private institution headquartered in New York, because his government is also cutting funding for public education. The Star has the ​ ​ details. ​

● Metrolinx is trying to make Presto card use more accessible by lifting the $10 minimum load requirement on the cards. Beginning October 28, transit riders will be able to load as little as five cents onto their cards — as long as they are paying at Shoppers Drug Mart or another in-person customer service location. ○ New cards will still cost $6.

● Renata Ford, People’s Party of Canada candidate for North and sister-in-law ​ to Premier Doug Ford, was a no-show at Tuesday night’s Transport Futures debate at ​ ​ the University of Toronto. The PPC candidate was slated to debate transportation policies with local Toronto federal candidates, the Liberals’ Adam Vaughan, the NDP’s ​ ​ Diana Yoon, the Green Party’s Tim Grant. ​ ​ ​ ○ Her spokesperson told CP24 she was MIA because her kids and mother had ​ ​ ​ ​ come down with the flu and she still had some Elections Canada paperwork to handle.

Appointments and employments Office of the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade ● Rahul Bedi is now chief of staff to Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli, ​ ​ ​ according to his LinkedIn profile. ​ ○ Bedi takes up the mantle from Mark Lawson, who joined Premier Doug Ford’s ​ ​ ​ ​ office earlier this summer as deputy chief of staff in charge of policy, replacing Greg Harrington, who has left government. ​ ○ Bedi and Fedeli go way back; Bedi was deputy chief and executive policy director for the budget when Fedeli was the finance minister, and he worked in Fedeli’s critic office when he was in opposition. ○ Queen’s Park Today first reported Bedi’s impending new gig on August 21. ​ ​ ​

News briefs — governmental

Ministry of the Attorney General ● Attorney General recommitted to joining ’s pending class ​ ​ action lawsuit against more than 40 opioid manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors — including Purdue Pharma Inc.

○ This week, the company — which faces numerous lawsuits in the United States related to its drug, OxyContin — filed for bankruptcy and announced it had ​ ​ ​ ​ reached an agreement in principle to settle suits filed by “24 state attorneys general … [and] analogous officials from 5 U.S. territories.” ○ While the company is likely to provide about $10 billion in the settlement, the Sackler family, which owns Purdue, will contribute “a minimum of $3 billion, with the potential for substantial further monetary contributions from the sales of their ex-U.S. pharmaceutical businesses,” according to the company’s statement. ○ Downey noted that the opioid crisis is “unfortunately not limited to the U.S., and continues to have a devastating impact in Canada” and said any “global resolution” proposed by the Sackler family must include payment for Canadian claims. ○ The AG promised Ontario will stay on board with B.C.’s lawsuit and is “determined to continue to pursue our claims to the fullest extent permitted by law."

Queen's Park Today is written by Sabrina Nanji, reporting from the Queen's Park press gallery.

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