“Yada, Yada, Yada.”
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Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report February 21, 2019 Quotation of the day “Yada, yada, yada.” The heckle that got MPP Randy Hillier booted indefinitely from the PC caucus after an emotionally charged question period attended by families dealing with autism. Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule The House sits at 9 a.m. The government could call any of the following pieces of business for debate before question period kicks off at 10:30 a.m.: ● The government’s time allocation motion on Bill 48, Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act; ● Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act; or ● Bill 68, Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act. The official Opposition has two private member’s bills and a motion slated for afternoon debate: ● NDP MPP Bhutila Karpoche’s Bill 63, Right to Timely Mental Health and Addiction Care for Children and Youth Act, is up for second reading. The legislation would ensure any individual under the age of 26 in need of mental health or addiction services can access those programs within 30 days. ● NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky will put forward Bill 64, Noah and Gregory’s Law, for second reading. The bill, named for two of Gretzky’s constituents, aims to ease the transition to adult services for children accessing developmental supports when they turn 18. ○ Karpoche and Gretzky will hold back-to-back morning pressers to discuss their proposals. ● NDP MPP Ian Arthur will move a motion calling for an end to mandatory time-of-use electricity pricing and to develop a “fairer price structure that meets conservation goals.” (Motions are non-binding but have symbolic value.) Oops! In Tuesday’s edition, Queen’s Park Today reported the government’s motion amending the standing orders was still on the order paper — it actually passed in October. Wednesday’s debates and proceedings Government House Leader Todd Smith put forward a time allocation motion on Bill 48, the legislation that revokes teaching certificates from those disciplined for sexual abuse against a child, streamlines school board guidelines for service animals in the classroom, and requires wannabe educators pass a math skills test in order to get licensed. Smith’s motion would see Bill 48 due back to the House from the social policy committee for third reading by March 6. NDP House Leader Gilles Bisson took issue with the time allocation attempt, since the bill has all-party support and, in his view, does not need to be sped through due process. Green Leader Mike Schreiner introduced Bill 71, Paris Galt Moraine Conservation Act, his party’s first-ever provincial private member’s bill that aims to protect the drinking water supply in his home riding of Guelph. MPPs continued second-reading debate on Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, in the afternoon. In the park The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario is holding a lobby day and breakfast reception in the legislature’s dining room featuring speeches from Health Minister Christine Elliott and opposition party leaders. RNAO continues its lobby day across the street at U of T’s Hart House in the afternoon. Protests continued on the lawn Wednesday: Social conservative groups, including anti-abortion organization Campaign Life Coalition, gathered to call for Education Minister Lisa Thompson to resign over what they believe is a failed promise to repeal the updated sex-ed curriculum. The so-cons are unhappy that government lawyers have said teachers are still allowed to teach parts of the curriculum they consider unsavoury during ongoing court challenges against the sex-ed repeal. Hillier ejected from PC caucus for heckling over autism policy And Randy Hillier makes three. On Wednesday, the longtime MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston became the third Progressive Conservative to exit the government benches in less than four months — this time, over heckling after an emotionally-charged question period packed with families protesting controversial changes to autism therapy funding. (MPP Jim Wilson was kicked out of cabinet and caucus in early November amid allegations of sexual misconduct and to seek treatment for alcohol addiction; MPP Amanda Simard defected later that month in frustration over cuts to French-language services.) Hillier was suspended indefinitely from caucus for heckling “yada, yada, yada,” government sources confirmed to Queen’s Park Today. “Mr. Hillier’s comments crossed the line and that is unacceptable,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement. It goes on to say “the entire PC Caucus will discuss Mr. Hillier’s participation in our caucus at a future meeting.” While the suspension is not yet permanent, the PCs later moved a motion to replace Hillier on the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills with Tory backbencher Stephen Crawford. Hillier said his heckle was directed at NDP MPP Monique Taylor, her party’s shadow minister for children and youth services, who was railing against the PC’s autism policy during question period. “At the end of Question Period as Members were leaving their seats, Monique Taylor continued to politicize these hardships so I caught the eye of Ms. Taylor and simply said to her ‘Yada yada yada,’” Hiller said in a statement. He went on to apologize to the parents he says may have thought the comment was directed at them. Taylor scoffed at the explanation. “My job is to raise families voices on that floor,” Taylor told QPT. “That was not my voice that I was raising, it’s not me that has a child with autism. It’s the families who are affected by this that that comment went to, and it hit directly.” She also questioned why the premier decided to suspend Hillier from caucus while standing by Children and Youth Services Minister Lisa MacLeod. Taylor was among those calling for MacLeod’s resignation after behavioural analysts said she pressured them to endorse a policy they don’t support and called the Ontario Autism Coalition, a group of parents and advocates, a “professional protest organization.” “This is probably the icing on the cake,” Taylor said of Hillier’s suspension, suggesting there may have been other motives behind it, but wouldn’t be specific. “It’s not the same rules for everyone in the caucus obviously.” Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter echoed the sentiment. “Minister [MacLeod] threatened the Ontario Association for Behavioural Analysis — what were the consequences for her? She offered up a mealy mouthed apology and the premier took no action,” Hunter charged in a release. When pressed by reporters later, Hillier refused to say whether he thought the heckling warranted a suspension, or if it was motivated by an attempt to take the heat off MacLeod. “I think there was a heat of the moment and the premier thought decisions had to be made,” Hillier said, adding he would “not presume there’s improper motives at play here.” He also acknowledged “yada yada” is “not a very elevated use of banter.” Hillier — a self-proclaimed libertarian who entered the political fray leading tractor convoy protests and illegal deer hunts as leader of rebel rural and landowner groups — is no stranger to controversy as an elected official. He has been accused of workplace harassment against municipal staff and physical intimidation by now-PC MPP Goldie Ghamari in 2016. Hillier said he wasn’t yet sure whether he will sit on the opposition benches today. Wednesday morning parents and advocates packed the public galleries in protest of the PC government’s autism program and wiped away tears with tissues handed out by legislative security. During a friendly question, one woman yelled “we deserve better” and “shame.” The premier has called the autism program one of the “toughest files” and said talking about children on the spectrum is his “kryptonite.” He and his caucus were relatively tame through the emotionally charged question period. Today’s events February 21 at 10 a.m. – Toronto Liberal MPP Michael Coteau will be in the media studio to talk about his soon-to-be-tabled private member’s bill about the right to repair electronic devices. Topics of conversation ● There is mounting criticism after ex-PC candidate Cam Montgomery was appointed to a $140K-a-year, newly full-time post leading the EQAO. The previous EQAO board chair, Dave Cooke, earned a total fee of $3,600 for his work on the gig last year and told the Toronto Star there is no reason for the job to be made full-time. Former deputy education minister and high-profile education expert Charles Pascal slammed the appointment as partisan cronyism in the Globe and Mail. ○ Education Minister Lisa Thompson defended the appointment by citing Montgomery’s expertise as a longtime educator and teacher trainer, as well as the need to reform the EQAO to address poor math scores in standardized testing. ○ Queen’s Park Today reported last week that Montgomery is entitled to $140,000 annually, plus benefits, vacation and pension perks, for the three-year term. ● Speaking of former Tory candidates with new appointments, the Niagara Falls Review notes that 2018 PC candidates April Jeffs (the former mayor of Wainfleet turned federal CPC candidate for Niagara Centre) and Chuck McShane were appointed to the Niagara Parks Commission and Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, respectively. Jeffs will serve alongside recently appointed chair and ex-PC candidate Sandie Bellows. ● New dad and PC MPP Kaleed Rasheed may be among the Ontarians experiencing a more than three-month delay for a birth, marriage or death certificate from Service Ontario. ○ Rasheed recently welcomed a baby girl, Aisha Aleena, on social media. ● Mark your calendars: the federal budget drops March 19, Canada’s Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in Wednesday’s question period.