Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report October 16, 2018 Today at Queen’s Park ............................................................................................. 1 Today’s events .......................................................................................................... 3 Topics of conversation .............................................................................................. 4 Appointments and employments ............................................................................... 5 Question period ......................................................................................................... 6 Quotation of the day “Climate change is real, and we are addressing it, but we are addressing it with an effective made-in-Ontario plan … Our plan will deal with the impacts, unlike the previous government’s.” In question period Environment Minister Rod Phillips boasts the government’s forthcoming plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of the Tuesday release of an FAO report on the cost of cancelling the Liberals’ cap-and-trade program — and smack dab in the middle of public hearings on the legislation that kills it. Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule The House will convene at 9 a.m. The government could call any one of the following pieces of business in morning debate: • Bill 32, Access to Natural Gas Act; • Bill 34, Green Energy Repeal Act; or • The government’s motion amending the standing orders. In the afternoon the government is scheduled to call Bill 36, Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act, for third reading debate. Bill 36 cleared clause-by-clause committee at the Standing Committee on Social Policy Monday afternoon. Only one amendment from the majority-Tory side was moved and carried; it clarifies individuals can have up to 30 grams of dried cannabis on them, which is outlined in federal legislation. 2 October 16, 2018 Monday’s debates and proceedings PC MPP Parm Gill and NDP MPP Gurratan Singh held back-to-back press conferences Monday morning to announce competing private members’ bills. The Brampton MPPs want to put an end to the automobile insurance industry’s practice of charging drivers different premiums based on where they live, otherwise known as “postal code discrimination.” The move will likely appeal to drivers in Brampton, who pay the highest auto insurance rates in the province. “Ontarians pay the highest auto insurance rates in the country,” Gill said, adding that should his bill pass, it will “ensure drivers will not be unfairly targeted based on where they live.” Singh — whose brother, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, championed the issue during his MPP days — said his bill would amend the Insurance Act to prevent insurance companies from charging drivers in the Greater Toronto Area different premiums solely because of where they live. “In the last year alone, my community of Brampton has seen premiums increase at a rate nearly five times higher than the average driver in much of Toronto,” Singh said. Singh said he was open to collaborating with the government on the legislation but wouldn’t commit before seeing details of Gill’s bill. Gill’s Bill 42, Ending Discrimination in Automobile Insurance Act, was granted first reading Monday afternoon. He told the House the legislation will “enhance the marketplace to encourage more consumer choice in the area of automobile insurance.” Singh’s bill will likely be introduced later this week. Bill 34, the Green Energy Repeal Act, was debated at second reading for the first time on Monday afternoon. If passed, the government bill will eliminate the former Liberal government’s green energy program, a centrepiece of former premier Dalton McGuinty’s political career, and restore municipal authority relating to the siting of green energy projects. In the park In the morning, OPSEU’s Mental Health will host a breakfast reception for MPPs. In the evening Advocis, the Financial Advisors Association of Canada, is hosting an evening reception in the dining room. Advocis recently praised Finance Minister Vic Fedeli for opposing a proposal from securities regulators to ban certain embedded mutual fund fees. Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa was spotted at the pink palace Monday afternoon. Essensa told Queen’s Park Today he meets with rookie and veteran MPPs from all parties after elections to help inform recommendations in his post-event report, which is expected in March. Ontario Colleges was also at the legislature Monday for its lobby day. Copyright © 2018 Queen’s Park Today queensparktoday.ca 3 October 16, 2018 Investigative committee begins hearing testimony against former Liberal accounting practices Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk was the first public servant to be grilled by PC and NDP MPPs on the Select Committee on Financial Transparency Monday. The AG reiterated her concerns over the past government’s move to fund hydro rate cuts by borrowing billions through Ontario Power Generation, as well as her accounting of pension assets, which the Tories have accepted, effectively bumping up the deficit. Lysyk detailed her initial attempts to talk to people at all levels of government, including deputy ministers, top staffers, members of the executive council and the premier, to explain their pension accounting was not the norm and to raise flags over rate regulation under the so-called Fair Hydro Plan. She also said she had wondered if her message was being properly communicated through the provincial controller in the Treasury Board office. Her points weren’t “even acknowledged as reality,” Lysyk said, adding that she walked out of many meetings thinking, “What was that about? … It was very tense, the meetings were very intense.” PC MPP Ross Romano led questioning from the government side and repeatedly attempted to get Lysyk to name the specific people in government who shared her concerns. Lysyk refused each time, saying that outing people would compromise her ability to do her job. She did concede that there were eyebrows raised over the hydro plan by some of the same individuals who helped craft it. NDP MPPs on the committee said they want to make sure the hearings don’t turn into a “dog and pony show” or a “witch hunt.” Romano said his mandate was clear. “We need to figure out where the money is. The people have been really clear, they want to know what happened to their money,” he told reporters before committee. On Tuesday the committee will hear from Cabinet Secretary Steve Orsini and deputy ministers from the transportation and environment ministries and Treasury Board. Today’s events October 16 at 9 a.m. – Blue Mountain Premier Doug Ford will address the OPP Association’s annual general meeting. The premier’s remarks will be live-streamed and media are invited for a photo opportunity, but Ford will not take questions. October 16 at 9:30 a.m. – Brampton Official Opposition NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will make a health-care related announcement alongside Brampton NDP MPPs at the North Star Plaza, 900 Peter Robertson Boulevard. Copyright © 2018 Queen’s Park Today queensparktoday.ca 4 October 16, 2018 October 16 at 9:30 a.m. – Toronto Faith leaders from the Fight for $15 and Fairness campaign will hold a press conference in the Queen’s Park media studio. October 16 at 10 a.m. – Toronto Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman will release his report, “A Financial Review of the Decision to Cancel the Cap-and-Trade Program” in the Queen’s Park media studio. Topics of conversation • Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod threw shade at her predecessor, former Liberal cabinet minister Helena Jaczek, on Twitter after Jaczek fired shots at Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey for sharing a photo showing politicians of all stripes — including PC MPP Prabmeet Sarkaria — supporting her reelection campaign. o “Linda - have you totally lost it?” Jaczek tweeted. To which MacLeod responded: “Hi Helena - I’m enjoying your old office. You’ll have to come by sometime.” o Jeffrey’s frontrunning opponent is MacLeod’s ex-boss and ousted PC leader Patrick Brown. • Things could get awkward Thursday when Ontario Trade Minister Jim Wilson sits down with Federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. On Monday, Wilson fired back at LeBlanc for comments he made to the Toronto Star, which reported Ottawa wants Premier Doug Ford to quit grousing about the USMCA deal. LeBlanc told the Star Ford “fully supported” the trade pact and said he would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ottawa, and that Wilson “even pleaded with us to get a deal at any cost.” • LeBlanc added both were fully briefed on the details “just days before” the deal was signed. o Wilson told reporters Monday he never said “at any cost.” He also took issue with LeBlanc’s claim Ontario was fully briefed. “On dairy, we never did get a figure on what that would cost,” Wilson said of opening up the dairy market; nor was the province briefed on the provision allowing the U.S. or Mexico to veto future trade deals between Canada and China. • Union and labour groups rallied across the province in support of a $15 minimum wage and Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs Act, which are on the chopping block. At one point the demonstration outside the Ministry of Labour offices in downtown Toronto reportedly shut down part of University Avenue. o The axe may be hovering over Bill 148 but some employers still plan to keep offering certain benefits to their workers anyway, the Globe and Mail reports. Copyright © 2018 Queen’s Park Today queensparktoday.ca 5 October 16, 2018 • One day before the Financial Accountability Office releases a report on the cost of cancelling the previous government’s cap-and-trade system, Environment Minister Rod Phillips assured the public Ontario will soon have a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. o “Climate change is real. Our plan will deal with the impacts, unlike the previous government’s,” Phillips said during question period. o Meanwhile public hearings on Bill 4, Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, are taking place this week. o Many environmental, health and labour groups urged the province to implement some version of a carbon pricing plan to deal with climate change.