Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report November 21, 2019

Quotation of the day

“The physical recovery from childbirth is already difficult, but the process of postpartum mental health recovery is equally harrowing. Mothers must try to heal ... while enduring sleepless nights and managing the exhausting day-to-day of newborn care. But there is so much more pressure than that.”

Social media is buzzing over a powerful statement NDP MPP made ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ about maternal mental health while holding her newborn baby in the chamber.

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The house convenes at 9 a.m. The government could call any of the following pieces of legislation for morning and afternoon debate:

● Bill 116, Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions ​ Services Act; ● Bill 136, Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act; ​ ● Bill 138, Plan to Build Together Act; and, ​ ● Bill 145, Trust in Real Estate Services Act. ​ ​ ​

Three PC backbench bills are up for second reading this afternoon:

● ’s Bill 141, Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, which would ​ ​ ​ bolster public access to defibrillators;

● ’s Bill 142, Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Air Brake Endorsements), ​ ​ ​ which lifts the requirement for drivers of vehicles with an air-brake system to renew their certification; and

● ’ Bill 147, Public Safety Related to Dogs Statute Law Amendment Act, ​ ​ ​ which overturns the province’s ban on pitbulls.

Wednesday’s debates and proceedings MPPs continued second-reading debate on Bill 138, the Fall Economic Statement legislation. ​ ​

NDP Leader put forward the second Opposition day motion of the fall session. ​ ​ The (non-binding but symbolic) motion, written en francais, calls on the government to beef up ​ ​ the French-Language Services Act by ensuring consultations with the francophone community ​ ​ before making policy changes that may affect it; adopting an “inclusive” definition of the term “francophone”; requiring all government agencies and public institutions to provide services in both official languages; and reinstating a standalone French-services watchdog.

It failed (Ayes 34; Nays 64).

The third time was the charm for PC Rick Nicholls, who successfully tabled his private ​ ​ member’s bill overturning the pitbull ban after two earlier attempts this week that didn’t make the order paper due to technical errors.

PC MPP tabled Bill 146, Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day Act, which ​ ​ ​ ​ proclaims the first Friday every June as an awareness day.

In the park The Ontario Kinesiology Association is scheduled to lobby MPPs at a breakfast reception.

A fresh batch of orders-in-council could soon be live, as cabinet met Wednesday afternoon.

Premier watch Premier rang in his 55th birthday yesterday with office staff and a surprise cake: ​ ​ ​ ​ chocolate with chocolate frosting topped with Long Johns (an eclair-type pastry that’s one of the premier’s favourites, Queen’s Park Today has learned) from SanRemo bakery. ​ ​

NDP urges AG to investigate cancelled green energy projects Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath is calling on Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk to probe the ​ ​ ​ ​ Ford government’s cancellation of more than 750 renewable energy projects that will cost taxpayers $231 million.

In a letter to Lysyk Wednesday, Horwath drew a comparison to the Liberal-era gas plants scandal. The AG determined the cost of scrapping two plants in and Oakville, fulfilling former premier Dalton McGuinty’s 2011 campaign promise, ballooned to over $1 billion ​ ​ — far and above the Liberals’ original claim of $230 million. ​

“It looks like the government side doesn’t want to talk about their boondoggle, although they talk a lot about the Liberal boondoggle. But I’m actually talking about the Conservative boondoggle that is unfolding right before our eyes as we sit in this chamber,” Horwath said in Wednesday’s question period.

Energy Minister defended the decision, reiterating the government expects to ​ ​ save $790 million by winding down contracts, including for the White Pines wind farm in Prince Edward County, “that communities didn’t want and the grid didn’t need.”

Hillier ramps up constitutional challenge of political fundraising rules Independent MPP has taken the next step in his charter challenge of election ​ ​ campaign finance law.

In an affidavit filed in Superior Court Wednesday, Hillier — who was turfed from the PC caucus ​ ​ in March — argues the current system hobbles Independent election candidates’ ability to fundraise and tips the scale toward those tied to political parties.

Of particular concern is that MPPs are able to fundraise year-round through their party’s riding associations, while non-partisan contenders can only raise cash in the six months prior to and during the writ period. Hillier would also have been entitled to a per-vote subsidy based on his share of the vote in 2018, which will now go to his local PC riding association.

Moreover, any surplus cash at the end of a party-linked campaign goes to the riding association, but the chief electoral officer gets any extra dough from Independents. Hillier’s lawyer Asher ​ Honickman said the province should take a page from Parliament Hill, where surpluses raised ​ by federal Independent candidates are held in a trust that they can eventually get back.

Winning his case “would give independent-minded, conscientious objectors the ability to compete with the party brands on a level playing field,” Hillier said.

He acknowledged political parties may not support shaking up the status quo that he believes gives them a leg up over the electoral competition. He also scoffed when a reporter asked if he would take the private-member’s-bill route to spur changes, noting he’d have a better shot in court since backbench bills rarely make it into law.

The longtime Tory — who has accused political backroom operatives of orchestrating his ejection from the PC bench — also said he’s had “collegial” conversations with Premier Doug ​

Ford and his former caucus mates, but doesn’t expect he’ll be ushered back into their ranks ​ anytime soon.

House Leader previously told Queen's Park Today he would be open to the ​ ​ ​ ​ discussion if a PC member brought it up at caucus. Hillier said his sense is that the decision rests with the premier.

Today’s events

November 21 at 8:35 a.m. – ​ Finance Minister Rod Phillips will deliver opening remarks at the Ontario Securities ​ ​ Commission’s conference at the Metro Convention Centre. (The venue itself may be up for a name change; Phillips’ Fall Economic Statement proposes auctioning off naming rights for the building.)

November 21 at 9:15 a.m. – Toronto ​ Treasury Board President will make an announcement related to his ​ ​ “smarter government” initiatives at the Ontario Investment and Trade Centre.

November 21 at 9:30 a.m. – Toronto ​ NDP Transit critic Jessica Bell will be at the Urbane Cyclist Worker Co-op to announce a ​ ​ forthcoming private member’s bill that would require the province to track “dooring” incidents involving cyclists.

November 21 at 10:15 a.m. – Toronto ​

Premier Doug Ford will speak to reporters at Queen’s Park. ​ ​

Topics of conversation

● Premier Doug Ford congratulated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his newly minted ​ ​ ​ ​ cabinet. “We at Queen’s Park are looking forward to working with our federal counterparts to build a stronger, more prosperous Ontario and Canada,” he tweeted. ○ The 37-member federal cabinet now has 17 ministers who hail from Ontario, down from 20 in Trudeau’s previous cabinet. Twelve of them are women.

● The province’s cop community is reeling after an unidentified OPP officer died by suicide — about six months after the Ford government launched an independent review panel to look into workplace culture at the police force, following more than a dozen officer suicides within the last decade. ○ “We are truly saddened and heartbroken that our OPP family has lost another member. We would like to extend our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues who are grieving this tremendous loss,” tweeted Rob Jamieson, ​ ​ president of the OPP Association union. ○ OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique thanked the public for the condolences. ​ ​ “It is critical that we continue to support each other during difficult times,” he said on . ○ Premier Doug Ford also took to social media. “My heart goes out (to) the loved ​ ​ ones of the deceased officer as well as the wider OPP family. Our officers put their lives on the line every single day to protect and keep our communities safe and we must continue to make sure they get the support they need in return.” ○ The PCs have earmarked up to $500,000 for the OPP review and enlisted former ​ ​ associate chief justice Douglas Cunningham, ex-deputy attorney general ​ ​ Murray Segal and former NDP cabinet minister David Cooke to lead the panel. ​ ​ ​

● ’s name won’t be on any new street signs in Etobicoke. The premier’s late ​ brother and ex-Toronto mayor’s moniker was one of 10 the city floated in a survey to residents to decide the names of roads being constructed in the Ford family’s political stronghold. Soon after the shortlist was released, the family requested Ford’s name be ​ removed. ​

● Would-be Ontario PC candidate Nick Gahunia is suing the Toronto police for $12 million ​ ​ ​ over the leak of arrest papers that resulted in him being kicked out the Centre nomination race ahead of last spring’s election. ○ The PC Party disqualified Gahunia in April 2018 — a day before his nomination meeting — after documentation about an aborted drug arrest was made public. No charges were laid.

○ Det.-Const. Soon Lum has been charged with breach of confidence, ​ ​ insubordination and neglect of duty for obtaining the records, but the person or persons who requested and disbursed them to the media and Brampton officials have not been identified. ○ The PCs nominated a different candidate, but NDP co-deputy leader ​ ended up winning the riding.

● Efficiency Canada ranked Ontario third in the country when it comes government-led ​ ​ energy savings initiatives. However, the organization says the province’s strong ranking reflects its “recent historical energy savings performance” and warns it is “losing leadership,” pointing to the Ford government’s cancellation of EV charging programs and the elimination of the cap-and-trade program, which flowed revenues from greenhouse gas emitters into electricity savings programs. ○ Ontario is urged to incorporate conservation targets into its new natural gas framework and use funds from its proposed Ontario Carbon Trust to fund energy efficiency programs. ○ Last month, a report from Environment Defence criticized the PCs for delaying ​ ​ the launch of the $400-million carbon trust, which was designed to fund clean technologies.

● Melissa Lantsman, the head of Doug Ford’s campaign war room, and Jamie Ellerton, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ a former staffer-turned-CPC campaign lead, go after on ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ LGBTQ rights in a Globe op-ed. ​ ​ ​

● Flare magazine profiled Rayne Fisher-Quann, the teenager who led mass student ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ walk-outs in protest of the Ford government’s repeal of the modernized sex-ed curriculum last fall.

News briefs — governmental

PCs launch free dental care program for low-income seniors at a cost of $90M ● Premier Doug Ford, Health Minister , and Seniors Minister Raymond ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Cho were at the Rexdale Health Centre in Etobicoke, the heart of Ford Nation, to do a ​ victory-lap announcement for the free dental care for low-income seniors program. ○ The plan was originally laid out in April’s budget, and will cost $90 million a year. ​ ​

Question period There was a bit of a kerfuffle during Wednesday’s debate. House Leader Paul Calandra ​ interrupted the NDP’s line of questioning with a point of order noting the government had inadvertently not called a moment of silence to recognize Trans Day of Remembrance.

Cheri DiNovo was in the chamber and raised an objection.“It’s the law,” the former New ​ Democrat said, referring to the bill she introduced as an MPP that requires the house to recognize the day.

Speaker obliged Calandra, as well as Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath, who ​ ​ ​ ​ asked if she could start over from the beginning.

NDP lead-off Ripping up green energy contracts ● Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath asked if the government would call in the ​ ​ auditor general to probe the cost of scrapping over 750 green energy projects, which the PCs have acknowledged could leave taxpayers on the hook for at least $231 million.

● Energy Minister Greg Rickford didn’t seem keen and defended the policy. “One of our ​ ​ first actions as government was to wind down over 750 contracts, to the tune of a net present value of $790 million — almost a billion dollars — that communities didn’t want and the grid didn’t need,” he said, noting hydro ratepayers won’t bear the price.

Education contract talks ● NDP Education critic wanted to know why the government seems “so ​ ​ determined to pick a fight” with teacher unions.

● Education Minister reiterated he’s determined to get a good deal for ​ ​ students, parents and teachers, pointing to his earlier push to unions to enter mediation. ○ Meanwhile, the Catholic teachers’ union penned an open letter to the minister ​ ​ urging his government to “get serious” when it comes to bargaining. The union has claimed the PCs took some proposals off the table and fired its negotiators. ○ High school teachers say Lecce’s call for mediation hasn’t led to progress in ​ ​ contract talks this week, and there are no further bargaining dates planned.

Independent question Affordable housing ● Green Leader asked if the government would invest in affordable ​ ​ purpose-built rental housing.

PC friendly questions Tories lobbed each other softball questions about Bill 145, which beefs up the province’s real ​ ​ estate rules, changes to the Aggregate Resources Act and support for the francophone ​ ​ community.

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

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