“They Lie and Lie Again.”
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Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report May 10, 2019 Quotation of the day “They lie and lie again.” In the latest PC Party fundraising email, Premier Doug Ford alleged the NDP is spreading untruths about the government’s budget cuts, leading the media to “repeats those lies” and spurring the ongoing protests outside Queen’s Park. Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule The House is adjourned until Monday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. for question period. T-minus three sitting weeks before the House rises for the summer, with a constituency week in between. Thursday’s debates and proceedings MPPs continued second-reading debate on Bill 107, Getting Ontario Moving Act, in the morning, and on Bill 108, More Homes, More Choice Act, in the afternoon. Three private members’ bills are now off to committee after clearing second reading on voice votes during the afternoon’s PMB debates: ● PC MPP Aris Babikian’s Bill 97, Genocide Awareness, Commemoration, Prevention and Education Month Act, which would proclaim the month of April for the memorial, will be studied by the Standing Committee on Justice Policy; ● NDP MPP France Gélinas’ Bill 75, 9-1-1 Everywhere in Ontario Act — to set up more resources and an ombudsman for emergency call centre services — goes under the microscope at the social policy committee; and ● NDP MPP Taras Natyshak’s Bill 101, End the Public Funding of Partisan Government Advertising Act, will be scrutinized by the finance and economic affairs committee. It’s a twin PC bill from the party’s opposition days that would restrict the use of partisan government advertising. Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled the Expenditure Estimates for 2019-20 today, a line-by-line breakdown of the budget spending plan (More on this below.) In the park Queen’s Park is full of hot air. Legislative staff said to expect fluctuating temperatures in the building this month due to changing weather, saying “we cannot turn the steam off until we experience more favourable overnight conditions.” PC MPPs under fire for taking the stage at anti-abortion rally The NDP is challenging Premier Doug Ford for not explicitly denouncing comments three Progressive Conservative MPPs made at an anti-abortion rally on Thursday. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff, who has not been shy about his pro-life stance or social-conservative bent, told a crowd gathered at at Queen’s Park he will “fight to make abortion unthinkable in our lifetime.” “We have survived 50 years of abortion in Canada,” Oosterhoff told the March for Life rally, flanked by PC MPPs Will Bouma and Christina Mitas. “I believe children should be allowed to live, no matter how small they are.” “I am not married and we did not plan the timing,” said Mitas, who gave birth three months ago. “I had a number of people from all walks of life coming to me telling me ‘abort the baby because it is going to impact your career.’ Abortion has become a thing of convenience in this country.” Meanwhile, inside the legislature, NDP MPP France Gélinas asked Premier Doug Ford if he supported Oosterhoff’s comments during question-period debate. Ford punted her question to Energy Minister Greg Rickford, who pivoted to the cost of federal carbon pricing on the health-care system. Shortly after, Ford’s office issued a statement saying the PC Party is a “big tent.” “We welcome members from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs,” Ford said. “Our government is focused on protecting what matters most … The government will not re-open the abortion debate.” His follow-up did not sate NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. “We are horrified that Doug Ford continues to refuse to denounce his MPPs’ dangerous, anti-choice and anti-women position,” Horwath said. “Every woman has the right to make decisions about her health care, her family and her body. Sam Oosterhoff and Doug Ford have no right to attack that.” It’s the second time this week Oosterhoff has made not-so-great headlines for his government. His Beamsville office staff faced flak for calling the cops on a group of seniors who showed up hoping to stage a silent “read-in” protest against cuts to library services. Estimates hit the table Treasury Board President Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled the much-anticipated Expenditure Estimates for 2019-20 on Thursday, the Standing-Order deadline. The estimates are a line-by-line breakdown of the Ford government’s fiscal plans, much more detailed than the budget papers. Here are the early highlights: ● eHealth, one of the agencies getting rolled into the Ontario Health “super-agency,” is getting cut by about $70 million; ● The Indigenous Affairs budget rounds out at $69.4 million this year, well below last year’s $97.7 million budget; ● The Poverty Reduction Strategy is getting cleaved by half, from $14.8 million to $7.3 million this year; ● Provincial salaries will drop by $36 million, which is a 0.6 per cent difference compared to fiscal 2018-19; ● An $181-million cut to the “urban and regional transportation” planning program; ● The labour ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Program’s Prevention Office, which works to prevent injuries and fatalities on the job, is getting slashed by $16 million; ● The Ontario Trillium Foundation, the province’s biggest grant-giving agency, will see an $11.5 million cut, from about $115 million last year to $103.5 million this year; ● The Tourism Program budget will be shaved by over $22 million, down to $105 million; ● The OPP budget is being trimmed by $46.3 million; ● Service Ontario’s budget is being reduced by almost $5 million; ● TVO’s budget is getting cut by just over $1 million; and ● The government overall will spend $9.4 million less on taxpayer-funded advertising through the Treasury Board’s “bulk media buy program.” This year the PCs earmarked $51 million for government promotion, down from over $60 million last year. ○ (This bucket is separate from the PC caucus services bureau, which bankrolls Ontario News Now promotions and is also taxpayer-funded. The caucus services bureau spending will be detailed in the Public Accounts later this year.) Today’s events May 10 at 8 a.m. – Toronto NDP transit critic Jessica Bell will be at Bloor Station to speak at advocacy group TTC Riders’ “day of action” opposing the Ford government’s planned subway upload. May 10 at 10 a.m. – Welland NDP MPP Jeff Burch will meet with the seniors’ book club and retired librarians who had the police called on them by PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff’s riding staff when they tried to stage a silent “read-in” protest. (Oosterhoff has said police were alerted to protect constituents’ privacy; the elderly citizens were protesting cuts to the local inter-library loan program.) May 10 at 10:45 a.m. – Tweed Infrastructure Minister Monte McNaughton will make a funding announcement at the Boundary Bridge. May 10 at 11:30 a.m. – Delaware Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek is expected to launch a review of highway speed limits alongside PC MPP Bob Bailey. Topics of conversation ● It’s almost endgame for the 400,000 red-and-white OHIP cards still in circulation 25 years after their phase-out began. According to the Canadian Press, the Ford government has yet to specify a firm end date, but it won’t be overnight, Health Minister Christine Elliott says. ● Ontario’s public-sector unions are worried the PC government is setting the stage for legislated wage caps as it consults with unions on reining in their pay, the CBC reports. ● Ontario and Ottawa inked a long-awaited agreement Thursday to relocate Kashechewan First Nation, which has had to evacuate frequently due to flooding and declared a state of emergency last month. ● The NDP are pumping up next week’s Opposition Day motion, which will call on the government to declare a climate emergency and formally recognize climate change as a “real threat.” ○ Motions are non-binding but have symbolic value. ○ It’s unclear if the PC-majority government will support the motion when it’s debated May 13. When asked for a yes-or-no indication in question period, the premier railed against federal carbon pricing. ● Democracy Watch has again written to Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake, this time requesting an investigation and ruling into a $1,000-a-ticket fundraiser for Finance Minister Vic Fedeli’s Nippising PC riding association, held in Etobicoke Wednesday night, for which newly appointed LCBO chair Carmine Nigro was reportedly shilling. ○ Duff Conacher, co-founder of the national democratic reform advocacy group, said he believes Nigro violated public servant ethics rules by inviting people to make political donations for the finance minister, who has oversight over the LCBO. Appointments and employments Office of the Premier ● Premier Doug Ford’s executive director of strategic communications David Tarrant is heading to the private sector at the end of next week. “David let us know a long time ago that after our Budget he will depart our team and spend more time with his beautiful wife [Marissa Steiner] and 3 kids,” Ford’s communications director Laryssa Waler tweeted Thursday afternoon. ○ Tarrant previously did stints for then-Ontario PC leaders John Tory and Tim Hudak and also worked on Parliament Hill under former PM Stephen Harper. Federal NDP 2019 campaign ● Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has enlisted Michael Balagus, chief of staff to Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, for his October 2019 election campaign. ○ Balagus, who also led last year’s provincial NDP campaign war room, will take on a special adviser role at the federal level on a part-time basis and will continue his chief staffing duties at Queen’s Park.