Ontario legislative session begins with major challenges

Torontosun.com
Feb. 18, 2020
Antonella Artuso

Teacher strikes, blockades and COVID-19 are on the minds of Progressive Conservative MPPs as they head back into the Ontario Legislature Tuesday, Government House Leader Paul Calandra says.

He says he does not have back-to-work legislation in hand for the teachers, nor has Premier Doug Ford or Education Minister Stephen Lecce asked him to block out time in this session for that purpose.

However, Calandra said he has heard from parents about their increasing frustration as the strikes escalate, culminating this upcoming Friday with a province-wide strike by all four major teacher unions.

“Once it gets to the point where it looks like the kids’ year is in jeopardy we have the legislative tools to deal with it,” Calandra said Monday.

“If need be, if I’m requested by the Premier or the Minister of Education, I can move quickly.”

Broadly speaking, the spring legislative session will be all about progress, growth and prosperity, he said.

The government will move ahead with previously-introduced bills related to transportation, health teams, justice and farm trespassing, he said.

“This session is always anchored by the budget which happens before the end of March,” he said.

The novel coronavirus’ impact on China -- the world’s second-largest economy -- and the rail blockades are being watched closely as the government prepares its annual fiscal blueprint, he said.

Both events, unforeseen, show how quickly the global economy can shift, he said.

Calandra expressed hope that a new tone set in the last legislative session will continue.

“Not one that lacks passion but one where there’s opportunities we can work together,” he said.

Liberal Leader John Fraser said his MPPs will push for a deal to end the impasse with teachers, noting Friday’s planned job action will be the first time in 20 years that two million kids have been out of class at the same time due to labour strife.

“To us, it’s all about classrooms and that’s what we’ll be focusing on,” Fraser said Monday.

Liberal MPPs are also concerned about the justice legislation which changes the way judges are appointed, especially given the Ford government’s track record on appointments, he said.

The upcoming budget -- including what he said is $10 million in tax cuts baked into it despite a large deficit -- is another worry, Fraser said.

Making sure that Ontarians know what the real numbers are will be a priority because the government will use its own fiscal accounting to justify cuts to important services like education and health care, Fraser said.