Grit-on-grit drama, Bill 5 brouhaha
And peace in the Prairies
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ABOVE THE FOLD
Bill 5 is bubbling into a full-blown brawl, and the political heat isn’t just on the chamber floor. Out west, the Premiers played nice with the Prime Minister — with DOUG FORD calling it the best meeting he’s had (yes, really). Plus, there’s fresh fine print for the government’s changes to school boards and the child welfare system. Before all that: I’ve got some seriously juicy reaction from Liberals after yesterday’s provincial council scoop.
To wit: Not everyone was happy at Saturday’s provincial council, which saw card-carrying organizers like riding association presidents gather to dissect the campaign and what comes next. It was designed in part as a “listening session” — read: venting session, so it wasn’t totally surprising that some Liberals took the opportunity to air grievances.
And they sure did: Folks on the call told me there were complaints about everything from the party’s election ground game (or lack thereof, to some) to the fact BONNIE CROMBIE skipped out on the afternoon portion. Some left the meeting chattering about whether she could withstand a leadership review in the fall (while technically she needs 51 per cent to survive, Crombie probably wants a higher number to show a unified party).
But, but, but: Not everyone walked away from the meeting feeling the same level of frustration. For one, Crombie’s absence for the second half of the meeting was on purpose, to allow members to speak freely.
JONATHAN BRICKWOOD, president of the Liberal riding association in Spadina-Fort York, said there wasn’t so much “yelling,” as another attendee put it to me yesterday, but rather “passionate discussions” — “which I would consider normal following an election where everyone has a view on what should or should not have been done a certain way.”
Crombie’s message to the party faithful: DOUG FORD triggered the snap election at a moment of maximum strength and wanted to wipe out the Liberals, but they wound up gaining recognized status and scored second-place in the popular vote.
While that wasn’t enough to get them out of third place (not to mention the fact Crombie couldn’t win her own seat in Mississauga, where she was mayor) — Crombie framed it as a moment to build a new, modern party from the ground up. It was an election designed to destroy us, she said.
Staring down a leadership test in the fall, Crombie’s summer will be anything but quiet. Her team has already started regular Monday calls to discuss the strategy for the review and she’s expected to tour the province to hear from card-carrying Grits and shore up support.
One Liberal (and former provincial leadership contender) who she won’t have to win over: MP MICHAEL COTEAU, who just posted a selfie with Crombie while at a Carpenters Union event. Eat your heart out, NATE ERSKINE-SMITH?
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HAPPENING TODAY
9 a.m.: Energy Minister STEPHEN LECCE is up in Toronto. Also on hand: Associate Energy Intensive Industries Minister SAM OOSTERHOFF and Lecce’s Parliamentary Assistant RUDY CUZZETTO.
9 a.m.: NDP MPP CATHERINE FIFE is in the Media Studio to pump up her motion calling for “action on the harmful impacts of social media on children and youth.”
10 a.m.: NDP MPP TERESA ARMSTRONG is up next, also talking about a motion, to strengthen pension protections for workers.
FUNDRAISING WATCH — 5:30 p.m.: Ottawa Centre Liberals are hosting a trivia night at the 3 Brewers on Sparks Street. Tickets go for $30 a pop. RSVP.
— 6:30 p.m.: Rookie PC MOHAMED FIRIN (York South-Weston) is hosting a $1,000-a-plate dinner in Toronto. Invite.
ON THE ORDER PAPER
A jam-packed agenda two days before the House adjourns, as follows…
First up: MPPs will zip through a pair of bills at third reading, thanks to the PC time-allocation motions: Bill 6, which cracks down on encampments and public drug use, and Bill 17, which deals with development charges and other housing policies.
Brace for the bells: there’s a bunch of deferred votes after Question Period…On the time-allocation motion for hot-potato Bill 5….Third and final reading of Bill 24, to implement the budget…Third reading of Bill 11, which deals with health care…and third reading of Bill 2, the interprovincial-trade-barrier-busting bill.
Later on, it’s third reading of Bill 10, the omnibus justice package, and second reading of Bill 27, the natural resources legislation that deals with carbon storage and wildfires.
On the PMB docket: NDP TERESA ARMSTRONG will move her aforementioned motion to “tariff-proof workers' retirements by increasing the pension guarantee under the Pension Benefits Act to $4,500 per month and indexing the pension benefit to inflation.”
The late show: The NDP will lead adjournment debates on “Metrolinx impunity” and Bill 5. Reminder: Such debates occur when an MPP isn’t satisfied with a response from the government (join the club!).
Put the coffee on: MPPs could sit as late as midnight.
MONDAY’S RUNDOWN:
Tabled I: Bill 39, Liberal LUCILLE COLLARD’s backbench pitch to limit the use of the notwithstanding clause (something the Ford government wields prolifically), by requiring a two-thirds majority of the House’s approval.
Tabled II: NDPer DOLY BEGUM’s Bill 38, to proclaim September as Ethiopian Heritage Month.
Passed: The motion approving the budget.
ON THE COMMITTEE CIRCUIT
9 a.m.: Procedure and House Affairs is dealing with committee business.
COCKTAIL CHATTER
MPPs and staff can grab lunch and policy talk with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute in Room 228. Later on, the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada takes over for an evening reception. And for the first time, the Ontario Road Builders’ Association and the Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association are teaming up for an infrastructure-themed lobby day, followed by an evening reception in the Dining Room featuring drinks, Rodney’s Oysters and building chatter.
CLIPPINGS
— PEACE IN THE PRAIRIES: “Love is in the air,” came Premier DOUG FORD’s sing-song take on the first ministers’ meeting in Saskatoon. “Ford hailed the ‘change in tone’ from the federal government and welcomed Carney’s goal of making Canada a ‘global energy superpower.’” The Star has the recap.
— MAMAKWA GETS THE BOOT: “As tensions over the Ford government’s controversial Bill 5 continue to escalate, Indigenous MPP SOL MAMAKWA was ejected from the Ontario legislature after accusing the premier of telling ‘untruths’ to First Nations communities.” Global News on the tense moment.
Money moves: Some PCs chided the NDP for blasting a fundraising email right after Mamakwa’s ejection. “They had a fundraising email ready to go as well. All orchestrated and staged,” tweeted Labour Minister (and, from this reporter’s perch, one of the government’s most savage hecklers in the House) DAVID PICCINI.
Beyond the chamber: “The leader of an Ontario First Nation is warning the Ford government it could face lawsuits, protests and disruptions of major Toronto-area highways if the province passes the controversial Bill 5 into law.”
QUESTION PERIOD — TRANSCRIPT. CLIP.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
STAFFING UP — EVAN ROBINSON has signed on to Trade Minister VIC FEDELI’s office as issues manager.
It’s Info-Go official: KYLE FRITZ has taken over as chief of staff to Labour Minister DAVID PICCINI’s chief of staff, replacing MATTHEW CLANCY (scooped here).
SPOTTED IN THE JURY BOX:
An eagle-eyed subscriber wrote in to say they’ve been called for jury duty — and guess who’s presiding? None other than former MPP and civil liberties champion turned judge, NATHALIE DES ROSIERS. Somewhere, DOUG FORD just muttered something about “activist judges” under his breath. I kid, I kid.
REGULATORY ROUNDUP
On Tuesdays, we sum up the government’s latest proposals on the Regulatory Registry — where the nitty-gritty of policymaking is hammered out.
BIG PHARMA — The proposal: “A consultation by the Ministry of Finance on a framework to regulate pharmacy Preferred Provider Networks in group insurance plans.” Deadline for public feedback: July 28.
CHILDREN’S AID FINE PRINT — Proposal: Regulations that correspond with Social Services Minister MICHAEL PARSA’s latest reforms to the child welfare system, including new oversight rules. Deadline: July 14…July 14.
SCHOOL BOARD FINE PRINT — Proposal: Regulations that deal with Education Minister PAUL CALANDRA’s crackdown on school boards — that includes taking control over school name changes. Deadline: June 30.
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Colleges and Universities Minister NOLAN QUINN…NDP MPP CATHERINE McKENNEY (get to know them in this interview).
🍽️ LUNCH SPECIAL: Ginger beef with rice and vegetables.
⏳ COUNTDOWN: T-minus 2 days until the summer recess…10 days until Ford Fest.