NDP accuse PCs of 'revenge' over Speaker vote
Also: Del Duca for Mayor, strong mayor breakdown, staff moves, privatization creep, show us the mandate letters, Oppo Day motion teaser
ABOVE THE FOLD
CONFLICT AT COMMITTEE — New Democrats are accusing the Tories of taking “revenge” over the Speaker vote by nixing their picks for committee members and deputy speakers.
The drama began when NDP House Leader PEGGY SATTLER accused Government House Leader PAUL CALANDRA of threatening to “strip the Official Opposition NDP caucus of three Deputy Speaker roles and six Standing Committee vice-chair roles, if we do not agree to unanimously vote for NINA TANGRI in her election for the Speaker of the Assembly.”
In a letter, Sattler said that ignoring Oppo’s advice on which of their caucus members should take on those roles was “unprecedented” and “dangerous.”
Now, after Tangri lost the Speaker’s seat to TED ARNOTT — who was nominated by the NDP and won thanks to Premier-defying PCs who sealed the deal via secret ballot — Calandra has made good on his threat, according to the NDP.
Calandra introduced a motion this week laying out the committee makeup and deputy speaker roles. While the NDP put forward three deputy speakers, they’ll now have one (BHUTILA KARPOCHE), with PC PATRICE BARNES and Independent Liberal LUCILLE COLLARD subbing in the other two spots. PC DONNA SKELLY is also a deputy speaker.
The NDP raised a point of order in the House during debate on Calandra’s motion, asking Speaker Arnott to rule on whether it goes against parliamentary convention.
“While the Standing Orders do not explicitly authorize the recognized opposition parties to name their own members to committee, it is important to note that, in the same fashion, the Standing Orders do not explicitly give the government such power, either,” Sattler said in the Legislature.
Sattler went on to point out that Oppo “was pressured to support one of the candidates in the recent Speaker election over another and threatened with government interference with our committee appointments if we did not support their desired outcome. This motion follows on the heels of that interaction.”
NDPer LISA GRETZKY chalked it up to “revenge” and accused the PCs of “using the rules to their advantage in the most egregious manner in order to get back at this side of the House for following our democratic right to vote by secret ballot for our choice of Speaker.” (Gretzky was forced to withdraw the comment, as it’s against the rules to impugn motive of MPPs.)
Calandra insisted the changes better reflect the makeup of the House post-election and that he’s not obligated to follow Oppo advice when it comes to legislative appointments. His rebuttal got a little shady:
“Despite the NDP’s poor electoral performance, limiting Opposition members on committees to only two will not allow the fulsome study or vigorous debate that we expect at our committees,” Calandra said.
His office noted that the changes add more NDPer to the committees. “Why they would be opposed to that is unclear,” said spokesperson OWEN MACRI. “These decisions were unrelated to the election of the Speaker and were proposed with the intention of putting forward the best people for the jobs.”
But for the NDP, it means, for example, that their Finance Critic CATHERINE FIFE isn’t sitting on the Public Accounts committee, which falls in her wheelhouse (that said, Fife is on the Finance and Economic Affairs committee).
Committee appointments are chosen based on an MPPs’ workload and schedule and expertise — this motion throws all of that out the window.
The motion will almost certainly pass thanks to the PC majority and, unlike the Speaker vote, it’s not a secret ballot and may be whipped.
MEA CULPA! This story was updated to clarify that the Speaker allowed debate on the motion, but has not yet ruled on the NDP’s point-of-order challenge of it.
WE CALLED IT! DEL DUCA FOR MAYOR — Multiple sources say former Grit leader STEVEN DEL DUCA is poised to jump into the race for Vaughan mayor.
We were first with the scuttlebutt in June.
The deadline for wannabe civic office-holders to sign up to run in the October 24 municipal elections is creeping up on August 19. Del Duca could make it official any day now.
Rumours that Del Duca would run in the hopes of replacing Mayor MAURIZIO BEVILACQUA, who isn’t seeking re-election, started almost as soon as he stepped down as provincial Liberal leader following a devastating election showing of just eight seats.
Meanwhile, ex-NDP Leader ANDREA HORWATH has already submitted her papers to run for Hamilton Mayor. Horwath is expected to resign her MPP seat next week, something she must do by the close of local nominations on August 19. Premier DOUG FORD will then have six months to call a byelection for Hamilton Centre.
STRONG MAYORS — Speaking of Their Worships, Housing Minister STEVE CLARK unveiled the fine print for the strong-mayor system coming to Toronto and Ottawa. Here’s what you need to know:
— Mayors of Ottawa and Toronto will have sweeping new authority to override city council decisions and zoning rules, set the budget and hire and fire top staff, thanks to Bill 3. The system could be rolled out to other big cities in the future, but there’s not much detail on where or when. Officials speaking on background at a technical briefing said future strong-mayor cities would have to be “committed to growth” and prepared “for the development of more housing.” Our sources previously dished on the possibilities.
— A mayor could override a council decision within 14 days that doesn’t align with a “provincial priority.” Those priorities will be set out by Cabinet. For now, those priorities are housing, but that could be expanded.
— Council could overrule the mayor by a two-thirds vote within 21 days of the veto.
— The line from the PCs is that this will help speed up construction of 1.5 million affordable housing units over the next decade.
— Oppo critics aren’t buying it. Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER said it’s “disguised as a strategy to solve the province’s housing crisis.” Schreiner pointed out Ontario “already has many tools at its disposal to increase housing supply in cities without increasing sprawl — and without concentrating power at the top of municipal government. They include several recommendations made by its own Housing Affordability Task Force. For example, ending exclusionary zoning and investing in affordable supply.”
HAPPENING TODAY
— 9:30 a.m.: Interim NDP leader PETER TABUNS and Health critic FRANCE GELINAS will be in the Media Studio alongside Ontario Nurses Association head CATHRYN HOY to tease their first Opposition Day motion of the session, which the NDP will move as an emergency motion. Expect it to be about addressing health staffing shortages.
— 10 a.m.: Liberal MPP ADIL SHAMJI will tease a forthcoming private members’ bill that would force the government to reveal ministerial mandate letters, which the PCs are going to court to keep under wraps.
ON THE ORDER PAPER
First up: Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY is expected to kick off second-reading debate on Bill 2, the budget measures act, ahead of the morning’s Question Period.
Later on: Housing Minister STEVE CLARK will tee up second reading of Bill 3, the strong-mayor legislation.
Also on the agenda: Calandra’s re-tabled motion shaking up the committee makeup, as there was a typo in the first iteration.
IN OTHER NEWS…
— PRIVATIZATION CREEP: Health Minister SYLVIA JONES isn’t ruling out privatization as one way to help cope with staff shortages that are pushing hospitals to the brink. Pressed by reporters on whether more privatization in the system was being considered to help keep ERs and other operations up and running, Jones said “all options are on the table.” The NDP says that would be a “disaster.” The Canadian Press has the details.
— A JOLT FOR TESLA: From the Globe: “Canada’s ambitions of becoming an electric-vehicle powerhouse are being newly fuelled by interest from Tesla in locating a major manufacturing facility in Ontario. While rumours of such an investment by the pioneering EV maker were kick-started last week by CEO ELON MUSK’s offhand remarks during a shareholders’ meeting, an apparent recent shift in the company’s lobbying efforts offers more substantive evidence of the possibility…Its filing with Ontario’s lobbyist registry was updated in late July to include requests for changes to speed up permitting processes and boost incentives to make the province more attractive to ‘advanced manufacturing investment.’”
— IN MEMORIAM: “The mayor of Goderich has died in a boating accident near his family’s fishing resort in northwestern Ontario. Sioux Lookout OPP confirmed that JOHN GRACE, 64, was killed on Lake St. Joseph, just south of Pickle Lake and north of Thunder Bay.” The Sun has the story.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
STAFFING UP — Some shakeups to the government’s directory: In Transportation Minister CAROLINE MULRONEY’s office, MEGAN SKINNER is now director of policy. RAMNEEK BALA and JACOB EVERSHED are policy advisers. AMY D’AMBOISE is a comms adviser.
— JASPREET SINGH has joined Trade Minister VIC FEDELI’s office as MPP liaison.
— GARY STONES is Tourism Minister NEIL LUMSDEN’s manager of appointments. MICHAEL SPARLING has a new title, as Lumsden’s director of appointments and senior policy adviser.
PROMOTION — ALEEM SUFI goes from senior policy adviser to senior manager of policy in Education Minister STEPHEN LECCE’s office.
ON THE CIVIL SERVICE SIDE — CANDICE DEBI is now a director of communications to the Deputy Minister of Colleges and Universities.
QUESTION PERIOD
The first Question Period of the new parliamentary session was heated. PETER TABUNS made his debut as Official Opposition interim leader by hammering the PCs on health care. Premier DOUG FORD played defence instead of punting questions to Health Minister SYLVIA JONES, who’s landed in hot water for her recent comments. Ford acknowledged nurses are needed stat and promised to “pour money into the health care system” — despite tabling a budget with no new dollars for the sector.
THE HIGHLIGHTS: “Does the Minister of Health not believe that closed ERs and critical health bed warnings in these communities constitute a crisis?” — Ensure hospitals have the resources they need — “Meet with the United Steelworkers and make National Steel Car a safe place to work” — “Start listening to health care professionals’ calls to action” — To Jones: Explain why you don’t think the current situation in hospitals is a crisis? — What is this government’s plan to address the surgery backlog at SickKids? — Repeal Bill 124.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Elizabeth Wagdin, Global Public Affairs: ChargePoint
— Steve Van Groningen, PAA Advisory: Diageo Canada
In-house organizations: Microsoft Canada — Borale Canada.
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Radio-Canada reporter NATASHA MACDONALD-DUPUIS…Toronto Star reporter ROB FERGUSON.