Doug Ford hits the reset button with throne speech

Premier Doug Ford is hitting the reset button for the first time since the Progressive Conservatives were elected more than three years ago.

After proroguing the legislature last month, Ford's government will table a throne speech Monday morning outlining its agenda for the home stretch before next June's election.

We are moving into the final approach toward the election and we have a lot to do," a senior Conservative official told the Star.

The throne speech is an opportunity to talk about where we are going," the source said.

It won't be long, but it will signal that we're moving past just talking about the pandemic and are also dealing with other priorities."

The insider spoke confidentially in order to discuss the thinking behind the government's first throne speech since the one it delivered on July 12, 2018, a month after winning power.

Ford's recalibration comes less than four months after he shuffled his cabinet.

You will see long-term-care legislation this fall and we will point toward new investments in health care that (Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy) will have in the fall economic statement" next month, the official said.

Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell will read Monday's speech aloud in the legislature, as is the custom. However, it will be an unusual morning affair - throne speeches are normally delivered in the afternoon.

But things are far from normal at Queen's Park these days.

COVID-19 protocols restrict the number of MPPs who can be in the legislature at any given time, meaning the chamber will be virtually empty and there will be little of the traditional pomp and ceremony.

As of Monday at 6 a.m. Speaker of the legislature Ted Arnott has decreed that anyone entering the building must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or a recent" rapid antigen test to further protect all of us."

That includes the premier, ministers, opposition leaders, MPPs, political staff, and journalists.

It is believed that at least 119 of Ontario's 124 MPPs have been vaccinated. Ford ejected veteran MPP Rick Nicholls (Chatham-Kent-Leamingon) from the Tory caucus on Aug. 19 for refusing to get his shots.

Tory MPP Christina Mitas (Scarborough-Centre) was granted a medical exemption for an undisclosed condition.

In a surprise move Friday night, government house leader Paul Calandra stripped MPP Lindsey Park (Durham) of her role as parliamentary assistant to Attorney General Doug Downey after she misrepresented her vaccination status" to her colleagues.

That demotion will cost her $16,600 a year in reduced salary - a 12 per cent pay cut - and likely means the lawyer, once considered a rising star in the party, won't ever be considered for cabinet.

Ms. Park has, however, provided proof of medical exemption. We subsequently verified the vaccination status of caucus members, and as such, our caucus is fully vaccinated with the exception of two members who have received medical exemptions," said Calandra.

While the backdrop of the pandemic will loom large over the throne speech, the Tories are expected to tout an economy that is growing as Ontario recovers from the ravages of COVID-19.

There are labour shortages in many sectors," said the senior official.

But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said that proves wages have to rise.

Horwath took aim at a 10-cent increase in the hourly minimum wage that came into effect Friday, calling it an absolute slap in the face" to people like supermarket employees who remain at higher risk of infection from COVID-19 because they work face-to-face with the public.

Let's support workers instead of Doug Ford's buddies," Horwath told a news conference in Ancaster, where she also noted the government has not fulfilled its 2018 election promise to cut electricity prices by 12 per cent.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca scoffed at the throne speech being a way to reset" the government, and said his party will push for a $10-a-day child care deal with Ottawa.

Doug Ford's campaign team has been running his government and running his premier's office since the spring," Del Duca told reporters.

We have literally watched them play very defensively on trying to manage down any issue that bubble up or trip up Doug Ford in the public eye, and that includes sending Doug Ford into hiding for most of the summer and using the federal election as an excuse," he added.

That's not leadership ... you can't play defence and lead the people of Ontario where they need to be."

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said the Tories need to work with the other parties to tackle the multiple crises facing Ontario."

The province is over a year-and-a-half into a public health emergency, with a nursing shortage crisis that is at a breaking point and needs to be immediately addressed by improving working conditions and pay," said Schreiner.

This is the third school year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet schools are still not as safe as they should be," he said, adding there are other pressing challenges.

The climate and housing crises escalate with every day of inaction. Scientific reports, recent wildfires, floods and droughts all point to the same sign: we're in a climate emergency and must do everything possible to avoid climate disaster."

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1