Premier Doug Ford touts Tory record of fighting COVID-19 in throne speech
Premier Doug Ford is signalling the unofficial start of the June 2 provincial election campaign with a throne speech touting his Progressive Conservative government's record combating COVID-19.
Ontario cannot go backwards. After 18 months of fighting this pandemic, we owe our businesses stability and certainty," said the speech, entitled Protecting Ontario's Progress," which was read in the legislature by Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, there were only a limited number of MPPs permitted in the chamber for the address and a handful of VIPs, including Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare, who wore an orange Every Child Matters" shirt to commemorate the Indigenous children who died in residential schools.
The speech reiterated the Tories' promise to invest $2.68 billion to build 30,000 new long-term-care home beds over the next decade and $5 billion over the next four years to hire 27,000 nurses and personal support workers in nursing homes.
Ontario is making good progress against this ambitious goal," the speech said, noting 20,000 new beds and 15,000 upgraded beds are already in development."
By April, it said, Ontario will make significant progress by adding 16,200 more personal support workers to the health-care system, including the province's long-term-care sector."
Striking a partisan note, the speech noted the pandemic has exposed the failure of successive governments, both provincial and federal, to provide adequate funding for our hospitals."
The clear consequence was a health system ill equipped to handle a crisis."
Some 9,754 Ontarians have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic struck in March 2020.
The throne speech, which was the first since June 2018, just after the Tories took power, marked the launch of the fall legislative session and came after Ford prorogued the legislature last month.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath call the government's agenda disappointing for everyday families and working folks in Ontario," and slammed the Tories for announcing nothing new whatsoever to help patients, students, workers, or small business."
Doug Ford made it clear again - he's not here for you and he still doesn't want to spend the money on you," said Horwath.
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said Ontarians have been left to rely on a government content to do as little as possible, as late as possible," saying the throne speech is is no exception to that disappointing trend."
Green Leader Mike Schreiner lamented the lack of any mention of climate change or the housing affordability crisis in the province.
All three opposition leaders expressed concern over Ford's double standard" on vaccinations for MPPs.
As of Monday, anyone entering Queen's Park must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or a recent rapid antigen test.
About 119 of Ontario's 124 MPPs have been vaccinated.
Ford ejected veteran MPP Rick Nicholls from the PC caucus on Aug. 19 for refusing to get his shots, while Tory MPPs Christina Mitas (Scarborough-Centre) and Lindsey Park (Durham) have been granted medical exemptions" for undisclosed conditions.
Park was stripped of her role as parliamentary assistant to Attorney General Doug Downey on Friday night 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.
Government house leader Paul Calandra said Park made an error in judgment" by not following the rules.
Park at some point in time made the decision not to be vaccinated after communicating that she would be vaccinated, she sought medical advice, as my understanding, and didn't properly communicate that," said Calandra.
But Schreiner noted Nicholls was punished for being honest and she wasn't punished for being dishonest."
Park did not reply to several requests for comment from the Star.
Nicholls, a veteran MPP, was the Tories' deputy speaker, a role that will be played by MPP Bill Walker (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound) after Tuesday.
Both Horwath and Del Duca said they would remove any MPPs from caucus who lied about their vaccination status.
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
Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy