The Ontario legislature will come back for a one-day session to pass the Ford government's emergency measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting workers and businesses hit hard by the pandemic.
Members will convene on Thursday, March 19 at 1 p.m. to vote on two pieces of legislation.
Government House Leader Paul Calandra said he expects the proceedings to move quickly.
"After lengthy discussions with the opposition parties we expect to receive unanimous consent to debate and vote on these items in an expedited manner," he said in a statement.
Opposition leaders have spoken in support of the government's measures, though some have urged the Tories to commit to more, such as add specific protections for gig economy workers.
Due to social distancing guidelines, the sitting will feature a much smaller presence of 24 MPPs, down from the normal 124. The 24 will include 12 Progressive Conservatives, eight NDP, two Liberals and the lone Green MPP, party leader Mike Schreiner.
Members will be able to sit at any desk in order to keep a good distance away from each other.
The measures were agreed upon by opposition parties, Calandra said.
After the emergency sitting, the government will look to suspend the legislature once again until March 25; and to adjourn all standing committees "until such a time as it is in the public interest for them to reconvene," Calandra said.
In afternoon remarks to media, Premier Doug Ford reiterated that his government would "spare no expense" in fighting the pandemic. He, along with Health Minister Christine Elliott and Finance Minister Rod Phillips, touched on potential future legislation and updated Ontarians on some early effects of Tuesday's declaration of emergency.
Ford was asked about the potential of limiting the number of people inside grocery stores to enforce social distancing. He said it was a "very good question" and that he's planning to discuss it with grocery store leaders on Thursday.
He said he'd also discuss measures to make sure essential goods can still get into the province despite the border closure between the United States and Canada.
“I can't stress it enough: we have to keep the supply chain open. Nothing seems to panic people more than going into a retail store and shelves are empty. I still can’t get my head around this toilet paper situation. Neither can the tissue companies," he said.
On his own accord, Ford brought up the idea of limiting certain purchases, such as "health-care items."
"But that's, again, going to be up to the retailers," he said.
There was some good news, as the premier reported that multiple companies had signalled their intent to switch to producing health-care supplies.
Though Elliott said Ontario has an "adequate supply" of ventilators necessary for severe cases of COVID-19 and has ordered 300 more, some manufacturers have offered to alter their production to help out.
And Dillon's Distillery in Beamsville is switching from making gin to hand sanitizer and disinfectant — and is giving it away for free to health-care workers.
“My friends, this is the heart of the Ontario spirit,” Ford said.
Asked about a potential bailout for provincial transit operator Metrolinx and Toronto's TTC, Ford said he is "prepared to support" both companies and is speaking with Toronto Mayor John Tory two or three times per day.
Elliott added that the province is "ramping up" its mental health responsiveness to deal with rising anxiety over disappearing retirement savings, job security and general cooped-upedness. She did not provide further details.
The premier also mentioned the cases of price gouging by some individuals who have bought items and marked them up to sell online. Government and Consumer Services Minister Lisa Thompson is "monitoring" the situation, Ford said.
"I think these people are going to be held accountable on social media. And when we get over it — because we are going to get over this — they'll be held accountable by the people of Ontario. But the government will hold them accountable as well," he said.
Ford also said that despite many conversations between Ottawa and the province, the potential of the feds invoking the Emergencies Act hasn't come up. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday he is considering invoking the legislation, which allows the federal government to declare a national state of emergency, giving itself extensive new powers including the right to seize property and public utilities, and prohibit public assembly and travel.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.