Ontario politicians spent most of the week putting off the business of government to talk about the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The violence in the Middle East has dominated Queen’s Park over the last five days, leading to an emotional week for everyone who works in the Pink Palace.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ford asked to cease-and-desist
Ontario NDP MPP Sarah Jama served Premier Doug Ford a cease-and-desist letter Thursday over a message he posted to social media that she and her lawyer claim is defamatory.
The post in question was published on Oct. 11 and was an apparent response to comments Jama made a day earlier in support of the Palestinian people.
The premier said in the post that Jama has a “long and well-documented history of antisemitism.” and that she supports “the rape and murder of innocent Jewish people.”
The cease-and-desist letter says the public comments have done serious harm to Jama’s reputation and imply that she is racist towards Jewish people and sympathetic to terrorism
Jama is also about to be censured by the Progressive Conservative government over her statements that called for the end of “all occupation of Palestinian land,” as well as an end to the “apartheid” in the region.
She apologized for her comments the next day. The Hamilton-Centre MPP does have a history of supporting the Palestinian cause and has been accused previously of being anti-Israel.
The debate for this motion, in addition to a secondary motion condemning the Hammas attacks, has been incredibly tense and heated.
The PCs argue Jama should come to the legislature and address her comments–she has been away all week–but NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she doesn’t trust MPPs to treat Jama “with the respect she deserves as an elected official.”
The cease-and-desist letter demands the premier retract his Oct. 11 post and publicly apologize within seven days.
Was there a fuddle duddle?
As we know, it is inappropriate to swear or use offensive language in the House.
On Thursday the PC’s accused the NDP Leader of muttering a two-word expletive when her mic was off.
Government House Leader Paul Calandra said the incident was undignified while Education Minister Stephen Lecce said she used “unbecoming language.”
Stiles claims she didn’t say anything and the mic did not pick anything up.
What is a fuddle duddle? It stems from a similar accusation in 1971, when then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau allegedly mouthed the words “F** Off” while in the House of Commons.
When pressed about what he was thinking when he mouthed the words, he responded by saying: "What is the nature of your thoughts, gentlemen, when you say 'fuddle duddle' or something like that?"
New bill protects government from being sued over Greenbelt
The Ontario government tabled its latest Greenbelt legislation returning all land that was opened for development back in 2022.
The bill is pretty self explanatory and will ensure that any future changes to its boundaries will be made through a “public and transparent process that would require the approval of the legislature.”
It does, however, include additional protections for the government when it comes to liability, expanding protections to “facilitators and appointed “deputy facilities” for work performed in good faith.
The housing minister would not go into detail about who exactly this would protect, saying only that it would provide “enhanced immunity protections for the government.”
It’s likely this is meant to protect the government and those involved in the Greenbelt decision from being sued by municipalities or developers for changing their minds on the use of the land.
‘What stays in Vegas shouldn’t stay in Vegas’
The NDP is asking the province’s integrity commissioner to dig deeper into the actions of a former Progressive Conservative cabinet member who went to Las Vegas at the same time as a developer who benefited from the Greenbelt changes.
The request stems from a trip Mississauga East-Cooksville MPP Kaleed Rasheed took along with then-principal secretary to Ford, Amin Massoudi. The two parties told the integrity commissioner they met up with developer Shakir Rehmatullah in the lobby of the hotel briefly. However, since then some discrepancies in their story were discovered.
“We want to give (the commissioner) an opportunity to shine some light on what really took place here—on the dates, that details and the payments that took place,” Stiles said.
“We believe that what happened in Vegas should not stay in Vegas."
A lawyer representing Rasheed said the former minister welcomes an investigation and will “fully cooperate to clear the record and his name of any wrongdoing.”
Rasheed was Ontario’s minister of public and business service delivery but resigned from both his cabinet position and the PC party.
Childhood education workers ask for more money
Advocates released new data this week showing that Ontario early childhood educators are among the lowest paid in Canada at $19 an hour.
The only two other provinces to pay their ECEs less are Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
In June, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he was working on increasing wages for early childhood educators, but very little information has been provided since then.
When asked by reporters when the new wages would be revealed, Lecce said it would be coming “soon” and hinted at it being sometime in the fall.
No more name changes for convicted sex offenders
A private members bill proposed by two PC MPPs hopes to prevent convicted sex offenders from being able to change their names.
“Sexual offenders should be denied opportunities that could enable them to re-offend or easily hide their past from unsuspecting communities,” said MPP Laurie Scott, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, in a statement.
"This bill would be another measure by our government to support victims and their families on their path to healing.”
OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE:
- The unions representing Ontario public elementary teachers and Catholic elementary teachers have received a strike mandate. Here’s what that means.
- The government’s fall economic statement will be released on Nov. 2.
- Former Labour Minister Monte McNaughton has a new gig. Woodbine entertainment announced he has been appointed as executive vice president of its industry relations and people experience.
- The Less Red Tape, More Common Sense Act was tabled late Thursday. It proposed numerous changes the PCs hope will “make it easier to interact with government.” The bill can be found here.
