42nd Parliament of Ontario
The 42nd Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the current legislature of the province of Ontario, Canada.
| 42nd Parliament of Ontario | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Majority parliament | |||
| July 11, 2018 – present | |||
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| Parliament leaders | |||
| Premier | Hon. Doug Ford June 29, 2018 – present | ||
| Leader of the Opposition | Andrea Horwath June 29, 2018 – present | ||
| Party caucuses | |||
| Government | Progressive Conservative Party | ||
| Opposition | New Democratic Party | ||
| Unrecognized | Liberal Party Green Party | ||
| Legislative Assembly | |||
| Speaker of the Assembly | Hon. Ted Arnott July 11, 2018 – present | ||
| Government House Leader | Hon. Todd Smith June 29, 2018 – June 20, 2019 | ||
| Hon. Paul Calandra June 20, 2019 – present | |||
| Members | 124 MPP seats | ||
| Sovereign | |||
| Monarch | Elizabeth II February 6, 1952 – present | ||
| Lieutenant Governor | Elizabeth Dowdeswell September 23, 2014 – present | ||
| Sessions | |||
| 1st Session July 11, 2018 – present | |||
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Ontario |
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| See also |
| Politics by province / territory |
The current Premier of Ontario is Progressive Conservative Party leader Doug Ford, as the party leader that won a majority of seats in the 2018 Ontario general election. The Official Opposition, and the only other recognized party, is the Ontario New Democratic Party led by Andrea Horwath.[1] The Ontario Liberal Party and Green Party of Ontario also have seats in the legislature, but neither elected enough MPPs for official party status.
Ford was officially sworn in as Premier of Ontario by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on June 29, 2018.[2] The first session of the 42nd Legislative Assembly was opened on July 11, 2018 with the election of Ted Arnott as Speaker.[3]
Election and appointments
The Members of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) that served in the Legislative Assembly of the 42nd Parliament of Ontario were elected in the general election held on June 7, 2018. The election returned 76 Progressive Conservatives, 40 NDP members, 7 Liberals, and 1 Green. This allowed the Progressive Conservative Party to form a majority government with its leader Doug Ford becoming Premier and the NDP forming the Official Opposition.[4] Neither the Liberals, nor the Green Party had sufficient number of seats to provide them with party status in the legislative assembly.[5] Ford assembled a 21-member Executive Council which was sworn in by Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell on June 29. The Executive Council featured Ford as Premier and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs with former Progressive Conservative leadership candidates Christine Elliott as Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Caroline Mulroney as Attorney General. Former interim leaders of the Progressive Conservatives Vic Fedeli and Jim Wilson were assigned to be Minister of Finance and Minister of Economic Development, respectively. This initial cabinet also featured Lisa MacLeod as both Minister of Community and Social Services and Minister of Children and Youth Services, Lisa Thompson as Minister of Education, Rod Phillips as Minister of the Environment, and John Yakabuski as Minister of Transportation.[6] In addition, 26 other Progressive Conservative MPPs were appointed to be parliamentary assistants. Todd Smith was appointed Government House Leader and Ted Arnott was elected Speaker.[3]
The first change to the Executive Council came on November 2, 2018, when Jim Wilson resigned to sit as an independent and Todd Smith assumed his role as Minister of Economic Development.[7] The first major cabinet shuffle came on June 20, 2019, as the premier expanded the cabinet to 28 members[8] with 31 other Progressive Conservative MPPs being parliamentary assistants.[9] Doug Downey, Paul Calandra, Stephen Lecce and Ross Romano were promoted to cabinet to be Attorney General, Government House Leader, Minister of Education, and Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, respectively. Jill Dunlop, Kinga Surma, and Prabmeet Sarkaria were promoted to be Associate Ministers. Rod Phillips became Minister of Finance, Jeff Yurek the Minister of the Environment, Todd Smith the Minister of Children and Youth Services, Caroline Mulroney the Minister of Transportation, Vic Fedeli the Minister of Economic Development, Lisa Thompson the Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Lisa MacLeod the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Laurie Scott the Minister of Infrastructure, and Monte McNaughton the Minister of Labour. Bill Walker and Michael Tibollo were demoted from ministerial positions to be Associate Ministers, and Christine Elliott's portfolio split with Merrilee Fullerton taking over the newly created Ministry of Long-Term Care.
First session
The first session of the 42nd Parliament began on July 11, 2018, with the Speech from the Throne delivered by Lieutenant Governor Dowdeswell on behalf of the Premier Ford and the Progressive Conservative government. In the summer session two bills were adopted. The first bill, adopted by the Parliament on July 26, was the Urgent Priorities Act (Bill 2) which enacted back-to-work legislation to end strike action at York University, canceled the White Pines wind project, and required Hydro One create new compensation packages for their chief executive officer and board of directors which would be subject to government approval.[10] The second bill, titled Better Local Government Act, 2018 (Bill 5) removed the City of Toronto's powers to determine the composition of City Council and the division of the City into wards and replaced it with a requirement that the City's wards follow the provincial riding boundaries, as well as eliminate elected chair positions in the regions of Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka, in favour of appointed positions — all applicable to the 2018 municipal elections.[11]
In the fall 2018 sitting of the first session, seven more bills were adopted. Bill 4 repealed the province's emissions trading legislation, the Climate Change Mitigation and Low-Carbon Economy Act[12] and Bill 34 repealed the Green Energy Act. Bill 32 amended the Ontario Energy Board Act to spread of the cost of expanding the natural gas distribution system to all rate-payers rather than those immediately benefiting from the expansion. Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, retracted the planned 2019 increase to the minimum wage while tying future increases to a calculation of inflation, replaced a mandatory provision for all employees to be provided two paid sick days with unpaid leave days, eliminated mandatory pay-equity for part-time and casual workers, deleted the allowance of a trade union to obtain a list of employees and closed the Ontario College of Trades.[13] Bill 57 was an omnibus bill that made numerous amendments to various acts, including closing the office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, and the office of the Environmental Commissioner, repeals the Ontario Place Corporation Act and the Trillium Trust Act, expanding the area Metrolinx provides service to while deleting the requirement that it consider all forms of transportation it is plans, exempting the Royal Canadian Legion from property taxes, allowing professional full-time fire-fighters to also work part-time at a different fire department,[14] increasing the maximum allowable contributions that can be made to political parties while removing the prohibition of MLAs from attending fund-raising events, proclaiming March 27, 2019, to be Special Hockey Day, creating a Low-Income Individuals and Families tax credit, closing the offices of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner and the French Language Services Commissioner while moving their duties to the offices of the Integrity Commissioner and the Ombudsman, respectively.[15] Also, Bill 36 created a licensing system for private cannabis retail stores and allowed cannabis consumption in all areas where the smoking of tobacco is allowed and Bill 67 disallowed strike action by the unionized workers of the Ontario Power Generation.[16]
In the spring 2019 sitting, several more bills were adopted. The Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act (Bill 66) was another omnibus bill that amended numerous unrelated acts, as well as repealed the Pawnbrokers Act, the Toxics Reduction Act, 2009, and the Wireless Services Agreements Act, 2013. Bill 48 amended several education-related acts to make provisions for service animals in schools, require applicants for the Ontario College of Teachers to demonstrate proficiency in mathematics, and amend the provisions regarding teacher-student sexual abuse.[17] Bill 68 repealed and replaced the Police Services Act and the Police Oversight Act with the Community Safety and Policing Act and the Special Investigations Unit Act.[18] In addition to repealing the Lung Health Act, Bill 74 enacted the Connecting Care Act to create a new Crown agency titled Ontario Health intended to merge the 14 Local Health Integration Network and several crown agencies such as Cancer Care Ontario, the Gift of Life Network, eHealth Ontario, HealthForceOntario, and provide the ability for the government to create Integrated Care Delivery Systems (or Health Teams) to deliver health care services.[19] Bill 115 terminated the province's agreement with The Beer Store in favour of making alcoholic beverages available for sale through grocery stores and convenience outlets.[20] Bill 107 transferred, to Metrolinx from the City of Toronto, the responsibility for designing and developing rapid transit within the city.[21] Bill 108 amended 13 acts, including the Endangered Species Act by inserting new abilities for the Ministry of the Environment to delay listing species on the endangered list and provide exemptions from the protections under the act for listed species,[22] the Environmental Assessment Act by allowing for exemptions to routine class environmental assessments, the Ontario Heritage Act by creating a formal process for property owners to appeal a heritage designation, the Development Charges Act and Planning Act regarding what and how certain services may be charged development cost charges, community benefits charges and municipal parkland acquisitions, allow for inclusionary zoning and create lower timelines for local governments to decide on rezoning and subdivision applications, and the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal Act by amending the practices and procedures of the tribunal.
Few bills were adopted during the fall 2019 sitting but they amended, created or repealed numerous acts. Bill 136 repealed the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and replaced it with the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act.[23] Bill 124 caps public sector wage increases to no more than 1% per year.[24] Bill 138 repealed the Toronto Stock Exchange Act; enacted the Egyptian Heritage Month Act, the Hellenic Heritage Month Act, the Provincial Day of Action on Litter Act, and the Supply Chain Management (Government, Broader Public Sector and Health Sector Entities) Act; repealed and replaced the Liquor Licence Act and the Wine Content and Labelling Act with the new Liquor Licence and Control Act; amended cannabis-related acts to allow for online and telephone purchases from private cannabis retail stores and allowed peace officers and judges to refer a youth to an education program rather than pursuing conviction of a cannabis offense, and created a lower aviation fuel tax rate applicable to purchases made in Northern Ontario. Bill 132, aimed at red tape reduction eliminated or lowered certain penalties for contravening the Environmental Protection Act; repealed the Residential Complex Sales Representation Act, Local Planning Appeal Support Centre Act, Farm Products Grades and Sales Act, Partnerships for Jobs and Growth Act, Paperback and Periodical Distributors Act, Statute Labour Act, and the Freshwater Fish Marketing Act; permits Algoma University and Ontario College of Art & Design University to award degrees and diplomas in all branches of learning; and amended Pesticides Act to allow for more use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes, among other provisions.[25]
Timeline of the 42nd Parliament of Ontario
The following notable events occurred during the 2018–present period:
- July 11, 2018: The 42nd Parliament of Ontario begins its first session. Ted Arnott, MPP for Wellington—Halton Hills, is elected as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.[26]
- July 12, 2018: Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell addresses the speech from the throne.[27]
- November 2, 2018: Progressive Conservative MPP Jim Wilson (Simcoe—Grey) resigns from cabinet and the PC caucus after allegations of sexual misconduct.[28]
- November 29, 2018: Progressive Conservative MPP Amanda Simard (Glengarry–Prescott–Russell) leaves the PC caucus after opposing the government's cuts to French-language services.[29]
- February 20, 2019: Progressive Conservative MPP Randy Hillier (Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston) is suspended from the PC caucus by Premier Doug Ford for being disrespectful toward parents concerned about cuts to autism funding.[30]
- July 31, 2019: Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers (Ottawa—Vanier) resigns from the legislature accept a position as Principal of Massey College at the University of Toronto.[31]
- September 20, 2019: Liberal Marie-France Lalonde (Orléans) resigns from the legislature after being nominated as the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for the federal riding of Orléans in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[32]
- January 16, 2020: Independent MPP Amanda Simard (Glengarry–Prescott–Russell) joins the Liberal caucus.[33]
- July 21, 2020: Progressive Conservative MPP Belinda Karahalios (Cambridge) is removed from the PC caucus after voting against a government bill extending emergency powers for up to two years.[34]
- January 15, 2021: Progressive Conservative MPP Roman Baber (York Centre) is removed from the PC caucus after releasing an open letter to end the province-wide lockdown, saying it was "deadlier than COVID".[35]
- January 18, 2021: Independent MPP Belinda Karahalios (Cambridge) forms the New Blue Party of Ontario caucus in the Legislative Assembly.[36]
Summary of seat changes
| Seat | Date | Member | Reason | Previous Party | Party After |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simcoe—Grey | November 2, 2018[28] | Jim Wilson | Resigned from cabinet and caucus due to allegations of sexual misconduct. | █ PC | █ Independent |
| Glengarry—Prescott—Russell | November 29, 2018[29] | Amanda Simard | Resigned from caucus after opposing the government's cuts to francophone services. | █ PC | █ Independent |
| Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston | February 20, 2019[30] | Randy Hillier | Suspended from caucus after autism comments. | █ PC | █ Independent |
| Ottawa—Vanier | July 31, 2019[31] | Nathalie Des Rosiers | Resigned to accept position at Massey College of the University of Toronto. | █ Liberal | Vacant |
| Orléans | September 20, 2019[32] | Marie-France Lalonde | Resigned to run in the federal election for its equivalent seat. | █ Liberal | Vacant |
| Glengarry—Prescott—Russell | January 16, 2020[33] | Amanda Simard | Joined Liberal Party. | █ Independent | █ Liberal |
| Ottawa—Vanier | February 27, 2020[37] | Lucille Collard | Won By-Election. | Vacant | █ Liberal |
| Orléans | February 27, 2020[37] | Stephen Blais | Won By-Election. | Vacant | █ Liberal |
| Cambridge | July 21, 2020[34] | Belinda Karahalios | Removed from caucus after voting against Bill 195. | █ PC | █ Independent |
| York Centre | January 15, 2021[38] | Roman Baber | Removed from caucus after speaking out against lockdown. | █ PC | █ Independent |
| Cambridge | January 18, 2021 | Belinda Karahalios | Co-created (alongside with her husband) the New Blue Party, and officially joined soon right after. | █ Independent | █ New Blue |
Party standings
| Affiliation | Leader | Status | Members | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressive Conservative | Doug Ford | Government | 71 | |
| New Democratic | Andrea Horwath | Official Opposition | 40 | |
| Liberal | Steven Del Duca | Unrecognized | 8 | |
| Green | Mike Schreiner | Unrecognized | 1 | |
| New Blue | Jim Karahalios | Unrecognized | 1 | |
| Independent | 3 | |||
| Total | 124 | |||
| Government Majority | 19 | |||
Membership changes
| Party | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun. 7 | Nov. 2 | Nov. 29 | Feb. 20 | Jul. 31 | Sep. 20 | Jan. 16 | Feb. 27 | Jul. 21 | Jan. 15 | Jan. 18 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | 76 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 71 | ||||||
| New Democratic | 40 | |||||||||||
| Liberal | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | |||||||
| Green | 1 | |||||||||||
| New Blue | – | 1 | ||||||||||
| Independent | – | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ||||
| Total members | 124 | 123 | 122 | 124 | ||||||||
| Vacant | – | 1 | 2 | – | ||||||||
Seating plan
List of members
Officeholders
Officeholders in the Legislature
Other Chair occupants
- Deputy Speaker and Chair of the Committee of the Whole: Rick Nicholls[39]
- First Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole: Lisa Gretzky[39]
- Second Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole: Percy Hatfield[39]
- Third Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole: Jennifer French[39]
Party leaders
- Premier of Ontario: Hon. Doug Ford (Progressive Conservative)
- Leader of the Opposition: Andrea Horwath (New Democratic)
- Leader of the Liberal Party:
- John Fraser (interim, June 14, 2018 - March 7, 2020; parliamentary leader, March 8, 2020 – present)
- Steven Del Duca (March 7, 2020 – present) (from outside the legislature)
- Leader of the Green Party: Mike Schreiner
- Leader of the New Blue Party: Jim Karahalios
Floor leaders
- Government House Leader: Paul Calandra
- Opposition House Leader: Gilles Bisson
- Liberal House Leader: Kathleen Wynne
Whips
- Chief Government Whip: Lorne Coe
- Official Opposition Whip: John Vanthof
- Liberal Whip: Mitzie Hunter
References
- Denette, Nathan (June 8, 2018). "Doug Ford has won Ontario's election. What happens now? A guide". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- D'Mello, Colin (June 13, 2018). "Ford looks to push 'urgent' items on agenda; may recall legislature early". CTV News. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob (July 11, 2018). "Ted Arnott is the new Speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- Grenier, Eric (June 8, 2018). "Doug Ford promised to deliver the GTA for the Ontario PCs and that's what he did". CBC News. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- McQuigge, Michelle (June 10, 2018). "What does losing official party status mean in Ontario?". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- Rieti, Joihn (June 29, 2018). "Ontario PC cabinet puts big-name politicians in top roles". CBC News. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- Westoll, Nick (November 2, 2018). "Jim Wilson, Ontario's economic development minister, resigns to seek treatment for 'addiction issues'". Global News. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- Powers, Lucas (June 20, 2019). "Fedeli, MacLeod, Thompson all demoted in major Ontario cabinet shuffle by Ford". CBC News. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- "Doug Ford names 31 MPPs as parliamentary assistants, each getting $16K on top of six-figure salaries". CBC News. June 26, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- Walsh, Marieke (July 26, 2018). "Ford government passes omnibus bill to end strike, limit Hydro One powers, cancel wind farm". iPolitics. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- Westoll, Nick (August 14, 2018). "Bill to cut number of Toronto city councillors passes final reading at Queen's Park". Global News. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- Loriggio, Paola (October 31, 2018). "Ontario government passes legislation to cancel cap-and-trade". Global News. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- Crawley, Mike (October 23, 2018). "Ford government freezing $14 minimum wage as part of labour reform rollbacks". Global News. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- Walker, Mike (December 12, 2018). "New law allows firefighters to 'double-hat'". CTV News. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- Powers, Lucas (November 15, 2018). "Ontario PCs slash spending and oversight, unveil tax cut and new LCBO hours in 1st economic plan". CBC News. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- Benzie, Robert (December 20, 2018). "MPPs vote to prevent power workers' strike". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- Crawley, Mike (October 25, 2018). "New teachers must pass math test, Ford government proposes". CBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- Flaherty, Dave (February 26, 2019). "Significant changes planned for Police Services Act, SIU". The Oshawa Express. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- "Ontario Government's Healthcare Reform Legislation, Bill 74, The People's Health Care Act, 2019" (PDF). Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- Rocca, Ryan (June 6, 2019). "Ford government announces expansion of alcohol sales to hundreds of new stores". Global News. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- Artuso, Antonella (June 4, 2019). "TTC upload bill passes, new rules for drivers too". Toronto Sun. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- Allen, Kate (May 3, 2019). "Sweeping changes buried in housing bill called 'doomsday scenario' for Ontario's endangered species". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- "Provincial inspectors taking over animal welfare calls come 2020". CBC News. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- McGrath, John Michael (June 6, 2019). "Everything you need to know about the public-sector salary cap". TVOntario. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- Nick, Boisvert (October 29, 2019). "Ford government attacks red tape in new bill, but environmentalists say it goes too far". CBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
- "Ted Arnott, Wellington-Halton Hills MPP, elected Speaker at Queen's Park". CBC News. The Canadian Press. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- "Doug Ford's government lays out agenda in Ontario throne speech". CBC News. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- Goodfield, Kayla (November 7, 2018). "Ford confirms PC MPP Jim Wilson resigned over sexual misconduct allegation". CP24. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- "MPP Amanda Simard leaving PCs, will sit as an independent". CBC News. November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- "MPP Randy Hillier suspended from Ontario PC caucus after autism debate". CBC News. February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- "Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers officially resigns". Ottawa Citizen. July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- Pfeffer, Amanda. "Lalonde wins Orléans nomination as voters say they were turned away". Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- "Ex-PC MPP Amanda Simard joins Ontario Liberals". CBC News. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- Sharkie, Jackey (21 July 2020). "Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios booted from PC caucus after voting against COVID-19 emergency bill". CBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- "York Centre MPP removed from caucus after saying lockdown is "deadlier than COVID"". 680news.com. Rogers Digital Media. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- Belinda C. Karahalios, Ontario Legislative Assembly, retrieved January 27, 2021
- "Ontario Liberals win provincial byelections in Ottawa-Vanier, Orléans". Global News. February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- "Premier Ford ejects MPP Roman Baber after speaking out against lockdown". torontosun. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- "July 18, 2018 Hansard" (PDF).