Ontario fast-tracking several bills with little or no debate

A person walks through Queen's Park in Toronto, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, including one that would extend voting subsidies to political parties, which opposition leaders say points to an early election call.

On Wednesday afternoon, the province tabled a bill that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.

That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.

Government House Leader Steve Clark said he approached the opposition parties recently about the program, which was set to expire at the end of 2024. Premier Doug Ford had railed against the subsidy while running for the Progressive Conservative leadership in 2018, when he called it "political welfare."

"This is something that will provide a level playing field and certainty into 2027," Clark said.

"So it's something we're all on the same page -- it doesn't matter what political stripe, everybody's agreeing."

The government has also significantly reduced debate and committee time on a proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.

It also cut debating time to pass the fall economic statement legislation that enables $200 cheques to be mailed out to taxpayers.

The legislature resumed last month after an unusually long summer break, and Clark said since only four sitting weeks remain before the winter holiday break, he needs to get legislation moving.

"I accept what I inherited, which was a very limited time," he said this week.

"I've been an MPP for 14 years. This is the shortest session that I can remember in recent memory and the government's got a busy agenda. We want to get people moving. We want to get things done. And that's exactly what's going to happen in the next four weeks."

Opposition leaders said Thursday the quicker passage of several government bills is yet another sign of an early election call, which Ford has not ruled out.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she wouldn’t be surprised if the government decided to end this legislative sitting early – as short as it already is – and not even come back after Family Day, the typical end to the winter break.

“Their whole focus has always been distract, deflect, and then get the hell out of here," she said.

"I think the government's getting ready for an election, without question."

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said it seems as though the government wants all of its major legislation passed before the next break.

"I think the government is clearly trying to clear the decks because the premier is more interested in playing politics with a possible early election call than he is in actually governing for the people of Ontario," he said.

Yet the opposition parties welcomed one sped-up bill: the voting subsidy extension.

That will see the Progressive Conservatives take in $1.2 million quarterly, the Liberals $715,000, the New Democrats $710,000 and the Green Party $178,000.

The subsidy is a "fair and equal way of ensuring that we fund democracy," said Liberal parliamentary leader John Fraser.

"What it does mean is your vote doesn't just count as a vote at the ballot box, it also counts as supporting the party that you voted for and putting forward the things that are important to you," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.