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Ford sets his agenda as parliament members meet in Queens Park

Ford sets his agenda as parliament members meet in Queens Park

By عبد السلام

Published: August 8, 2022

On Monday, the forty-third parliament in Ontario will convene at Queen's Park for a summer session after the June elections.

When members of parliament elect a speaker by ballot, Ted Arnott, the Progressive Conservative from Wellington-Halton Hills, will face a challenge from his colleague Nina Tangri, who represents Mississauga-Streetsville.

Officially, Premier Doug Ford is neutral on this matter. But unofficially, Ford and his inner circle support Tangri.

If elected as speaker, she will be the first woman to hold this position in Ontario's history.

Once the speaker is chosen, the Speech from the Throne can be requested, which will take place on Tuesday.

It will be read aloud in the legislature by the Lieutenant Governor, officially in Ontario, the speech is a political document that outlines the government's priorities.

Staff in the Premier's office have been drafting this speech over the past several weeks, and most of it will look very similar to the promises made during the election campaign, which included:

- Transportation infrastructure:

From building a subway in Toronto, an LRT system in Hamilton, Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass, and a range of regional road projects, Ford campaigned seriously to get Ontario moving again.

- Healthcare reform:

In 2018, one of Ford's big promises was healthcare reform. Although some early progress was made, the pandemic derailed its course.

It is creeping back now with ER closures and other shutdowns this summer. Expect to hear not only how the government will address some of this but also how it will build new hospitals or expand existing hospitals across the province.

Affordable housing: When most politicians talk about affordable housing, they mean income-based rent or some form of social housing.

Ford is determined to make buying a home affordable again for middle-class families struggling with rising home prices.

During the election, Ford promised to build 1.5 million homes over 10 years to increase supply and lower prices.

His plan has not been fully detailed yet, but given how much he discussed this during the election campaign, we should expect some hints in the speech.

- Municipal reform: He did not talk about municipal government reform during the provincial election campaign, but since then Ford has promised to introduce what is known as the strong mayor system in Toronto and Ottawa.

Currently, mayors essentially have the same votes as local councillors despite being elected citywide.

- Creating blue-collar jobs:

Much of what the government can and will do on this front has already happened.

Deals have been signed with all major car manufacturers in the province for expansion.

Several companies have decided to locate in Ontario as part of the electric vehicle supply chain.

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