Toronto - Party leaders in Ontario will meet on Tuesday as the legislature resumes its session a few weeks before the June elections.

Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government will introduce another legislation within its annual budget, which must be presented before voters head to the polls. The spending plan, expected to be presented before the end of March, will likely provide an early look at the re-election agenda of Ford's government.

This budget may include promised cuts to the provincial fuel tax, which Ford said would come before the next budget, or an income tax reduction promised in the 2018 election campaign. One unclear issue so far is the pending deal with Ottawa regarding its $10-a-day childcare plan, which is still under negotiation despite all other provinces and territories having signed on.

Measures to address the skyrocketing home prices in the province—which have nearly tripled in the past decade despite slowing income growth—appear to be one of the areas on which Ford's government will focus before concluding the session.

A task force focused on housing affordability convened by the provincial government last year recommended in its final report that the province increase density and limit consultations to rapidly build more homes, among other recommendations. It set a target of building 1.5 million homes in 10 years.

Housing Minister Steve Clark told the Canadian press this month that he intends to enact some solutions through legislation or regulations sometime before the election.

The housing affordability crisis has also been one of the top issues for opposition parties as they set their priorities ahead of the week's session.

New Democratic leader Andrea Horwath said the "brutal" housing costs that have made people unable to buy homes or keep up with skyrocketing rents must be addressed.

The opposition leader said pandemic recovery should also be a priority, pointing to financial support for businesses, workers, and the health system. Her party also intends to introduce legislation drafted with the National Council of Canadian Muslims to address Islamophobia and racism.

Horwath told reporters on Friday, "We know the election is coming, but we can actually use this session to introduce solutions that would really help people get through this pandemic."

She said the government should focus on helping people, not on the timing of the June election.

She said, "I hope they prioritize supporting ordinary people." "I don't want to see Doug Ford come out of the campaign in the next three months."

Mike Schreiner of the Ontario Greens, who currently holds his party's only seat in the legislature—aiming to expand the caucus on June 2—said addressing housing affordability is also a top priority, along with climate crisis solutions that take affordability concerns into account.

He said, "The Greens have solutions to these problems, but it requires Ford's government to work across party lines and jurisdictions and focus on what is best for the people of Ontario, not partisan politics."

The Liberals, who will fight to regain seats lost after their 2018 defeat to Ford's Conservatives, also intend to focus on affordability and pandemic response.

The party, led by Steven Del Duca, plans to call for a final childcare deal, expand access to rapid COVID-19 testing, and introduce legislation adding COVID-19 vaccines to the list of school immunizations.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair