Article author:
The Canadian Press
Allison Jones
TORONTO — The Ontario legislature is due to reopen this week for the first time since Prime Minister Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative Party reelection, with politicians Coming back halfway through the medical staff crisis and inflation soaring.
Members will return on Monday to vote for the chairman, and on Tuesday the Throne Speech outlining the government's new agenda and a budget that is largely unchanged from when it was introduced but is expected not to pass. follows. spring before the election.
The prime minister is expected to acknowledge medical and economic pressures, but it is unclear whether new measures to address them will be added to the budget or to the throne
"The main agenda is the same as it was before and during the campaign: rebuilding Ontario's economy, getting more people into skilled jobs, and creating more jobs." It involves shoveling into the ground to build homes, roads, highways, transportation and other critical infrastructure," said a senior government source.
“The government also reiterates how it supports the health system, especially in light of the current pressures.
Since the June elections, nursing staff shortages have left hospitals ended up closing community emergency departments statewide for hours or days.
Nursing groups, hospital executives, other medical professionals and advocates say he has been on the front lines of COVID-19 for more than two years and has been burned out for not receiving adequate compensation. , says it is causing people to leave the profession. drive.
Health Secretary Sylvia Jones on Thursday sent a directive to the Ontario College of Nursing to register internationally educated nurses "as soon as possible" and to make every effort to enable them to practice in the province. instructed to work hard.
Opposition critics and nursing groups say the College of Nursing directive will not result in the state doing everything in its power to address the situation, as Ford recently promised. 40}
The main demand they have is the repeal of Bill 124. This is a 2019 law that limits wage increases for public sector workers, including nurses, to 1% a year for three years of her. Nursing groups say some nurses could be encouraged to retire if the bill goes away.
When the questioning period resumes on Wednesday, opposition parties are expected to press the government for solutions to the medical staff shortage, including repealing Bill 124, which they have long argued.
NDP Interim Leader Peter Tubbs said Bill 124 was emblematic of the Ford government's attitude toward health workers.
"I think that's part of the problem we're having right now, not just hiring," Tabuns said at a press conference on Friday.
"[This is] a very clear signal from the state government to say all sorts of nice things about you, but in the end, I'm not willing to pay. .on the table to make your life better.
The Liberals failed to regain enough seats in Parliament to gain status as a full-fledged party, so technically will again sit as an independent, but interim party leader John Fraser said their priorities were health care and affordability, including disability support rates.
"You can't live on what you get," Fraser said in an interview.
Ford pledged to increase disability assistance payments by 5% during the campaign, the only new measure he suggested would be included in the reintroduced budget.
Fees have been frozen since 2018, allowing one ODSP to receive up to $1,169 per month for basic needs and shelter. Proponents say that's too low and should instead double payments, especially given that inflation hovered around 8%.
Congress' first job was to It is to elect a chairman, and two progressive Conservatives are expected to vie for the role. Ted Arnott, who has been Speaker of the House for the past four years, will take on Nina Tangri, who has served as Deputy Minister for Small Business and Reducing Red tape.
The vote was by secret ballot, but the opposition NDP indicated that its members would vote for Arnott.
"He has shown himself to be fair and impartial in his dealings," said Tubbs.
If Tangri is elected, she will be the first woman to hold the position, and while Tabuns acknowledged this would be an important milestone, he would not change his vote.
"We think it's good to have a female speaker, but there may be another woman on another occasion," he said.
The Tory Party, which holds a sizeable majority, has not made clear who its caucus members support.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 7, 2022.
