Ontarians concerned with economy, jobs, cost of living as legislature returns

Premier Doug Ford’s government returns to Queen’s Park tomorrow after a short spring session.

Issues on unemployment, health care and cost of living remain priorities for Ontarians.

“I think we’re gonna see a lot of drama. There’s been a lot of pent-up frustration coming back,” said Will Stewart, senior vice president of Enterprise Canada.

When legislators return to Queen’s Park Monday they’ll be sitting in a house whose walls have been repainted and the artwork changed by Speaker Donna Skelly.

But political analysts suspect Ford’s government might be in for a fairly rambunctious session.

“You’ve got a very neutered third party with no leader, a reduced seat count for the Liberals,” said Stewart.

On top of that, the Ontario provincial legislature will only sit for a short but intense seven weeks that opposition parties fear is becoming a new and undemocratic norm. The legislature has only been in session for 23 days this year.

“I think the opposition parties are really unhappy with the inability to ask questions of the government to try and hold it to account. And the government seems quite pleased, actually, with that status quo and of ignoring the opposition,” said Peter Graefe, professor of political science at McMaster University.

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Graefe says the issue of unemployment should be a priority when session resumes Monday morning.

“I think the most important thing for people to get by is jobs. The recession, the plant closures that we’re seeing — need a strategy for how you’re going to respond to preserve those capacities in communities and let people whose jobs were lost find other work that uses their skills,” said Graefe.

Aside from unemployment, which hit 7.9 per cent in September – the highest it’s been in four years — Ontarians are also concerned how the Ford government will tackle other issues close to home.

“I do see that education and healthcare and other items are starting to rise back up in the polling in terms of issues that Ontarians are concerned about. But I do see in the majority of polls that the economy and cost of living continue to be really outstripping other issues, across trend over time of course,” said Stewart.

Despite these concerns, critics say the Ford government has not given enough concrete answers and solutions to some of these problems.

“We have a Conservative government that ultimately believes that we’re better off if we pay lower taxes and have less government in our lives,” said Graefe.

During the first fall session at least 50 bills will be up for discussion — including Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act 2025, that would significantly alter the province’s education and child welfare systems.

Policing-Free Schools, a community-based organization, is holding a rally Monday at 10 a.m. to oppose the bill when the legislature opens.

CHCH News will be at Queen’s Park tomorrow on Morning Live and the Evening News.

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