After shutting down the Legislature in Ontario for a 20-year record of 147 days, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has returned to continue his dismantling of democracy in Ontario.
While distracting the people pouring out a bottle of crown royal and removing speed cameras, calling them a tax grab, Ford is continuing his alarming authoritarian pattern. He is dismantling democratic rights in Bill 33, Bill 40, and Bill 60 which further reduces renters’ rights. Let’s look at Ford’s record of our democratic rights he has already dismantled.
In the legislature, our elected representatives have had their democratic power reduced. Ford’s quest for authoritarian power is shown by his concentration of power in the Premier’s office. Since 2018, Ford has severely reduced parliamentary scrutiny with omnibus legislation, flooding the zone with bills, attempting to overwhelm the opposition. He has reduced time allocated for debate, and invoked closure, allowing the government to conclude debate and force a vote on any matter.
Since first being elected Ford has continued an unprecedented transfer of power to the premier’s office and has shown an unprecedented cruelty by a government to the vulnerable and marginalized.
Homelessness has increased because of Ford’s Bill 184 The Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act. It was called “the eviction bill” because it gave investor corporations more power to evict tenants so they can increase rents.
At the same time Ford has threatened to fine those in homeless encampments $10,000 and has threatened them with six months in jail. Homeless people don’t even have $10 to buy food. As a result of Ford’s legislation child poverty, which was supposed to be eliminated by the year 2000, has also increased.
Ford’s dismantling of democracy started quietly in his first term and is now quickly accelerating.
Ford has repeatedly shown his disdain for democracy in the same alarming pattern as the Mike Harris government of the late 1990s. At every turn, Ford has eliminated public hearings and all public input. Ford has implemented Ministerial Zoning Orders more than 114 times, overriding local democracy.
Ford’s giving of strong mayor powers is a prime example of subverting democracy, where mayors now have the power to override decisions by democratically elected councilors. Like US President Donald Trump, Ford has installed loyalists in every government agency and tribunal.
Ford replaced the Ontario Municipal Board with the Ontario Land Tribunal, where a lone provincial loyalist has the power to decide on appeals overriding locally elected officials again.
Ford’s Building Highways Faster Act gets rid of environmental assessments for highways.
In every public policy area, regulations protecting the public and the environment, Ford has been marginalized as red tape.
Ford’s omnibus Bill 57 made changes to 56 existing laws affecting almost every government department. Bill 57 also eliminated three offices of the legislature: The Ontario Child Advocate, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, and French Language Services.
Ford has now taken over five school boards and installed loyalists there too.
Both Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, and now Bill 33, The Supporting Children and Students Act give unprecedented and enormous unchecked power to Ford and his ministers.
Previously Ford brought in Bill 165 the Keeping Energy Costs Down Act giving themselves more power and removed “procedural fairness” entirely.
Another example is Bill 218 Supporting Ontario’s Recovery Act which shielded private owners of long-term care facilities from being sued for negligence where thousands died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now Ford has shielded himself from being sued for removing bike lanes where people will likely be injured or killed.
Ford’s decision to close safe injection sites will also likely cause more deaths.
The most serious threat to the public’s health and safety is Ford’s cancellation of the most effective low-cost way of detecting disease risk to the public, wastewater testing. Ford saved a few bucks.
But now Ford is spending millions on a propaganda campaign telling us how mining the “Ring of Fire” is going to save Ontario from Trump. Many questions arise from his “Ring of Fire ad campaign. Where did Ford get the data that 70,000 jobs would be created? Just how does cutting down the last boreal forest in the world and mining these minerals going to keep us safe and secure from Trump? The only people that are going to benefit from exploiting the ring of fire mineral extraction are Ford’s wealthy contributors.
Healthcare affects every person in Ontario. Ford’s most egregious actions are his aggressive drive to privatize healthcare with Bill74, Bill 175 and Bill 60. These three bills gave the Minister of Health wide ranging powers to privatize healthcare in Ontario.
The crisis in healthcare continues to get much worse. Ford follows the Conservative plan of creating a crisis by cutting and underfunding public services like healthcare and education. Then presents privatization as the solution, while at the same time taking away our democratic power of public input and oversight.
Ford is only focused on increasing his power and control. Like Trump, Ford is Only “getting it done” for his wealthy friends,
Ford is quietly undoing the things that once made Ontario a good place to live.
Democracy matters. Now more than ever. Speak up before it’s gone.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
