Okay — What is Going on in Ontario Right Now?

On Tuesday, May 8th, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (Her Honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell O.C. O.Ont), acting on the advice of the Premier, put all 107 of Ontario’s elected representatives out of a job. That is to say, she dissolved the Legislative Assembly, ending its life and the terms of office of its members.

The next day, as required by the Ontario Elections Act after dissolution, Her Honour issued writs of election for the 124 electoral districts that will choose representatives for the 42nd Parliament of Ontario. Election day is June 7th, 2018. The representatives we (the voters) elect will become legislators at Queen’s Park in Toronto, and as such, they will be called upon to supply the Ontario Government with money, study & implement the Government’s legislative agenda, and will also bring forward bills of their own (private member’s bills) that could eventually become law. More importantly, in our system of responsible government, the Premier and Executive Council who form the Government are chosen from the elected MPPs in the legislature based on their ability to command the “confidence” of a majority of the elected representatives there. Usually, that means the leader of the party with the most seats becomes Premier.

So the next few weeks could cause the current Government to fall and give rise to a new one, or re-affirm its power, and will almost certainly alter the policy priorities that affect all our day-to-day lives.

And This… Matters?

Canada’s federal system means we enjoy two co-equal orders of government, which cannot directly interfere with each other. The provincial government has direct authority over:

Healthcare

Education (primary, secondary, and post-secondary)

Municipal Government

Labour & Employment Standards

Energy

Natural Resource Development (shared with the federal gov’t)

Transportation & Traffic Laws

Child Welfare

Most policing

…And more! That’s not even a complete list (but it’s a pretty big one).

Tearing your hair out every time you get a hydro bill? Living in a rural community and wondering why there are no hospitals near you? Sick of 15-hour waits in the emergency room? Concerned about the new $14 minimum wage? Trying to find an affordable place to rent in Toronto and coming up short? All of these are things the provincial government has a hand in, and they are all election issues. The provincial government deals with services — stuff you see and feel in your every day life. It also charges taxes — on corporate income, personal income, and on the sale of goods — to pay for those services. For that reason, who gets to hold the highest offices in government matters, and voting is as much in your interest as it is a hard-fought and dearly held method of civic participation.

BUT THERE’S MORE. The election isn’t just about who forms government. Who your elected Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) is also affects you! Aside from being the link between the people in your local area (“riding”) and the Legislative Assembly & Government, a good MPP can make the difference between being able to navigate government resources, and being frustrated by them. When you’re confused by something on your tax bill, or if you’ve lost your health card & don’t know how to go about getting a new one, or you need help applying for social assistance, your MPP (and their office staff) is your first and best point of contact. Good MPPs can also become champions for important issues not big enough (or too local) to make it onto the Government’s agenda, and can play a strong role in holding the Government to account for those issues in the legislature, sometimes even implementing change through a private member’s bill.

In short, make a plan now to vote on June 7th or earlier. I’ll talk about how to do that shortly.