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Photo by Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press

“The premier’s secret plot to interfere in municipal elections is the act of a bully, not a leader. He never campaigned on it. He never consulted anyone on it, and now he has no mandate whatsoever to inflict his own will on the people of Toronto, Niagara, Peel, York and Muskoka with the most antidemocratic action that this province has seen in years. When did he decide to be a bully instead of a premier?” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath asked on Monday, leading off the week.

“Why didn’t the premier tell the people about his secret plan to rip up Toronto’s wards and cancel regional elections?” she asked in her first question Tuesday.

“Why, throughout the entire election campaign, did the premier not once talk about his plan to rip up Toronto’s wards, cancel regional elections and take power away from millions of voters?” she asked Wednesday, repeating herself.

“Why is this premier making it harder for citizens to access their councillors, harder for people of Toronto to have their voices heard?” Toronto NDP MPP Peter Tabuns led off on Thursday. Horwath held a “democracy rally” on the Queen’s Park lawn.

Tuesday, the New Democrats used one question to ask why the Tories weren’t answering their questions. Wednesday, after Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod announced she’d halve a promised increase in welfare rates and prematurely end an experiment with a universal basic income, the NDP broke the pattern, devoting only three of eight questions to local elections. Thursday, all eight of their questions were about local elections again. The legislature doesn’t sit on Fridays, so that was it.