The Ford government was given a stern rebuke of democracy | Daily News Byte

After months of events at Queen’s Park — including the use of the notwithstanding clause — Ontario’s lieutenant-governor called on Ontario MPPs to uphold democratic values ​​in Ontario’s legislature.

Said Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell delivered a year-end speech to Ontario lawmakers shortly after giving royal assent to Bill 39 and warned of the “fragility of democracy” — a speech some interpreted as mild criticizing the recent policies of the Ford government.

“I feel a heavy weight … to protect and preserve something that we all hold dear and that is our democracy,” Dowdeswell told a hushed legislature Thursday. “Everyone has a role to play in a democracy.”

Dowdeswell, speaking off the record, told MPPs that democracy is “more than a vote” but rather a deliberate choice that elected officials make every day.

“This is a place where the visions and the voices of Ontarians should be heard,” said Dowdeswell. “This is a place where thoughtful discussion takes place on issues that matter.

“This is what Ontarians expect.”

The comments come after a controversial few months at Queen’s Park that saw the Ford government, which was re-elected in June, face heavy criticism for passing new laws that have been called undemocratic.

In November, the government tabled Bill 28, which called for a notwithstanding clause to strip the Canadian Union of Public Employees of their democratic right to collective bargaining, and enforced a contract with 55,000 education support workers.

The bill was later repealed after the government faced fierce opposition and threats of a potential general strike.

On Thursday, the government passed new legislation to give Toronto Mayor John Tory the power to pass laws with the one-third support of city council — which Premier Doug Ford claims is not a “trampling” of democracy.

While Dowdeswell’s office maintains that he regularly comments on the state of democracy in Canada and around the world, opposition MPPs are reading between the lines.

“I think it’s a pretty timely commentary on what’s going on in Ontario,” said NDP interim leader Peter Tabuns.

“I think the particular message to this government is that when you disrupt democracy, you create a lot of anger and you set things up for disruption down the road.”

Government house leader Paul Calandra said while his message was “well received,” he believed Dowdeswell was discussing low voter turnout in successive election campaigns and did not view his remarks as a rebuke

“We’ve done a lot in the legislative assembly to restore rights to members, to make sure they have the utmost ability to represent the people of Ontario,” Calandra told reporters.

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.