What to know
- Ontario MPPs won’t return to Queen’s Park until Oct. 27, resulting in a 146-day summer break.
- The extended recess comes after just over seven weeks of legislative sittings this spring.
- Premier Doug Ford says government work will continue through committees, ministerial orders and outreach efforts.
- Ford plans to spend the summer travelling across the U.S. and Canada to promote Ontario and attract investment.
Premier Doug Ford is defending his government’s decision to take an extended 21-week summer break, arguing that just because the legislature isn’t sitting doesn’t mean work isn’t getting done.
On Tuesday, just two days before the Ontario legislature was set to rise for the summer, Government House Leader Steve Clark confirmed MPPs won’t return to Queen’s Park until Oct. 27. Clark suggested an earlier return could interfere with municipal elections across the province, scheduled for Oct. 26.
The 146-day break follows just over seven weeks of legislative sittings and comes after a 14-week winter recess.
In total, MPPs have spent 30 days in the legislature this year — 11 of which Ford was reportedly absent for.
Speaking to reporters on his way out of Queen’s Park on Tuesday, Ford pushed back against any suggestion that he’ll be taking it easy over the coming months.
“No one could question my work ethic,” the premier said, adding that he barely had time for the brief exchange with reporters. “I am jammed from six in the morning and don’t get home until midnight every single night.”
Ford said his schedule over the summer includes several trips to the United States focused on promoting Ontario and attracting investment. He listed planned stops in Utah, Washington and South Carolina, along with trips within Canada, including Alberta.
“Committees still sit, government still runs, we still pass things through ministerial orders, and we’re going full steam,” he explained. “Rather than sitting here and arguing with each other, we’re actually going to get out there and talk to the people and start bringing more jobs to Ontario.”
