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Throne Speech masks Doug Ford’s pandemic deception

Strength. Determination. Compassion. Generosity. Grit.

Those are the words the Ford government highlighted in its Speech from the Throne delivered by Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell to open the fall session of the Legislature on Monday.

They can definitely be used to describe the efforts of Ontarians in the 18-months-long (and counting) slog against COVID-19. Whether they’re an apt description of the Ford government’s efforts – not so much. 

The Ford government can rightly claim that compared to other provinces, Ontario has fared better than most when it comes to its pandemic response. 

But the Ford government can’t paper over the fact that for long stretches of the pandemic it left Ontarians in long-term care, frontline health care workers in hospital ICUs, and businesses decimated by avoidable serial lockdowns to fend for themselves. The premier too was MIA for weeks at a time, including over the summer as a fourth wave took hold.

On long-term care, the government says now that it’s committing “to fix the structural problems that have long plagued the sector” with legislation this fall “to protect residents through better accountability, enforcement and transparency.” But the promise rings hollow given the fact that Ford’s friends in the for-profit LTC sector have practically gotten away with murder when it comes to their treatment of residents during the pandemic. It may be harsh to say, but what do you call it when residents are allowed to waste away in soiled diapers for days from neglect?

While it may be fair game for the Ford government to blame “structural problems” for some of the issues, it’s also true that the government ignored its duty to protect residents, inspecting a mere nine of some 626 LTC homes in the province that were not the subject of complaints. The government also provided cover for its friends in the LTC sector by removing the right of residents and families to sue for neglect.

In late August, the Ford government also announced a $2 to $3 per hour increase in pay to Personal Support Workers in long-term care, but that’s temporary and is set to expire this month.

Then there’s the fallout the Ford government’s indifference has wrought in the education system during the pandemic, in particular the mental health of kids. In fact, there’s no mention of education in the Throne Speech. The word doesn’t appear once in the document which no doubt has something to do with the fact that even as the pandemic raged, the province failed to spend the money necessary to keep kids safe and then added insult by quietly pushing through a cut of $1.6 billion in funding in 2021.

The post-pandemic recovery is an emphasis in the Throne Speech.

To that end, the Ford government says it “remains steadfast in its commitment to an economic and fiscal recovery that is fuelled by economic growth, not painful tax hikes or spending cuts.” It mentions the building of roads and highways and plans to expand public transit as ways of stimulating that economic growth. There’s also money for hospital expansions to win crucial 905 votes come next spring’s election.

It then drops a whopper: “Throughout the pandemic, your government has never hesitated to spend what is necessary to protect lives and support families and businesses.” That is demonstrably false. 

The Financial Accountability Office has on two separate occasions noted that the Ford government has underspent its budget for pandemic response by at least $5.6 billion. In fact, thanks to huge transfers for pandemic support programs from the feds, the Ford government’s deficit for this year is $22.1 billion (that’s with a “b”) lower than projected.

The Throne Speech also commits the government “to engage with Indigenous communities in true partnership as we continue the work toward meaningful reconciliation.” 

It seems a curious bit for a government that has consistently given the shaft to First Nations. It’s hard to believe that the nice words don’t have more to do with the Ford government’s efforts to open up the 5,000 kilometre-square, mineral-rich “Ring of Fire” in Northern Ontario to mining development.

The province announced the building of a road into the area just before the pandemic hit in March 2020 and has signed agreements with two First Nations. But some 21 chiefs within Robinson-Huron Treaty lands who say they never ceded jurisdiction over their territories are staunchly opposed to development in the area. Earlier this year a coalition of environmental groups joined their call for an “immediate moratorium” on all mineral exploration in the region.

Strength. Determination. Compassion. Generosity. Grit. We might add deception to that list where the Ford government’s pandemic response is concerned.

@enzodimatteo

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