MPPs 'optimistic' house will have respectful debate as they return to Queen's Park

As MPPs return to Queen's Park on Monday, Mike Schreiner hopes there's a new tone.

The Guelph MPP and leader of the Green Party of Ontario says Ontarians weren't thrilled with the "ugly" federal election this fall.

"Let's not forget that the tone at Queen's Park has just been as toxic over the past year," Schreiner told media gathered at a press conference in Toronto on Thursday.

He said many debates "descending into cheerleading and excessive heckling," which, he said, "only serves to divide us."

He said the Progressive Conservatives under Premier Doug Ford have changed positions on a few issues since taking power. One area he'd like to see the province backtrack is on fighting the federal carbon tax in court.

"We need more: More listening, more dialogue, more consultation, more collaboration and especially more respect," he said. "Good outcomes do not come from cutting first and thinking later."

No chance to hold government to account

Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, a member of the NDP which forms the Opposition, says she's not sure what tone MPPs will see on Monday.

She has spent the past five months meeting with constituents in her office, hearing their stories.

"But what has been missing is that accountability measure which is our time in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario where you can truly hold the government to account," Fife said in an interview.

"We have this pent up energy and we want to come back to Queen's Park and really educate this premier on how his cuts have been damaging the lives of the citizens of Ontario."

She called out Ford for being "essentially in hiding for the last five months" although "there were a few fishing photos posted."

Fife said she wants to address two-way, all-day GO train service and the need to have weekend trains and morning trains bringing people to Waterloo region.

She's heard from parents who are worried about the potential for a teachers' strikes this fall and post-secondary students concerned about cuts to their Ontario Student Assistance (OSAP) loans.

"Students have been in my office on many issues from affordability to housing and the health care file," Fife said. "The changes to the OSAP grants and loans have really affected students and their experience at our post-secondary institutions."

Trains, hospitals and supervised consumption sites

For his part, Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris says he's excited to return to Queen's Park because "we've got a lot of local priorities that we're going to keep fighting for."

That includes seeing more GO train service to and from Waterloo region as soon as possible. 

"Those are some things that are really going to be a focus for me and of course the other members here in Waterloo region and we're going to be pushing the ministry of transportation to start moving forward on some of those projects," he said.

The status of Cambridge Memorial Hospital is top of mind for Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios for Monday.

"The completion of the hospital is something that is extremely important to the residents of Cambridge and also people in the surrounding area who use Cambridge Memorial," she said.

She's also keen to make sure Cambridge does not get a supervised consumption and treatment site. She says instead, she'll be advocating to her provincial colleagues for more money for detox beds and treatment options.

"Let's take that extra step and hold their hand and say you know let's help you," she said of the approach they should be taking for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. "[Ask them] do you need housing? Do you need detox? Do you need rehab? What you need? And try to help these people."

'A day of reckoning is coming'

Schreiner said he'd met with the house leaders before his press conference on Thursday.

"It was a good start to the new legislative session that … independents are now being included in those conversations and I'm hoping that, you know, that's a step in the right direction to setting a new tone for the next sitting," Schreiner said, noting in the last session they weren't included in regular house leader meetings.

"The government itself has indicated that it wants to see a change in tone."

The Progressive Conservatives have called out the Opposition NDP for their behaviour in Queen's Park and vice versa.

Karahalios says she thinks people can be civil in this next session.

"I'm an eternal optimist that we will get back to the basics, which is having respectful debate in the house," she said, noting Speaker Ted Arnott often had to call MPPs to order for their behaviour.

"We can agree to disagree. We can have open discussions, but the name calling and the way the debate has really evolved over the last year, it was kind of disappointing."

Fife says when they get heated in the legislature, it's because that is what the NDP is there to do.

"We're going to be doing our work in a respectful manner," Fife said.

"Our job as the Opposition is to demonstrate that actions and the changes in legislation and regulation are negatively affecting the people of this province, so I think a day of reckoning is coming at Queen's Park."