Ford government to limit debate on controversial Bill 5, among other legislation

Allison Jones · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 7:12 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Ontario Premier Doug Ford's authorities is moving to unopen down statement connected its astir arguable portion of authorities this session, 1 of a plethora of bills getting the fast-track attraction earlier the legislature rises for a summertime break.

A mining instrumentality known arsenic Bill 5 that would springiness the authorities powerfulness to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects successful areas deemed to person economical value — and region immoderate endangered taxon protections — has sparked a batch of opposition.

A legislative committee heard from First Nations leaders and biology groups, arsenic good arsenic mining groups, implicit 2 days and arsenic the committee was considering amendments past week the NDP and Liberals utilized procedural tools to grind the process to a halt, successful protest.

Government location person Steve Clark is present stepping successful to bounds further committee clip and necessitate the measure to spell backmost to the location for 3rd reading, with conscionable 1 hr of debate, and a last ballot that aforesaid day.

While Bill 5 got 2 days of committee hearings, the six different pieces of authorities the authorities is speeding up person had nary hearings, and volition person arsenic small arsenic fractional an hr of third-reading debate, with conscionable 9 minutes each allotted to the 2 recognized absorption parties.

Move is undemocratic, absorption says

The absorption parties accidental pushing bills done without overmuch nationalist consultation oregon statement is undemocratic.

The NDP's Opposition location leader, John Vanthof, spoke successful a statement past week implicit the authorities limiting statement and bypassing committee for 4 bills — including the fund measure — successful what's called a clip allocation motion. Clark introduced the question Wednesday and it was accepted successful a ballot connected Thursday. 

WATCH | Ontario First Nations leaders accidental communities volition instrumentality a basal if Bill 5 passes: 

"What's happening present with the clip allocation, specifically connected 4 bills, is removing the close of the radical to speak, and successful galore ways, the absorption to speak," Vanthof said.

"You really don't request a parliament. We're really astir going backmost to wherever you have, like, a king. That's genuinely scary. I'm not opposed to the monarchy arsenic a figurehead, but we came precise acold successful our democracies to really person parliaments. What the authorities is doing is fundamentally making the premier the king."

Vanthof stressed the seriousness of the matter, though helium had the absorption benches laughing portion helium was speechmaking retired quotes from authorities location person Steve Clark, upset astir clip allocation motions erstwhile helium was successful opposition.

"My enactment loves to perceive from people," Clark said successful the waning days of the erstwhile Liberal government.

"If this authorities doesn't privation to perceive to people, I'll springiness them a guarantee. I'll springiness them, actually, the people's guarantee, due to the fact that we volition perceive to them, and we volition guarantee that those Ontarians are being listened to."

Clark, who during that 2017 statement called specified motions "anti-democratic," said past week that the younger Steve Clark was "maybe much brash and abrupt," defending the existent moves.

"The authorities has decided that these 4 bills are precise important for us," helium said.

"There needs to beryllium certainty from the government's agenda...The authorities decides that they're going to prioritize definite things, the authorities is going to determination guardant with those legislations. That's my message."

However overmuch the erstwhile Liberal authorities unopen down debate, the Progressive Conservative authorities is simply a worse offender, Vanthof said.

"Two clip allocation votes successful a time was astir apt the erstwhile grounds for the travesty to democracy, astir apt the erstwhile record, and that was held by the Liberals," helium said.

"But this authorities is truthful efficient, including destroying the antiauthoritarian process, that they enactment 4 bills, including a budget, successful 1 clip allocation motion."