7 Things to Watch as Queen’s Park Returns

Queen’s Park is back in business next week with the kick-off of the highly anticipated post-election legislative session (43rd in Ontario history). Next week’s Throne Speech represents the first major milestone in the new government’s mandate after the swearing-in of Premier Ford’s refreshed Cabinet in late March.

Here are seven things to watch for as the legislature returns.

1. Platform-inspired Throne Speech: The Throne Speech will lay out the new Government’s agenda; look for the Progressive Conservatives’ “Protect Ontario” messaging and platform to be echoed with the confusion and continued uncertainty around Trump’s tariffs looming over everything. The speech is expected to draw strong parallels to the core themes reflected in the PC Party’s recent re-election campaign and platform: building the economy, protecting workers, keeping Ontario competitive, breaking down trade barriers, tackling crime and safety and delivering better care and services. Expect big infrastructure projects like highways, housing, and energy to be a focus as well.

2. New Parliamentary Assistants: The updated list of Parliamentary Assistants was recently announced. These positions are designed to support cabinet members by regularly representing them in the legislature and supporting their efforts to deliver the government’s mandate. As expected, it is hard to find a caucus member without a PA assignment. Only three PC caucus members are not currently appointed as either a Minister, an Associate Minister, or a Parliamentary Assistant – and these three are expected to be appointed as committee chairs in the coming days. What’s behind this? These positions are a nice way for the government to give its caucus members a slight pay boost, given that MPP salaries have been frozen since 2008. Look for MPP salary increases to feature in the upcoming mandate (as they recently did at Toronto City Council) as the Premier has committed to working across party lines to review compensation levels.

3. New Mandate Letters: The Premier’s Office policy team has been hard at work preparing mandate letters for each Ministry. Unlike other governments across the country, these aren’t communication documents but a clear checklist of items the Premier expects each Minister/Minister’s Office to pursue and accomplish during their term. Past mandate letters have not officially been made public by the Ford government, who pushed back hard and won a victory in court last year for the right to keep these private.

4. Staff Changes and Briefings: The recent weeks have relatively slow in terms of ministry announcements and engagements as onboarding briefings take place for Ministers and staff to familiarize themselves with new portfolios. Staffing shifts are common as some follow shuffled Ministers to new portfolios while other experienced members may decide to pursue new opportunities before the political cycle intensifies. If Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives manage to win the federal election at the end of the month, many provincial staff may move to Ottawa, drawn by the excitement of a new government and the better compensation provided by federal positions.

5. Budget Timing: The early election disrupted pre-budget processes, leaving stakeholders potentially eager for a chance to resubmit their financial wish lists. It seems clear that the government is unlikely to provide that opportunity as post-election staff changes and limited capacity make restarting the process improbable, even with the same Minister (Bethlenfalvy) returning. With a strong voter mandate and the shifting US tariff situation, we can be confident that the government is likely revising its pre-campaign budget plan line-by-line to respond to changes in the Canadian political and economic landscape.

6. New Speaker: Deputy Speaker Donna Skelly is gunning for the Speaker’s chair, replacing former longtime MPP Ted Arnott who decided not to run in the past election. Skelly is considered the favourite given her front and back bench support from the majority-holding PC caucus. She will face up against Oshawa NDP MPP Jennifer French.

7. Key Legislation: Key legislation to watch for this spring includes legislation to support tariff response measures, a bill to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers, another installment in the Working for Workers series of bills, a spring red tape reduction bill, and likely, a transportation bill.

Counsel continues to monitor political developments in Ontario, including the evolving tariff situation. Our team is ready to advise your business or organization on your advocacy goals with the Government of Ontario.  

Stay tuned for additional insights on the return of the Legislature and the Throne Speech on April 15.