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FORUM: Doug Ford thumbs his nose at democracy (Dec. 2025)

December 16th, 2025 · No Comments

PCs are centralizing power

By Jessica Bell

We are witnessing the terrifying rise of fascism in the United States, where President Trump defies Congressional votes, ignores court rulings, and directs law enforcement against citizens.

Ontario is not the United States; that said, under the Ford Conservative government, we are also witnessing the dismantling of our democratic institutions and practices.  

It is reaching a new low this legislative session.  

The government is moving omnibus bills through the legislature at breakneck speed, with almost no debate.

Public participation in committee hearings is being banned. These hearings are where citizens, experts, and stakeholders provide feedback and help to shape legislation. It’s also the site where opposition parties introduce amendments. 

It’s now much harder for opposition lawmakers to be fully prepared to present evidence and testimony from constituents and carefully deliberate legislation. Often, I go into the legislature with up to eight briefing notes because I need to be ready to speak to any one of many bills at a moment’s notice. Why? Because the Conservative government has been refusing to consistently tell opposition MPPs which bills we are debating and when.   

When lawmakers are not given the time to understand a proposed law, listen to constituents and stakeholders, and properly deliberate, we pass worse laws. This is not how Queen’s Park should function. 

The government is undermining the power of other democratic institutions. Elected school board trustees are being stripped of their authority. In their place, the Conservative government is appointing handpicked supervisors.  

The new supervisor appointed to the Toronto District School Board, Rohit Gupta, has no experience in the education sector, does not regularly answer emails and calls from parents, and earns $350,000 a year.   

Supervisor Gupta’s first major decision was to cut funding to special education, leading to class size increases. Why on earth would anyone want to make school even more challenging for our most vulnerable kids?  

Special economic zones are being created that are exempt from democratically decided local rules, including environmental protections and laws to keep workers safe in dangerous work sites, like mines. 

Municipal authority has been weakened. 

We all remember when the Ford government meddled with municipal elections, cutting Toronto city council from 47 to 25 wards in the middle of an election, and banning Toronto, London, and Kingston from using ranked-choice voting. 

Since 2018, over 170 municipalities have been forced to adopt “strong mayor” powers, allowing a single mayor to override a majority of city councillors—but only on matters important to the provincial government.  

Planning power has been concentrated in the hands of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing—they have far greater say now over who can build what and where. 

Many regional municipalities, including York and Peel, have lost much of their power to oversee planning. Conservation authorities have lost a lot of their power to deny permits based on pollution or conservation. Now, a conservation authority can only deny permits if a development wants to build in a flood plain or an area with natural hazards.  

Fixed election dates have been scrapped, giving the governing party the sole advantage of choosing when Ontarians go to the polls. The governing party can choose to call a snap election when the polls are in their favour and when they’re ahead in fundraising and candidate recruitment, giving them an incredible advantage over competing parties.  

Moving away from a fixed election date will further supress Ontario’s abysmally low voter turnout. With a snap election, Elections Ontario is only required to provide three advance voting days, not 10, and voters will have weeks to get informed, not months.  

And let’s not forget, the government used the hammer of the notwithstanding clause to override democratically negotiated collective agreements and impose wage suppression on public sector workers with Bill 124.

This rapidly growing list reveals a troubling pattern: a disregard for the democratic principles that are fundamental to Ontario, and to Canada. 

Power is being concentrated in the hands of the premier. Public input is being shut down. Transparency is being replaced by secrecy. Accountability is being eroded.

Ontarians deserve a government that respects institutions, public input, and democratic norms. As the Conservative government continues to undermine these values, we must speak out. Because democracy is easier to undermine, than it is to rebuild. 

Jessica Bell is MPP for University-Rosedale and is Shadow Minister for Finance and the Treasury Board. You can reach her office at jbell-co@ndp.on.ca or 416-535-7206.

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Tags: Annex · Columns · Opinion

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