Ford plans to shut down Queen’s Park — Horwath to refuse until Ford replaces police state with public health

Doug Ford’s government has informed the NDP it intends to shut down the legislature by Wednesday. Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath and the NDP MPPs will refuse to cooperate until the government has reversed its dangerous police-state orders in their entirety, and replaced them with public health measures to stop COVID-19.

“People are laying in crowded hospital hallways, struggling to breathe, and many thousands more will join them if we don’t replace Doug Ford’s plan,” said Horwath. “Black, Indigenous and racialized people know check stops and carding will target them, because it always has. Businesses are already on the brink and more will go under without help. People’s lives are on the line. Together, we have to fight to save Ontario.”

Horwath and the NDP caucus has sent a letter to the Ford government confirming that it will refuse to cooperate with the suspension of the legislature until the government has:

• Given Ontarians paid sick days by passing Bill 239
• Cancelled the extraordinary police powers announced Friday in their entirety
• Shut down all non-essential workplaces
• Formally committed to a meaningful package of supports, over and above the few announced, for businesses and workers affected by closures

“We are prepared to discuss how we can run the legislature with the minimum number of staff and MPPs, and with the strictest possible health protocols. We are not prepared to help Doug Ford go home, leaving a police-state in place while he allows COVID-19 to run rampant, overrun hospitals, and steal the lives of Ontarians who would otherwise make it through this,” said Horwath.

“Our province has never faced such a crisis as it is today. For the people elected to protect and support Ontarians to walk away from their duty at this time is wrong, and I won’t do it. It’s time to fight to save Ontario.”