Doug Ford is Once Again Attempting to Extend his Bill 195 Emergency Powers

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservative government are once again attempting to extend Bill 195, the ironically named “Reopening Ontario Act,” tomorrow through Motion 8 so 195 will expire on March  28, 2022, rather than December 1, 2021. 

Bill 195 has been the piece of legislation that has given Ford the ability to impose lockdowns and other public health restrictions without having to have a vote in the Ontario provincial legislature.

The PCs are hoping to slip Motion 8 under the radar of Ontarians and the Liberals and NDP are similarly silent about the move to keep Ford’s emergency powers intact. Only the New Blue Party of Ontario MPP Belinda Karahalios and Independent MPP Roman Baber are attempting to mobilize the public against Motion 8. 

Unfortunately, Belinda Karahalios recently tested positive for COVID-19 and has been barred from appearing at the legislature to debate against Motion 8 but she and the New Blue Party are telling Ontarians to call and email their MPPs demanding they vote against the extension. 

The New Blue Party, which is a new conservative alternative, created back in January by Belinda Karahalios and her husband Jim Karahalios, was successful before in stopping Bill 12, which would have mandated education and healthcare workers be vaccinated through a similar grassroots pressure campaign. It is not implausible that organizing from the New Blue Party, Ontarians will once again contact their MPPs will cause the PCs to back off.

Some people may be shocked that the MPPs opposing the Ford PC government trying to extend the length of their power grab does not include Randy Hillier which Belinda Karahalios addresses in an email to her supporters.

MPP Karahalios stated:

Sadly, Randy Hillier hasn’t gone to work at Queens Park in a year (with the exception of two votes) to oppose any Ford PC government legislation because he has a deal with the Ford PCs. Randy is not barred from entering the Ontario legislature, but he claims he doesn’t go to work because he refuses to abide by the rules set by the legislature – like the requirement to wear a mask.  But in September, Randy flew to Alberta to campaign during the federal election, and airlines have similar masking rules in place for their passengers. Please ask Randy to start going to Queens Park to debate and vote against Motion 8 and all other Ford PC government legislation.  

Some MPPs have told their constituents that due to COVID-19 “cohorting” rules, they are not permitted to enter the legislature for specific votes.  Remind your MPP that these “cohorting” rules are not orders enforced by the legislature; they are friendly deals made between the PCs and the NDP and they do not apply to voting.

MPP Hillier has yet to even post about Motion 8 on his Twitter account at the time this article was published.

Ontarians do not have long to give their input to their MPPs but if enough emails and phone calls are made there is a chance the PCs will consider it too much of a political risk to vote for Motion 8 and will let Bill 195 expire on December 1.