Opposition politicians are planning to throw a slew of stall tactics at the legislative process to try to delay the Ford government’s controversial new mining legislation — and try and stop it from passing before the legislature rises for the summer.
The province is in the middle of passing Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, proposed to speed up mining projects in northern Ontario, which also makes major changes to the laws governing protected species.
As part of the legislation, the government also wants to establish special economic zones that would suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects.
Environmental advocates, First Nations leaders and opposition parties have decried the bill as a “power grab” that goes far beyond what is needed to speed up major projects.
While the Progressive Conservatives have a large majority at Queen’s Park, which ultimately means they are able to pass any legislation that has caucus support, opposition parties have technical tools to stall the process.
The Ontario NDP is planning to use its powers at committee, which is currently studying Bill 5, to throw as much sand in the gears as it can.
Party officials say they are going to put as many speakers forward as they are allowed on each amendment to the bill and request 20-minute recesses before every vote.
The short-term aim is to force the committee to run until midnight on Wednesday, going into Thursday. With only five days of legislative sittings left until the summer break begins, the party hopes to run the clock down entirely and stop Bill 5 from passing before the spring session ends.
An NDP spokesperson said they were trying to give the government “as much time as humanly possible to do the right thing” and scrap Bill 5.
“Every Ontarian should be concerned about this,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said on Wednesday morning.
“What this government is doing is passing legislation to give them unfettered access to power. It’s a power grab creating no-law zones — opportunities, frankly, for corruption.”
The party hopes that, if it can delay committee long enough, it can force another day of debate where the bill would be subject to clause-by-clause analysis. Once Bill 5 leaves the committee stage, they plan to employ fresh delay tactics to stall out the clock.
The NDP said it would use “every tool in the toolbox” to slow down the legislation.
The delays come as the Ford government tries to mitigate First Nations’ criticism of Bill 5 by adding new language to the proposed law confirming it will consult with local groups before instituting its controversial special economic zones.
Part of the cause of the backlash is the government’s plan to designate the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario as the first such zone. That move set off a firestorm of anger among First Nations, many of which have pledged to take the fight to the land and the courts.
On Wednesday morning, Ontario Premier Doug Ford also tried to strike a collaborative tone.
“We’re always going to respect the duty to consult and their treaty rights,” he said. “We’re going to work with them and collaborate with them.”
Ford said the legislation was put forward because the country is in an “economic war” with Trump.
“We want prosperity for the First Nations communities right across our province,” he said.
The premier’s office did not address questions about how it would respond to the NDP’s stall tactics or if it would extend the spring sitting if necessary to pass the bill, only saying comments by Ford and his cabinet ministers stood.
— with files from The Canadian Press