The federal election is mostly over, and Canada will almost definitely have another minority Liberal government.
Ontario stakeholders can rest easy knowing their lobbying strategies will remain mostly unchanged — but that hasn't stopped many from quickly congratulating Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, and putting their priorities front and centre.
Check out some of the key promises made by the Liberals — and the NDP, whose support the government will need — <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2021/09/20/the-federal-elections-implications-on-ontario-policy-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a recap here</a>.
<h3>Health care</h3>
Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario CEO Doris Grinspun highlighted the nursing shortage and vaccine mandates as key issues moving forward.
Contrary to what some think, the election was not a waste of time because it gave the government a clear and strong "vaccine mandate," she said in an interview with QP Briefing.
She said Premier Doug Ford appears to be listening to experts on the importance of public health measures — and will likely bring in those <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2021/09/13/health-workers-politicians-call-for-help-for-hospitals-facing-protests-as-ford-government-stands-pat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protest-free zones around hospitals</a> the opposition has been calling for — but Trudeau shouldn't be afraid to step in on provinces like Alberta if they don't start taking the pandemic more seriously.
"It affects all of us. We are one country," she said. "And so we cannot afford that every jurisdiction does what they please. If not, we will never get out of this."
Grinspun said Ontario is hemorrhaging nurses to places like the U.S., Nova Scotia and B.C.
"Anywhere that there is no Bill 124, they are moving," she said, referring to the Ontario legislation that caps public sector wage increases at 1 per cent.
The Ford government has helped increase the number of new nurses — now they need to make sure they stay in the profession, with better compensation and workloads, said Grinspun.
"I do not think that the government realizes how serious the issue (is)," she said.
Grinspun also said the opioid crisis requires immediate attention, calling it a "disaster" in Ontario.
<h3>Long-term care</h3>
Ontario Long Term Care Association CEO Donna Duncan urged the federal government to help Ontario "reimagine" long-term care and address staffing issues "by attracting thousands of qualified staff into the workforce and redeveloping and building new modern facilities to lower the waitlist that is now close to 40,000 in this province alone."
She noted that federal <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/seniors-action-report.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projections</a> show that seniors will represent 23 per cent of Canada's population by 2030 — up from 15.6 per cent in 2014.
<h3>Housing</h3>
The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) urged Trudeau to start cutting regulations for home builders, and to digitize the planning and development approvals process.
“The dire lack of housing is a critical issue that must be addressed, or our recovery will stall. Red tape is presently delaying construction of much-needed new housing developments and we are pleased that the Liberal housing plan includes a pledge to remove some of this unnecessary paperwork by providing tools to streamline the application and construction process as well as tackle NIMBYism,” president Richard Lyall said in a release.
Lyall said he wants to hear more about how the government plans to recruit and retain more construction workers, including through immigration, noting the "skilled trades crunch looming in Canada."
He also called for a housing summit with other levels of government included.
<h3>Indigenous</h3>
Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe said the election had a noted absence of Indigenous issues, and the government now has a chance to fix that gap.
“Indigenous people are eager to guide their own governments equal to our treaty partners. Federal and provincial governments, as well as all Canadians, would benefit from becoming true and equal partners with Indigenous rights holders and their chosen form of governance," he said in a statement. "Indigenous sovereignty and equal opportunity should be sought by both levels of government, and how to achieve it should be founded by Indigenous Nations.”
Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President Margaret Froh said she's looking forward to working with the Liberals on self-government and reconciliation, and on economic recovery from the pandemic.
The Liberals pledged in their platform to work with the MNO on self-government.
“Although significant progress has been made in the past several years, there is still a great deal of work ahead,” Froh said in a statement
Housing, unemployment and illness are other key issues affecting Métis citizens Froh said, as well as the trauma from the discovery of mass graves at former residential schools.
“We will be looking to this government to address these issues meaningfully and with conviction,” Froh said.
<h3>Environment</h3>
"Protected species need protected spaces."
That's the message from Earthroots, an environmental advocacy organization in Ontario urging the minority government to work together on climate and biodiversity threats.
"In Ontario, we are experiencing huge pressures on the environment through urban sprawl and industries like forestry and mining which are degrading critical habitat for species like wolves, caribou, freshwater turtles, and pollinators," Executive Director Franz Hartmann said in a statement.
Hartmann called on the Liberals to work with the Ontario government to create protected areas in old-growth forests; and to work with municipalities to establish safe corridors for pollinators across the Greenbelt.
"And we demand forestry not get a pass on destroying calving grounds for our Boreal woodland caribou," he said.
<h3>Disability</h3>
AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky said not enough attention was paid to disability issues this election. He said the mail-in ballot lacked accessibility for people with vision loss, and the reduction in polling stations required longer travel distances and longer lineups.
Lepofsky also called out the media for what he said was a lack of focus on disability issues.
"We know of no reporter who pressed party leaders on their failure to answer our request for election commitments on accessibility," he said in a statement.
Now, he said the AODA Alliance will shift again to focus on Ontario.
"Will the new COVID-19 vaccine be disability-accessible? Is the return to school treating students with disabilities better than in the past? With the fourth COVID-19 wave upon us, will the Ford Government eliminate the disability discrimination that seriously infects the critical care triage protocol that has been embedded in Ontario hospitals since January?" he said.
<h3>Politicians</h3>
The premier congratulated Trudeau on his win and urged unity after "an extremely difficult and divisive election," which saw occasionally violent anti-vax protests follow the Liberal leader on the campaign trail.
"I want to be clear: COVID-19 doesn’t care about partisanship or politics and I will continue to work closely with the prime minister," Ford said in a statement. "People elected our government to work in the best interests of Ontario, not in service of one political party over others. That’s exactly what our government will continue to do as we do everything possible to protect our people and our progress."
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called on the premier to recall the legislature, which is set to return Oct. 4 after the Ford government prorogued it.
She urged Ford to sign a $10-a-day child-care agreement with the feds, and accept federal cash for helping with health-care wait times and nursing home improvements.
In a release, she noted that Ford has "barely been seen in months."
On Twitter, Horwath shouted out re-elected Hamilton NDP MP Matthew Green, thanked federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh for "an inspiring campaign," and congratulated Trudeau on his win.
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And congratulations to Justin Trudeau on his re-election, and thanks to the folks who took the plunge and put their name on a ballot.
I look forward to working with the federal government and all MPs on taking action on the critical issues facing our communities. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/elxn44?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#elxn44</a>
&mdash; Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndreaHorwath/status/1440306514451845131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca congratulated his federal counterpart in a short-and-sweet tweet.
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Congratulations to Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustinTrudeau</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/liberal_party?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@liberal_party</a> on winning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Elxn44?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Elxn44</a>. A great night for Liberals across the country, receiving a strong mandate to move Canada <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForwardForEveryone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForwardForEveryone</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cdnpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cdnpoli</a>
&mdash; Steven Del Duca (@StevenDelDuca) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenDelDuca/status/1440159224705601537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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And Ontario Green Leader Mike Schreiner thanked federal leader Annamie Paul — who did not win her seat in Toronto Centre — for running.
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Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnamiePaul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@annamiepaul</a> for your bold and daring leadership during this campaign.
We need more voices like yours: dedication to a more Green, equitable and caring Toronto, Ontario and Canada. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Elxn44?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Elxn44</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cdnpoli</a>
&mdash; Mike Schreiner (@MikeSchreiner) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSchreiner/status/1440163220929404930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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