Welcome back to question period!
Of course COVID-19 is still the top issue on the agenda, but there have also been questions about police violence and governance since Minneapolis resident George Floyd was killed by a police officer, sparking widespread protests.
Now let's see what questions occupied the attention of MPPs.
Accountability
Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath used her first question to ask about what she sees as a lack of accountability from the government over the coronavirus.
"No minister has been held to account by the premier, the premier has not taken responsibility, and last week, we learned that the premier is planning some new legislation to ensure that for-profit long-term-care homes will be freed from legal liability for their actions.
"The people who are gathering today on the lawns of Queen’s Park — their question to the premier is: will anyone be held accountable for the failures in long-term care?"
Premier Doug Ford fielded the opening query by trying to turn the tables on the NDP. "We’ve been very clear that the system in Ontario has been broken, and we must act quickly," he said. "It has been broken for 15 years, as the opposition leader stood by and did absolutely nothing to support long-term care." With the exception of a three-year minority government, the Liberals held a majority for those 15 years. Horwath also spent significant time on the 2018 campaign trail discussing long-term care, and her party long called for a more expansive Wettlaufer Inquiry to look at the system as a whole.
The premier added that an independent commission would be formed in July, saying, "There is going to be accountability, and we’ll get down to the bottom of this." Horwath wants an independent judicial inquiry, which unlike a commission could find stakeholders and political actors legally liable.
Later, Horwath followed up on why the government is <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/06/17/ford-government-considers-covid-liability-protection-for-long-term-care-homes-kicking-off-firestorm-at-queens-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">considering giving some protection from civil liability to long-term care homes</a>, asking, "Why is the government protecting for-profit long-term-care facilities from legal liability rather than pulling licences from the homes that have so brutally failed our seniors?"
The premier did not directly respond to the question, and instead touted the actions his government has taken to respond to the crisis in long-term care homes.
Fullerton's turn
Horwath expanded the scope of the accountability theme, reiterating her call for Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton to be sacked. "If these long-term-care facilities are supposed to be keeping residents safe rather than allowing this horrible virus to spread, why are they allowed to keep their licences and why is the minister allowed to keep her job?"
Fullerton responded. "I appreciate your question," she said, employing the same kind of formal politeness that opposing Canadian lawyers use when they refer to their 'friends.' "When we understand the issue, at the crux of the problem is years of neglect that cannot be turned around in a matter of days or weeks. We were a strained system, according to Justice [Eileen] Gillese who reported in the summer of 2019, exactly the same time when the new ministry of long-term care was created. COVID broke that system." She proceeded to say that an independent commission would provide more answers. 
Horwath pressed on. "Will the premier do the right thing, stop protecting the for-profit homes, stop protecting cabinet ministers and offer real accountability to families who have endured so much pain, because he has failed to protect them in long-term care?" 
Rather than assuming responsibility, in a prepared and extended response, Fullerton chose to attack the Liberals and NDP in a rejection of the question's premise.
"For 15 years, the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, failed to address the problems that led to the crisis in long-term care with COVID-19. When you refer to other provinces, let’s understand the facts. In BC, between 2013 and 2017, with the population of that province one third of Ontario’s, they built 900 beds; 900 beds for one third of the population. In Alberta, since 2014, they’ve built 1,227, and that’s the reason why they managed better. They had better capacity, because the previous government took measures during that time to keep up with an aging population. The previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, did nothing of the sort. They also neglected a staffing crisis. I suggest the leader of the opposition may want to take her own advice."
Mental health services
Horwath then shifted gears and asked about Ejaz Choudry, a 62-year-old father of four who was killed by police in his own home. 
"I want to reassure the family of the loved ones of Ejaz Choudry and the people of Ontario that effective, reasonable and independent police oversight is one of my top priorities," Ford responded, adding that the Special Investigations Unit is looking into the matter.
NDP MPP Gurratan Singh followed up by asking for an inquiry into the matter. Ford declined to answer directly, and instead touted government investments into mental health services.
Thunder Bay Jail death
NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa asked the next opposition question, and it was a personal one. His nephew Kevin Mamakwa died three weeks ago while in custody at the Thunder Bay Jail. He was the ninth person to die in custody at that jail since 2002, and seven of those nine were Indigenous. "The Ontario Human Rights Commissioner, coroners’ inquests, the Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, even my brother have all called for this jail to close. How many more Indigenous people need to die at the Thunder Bay Jail before the government takes action to solve this crisis?"
Solicitor-General Sylvia Jones responded. "As we discussed a number of weeks ago, I committed to you that when the investigation was complete, all information that we are able to share with the family will be shared. I know that these are tragedies, that we must do better. But when deaths occur in our corrections facilities, there are very strict guidelines that must happen. It starts with an internal investigation. It continues with the coroner’s investigation and, if necessary, a police investigation."
Back to school
Liberal MPP Kathleen Wynne asked about going back to school in September in a hybrid model of part-time in-person and part-time at-home, saying that she's been hearing from some residents that it's not a workable model for households where two parents work. "If the minister’s objective was to support children’s learning and safety and to support the opening of the economy, why did he choose the model that is absolutely designed to fail on both counts?" she asked. 
Education Minister Stephen Lecce explained the rationale. "What I said Friday, as I reaffirmed Saturday, as I will affirm in this House today, is that based on the modelling and the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, SickKids Hospital, some of the best pediatric doctors in this country, their advice is today to proceed with an adaptive model. Of course, we know in this reality it is fluid, which is why we’re asking boards to be ready for all circumstances for the reopening."

Your question period briefing: The accountability session

Read this for free.