Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore was the subject of speculation and heated debate, as rising COVID-19 cases took centre stage in Thursday’s question period.
<h3>More Moore</h3>
Deputy NDP Leader Sara Singh took first crack at the government on its response to increasing COVID spread, citing the Science Advisory Table’s newest estimate that 90,000 to 110,000 new infections are happening each day.
“The premier believes that we have the hospital beds to handle this, but the reality here in Ontario is that we don’t have the staff for those beds,” Singh said. “As much as the premier might wish that this pandemic is over, it isn’t.”
“In fact, the increase in cases that we’re seeing now is expected,” Health Minister Christine Elliott replied. “This is something that Dr. Moore has commented on several times.”
Singh brought up Moore’s absence and the outcry from public health commentators and questioned if the government was prepared for the rise in COVID cases.
“If the rising case counts were expected, where then is the urgent action from this government to implement the tools that they have to help us curb the spread of COVID-19 in our communities?” Singh questioned.
Elliott again emphasized that the government follows Moore’s advice and that if Moore changes his mind on masks, the government would “be making those changes as necessary.”
Trying once more, Singh asked Elliott to bring Moore “out of hiding,” saying “Ontarians deserve to hear from the best experts we have.”
Elliott didn’t take the bait.
“The view of one physician compared to the views of many is something that we listen to, but we are following the advice of Dr. Moore. He has provided us sound advice throughout, and I know he will continue to do so.”
Liberal House Leader John Fraser was more aggressive in his approach, holding up Moore’s “total radio silence” for the past month as proof that Moore was being “muzzled” by Ford.
“I find it hard to believe that Dr. Moore doesn’t understand the importance of communication during a pandemic, especially given the risks that we face right now,” Fraser said.
Elliott said, again, that Moore could come out and speak if he wanted to.
“The facts are that Dr. Moore has chosen not to appear in regular conferences because, in his words, we have to ‘learn to live with COVID’ as it is now,” Elliott said.
Fraser called Moore’s absence a “vacuum of leadership” and said he didn’t believe that “Dr. Moore doesn’t feel a responsibility to do what he’s been doing all along and what every other medical officer of health is doing across Ontario.”
Calling Fraser’s claims “ridiculous” and “not based in fact whatsoever,” Elliott said, “Dr. Moore doesn’t feel a responsibility to do what he’s been doing all along and what every other medical officer of health is doing across Ontario.”
Fraser heckled across the aisle during Elliott’s response, “just let him talk, he works for you.”
<h3>Getting off track</h3>
A question from NDP MPP Peggy Sattler on equal pay rights and the government’s proposed <a href="https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-2/bill-106">Bill 106</a> turned into Labour Minister Monte McNaughton paying tribute to former premier Kathleen Wynne.
Sattler started off by mentioning a press conference she had held earlier in the morning with the Equal Pay Coalition to ask the government to reconsider Bill 106, which they say would “override women’s rights to pay equity.”
In his response, McNaughton began by thanking frontline health-care workers and moved on to pay tribute to Wynne, calling her a “trailblazer” and recounted when Wynne, during her premiership, had taken the time to speak to McNaughton’s daughter.
Trying to get the minister back on track, Sattler attempted a second time to raise concerns on Bill 106.
“Bill 106 overturns hard-won Supreme Court victories on pay equity. It is a direct attack on the rights of women in health and social services who have carried us through this pandemic. It is an unconstitutional interference with collective bargaining rights,” Sattler said.
McNaughton said that equal pay rights were a “priority of this government,” and gave another shout out, this time to Pay Equity Commissioner Kadie Ward, all without touching Bill 106 and Sattler’s claims.
<h3>Ad hominem</h3>
Independent MPP Roman Baber brought up his concerns about pre-election advertising from the government touting the strength of Ontario’s COVID recovery.
Government House Leader Paul Calandra defended the ads by saying that “there is just so much good news happening across the province … We have to tell people about that.”
Pivoting to taxpayer funded polling, Baber said that the government “governs by polls,” adding, “this cabinet looks at polling every time it meets, because the only thing it cares about is re-election.”
Calandra dodged and implored Baber to support <a href="https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-2/bill-88">Bill 88</a>, the government’s second Working for Workers Act, to put “more money back into the pockets of the people of Ontario.”
Baber, whose federal Conservative leadership bid has been the subject of jokes from Calandra in the past, shouted out after the response, “So nice today Paul, what happened?”

Your question period briefing: Un-Moore-d

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