Question period at Queen's Park has earned a reputation for being awash with cross-party banter, heated discussion and, much to Speaker Ted Arnott's displeasure, standing ovations.
But the first question period at the Ontario legislature in two months was different. Because of public health guidelines that encourage physical distancing, only a third of the province's MPPs were present in the House. It was quieter and more civil, and struck a somewhat solemn tone.
There were also some new looks — with Liberal MPP John Fraser probably sporting the most striking change with long, Kevin Kline-like silver locks (likely the result of hair salons being closed).
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Welcome to the Ontario legislature pandemic flow competition (I&#39;m the judge) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/onpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#onpoli</a>
#1 — No contest, absolutely 🏆John Fraser🏆(Lib - Ottawa South) <a href="https://t.co/ZCjjcgQcFo">pic.twitter.com/ZCjjcgQcFo</a>
&mdash; Emma Paling (@emmapaling) <a href="https://twitter.com/emmapaling/status/1260234043355996161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Tuesday marked the first question period in the legislature since March 12, the day after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Before the opposition started firing questions at Premier Doug Ford and his ministers, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath asked MPPs to hold a moment of silence to honour victims of COVID-19. Upon the request of Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa MacLeod, MPPs also stopped to honour those recently killed in a mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
Long-term care review
"We’re here to ask questions today in this House that no one ever wanted to ever have to ask or have to answer," said Horwath. "I’m going to be straightforward in my questions, and I hope that the premier will be straightforward and honest in his answers as well."
The NDP leader went on to talk about the "tragic situation" in long-term care homes, which have been ravaged by COVID-19, and restated her party's call for a public inquiry into the long-term care sector.
"Will the premier commit to a full public inquiry into long-term care, with a mandate to review not only the tragedies of the last couple of weeks but for the last couple of decades?" asked Horwath.
Premier Ford, speaking in a subdued manner, said the government would review long-term care and other sectors, but he didn't commit to an inquiry.
"My heart breaks for the people in long-term care. I know first-hand what people go through day in and day out, standing outside the window, talking to their loved ones, trying to communicate," he said. "We’re going to review the system — a system that has been broken for decades. I can promise you one thing: we are going to fix it."
Horwath noted more than 1,200 long-term care residents have died from COVID-19, according to Ministry of Long-Term Care data, saying families deserve answers through a non-partisan inquiry.
Ford said he's committed to "putting an iron ring" around long-term care homes and defended his government's work, saying they gave operators the "right tools." But he added that outbreaks at 28 per cent of the homes is "too many" and "we shouldn’t have one home that’s been infected."
As Horwath continued to push for a public inquiry, Minister of Long-Term Care Merrilee Fullerton chimed in, saying "There will be a review. The scope and the levels of detail are yet to be determined. We will get to the bottom of this."
Horwath later said she was "disappointed" the government didn't commit to an inquiry, defending it as the "most non-partisan way to review what’s happened."
Movement between care homes
Horwath then turned to the issue of workers moving between long-term care homes — something that has contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in the sector. The PC government issued an emergency order in April to limit long-term care staff to one home, later applying the same rule to retirement homes. But the government received some criticism because the orders didn't apply to temp agency workers.
On Tuesday, Horwath pointed to warnings in lead up to the COVID-19 crisis about the risks of staff movement, asking why the premier waited "as long as he did before beginning to address this particular practice?"
Fullerton said there was a "staffing crisis" in long-term care before COVID-19.
"We took every measure to shore up staffing and create staffing flexibility for our homes," she said. "Because of the staffing shortage, we needed to make sure that residents were hydrated, that residents got food, that residents got the care they need."
Fullerton said agency staff make up two per cent of workers in the homes and that they are a "critical piece to make sure that our homes had adequate staffing."
Personal protective equipment
Horwath then pivoted to personal protective equipment (PPE), citing a May 8 memo from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to care home operators saying "staff should wear cloth (non-medical) masks at all congregate care sites regardless of infection status." The NDP noted that an April 27 memo told staff to "wear masks at all congregate care sites regardless of infection status" and accused the government of downgrading the requirement.
"If PPE is available, why are workers being forced to fight so hard to get access to it?" Horwath asked. 
Ford responded by saying the government is getting PPE to long-term care homes within 24-48 hours, but asked about the memos during a press conference in the afternoon, he said he would discuss the issue with the minister and the chief medical officer of health. 
Soon after, newly sworn-in Liberal MPP Lucille Collard used her first question at Queen's Park to ask about workers' access to PPE, saying she's heard from many that they don't have access to supplies like N95 masks.
Speaking in French, the Ottawa-Vanier MPP asked what measures the government was taking to ensure all all front-line health workers in all settings can get proper PPE.
Health Minister Christine Elliott welcomed her legislative colleague to Queen's Park with a smile before saying that the government has asked organizations to inform them of the equipment they need, stressing several times during question period that the province has enough supply. 
"It’s shipped to them on a daily basis, either from our regional reserves or from the pandemic reserves," she said. "Whatever equipment it is that they need at point of care—if nurses require an N95 mask for whatever procedure it is that they’re performing, if it’s an aerosol generating procedure, they will have that N95 mask."
COVID-19 testing
Promoting testing as a "critical" step in managing and containing COVID-19 and stating how the novel coronavirus "disproportionately" affected the province's seniors, Fraser asked the government why Ontario didn't utilize its full testing capacity to test those in care homes sooner.
"I don’t know anyone down here in the legislature that was screaming louder than I was about increasing the testing," said Ford, who went on to thank public health units for doing an "incredible job." 
The premier said the government is "coming up with new apps when it comes to contact tracing and tracking," adding that it's "absolutely critical that that’s part of it," but not providing any other details. 
As for testing of all residents and staff at long-term care homes, Ford said they expect to wrap that up by early next week. Asked what the plan is going forward, Ford said the goal is to test everyone in seniors' homes and group homes.
"Once we get through that, we re-evaluate, and if we need to go again, we’re going again," he said, adding that the goal is to process 20,000 tests each day.
NDP MPP Percy Hatfield also focused on testing, saying the province's latest data show less than 12,000 tests were processed on Monday. 
Health Minister Christine Elliott said this "happens on a weekly basis because of the fact that there is a delay over the weekend with the transportation of some of the swabs to the labs."
"Later on in the week, we will see the numbers come back, but this is something that happens on a weekly basis. There are no surprises here. It is just due to the transportation issues involved over the weekend," she added. 
Rent relief
Green Leader Mike Schreiner turned to the federal-provincial commercial rent relief program, saying he was concerned that only a small number percentage of landlords might apply. 
"Will the premier stand up for small businesses by placing a temporary ban on commercial evictions to prevent our downtowns from becoming ghost towns?" he asked, adding that landlords "can lock out tenants on May 15."
Finance Minister Rod Phillips said the program has been modified in ways like ensuring both landlords with and without mortgages are eligible. He also said he wants to wait until the program actually starts to "see the effectiveness of that program and if any additional actions are necessary."
"We need help"
NDP MPP Jill Andrew became emotional as she spoke about Meighen Manor, a long-term care home in Toronto where 42 residents have died. 
"We need help, and we need help now," said Andrew. "I’ve heard from families...that their loved ones are lying in bed and they’re starving. They cannot reach their food. They’re thirsty for hours. They cannot reach their water. Residents are falling out of beds in the dark and are on the floor for hours. What struck me the most is one family member I spoke to. She actually had to sit with her mother’s dead body overnight at Meighen Manor, because there were not enough staff to come support her." 
"Mr. Premier, what will you do, what will your government do for Meighen Manor?" Andrew asked. 
Fullerton called the situation an Meighen Manor "heartbreaking," saying Sunnybrook Hospital has been supporting the home and that they're making sure the home has adequate staffing in place "so that they are not burning out."
MPP Stephen Blais, also a new addition to the Liberal caucus, asked about a long-term care home in his riding of Orléans — the Madonna Care Community, where 30 residents have died. He spoke of staffing issues and the need for PPE. 
"The iron ring around Madonna has crumbled," said Blais, asking the government about its plan to get the home "back on track."
Fullerton said Ontario Health has been involved since May 2 and that three hospitals — CHEO, the Royal Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital — are supporting the home, with the first two sending in personal support workers, culinary staff and cleaners. 
"A relentless enemy"
PC MPP Stan Cho used his friendly question to highlight the troubling jobs report Statistics Canada released last week, indicating an 11.3-per-cent unemployment rate. 
"Can the premier share with this House the impact the pandemic has had and how he will address it moving forward?" Cho asked, referring to COVID-19 as "a relentless enemy."
Ford said the report "just hits you. It keeps you up at night." But he added that he's confident the province will "get back on our feet."
"We’re going to get the economy going by cutting the red tape, getting rid of the regulations and making an environment where companies can thrive and prosper as they did before this pandemic," he said.

Your Question Period Briefing: ‘We need help, and we need help now’

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