In Ontario, we think of ourselves as spectators to the anti-democratic outrages perpetrated by US President Trump. But we have our own ringside seat to authoritarianism right here in Ontario, except we are not just spectators in our own province. We are workers and community members and we are watching Doug Ford take a hammer to our democracy.
As the union representing 310,000 working people across our province, CUPE Ontario is deeply alarmed by the increasingly authoritarian and anti-democratic behaviour of the Ford Conservatives. We are trade unionists and we run our union according to strict democratic principles, protocols and processes. We have the same expectations of our elected representatives. But recent actions by Premier Ford and his ministers confirm a growing threat to our institutions and the public trust that are essential to a functioning democracy.
Yesterday’s announcement that the legislature of Ontario will not be recalled until the end of March – a four-week delay to the planned winter recess – is just the latest in a string of dangerous and anti-democratic actions.
Throughout the whole of 2025, the legislature has sat fewer than eight weeks – only 51 days in total. The 2026 winter recess is more than double the length of time MPPs were actually at Queen’s Park in all of the past year.
With this latest move, Conservative contempt for our democracy reaches new heights. Doug Ford’s PCs were re-elected to government less than a year ago, but they have spent most of the intervening months flouting democratic principles.
In a parliamentary democracy, elected representatives must be prepared to fulfill their duties. Opposition members must hold the government accountable and the government must answer to the opposition and the people. An extended suspension of legislative proceedings is an unacceptable attempt to limit scrutiny and avoid difficult questions about the government’s actions.
This pattern of democratic disrespect is seen plainly in the government’s use of time allocation to ram an unprecedented number of omnibus bills through the legislature – ones like Bills 33, 46, 60 and 68, which were passed without any public debate or committee consultations. Legislative processes exist for a reason; they ensure thorough examination of proposed laws and allow for diverse perspectives to be heard. They provide the opportunity for input from other concerned parties and MPPs and amendments to fix problems that are identified.
When these processes are circumvented by means of heavy-handed tactics, the very foundations of representative democracy are undermined and the voices of Ontarians are silenced.
Adding to these concerns are the serious corruption allegations surrounding Minister of Labour David Piccini and his misuse of the $2.5 billion Skills Development Fund, which is now being investigated by the OPP’s Anti-Rackets Branch; a record $112 million spent on taxpayer-funded advertising to promote a Conservative government; and the concealed plot in Bill 60 to sell off public water.
When public officials are implicated in dealings under police investigation and public funds are misused, it does lasting damage to Ontarians’ confidence in our institutions and in the people who lead them. The integrity of our democratic processes depends on transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct from those in positions of power.
The Ford Conservatives have shown none of these. Their actions collectively undermine the confidence of all Ontarians in democratic structures and institutions. Working people deserve a government that respects democratic principles, engages in meaningful consultation and operates with transparency and accountability.
The current government’s approach does the opposite – it concentrates power, limits public input, and consistently puts partisan interests above the public good. We see the tactics of the Ford Conservatives mimicking the assault on democracy we see taking place south of the border. We must be prepared to defend our democratic principles at home.
We call on the Ford Conservatives to restore democratic norms; end the use of procedural tactics to avoid scrutiny; stop tabling massive omnibus legislation that dramatically transforms huge swaths of the way things work in our province; and ensure that public officials are held to the highest ethical standards.
Ontarians’ faith in democracy is at stake.
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For more information: Mary Unan, CUPE Communications | [email protected] | 647-390-989 cj/cope491
