Doug Ford’s Conservatives have done it again. They’ve shut down Queen’s Park for nearly five months – not for the first time, but at a time when public trust is already hanging by a thread.
This isn’t a typo or a scheduling quirk. After ramming through a pile of controversial bills, Ontario’s Conservative majority has adjourned the Legislature until October 20, 2025. That effectively takes the summer, early fall, and most of the province’s political oxygen with them.
It’s just the latest move in a disturbing Ford pattern: pass controversial bills, avoid scrutiny, and then vanish. The Ford government has made a habit of disappearing just when the public needs accountability the most.
And if you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention. Because this isn’t just a “summer recess.” It’s a power grab. Plain and simple. Here are several reasons why this break is dangerous, undemocratic, and should have every Ontarian sounding the alarm.
It’s Not a Break. It’s an Escape Plan.
Most provincial legislatures take time off in the summer. That’s normal. What stretches normality is shutting down for 138 days during a year filled with public backlash, protests, and policy disasters.
The Doug Ford government has chosen to disappear just as public scrutiny is intensifying. Why? Because it’s easier to dodge accountability when Queen’s Park isn’t sitting. No Question Period. No media scrums. No pesky Opposition MPPs asking for transparency. They’ve taken the heat, turned off the burner, and walked out of the kitchen.
This isn’t governance. It’s cowardice.
The Bills They Passed Are Dangerous, and They Know It
Right before packing up, the Ford government rushed through several deeply concerning bills, each with major implications for Indigenous rights, civil liberties, and Ontario’s most vulnerable communities. Among them:
Bill 5 – “Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act”
Sounds inspiring, right? In reality, this bill gives Doug Ford’s government sweeping powers to override local and provincial laws in so-called “special economic zones,” starting with the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region.
This means communities, particularly Indigenous nations, could see projects forced on them without proper consultation, environmental assessment, or the legal rights they’re owed. It’s a blueprint for resource exploitation under the false flag of “economic growth.”
Safer Municipalities Act
Another Orwellian title for a bill that does the exact opposite of what it claims. This law empowers municipalities to dismantle homeless encampments and gives police greater authority to enforce removals, with minimal regard for where those people are supposed to go.
Homelessness isn’t a crime. But under this bill, the Doug Ford government is trying to make it one.
2025 Budget and MPP Pay Raises
While most Ontarians are struggling with inflation, housing costs, and wage stagnation, the Ford government quietly passed a budget that does little to address inequality. Then they voted themselves a pay raise. Because nothing says “public service” like walking off the job with a fatter paycheque.
Indigenous Communities Are Sounding the Alarm
First Nations leaders have condemned Bill 5 as a violation of treaty rights and a direct threat to their land and sovereignty. The Doug Ford government has a long history of bypassing Indigenous consultation. Remember the Greenbelt scandal? This bill is no different.
Neskantaga First Nation, among others, has already threatened legal action and protests if the government moves forward without consent. With the Legislature shuttered, there’s no forum for these concerns to be heard. That’s not just undemocratic. It’s dangerous.
Silencing Critics Is the Ford Government’s Favourite Hobby
Closing Queen’s Park for this long isn’t just a break from routine. It’s a political temperature check. And what it tells us is that the Doug Ford government is perfectly comfortable choking off debate and silencing opposition. That’s not just authoritarian in spirit – it’s an unmistakable sign of a democracy in decline.
Community groups, unions, Indigenous nations, and even some municipal leaders have been ramping up their criticism of the Ford government’s heavy-handed tactics. By adjourning until October, Ford’s team gets to control the narrative. There will be no daily accountability and no democratic checks on their actions.
And here’s what they hope you don’t notice: this isn’t the first time they’ve done it.
In 2021, the Ford government passed the Protecting Ontario Elections Act, which introduced significant changes to campaign finance laws and clamped down on third-party political advertising (limiting criticism from outside groups like unions or environmental organizations). It passed just before the Legislature recessed, with barely any room for public debate. In 2022, they did it again with Bill 28, forcing a contract on education workers while invoking the notwithstanding clause, then closing up shop before the backlash could fully take hold.
This illustrates a clear pattern. The Ford government is routinely using end-of-session power plays to ram through deeply unpopular legislation, then leaving town while the smoke is still rising. By passing controversial bills or making politically explosive decisions right before long breaks, they are deliberately reducing the window for opposition, protest, and public engagement.
This is an undemocratic method to control backlash. And the longer it goes unchallenged, the more dangerous it becomes.
This Sets a Terrifying Precedent
If we let this go unchallenged, what happens next time?
Will the government take six months off? Shut things down before every protest? Evade responsibility every time they pass unpopular laws?
I believe Doug Ford’s government is testing boundaries. If they get away with this, if media coverage fades and public anger simmers down, they’ll do it again. And so will others. Because once you show that democracy can be paused without consequence, you make it easier for future leaders to do the same.
What Can We Do?
We may not have an official chance to hold this government to account until October. But that doesn’t mean we stay quiet. On the contrary! We must:
- Talk about it. Share articles, post on social media, tell your neighbours. Most people don’t even know Queen’s Park is shut down.
- Organize and protest. Especially around Indigenous rights, housing, and environmental issues.
- Pressure our local MPPs. Even if they’re Conservative, flood their inboxes. Make them feel the weight of public scrutiny.
- Support independent media. Outlets like The Narwhal, PressProgress, and yes, Woke Left News, are keeping this story alive when corporate media won’t.
Doug Ford didn’t just give his MPPs a long vacation. He shut down the very heart of Ontario’s democracy. And he did it after bulldozing through bills that will hurt the most vulnerable among us, all while calling it business as usual.
Don’t let them get away with it.
