News & Analysis

Below is a copy of a press release issued by Cambridge PC MPP Belinda Karahalios, for which she was summarily booted from caucus by Premier Doug Ford:

Cambridge PC MPP Belinda Karahalios Votes Against Ontario PC Government’s Bill 195

TORONTO – Today, Tuesday July 21, 2020, Cambridge PC MPP, Belinda Karahalios, voted against the Ontario PC government’s Bill 195 on third reading.

“Bill 195 is unnecessary overreach on our parliamentary democracy,” said MPP Karahalios.

Premier Doug Ford’s Ontario government claims that Bill 195’s main purpose is to terminate the Covid-19 declared emergency and to put in place a framework to reopen the Ontario Economy.

However, in a press release, MPP Karahalios disagreed with the characterization of Bill 195.

“At its core, Bill 195 takes away the legislature’s ability to vote on the use of extraordinary emergency powers on Ontarians for the next year.  By transferring away the ability for Ontario MPPs to consider, debate, and vote on how emergency powers are used on Ontarians, Bill 195 essentially silences every single Ontario MPP on the most important issue facing our legislature today,” said MPP Karahalios.

Bill 195 was tabled two weeks ago on July 7, 2020.  Since then it has faced scathing criticism from legal analysts as well as from opinions from the left and the right of the political spectrum. 

Christine Van Geyn, Litigation Director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation offered a scathing criticism of Bill 195 stating, “This power-grab by the premier is an unjustified violation of Charter protected rights, and citizens should be concerned.” [See Van Geyn's full quote and link to her column at the bottom of this press release]

In his own analysis, John Carpay, President of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms stated Bill 195 “ignores the spirit of Ontario’s emergency legislation” and “transforms Cabinet’s temporary emergency power into a longer-term power that is wielded without the oversight of the Legislature for the next year,” adding, “The Legislature is the branch of government responsible for making laws, not the Executive branch.” [See Carpay’s full quote at the bottom of this press release]

The Ontario Nurses’ Association calls Bill 195 “unconstitutional and unnecessary,” in that “it provides extraordinary powers to override existing laws and constitutional rights, such as Section 2(d) of the Charter.”

MPP Karahalios dismissed concerns that her vote against Bill 195 may end up costing her the position of being a Parliamentary Assistant or even result in her being removed from the PC Caucus by Premier Ford. 

“Two years ago, I was elected to be the voice of the people of the riding of Cambridge.  When the voters elected me, they gave me a job to do.  That's the job I've been doing for two years and that I'll continue to do as long as I'm an MPP.  All Ontario MPPs have been responsive to return to the legislature whenever urgent legislation is required, including but not limited to dealing with the current pandemic.  No one has been able to provide a good reason why we can’t continue with regards to the use of emergency powers for the rest of our mandate,” stated MPP Karahalios.

MPP Karahalios’s opposition to Bill 195 is consistent with her prior positions in strengthening Ontario’s democracy.  Her first private member’s bill – Bill 150 - entitled the Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Political Party Elections Act, 2019 was tabled on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.  Bill 150 is currently at committee after having passed unanimously at second reading.  Doug Ford's PC government had initially stated they would oppose Bill 150 but relented as a result of PC MPPs hearing from local voters demanding they support the bill.   

Contact: Belinda Karahalios, MPP | [email protected] | 519-650-2770

Legal Analysts Criticize Bill 195

Christine Van Geyn, Litigation Director, Canadian Constitution Foundation – “Why is the province of Ontario making emergency powers permanent while simultaneously declaring the emergency over? This power-grab by the premier is an unjustified violation of Charter protected rights, and citizens should be concerned.” [Read the full opinion at https://nationalpost.com/opinion/opinion-ontarios-semi-emergency-covid-19-bill-is-an-attack-on-our-rights]

John Carpay, President, Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms – “Bill 195 simultaneously ends the declaration of emergency and extends the existing emergency orders in Ontario. This ignores the spirit of Ontario’s emergency legislation that allowed the creation of the emergency orders only when an emergency declaration was in place. Bill 195 transforms Cabinet’s temporary emergency power into a longer-term power that is wielded without the oversight of the Legislature for the next year (and in one-year increments after that with the approval of the Legislature). Bill 195 also allows Cabinet, or a delegated Minister, to substantially amend a subset of the existing emergency orders. The Legislature is the branch of government responsible for making laws, not the Executive branch. With Bill 195, Ontario seems to have forgotten this important constitutional principle on the separation of powers.”

For a copy of Bill 195 visit: https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-195

Contact: Belinda Karahalios, MPP | [email protected] | 519-650-2770

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