Ontario legislature returns Monday with throne speech to lay out Premier Kathleen Wynne's priorities

The Liberal government hopes to reset its agenda whenthe Ontario legislature resumes Monday, but the opposition partieswill be on the attack over electricity rates, the privatization ofHydro One and the record $300-billion debt.

Premier Kathleen Wynne surprised the Progressive Conservativesand New Democrats last Thursday when she suddenly prorogued the legislature and said proceedings would resume Monday as scheduled, but with theadded ceremony of a throne speech.

The government has already passed a billto introduce acap-and-trade system next January that will put a price on carbon, and another toallow the sale of a majority of Hydro One, thetransmissionutility. Other Liberal items that died with prorogation will bereintroduced, including a bill to change the province'spolitical fundraising rules.

• KathleenWynneprorogues Ontario legislature, throne speech to be delivered Monday

"Now at the midway point of our mandate, our focus is onimplementing our plan so we can continue to deliver on our toppriority: jobs and growth," said government house leader YasirNaqvi.

"The speech from the throne is a normal tradition for agovernment and will allow us to re-focus our priorities and reset the legislative agenda."

Naqvi repeatedly said the Liberals would use Monday's speech toshow how they will "build Ontario up," which was the title of thelast throne speech, in 2014.

The government must also try again to reach a fee agreement with Ontario's doctors, who overwhelmingly rejected a tentative deal in Augusteven though they've been without a contract for more than twoyears.

PCs return one seat stronger

The Tories return with wind in their sails after taking theScarborough-Rouge River riding from the Liberals in a Sept. 1byelection. Raymond Cho, a longtime Toronto city councillor, willbe sworn in Monday and take his seat in the legislature for thefirst time.

But theparty is still dealing with fallout from acontroversial letter handed out during the campaign that said PC Leader PatrickBrown would scrap recent changes to the sexeducation curriculum if the Tories win the 2018 election.

Brown eventually apologized and disavowed the letter, calling ita mistake by the local campaign, but he's refused to comment sinceThe Canadian Press reported that it was his chief of staff, Nicolas Pappalardo, who distributed the letter.

PC finance critic Vic Fedeli said the Tories can overcome any controversy aroundthe letter, which critics said showed Brown was willing tomuddy the waters on his position on sex ed to win the byelection.

"I think the win superseded all of the path to get there," Fedelisaid."It's a bit much for the Liberals to now say they learned peopleare upset about rising electricity bills and offer vague suggestionsthat there may be some kind of relief for consumers."

The Tories said Liberal policies are forcing hospitals to closebeds and layoff staff, and warned the cost of servicing the debtwill mean less money for government services.

"They can reset all they want, but what won't go away is the$308-billion debt, on its way to $350 billion according to the financialaccountability officer," said Fedeli.

"The auditorgeneral warned that if you don't get spending under control you'regoing to crowd out the services that families need, and that's exactlywhat's happening."

NDP focusing on economic opportunity

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said more and more people can't afford theirhydro bills she would eliminate the HST from electricityand echoed the Tories call for an immediate halt to the sale of anymore Hydro One shares.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa said electricity rates increasedbecause Ontario stopped burning coal to generate power and becausethe Liberals invested so heavily in the transmission grid after ithad been neglected for years.

"We understand that we need to mitigate the cost for everyday Ontariansso they can have greater affordability," Sousa saidFriday.

The New Democrats want to see government actions that helps makelife more affordable for families.

"We have hospitals and schools that are crumbling, we have an electricitysystem that is costing people far more than they canafford, and in fact, is damaging economic opportunity, and we have asituation where kids are worried about their future because youngpeople can't find a decent job," said Horwath.

"This reset better be about taking real action on behalf of thepeople of Ontario."

• Hydro rates may have trumped sex-ed concerns in Scarborough Rouge-River
• 'Urgent' changes may be needed to tackle high hydro rates, premier says