OTTAWA — The Conservative party is suspending its leadership race in the face of the ongoing crisis caused by COVID-19.
The June 27 election date has been shelved, with the leadership organizing committee citing the disruption caused by the pandemic.
The committee, known as LEOC, made the decision during a lengthy meeting Thursday night that came after days of pressure for them to act.
“With all non-essential businesses now closed in Ontario and Quebec including our HQ, LEOC now finds that it is no longer possible to meet the deadlines necessary to process memberships and donations, or print, process and count ballots in time for a June 27 announcement,” the party said in a statement on Twitter.
No new date was selected. The party said they will re-evaluate the situation on May 1.
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“The Liberals shamefully tried to use a public health crisis to give themselves the powers to raise taxes, debt and spending without parliamentary approval until January 1, 2022. But after hours of negotiation, the government has backed down.
“Conservatives have secured the following concessions:
- We demanded that the government remove the section that would have allowed them to raise taxes without parliamentary approval. They agreed.
- We demanded that the government walk back their unlimited spending powers and that special warrants expire on June 23, 2020 instead of September 30, 2020. They agreed.
- We demanded that the government include explicit reference to putting taxpayers’ rights first. They agreed.
- We demanded that the government put sunset clauses in their legislation. They agreed.
- We demanded that the government be accountable to Parliament through regular reports to the House of Commons Health and Finance committees and that the Finance Committee have the right to recall Parliament if we identify any abuses. They agreed.
TORONTO – To support Ontarians through the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, the Government of Ontario is providing immediate electricity rate relief for families, small businesses and farms paying time-of-use (TOU) rates.
For a 45-day period, the government is working to suspend time-of-use electricity rates, holding electricity prices to the off-peak rate of 10.1 cents-per-kilowatt-hour. This reduced price will be available 24 hours per day, seven days a week to all time-of-use customers, who make up the majority of electricity consumers in the province. By switching to a fixed off-peak rate, time-of-use customers will see rate reductions of over 50 per cent compared to on-peak rates.
To deliver savings as quickly and conveniently as possible, this discount will be applied automatically to electricity bills without the need for customers to fill out an application form.
“During this unprecedented time, we are providing much-needed relief to Ontarians, specifically helping those who are doing the right thing by staying home and small businesses that have closed or are seeing fewer customers,” said Premier Doug Ford. “By adopting a fixed, 24/7 off-peak rate, we are making things a little easier during these difficult times and putting more money in people’s pockets for other important priorities and necessities.”