To the Point for the Week of June 14, 2026
To the Point for the Week of June 14, 2026
Everyone knows Mother’s Day is all about pampering mom. Flowers, breakfast in bed, brunch, a quiet morning to drink a cup of coffee while it’s still hot – you name it, Mom gets. Father’s Day hits a little different. Dads are more inclined to seek some peace, whether on the golf course or in the backyard, that’s all topped off with a huge piece of grilled meat and cold libations at the end of the day.
To all the fathers – newbies, seasoned vets, and the soon to be – we wish you a quiet, restful and peaceful Father’s Day weekend.
Premier Ford may have missed a good opportunity to hit the reset button before the summer break. No nation has ever censored its way to prosperity.
ONTARIO
“A Massive Majority”
The Premier was on the defensive this week following an Angus Reid Institute poll released late the week prior that featured very discouraging news. The Angus Reid poll, as they bluntly state, is “the worst assessment during his tenure as premier” and is a direct result of an unfavourable economic environment and blowback from his own decisions. Representing the lowest approval rating since the Premier won his first majority in 2018, only 21% of respondents approve of Ford’s job performance.
Defiantly, the Premier dismissed the Angus Reid survey as “fake,” alleging the institute was polling in heavily left-leaning areas, thereby skewing the results. Ford also topped off his response to the Angus approval numbers with a bold prediction. If an election were held today, according to the Premier, he and the PCs would win another massive majority.
In retrospect, he may have been wise to choose his words more carefully, both legally and politically. Legally, because the Angus Reid Institute has since served his office with a letter seeking a retraction and correction to the public record; and politically, because polling trends over the last six months have shifted from a “monitoring the situation” posture to a clear and present concern for the electoral prospects of the PC Party as well as for the Premier’s own political future.
Rubbing salt in the Premier’s wounds was a Liaison Strategies poll this week that closely aligned with Angus Reid’s approval rating of Ford. Only 26% approved of the Premier’s performance. More worrying, the leaderless Ontario Liberal Party holds a slim three-point lead over the PCs. Analyzing both the Angus Reid and Liaison numbers, in the context of polling trends over the last six months, one can reasonably conclude that the Premier’s personal numbers are putting significant downward pressure on the Ontario PC Party brand.
The recent optics surrounding the Premier, combined with internal tensions seeping into public view, paint a picture of an increasingly politically isolated leader. There’s been very little visible, on-the-record defence of the Premier on recent controversies. The Premier has had to publicly own and defend the private jet purchase and its reversal, the legislative tightening of freedom-of-information laws, the Billy Bishop Airport takeover, the legislature’s extended break following a short sitting, and perhaps most consequentially, the province’s economic conditions. Evidence of the Premier’s growing isolation and internal tensions emerged in the form of a reported heated dispute in early June between Ford and Brantford–Brant MPP Will Bouma over the optics of the jet purchase and reforms to MPP pensions. The row prompted Ford to remove Bouma as caucus chair.
Queen’s Park observers agree that morale in the PC caucus is low. Motivation to go to bat for the Premier and the government’s policies is waning. These political dynamics make the Premier’s decision not to shuffle cabinet before the break potentially more costly. A summer cabinet shuffle was an opportunity to serve two beneficial purposes. First, to outflank those within caucus who may see the Premier’s recent struggles as an opportunity to quietly organize, an almost “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” scenario, while rewarding some new faces for both competence and loyalty (though not necessarily in that order). Second, a refreshed front bench would, although temporarily, change the channel on controversies that simply won’t dissipate without a distraction, as well as foreshadow a new direction for the government and help restore public confidence and trust.
Absent a cabinet shuffle, the Premier now has very little upon which to hang his hat come October. If the economy worsens and simmering controversies reach a boiling point, the Premier’s perceived isolation will worsen, making the next six to twelve months consequential to his political future. That environment would weigh heavily on any political leader and prompt introspection on whether going out while on top is the appropriate next step.
FEDERAL
No Nation Has Censored its Way to Prosperity
Petitioning government to redress grievances is a fundamental right and a critical safety valve in a healthy, functioning democratic society. It is formally and informally exercised in various ways. Formally, and though not an exhaustive list, organizations and individuals can submit petitions for tabling in federal and provincial legislatures or town councils, prepare and deliver formal submissions to parliamentary committees, initiate an appeals process to administrative bodies or agencies, or – and most important to our clients – engage in direct lobbying and stakeholder engagement with politicians and unelected government officials.
Informally, and arguably becoming more impactful when combined with formal mechanisms, petitioning and expressing grievances occurs in what some would describe as the digital public square where an overwhelming majority of public discourse is now taking place. Facebook, X, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and other digital platforms are becoming the primary arenas where organizations and individuals voice concerns, organize, and petition government. Viral campaigns, comment sections, blog sites like Substack, and other digital tools have democratized the voices of citizens and organizations on an unprecedented scale to reach decision-makers and shape public opinion faster and more broadly than ever before.
The ability for individuals and organizations to use these digital platforms to present, share, and exchange information and ideas has arguably resulted in increased accountability for government and elected officials when their promises fall short, get caught sharing misinformation (some would call it lying), or when a political scandal emerges. This forcing function is most effective when anonymity on the internet is protected and content rules do not violate broadly shared notions of protected speech. However, this environment may soon face constraints.
The introduction of Bills C-22 (Lawful Access Act), C-34 (Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act) and C-36 (Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act) signals a significant shift toward greater digital platform regulation and lawful access powers. These bills risk altering the balance between anonymity and protected speech that could put a chill on an individual’s or organization’s willingness and freedom to petition their grievances to government and include the following provisions:
Bill C-22
Requires telecoms and online services to retain user metadata for extended periods and makes it easier for police and intelligence agencies to access subscriber information with lower thresholds.
Forces companies to build technical capabilities for government access — raising serious risks of weakened encryption and easier identification of anyone speaking online.
Bill C-34
Introduces mandatory age verification and an under-16 social media ban, creating the infrastructure for widespread online identification.
Imposes broad “harmful content” moderation duties on platforms plus a powerful new Digital Safety Commission that can issue orders and fines — likely leading to over-removal of controversial or critical speech.
Bill C-36
Merges privacy oversight into the same new Digital Safety Commission that handles content moderation.
Strengthens data collection and sharing rules in ways that complement the surveillance tools in the other two bills.
The public framing around these pieces of legislation is all about safety. Protecting children from exploitation, holding social media companies accountable for harmful content, the creation of a new digital bureaucracy to ensure platforms are “safe by design,” and shoring up privacy protections. This all sounds well and good. Who doesn’t want to protect children? There’s an argument that social media companies have long considered themselves immune to what users post, or at least they used to be. The elements of these three pieces of legislation are sold as balanced, measured, and in line with Canadian public opinion. However, what emerges when the powers contained in these bills are combined is a very powerful new digital surveillance and content-control apparatus that removes anonymity from the internet and gives the government the ability to essentially determine what is allowable speech online.
That’s not an abstract civil-liberties concern. The digital public square is now the dominant channel through which Canadians petition their government, hold officials to account, and surface grievances. By raising the cost and risk of speaking freely online, these measures risk chilling exactly the kind of open discourse that has driven greater accountability in recent years.
The stakes are economic as well as political. Open information flows, freedom of expression, and low barriers to petitioning and debate are closely tied to innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term prosperity. Countries that systematically narrow these channels, even when wrapped in the language of safety and protection, tend to pay a real price in dynamism and growth. No major innovative economy has ever censored or regulated its way to sustained prosperity.
History also offers a caution. When peaceful avenues for airing grievances are gradually closed off, pressure doesn’t disappear. It builds. Canada’s institutions make dramatic upheaval unlikely, but a slow constriction of this modern safety valve should still worry anyone in the government-relations business.
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