The legislature may not be sitting – but Ontario Liberals are hard at work holding the government accountable. Yes, it’s a Friday, but here’s what we would have asked if Question Period was held today.
ORDER!
Today’s questions come from MPP Kathleen Wynne
Question for the Minister of Education:
Throughout this unprecedented pandemic, teachers and support staff have worked extremely hard to reach out to students and their families to provide the academic supports that they need. Even with all this support, we know that there are students with particular needs, students who have Individual Education Plans who are at risk and who will need additional support whenever schools do re-open. Could the Minister outline his plan for providing those supports to ensure that all students can succeed in the aftermath of the pandemic?
Supplementary:
What has the Minister done to work with teachers and support staff federations and unions, and school boards to engage in a planning process to support student success once students return to school?
Question for Minister of Education:
Given that we are in uncharted territory in Education in Ontario, who has the Minister asked to lead and guide the development of a school re-entry plan?
Supplementary:
Can the Minister identify the Education partners he has asked to serve on that advisory group if it exists? If it does not exist, does the Minister intend to establish such a group? If not, why not?
Question for Minister of Colleges and Universities:
There is understandable anxiety among young people who have been accepted into post-secondary programs for September—particularly Grade 12 students who are poised to enter their first undergraduate program. They have no concrete information about how much of their learning next year might be online and how much might be in person. They don’t know whether residence-accommodation will be available to them and so it is difficult to make a decision to meet the June 1st deadline for deciding on a program. What is the Minister doing to ensure that students will have the information that they need from all colleges and universities and is the Minister considering extending the June 1st deadline?
Supplementary:
Since the current government cancelled the post-secondary student assistance program that was put in place by the Liberal government, thousands of students have seen their supports cut. Now that students are facing the reality of reduced or no summer jobs, how is the Minister planning to increase OSAP support to ensure that all students who qualify academically will have access to post-secondary education?