Journal des débats 2018-mai-08 | Assemblée législative de l'Ontario

Mr. Speaker, I’ll be sharing my time with the Minister of Infrastructure, the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, and the member for London North Centre.

Given the occasion and the motion before this House, I’d like to go back to a morning in February just over five years ago. On February 20, 2013, I took my seat in this House for question period for the first time as Premier of our province—the 25th Premier of Ontario and the first woman ever to hold this office. Tomorrow, we’ll be in a writ period. On June 7, the people who represent each community will be chosen to come back to the 42nd Parliament of Ontario.

What I’d like to do today is talk about the intervening years from that February 20 date in 2013 and the necessary work that we have been doing to build this province up, which is a commitment that I made to the people of Ontario on that day.

I want to put it in the context of some of the discussion that has been ongoing. The leaders took part in a debate last night. I will say that I enjoyed the opportunity to contrast our record, the work that we have been doing to grow this economy, to create employment. We’re in a position now where the unemployment rate in Ontario is the lowest it has been in nearly 20 years. The economy is growing, outstripping the growth of the United States and of other provinces. I enjoyed the opportunity to have a discussion with the other leaders and contrast the record and our plans for going forward. The contrast, I think, couldn’t be clearer, and I want to come back to that.

Last night I was asked a question that has stuck with me. I have been thinking about it overnight. You know how at 3:30 in the morning you come up with the best answers? That was me. At 3:30 this morning, I came up with the best answers. This particular question is the one that was bedevilling me. The question came from Doug Ford. We had been talking about how he believed cutting $6 billion from services in the province was actually going to help people. He couldn’t come up with an answer to that. I don’t know; maybe at 3:30 in the morning he found the answer, so maybe we’ll hear that today.

He asked me when I lost my way. He asked me that question. I think what I did was, I answered it—I can’t remember exactly what I said. I answered it with the policies that we have put in place. I talked about our record. I talked about all the things that we have done to build the province up. But I want to add to that, because I haven’t lost my way. I’ve never lost my way.

I want to address that more directly—because here’s my way. I can trace my way back through my life. I can trace the way that I believe government needs to function and the way, as a society, we can look after each other. I can trace it back to my time as a minister; as an MPP before I was made a minister; as a school trustee; as a young mom; and as a girl. I can go back through my life and I can find the threads of my belief system and my value system throughout that whole time. There’s no inconsistency. I have pushed and fought for fairness my whole life. I learned that early on. Some of my earliest memories are from my family. I’ll just tell a couple of quick stories.

My grandmother Eva Crummer was a teacher. She went, when she was 17 years old, to northern Ontario. She grew up in Watford, Ontario. She went to northern Ontario to teach in Sault Ste. Marie. One of the earliest stories she told me was that when she was teaching the kids in the class, a lot of them were Italian new immigrants. She decided that she needed to teach their parents how to speak English. She knew that the kids were going home and they weren’t able to get help from their parents, and their parents were feeling inadequate to help them. She set up ESL classes in Sault Ste. Marie in the 1920s so that those parents could learn to speak English.

My grandfather Charlie Wynne was a World War I vet. He had been gassed at the Somme, so his lungs were stripped. I remember him. I would sit on the edge of his bed. He died when I was nine, so these are early memories. His cough sounded like it was coming from his toes, it was such a deep cough. He told me stories about practising medicine in north Toronto when he came back from the war, and people having to bake goods and bring them to the house and leave them at the doorstep because they couldn’t pay their medical bills. That’s how he had to practise medicine—and he did. He served all those people, whether they could pay him or not.

So early on, my value system was that if you see a problem, let’s figure out how to fix it. If there’s somebody who needs something, let’s make sure they get it.

I can fast-forward into my youth. My mom was a professional singer. She was a starving artist, really. She married my dad, and they had four kids. My dad was a general practitioner in Richmond Hill. I remember that he went into a place called the Villa.

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The Villa was a long-term-care home in Richmond Hill. In the back of the Villa, there were some young people with severe disabilities who were living a life that they shouldn’t have been. They didn’t have stimulation. They had no programming. He came home to my mom and he said, “You know, Pat, there are these young kids, and I heard a couple of them singing. I think you could go in and work with them.” And Mom, with these four kids—my youngest sister was a baby—took the playpen, and she would go on a regular basis. She created a group. They were called the Villatones. She started travelling the province with them.

Here’s the thing: On top of, “Let’s solve a problem,” what I learned from my mom particularly was being ferocious, because she fought to get a van so that those young people in wheelchairs could actually go around the province, because she had no way of getting them there. There was no Assistive Devices Program. There was no support through the government for any kind of programming for these young people. She fought. She went to ministries, she went to councillors, and she fought to get supports for these young people. I remember the conversations around the dining room table, where she was so indignant that there was nobody to help.

I learned those lessons early on in my life. As a young mom myself—I’m in north Toronto with my kids, having my life with my three kids, serving on school committees and trying to do the things that would make my kids’ lives better. In 1987, the first thing I can remember, the first labour action I took with teachers, was pounding the pavement with the Toronto Teachers’ Federation because they were fighting for more arts teachers and music teachers. My kids were walking on the picket line with me. My son was in grade 2 and the baby was on my back. We believed that there was a way to have a better system.

Then Mike Harris was elected. That really changed everything for me, because what it meant was that where we had been fighting for some things—I was part of a group called Education Against Homophobia, and we were working for equity in the Toronto District School Board—the Toronto Board of Education at that point. But where those were issues that were important and vital, they were always in the context of a province and a government that understood how important public services were. Once Mike Harris was elected, all that changed, because we had a government in office that really did not value the public services—the public education system or the public health care system. It’s kind of like there’s nothing new under the sun. He said that he could find efficiencies without cutting. He said that he could find efficiencies without hurting education and without hurting health care.

Well, we saw that movie. We saw what happened. We saw kids falling through the cracks, we saw teachers being taken out of schools, we saw nurses being taken out of hospitals and we saw hospitals being closed. That really was what made me—I like to say that Mike Harris made me. He made me get involved to come to the point where we could fight against those cuts and be part of a government that would actually make those changes.

So I fought against the cuts. I fought against the amalgamation of our cities against the will of the municipalities. What happened in those years was that people were pitted against one another. There was discontent that was fostered. Teachers were vilified. Nurses, school boards, municipal councils and parents were vilified. They became the enemy of the provincial government, and that was the opposite of my understanding of what good government is.

That is why I’m standing here today. I’m a Liberal because I believe in practical problem-solving. I don’t believe, as the NDP does, that business is inherently evil. I don’t believe, as the Conservatives do, that government is inherently evil. I believe that there are solutions to problems that can be found if we work together. We’re all in this together. We have a responsibility to come together to make our society work.

We can have clean air, but we had to shut down the coal plants in order to do that.

We can give all kids a better start, but we had to put in place full-day kindergarten, because only the wealthy could afford to put their kids in nursery school.

We can build transit, but we have to finance it.

We can have the best workforce in the world, but everyone has to have a chance at post-secondary education, and that’s what free tuition is about.

We can fix medicare, but pharmacare has to be part of that and the federal government has to be part of that, and we will work to make sure that happens.

We can lift people out of poverty, but the Ontario Child Benefit is necessary to that. An increased minimum wage is necessary to that.

It is hard work and good policies that actually make change. We don’t have to resort to magical thinking. We don’t have to resort to ideological thinking. We can look at the problems in front of us, and that’s what we’re doing right now, as we have.

People need child care, so free preschool child care is the next step in giving kids a great start.

Seniors need support. They need more home care. They need it where they want to live and when they need it. So increasing the hours for home care, making sure we have the long-term-care beds that are necessary—that’s a necessary part of the care that people are asking for.

Mental health supports: Families are looking for supports for their young people. They are looking for a way of navigating the system, so we need to step up and make sure that those mental health supports are there.

Those are the elements of care that are the next steps in what we have been doing. That’s my way. That’s the way that I learned when I was a tiny kid and that I have followed through my whole life. We actually have to be honest with each other that building a better society is tough work. It requires tough decisions. It requires messy construction projects. When we’re going through the city or in towns where roads are being ripped up, I chant a mantra of, “I love infrastructure.” I know it slows people down, but it is necessary to do the building that previous governments didn’t do, for whatever reason. It’s necessary for us to do that building.

It is necessary to have arguments about how to tackle culture change. How do we actually change the behaviours of people? We had a bit of this conversation in the debate last night about policing in this province. We can apply it to sectors across society. How do we actually invoke a law and then enforce it and then help the human beings who have to live that? How do we help them make that change? That’s complicated, Mr. Speaker. It takes some time, but we can do it if we all work together.

I have always believed that not everyone has an equal shot in this province, in this country, in this world. That’s a reality. So what government is about is putting in place the supports that will help everyone to get that equal shot. Whether you are an indigenous child growing up in northern Ontario; whether you’re a woman anywhere in the province, or a young girl; whether you come from a racialized community—and you know that there’s still systemic racism and you know that there are still problems to be solved there; or whether you’re someone living in poverty and you know you’re just as smart as that guy or that woman who is earning $200,000 a year, but you didn’t have the shot, you didn’t have the family situation or the access to get to where that person is, it’s our responsibility to put those supports in place.

If you’re a child with special needs—I’ll just tell another quick story. I have a sister who had really serious special needs when she was in school. That was in the 1950s. I go back to my ferocious mother taking on the school board, looking for those supports that weren’t there. You don’t get between a mother and her child who needs some support. Our job is to make sure that we put those supports in place so that those ferocious mothers can find the supports they need for their kids.

Whether you’re a newcomer and you’ve come to this country—as we all did, except for indigenous people—to build a new life for your children and your grandchildren, you know that you’re not always getting the same shot that someone who was born here is getting. So we need to step up and make sure that playing field is level—or if you’re a person with disabilities, or if you’re a young person who’s struggling with his or her sexuality. We as government and we as society can change the conditions of the lives of all of those people if we work together and if we are vigilant. We can do that.

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I got into politics to do that hard work because—there’s no slogan, there’s no bumper sticker, there’s no superficial assessment of any of those situations that is going to lead to success. It’s hard work; it’s not through ideology. That intellectual rigidity that leads to magical thinking is not going to solve the problem. It’s not a narrow and artificial focus on fiscal conservatism. Fiscal conservatism is important. It is important to manage our books. It is absolutely important to be responsible. But investing in human capital actually makes us strong. That’s what makes us strong.

I just want to end by saying that problem solving and improving our communities requires really hard work. It requires that we build relationships. It requires that we sit at Shoal Lake 39 with the First Nation and look at the map from the 1700s that shows where the agreed-upon corridor was, so that as we try to four-lane Highway 17 we actually work with that First Nation to make sure we get it right this time and we not trample or bulldoze their rights.

To answer Doug Ford’s question: I’ve never lost my way, because I have stayed connected to the mom in Red Lake who is working at Tim Hortons, who was worried about the tuition for her daughter to go to college two years ago. That young woman can get free tuition now.

I’ve stayed connected to the young man in the Niagara Launch program who has a trade and a dream because of great teachers.

I haven’t lost my way, because I’ve stayed connected to the nurses and the doctors at SickKids who are pioneering surgeries to heal babies before they are born—the research to actually heal babies in utero.

I haven’t lost my way, because I’ve stayed in touch with First Nations and Métis leadership, who, despite generations of abuse, are working with us to heal that pain.

The amazing personal support workers in homes across this province, both in private homes and in long-term-care homes, who are literally caring for the people who built this province—I’ve stayed connected to them, and my way is to make sure that they get the support that they need.

I’ve stayed connected with farmers in Perth county, in the Holland Marsh, in Durham, in eastern Ontario, all of whom will argue that they have the best agricultural land in the world. They feed us, and climate change is affecting their lives, and we have to make sure that we help them adapt to the change.

Mr. Speaker, there are no magic solutions, there are no simple slogans that will build our society. There’s only honest, hard work—work that brings people together to find practical solutions—not anger and division. Anger and division is never going to get us there. Love and acceptance is going to get us there. That has to motivate us because that is what will make us strong.

Martin Luther King and others said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” And I would add, if I may be so bold as to add to something that Martin Luther King would say, that that’s only going to be true if we’re vigilant and we keep our eye on that hopeful future. That is my way. It has always been my way. And it will continue to be my way.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I’ll now allow the debate to continue with the Minister of Infrastructure.

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: Thank you, Speaker. Today I will be addressing our record and the future with respect to infrastructure. I’ll also be making a few remarks about Mr. Ford.

Our government is making the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history: an unprecedented $230 billion over 14 years. But that number on its own doesn’t mean anything. What really matters is: How does that help individuals and how does that help our economy?

Every dollar invested in infrastructure is a dollar invested in the quality of life and a dollar invested in the economy. This significant investment is a policy closely linked to our economy, representing, creating and sustaining over 100,000 jobs per year on average.

Our procurement model—alternative financing and procurement, a model of public-private partnership—has been lauded by the industry worldwide as among the best practices for larger projects.

I want to address—it was raised yesterday in the House—the NDP position on how we do our infrastructure. We know that the third party doesn’t like our model, for blind ideological reasons. With an investment as big as $230 billion over 14 years, it’s important to get procurement right. Our model has an excellent track record of delivering projects on time and on budget. Independent experts have found that 95% of AFP projects have been completely on budget and on time. To date, Infrastructure Ontario has saved the province more than $9.5 billion.

Despite that, the NDP is locked in an ideological opposition to our practice that ignores the facts. They raised it again yesterday in question period, Speaker. That’s why I’m addressing it today. Any characterization of AFP—our form of public-private partnership—as a privatization scheme is absolutely incorrect. We take our responsibility to push for on-time and on-budget completion seriously, and we have been extremely successful.

Virtually all trade unions support our P3 policies. Teachers’ and OMERS pension funds invest in our P3 projects, and they are smart, socially conscious investors. You have to wonder why the NDP, which represents ridings in Hamilton, including the leader’s riding, doesn’t support our policy regarding health care projects in their own city. We’re talking about the city that the leader represents and where she resides.

The Hamilton Health Sciences Juravinski Hospital and the Juravinski Cancer Centre, a $198-million AFP project, was completed in 2012. They added 40 new oncology beds, more operating rooms, an expanded intensive care unit and increased cardiac care capacity. It was not only on time and on budget—the NDP leader must know that this is part of our 15-year record of health care and infrastructure.

Hamilton’s St. Joseph’s Healthcare West 5th Campus AFP project, a $581-million hospital, adds 800,000 square feet of indoor space and approximately 305 in-patient beds, all for much-needed mental health and addictions care. It too was on time and on budget. That’s also part of our 15-year record.

The Hamilton Health Sciences General Hospital, a $44.9-million AFP project, consolidated 14 different services into a three-storey, 100,000-square-foot facility. The expansion project created 59 in-patient and rehab beds as well as an acquired brain injury and rehabilitation services centre. It too was on budget, Speaker. It too is part of our 15-year record of health care and infrastructure.

I wonder which of those great projects the NDP would be willing to give up just for the sake of putting their ideological footprint in infrastructure. Why doesn’t the leader of the NDP acknowledge these important health care improvements instead of being Hamilton’s town complainer?

These were all built over the last number of years in her riding, and they all delivered top-notch health care. That is part of our 15-year record. The leader of the third party continues to say, “You’ve done nothing in 15 years. Why are you just doing this now?” There are four examples in her own city where we have delivered first-rate health care, and she chooses to totally ignore that in her comments.

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At this point, I’d like to speak a bit about commitments to broadband across Ontario. We know how important access to affordable, reliable Internet and mobile connectivity is for everyone in Ontario. In order to participate in the rapidly changing global economy, we know that Ontarians need access to fast, reliable broadband Internet and mobile connectivity. That is why we consider this as an essential service.

That is why we have invested roughly $530 million since 2007 in digital infrastructure across the province. This is part of our 15-year record as well. As part of the 2018 budget, we announced an additional $500 million for improved connectivity in rural and northern Ontario, bringing our total commitment to over $1 billion.

This budget includes $71 million for better cellular service in eastern Ontario and $20 million for state-of-the-art satellite technology. We are funding $90 million in the SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Network—or SWIFT, Speaker, which you would be very familiar with—which will deliver coverage to communities across southern Ontario. We will continue working with our municipalities and the federal government to plug Ontario into the global economy.

We have consistently prioritized broadband projects in First Nations communities. We have invested $32 million to connect 26 northern First Nations with 2,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable. In the fall, we announced a $30-million investment in better broadband access to five Ring of Fire First Nations. We will continue working with our partners, including First Nations and the federal government, to identify and address gaps in Ontario’s broadband coverage.

We have made significant investments and major improvements thus far, and we’re continually working to get more done with respect to broadband. For broadband and connectivity, we are also focusing on transformative technologies and have recently made commitments to work with many companies across the province, including a $130-million investment into 5G next-generation networks with a consortium called CENGN, and $66.7 million into another consortium called ENCQOR for their project, which is actually interprovincial.

I’d like to speak for a moment or two about our long-term infrastructure plan. In November of last year, we were pleased to release Ontario’s long-term infrastructure plan, Building Better Lives. It is our government’s response to today’s reality that we live in a transformational time and that we need to build an Ontario that is prepared to address global challenges. That means having a strategic long-term vision that is evidence-based and people-focused.

Our plan combines climate change adaptations, technological considerations, better social outcomes and sound planning practices into one blueprint for the future of our investments in infrastructure.

What we choose to build and how we choose to build it are expressions of who we are as a province. That’s why we published the long-term infrastructure plan: to make sure that we are making the most of each dollar, maximizing the lifespan of each asset and, by extension, delivering the services people need to make the most of their lives.

We know that the majority of Ontario’s municipalities are small, rural and northern. Those municipalities spoke loudly and clearly, and we listened. They want a predictable long-term commitment to infrastructure in their communities, and our unprecedented infrastructure investment is delivering.

For communities with a population of under 100,000, we are tripling the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund to $300 million annually, starting this year. This means that the 426 communities receiving OCIF funding each year, most of which are in ridings held by the opposition, will be able to invest more in roads, bridges and water infrastructure, including Westport. In addition, to date, 270 projects have been approved under OCIF’s application-based stream, including 78 projects worth $100 million in the last intake alone.

There is only one party in this House delivering clear, consistent support for communities large and small, and that is the Liberal government. Time and again, we have demonstrated our commitment to supporting Ontario’s smaller communities, and that is part of our 15-year record.

We doubled down on that record by ensuring that the $810-million provincial-federal Clean Water and Wastewater Fund was allocated based on a formula, not applications. This guaranteed eligibility for all Ontario’s municipalities and ensured that no community was left behind.

High-quality water and wastewater infrastructure is an essential part of building livable, healthy communities. That is why we partnered with the federal government to create the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. Our government made a substantial commitment of $270 million to this project. Taken alongside the applicant’s contribution and the federal contribution of $570 million, CWWF is a $1.1-billion initiative that touches virtually every community in the province. To date, virtually all eligible projects—more than 1,300 in total—have received approval. Those are having a material impact in every community across Ontario, from Windsor to Westport to Wawa. That is part of our 15-year record. We prioritized this investment because while water and wastewater infrastructure isn’t glamorous, it is absolutely critical.

Following the advice of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, we were the first government in the history of Ontario to expand natural gas in rural and northern Ontario. That’s the first government in Ontario’s history to do that. We expanded natural gas access with a $100-million grant program. That, too, is part of our 15-year record. This program is leveraging millions of dollars in investments from utilities. It was in direct response to what we heard from Ontarians: that residents, farmers and small business want to cut their energy costs.

Our government believes that the expansion of natural gas access, particularly in rural and remote communities, is an absolute priority. In early April we announced 11 natural gas projects, most of which are in ridings, again, held by the opposition. These expansion projects will help families, farmers and small businesses save up to $1,100 in heating costs per year, and are particularly helpful to Ontario’s greenhouse operators.

The PCs have announced they are cancelling this program. We will continue working with municipalities and the federal government to ensure that our rural and remote communities get the support they need.

When it comes to transit infrastructure, what we have under construction or are about to start represents the largest transit initiative in North America. We are investing billions of dollars in regional express rail, which includes more than 400 separate projects across more than 40 municipalities. The Premier announced just last week that Ontario has allocated the provincial share required to build the next stage of major transit projects in the Toronto region, which includes the relief line subway, the Yonge north subway extension and the waterfront LRT. And we committed to increasing the provincial share of gas tax for transit investments for municipalities across the province.

Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford, as he said last night, is capping his transit investments at $5 billion. As a former Toronto councillor, he should know that’s not enough to satisfy the transit needs of only five city wards, and not the whole GTA. We’re looking at close to $80 billion of investment; he’s putting $5 billion on the table. He doesn’t even scratch the surface, because he doesn’t understand the issue.

Election campaigns are also about accountability. Mr. Ford needs to be held accountable for his own words—for his own doublespeak. As reported in the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, “Doug Ford said he would be willing to help the city of Cornwall with its infrastructure deficit if he is elected Premier in June”—and this is underlined and in italics—“but only if municipalities across the province start cutting what a PC government would deem as wasteful spending.” That’s an exact quote. That’s what his position is. Please note, Speaker, that he said “cuts,” not efficiencies—no doubt a Freudian slip.

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As a former mayor, I know municipalities need a strong, committed partner at Queen’s Park; not a bully who will hold roads, schools and hospitals ransom until cities make deep, painful cuts. The last time the Conservatives were in power, they cut public transit, and killed and filled the Eglinton subway tunnel.

With the Ontario Conservatives at the helm, no project is safe from cancellation. Again, we can look at his own words. With respect to approved transit and road projects, he was asked a question and this is how he responded on AM 980 radio in London: “We’d never leave any commitment. We’re going to review everything. Nothing is going untouched.” That’s the end of the quote, an exact quote; you can go and listen to it in the archive of the radio station. So take it with a grain of salt when he expresses support for any approved project anywhere in the province. Remember his own words: “Nothing is going untouched.”

We all saw him on video, caught with his hand in the cookie jar, speaking to developers about carving up the greenbelt and letting developers build on it. With due respect to my nationality, it looks like a scene out of the movie The Godfather: a plot by seven or eight men in dark suits in a backroom, plotting out of view of everyone.

And of course we all know how he treats vulnerable people. When asked about a group home for autistic children in his ward when he was a Toronto councillor, he said this: “You can’t destroy a community like this. People have worked 30 years for their home.... My heart goes out to kids with autism. But no one told me they’d be leaving the house. If it comes down to it, I’ll buy the house myself and resell it.” Are those the values of a Premier?

In an election, voters hold all leaders accountable. I just hope to see Doug Ford held accountable on June 7 for what comes out of his mouth.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Continuing along with debate, I now recognize the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development.

Hon. Mitzie Hunter: It is good to rise in the House today. It’s certainly a very significant day before the writ drops tomorrow.

I’m pleased to rise today to talk about how our government is helping people find and keep good jobs, because when people can find good work and take care of themselves and their family, they are happier and more fulfilled. Our government believes we have a role to play in making that happen, so we have made investments to help workers keep up with Ontario’s growing and changing economy.

But what does that really mean, a “changing economy”? You read it in news headlines and you hear it on the radio all the time: “the changing economy,” “the new economy,” “the disruptive economy”—and all the ways we bundle things like automation, international trade, e-commerce, digital literacy, and AI.

All of this means that Ontario is at a crossroads: We can let these opportunities pass us by, by relying on industries of yesteryear, or we can seize on this moment and help people get the skills they need to succeed in new jobs. Our government is choosing the second option, because everything we do is about supporting people, and we do that best when Ontario’s businesses are doing well.

Over the past few years, our focus has been on balancing the budget, not by cutting projects and services, but by investing in people. We delivered. We see the growth in our province, in GDP and in our low unemployment rate, and because of the careful path we chose, we were able to do meaningful things along the way. We made smart choices so we could go back to business owners from a position of economic strength and ask, “How can we help?”

Recently I spoke to both the Brampton and Mississauga boards of trade. They wanted to hear about how we’re helping businesses that want to hire but can’t find a candidate with the right skills. With all the changes taking place in the economy right now, Ontario needs a steady stream of workers who are adaptable and well trained and who have the background to succeed. So our government wants to help build capacity for those workers. And we’ve set the bar high. We committed to increasing the number of science, technology, engineering and math—or STEM—graduates by 25% over the next five years. We said we’d create 100,000 experiential learning opportunities over the next four years, and we’re on our way to meeting that goal. In the budget, we promised to cut the small business corporate income tax rate by 22%, meaning businesses can grow and hire more people.

So how can we get there? How can we continue to connect people with the education and training they need to find and keep good jobs, while also helping businesses grow? To tell you how, I want to bring you back to people, because when we see our economy through the lens of people’s lives, we can make better decisions about how to support them.

Let’s start with Amy. I met Amy at a Brampton employment training office. She’s a single mom who told me about her son. When they came here from the Philippines, he believed that his best option, his only option, was to take the first job he could find and spend years saving for school. It’s a story I hear a lot from students. They take years off their education to work in low-skill, low-paying jobs, trying to save up. But that takes them out of Ontario’s talent pipeline for far too long. So our government made college and university tuition free for hundreds of thousands of students. In just one year, over 235,000 students are going to school with their tuition completely covered. You can imagine Amy’s relief when I told her about free tuition.

That’s a feeling we want more families in Ontario to know about, because we know people need relief. So as part of our 2018 budget, we’re reducing the amount that parents are expected to pay into tuition. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it means that thousands more middle-income families will benefit from free or reduced tuition—even families making up to $175,000 a year. That’s tapping into a lot of new potential, potential we lose when families look at the price tag on post-secondary and think it’s not an option for them. The new OSAP changes that. It’s a game-changer.

And because there’s no age limit to OSAP, people can take a break from their careers to go back to school for little to no tuition cost.

When they get to campus, we want them learning in modern and quality environments, so we’re making big investments in campus renovations and renewal.

And last month we announced that we’re bringing a university presence to both Brampton and Milton, those regions that are the fastest-growing areas in the province and in all of Canada. They need those graduates, and we’re preparing them in the communities that they call home.

But as much as our economy will see more STEM or STEAM jobs in the years ahead, we’ll also continue to rely on industries that have been the backbone of our economic recovery.

That brings me to the next person I want to talk about: Ahmed. Ahmed lives in York region, but as a young person hungry for good work, he has moved around quite a bit; that is, until he learned about the skilled trades. He recognized the opportunities that come with the trades and that trades are providing good jobs. He’s right: Over the next five years, one of five new jobs will be trades-related. So Ahmed connected with training and with a mentor, and now he’s the first Somali Canadian carpenter in his union, on track to make a good living in work that he enjoys.

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I met him when I released Ontario’s Apprenticeship Strategy earlier this year. It’s a plan that will make it easier for more people to become an apprentice and get certified, one that supports businesses to hire and to retain talent, and one that puts special emphasis on bringing more women, newcomers, indigenous people and people living with disabilities into the skilled trades. As part of the budget, we’re increasing the amount we spend on apprenticeships by 40% because, as Ahmed found, there are good jobs there. That’s really what people want: to be able to provide for themselves and their families.

But sometimes going back to school or starting an apprenticeship just isn’t enough. That was the case for Andrew. Andrew lives in the Halton area. At 23, he’s bright and ambitious, and he discovered his passion for computer science in school. Andrew is also on the autism spectrum, and so he has faced more complex barriers to employment than some of his peers. Tired of not being able to find a job in his field, he came to the Youth Job Connection program, a program we run through Employment Ontario. He got help with his resumé, practised interviewing skills and learned new soft skills to supplement his tech abilities. Because of that work, Andrew landed the job he wanted as a computer program developer. He had the education but needed that extra support finding employment.

There are so many people in Ontario like Andrew. Youth Job Connection is just one of many programs we run to help people find work, but we want to build on that work. So in the budget, we announced that we’re creating Ontario’s first-ever training bank. The training bank will include many of the programs that people and businesses have come to rely on, but that will be bundled together and enhanced to be more responsive to employer needs. It will be a core part of Employment Ontario.

The training bank won’t just be for job seekers. Employers looking to hire can also find support. As our Premier says all the time, government doesn’t create good jobs; businesses do. But we can create the right environment to support them and to support people every step of the way, from educating people in skills they will actually use and making that education more accessible to more people, to training those looking to get promoted, to nailing an interview and thriving on the job.

It’s time to build on the success story that is Ontario and to help people find good jobs while caring for themselves and the people they love. So with our budget, we’re making a choice to continue investing in people. We’re building that inclusive economy now, when we’re in a position of strength, not scrambling to respond to market changes. With our plan, people know that no matter what, they can go to college or university. They can start and finish an apprenticeship. They can upskill and find employment supports when they need them.

We’re here for people, Mr. Speaker, people like the ones I spoke about in my remarks today. That’s what sets Ontario apart as a place for business and as a place for people to build talents and skills.

We’re about to face an important choice in this province. We’re all here, as our Premier said, for a reason. I remember the day that I was first elected. It was August 1, 2013. That was Emancipation Day. I remember the first day I walked into this chamber, into this place, and I remember my grandmother Eva Hunter. She always encouraged all of us, as her grandkids, to speak up: to speak up for what is right and what we believe in. Mr. Speaker, that is really how we continue to bend that moral compass towards the place that we know is right and just.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Continuing debate, I recognize the member from London North Centre.

Ms. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, 15 years ago, I entered this magnificent chamber for the very first time. The awe that I felt for this place remains to this day. I remember thinking, that very first day—and you will remember the election of 2003. It was a big-change election. There were a lot of people here for the first time. The people had spoken, and they knew what kind of government they wanted. We were elected to do that job. But I remember thinking—I imagined that, attached to every chair in this Legislature, there were 120,000-or-so invisible strings, each attached to an individual in our riding. Every person in the province had a member here to represent them. Every person in this province had a say in the composition of this chamber. Every person had input into the decisions that we made. But each of us had a responsibility to all of those people who sent us here.

This is such a powerful place. It’s where democracy lives. It’s a place where there’s lots of cut and thrust. I often call this place a toxic work environment. But, in fact, our responsibility is to actually create the best possible province that we can, the place where people can achieve their full potential, where everybody has a shot at success. That’s a very important responsibility, and we do take it very seriously.

On my very last day, I am thinking back to my first day and reflecting on: Was I able to make this province a little bit better? Speaker, I have to say that this is a team sport. Nobody ever does anything on their own. We are all supported by many, many others.

We heard the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development talk about the changes to OSAP so that 235,000 people are now getting free tuition. Speaker, what I love about it—and maybe because I went back to school as a mature student—is that 13,000 single moms are now at school building a better future because of the decisions that we made.

I look at the poverty reduction work that really drove me into politics. To know that we now have half as many kids living in poverty in Ontario as we did when we started is tremendously rewarding. It doesn’t get a lot of attention, but those families know that they have a little bit better life than they had before.

I think back to the work on child welfare. I remember learning about—and I didn’t know anything about this before I was elected. Kids in the child welfare system were not getting the support that they needed to be as successful as they could be. While there’s still work to be done—always more work to be done—we have come a long way to better support kids who no longer are living with their parents. These are kids where the government stepped in and said, “We can do a better job taking care of you than your parents.” That’s an awesome responsibility that we have to take seriously.

Speaker, I look at my time in health care. I’m proud of the work on the Excellent Care for All Act, which really takes us to a new level in terms of reporting the quality of care that people get. I look back on the changes we made to the health ecosystem. When I say “ecosystem,” I mean that health is not just about hospitals and primary care; it’s about the whole health system. Elevating home care into a stand-alone, strong part of our health system is work that happened here.

I’ve also been thinking about what advice I would give to new members. What advice do I wish someone gave to me? We know that there’s no handbook for new members on how to live your life as an MPP. What I would say to new members is: Never forget who sent you here; never forget your responsibility to your constituents. You wouldn’t be here if they didn’t choose you to be here. Whether they voted for you or not, never forget the people you represent.

The next piece of advice I would say is: Know your values. Articulate your values. Be able to express your values. Why are you here? What is driving you to do this? What do you care about? What will guide your every decision? Know your values. Speak your values. Act on your values. Let your values drive you every single day.

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The third piece of advice I’d give is to listen—listen to your constituents; listen to people directly impacted by the decision that you’re making; listen to your colleagues; listen to your critics; and listen to the experts, both within government and outside of government. Listen carefully; listen actively.

Another piece of advice that I would give new members is to respect each other in this House. We were all elected to be here by the people in our communities. To disrespect a member is to disrespect the people of that riding. So respect each other. We’re all here because we’re one of a handful of people chosen to sit in this House, and the least we can do is respect the voters who sent people to this House.

The last piece of advice that I have, Speaker, is to love your family and love your friends. Somebody once said to me, “Think of the friends you had when you got elected. Think of the friends you have now.” We’ve got a whole new set of friends. “When you leave politics, voluntarily or not, the friends you had at the beginning will be the friends you have at the end.” All those other friends that we have because we’re in politics won’t care about us anymore, but those friends will.

Then, of course, family: Put your family first on your schedule. There are so many demands on our time. If we were triplets, we couldn’t do everything that is asked of us. Nothing is more important than your family.

I wish I had lived with that advice more than I did, but I tell you, to any new member coming in, I would say: There are going to be lots of people with you on the ups; the only people who will be there with you on the downs are your family and your friends, whom you love.

I am delighted that my son Tim Nash has joined us today. He’s my youngest of three magnificent children. When I was elected, I had zero grandchildren; now I have five. I’m delighted that Clarence Chandran has joined us today—my beloved Clarence Chandran. Thank you for being here and thank you for being such a rock.

Some of you will know that my mum passed away last week. My mum was my biggest fan and my gentlest critic. I called her my personal media monitoring service. She wasn’t very mobile in the last couple of years of her life, but she knew everything that was going on in the world of politics in Canada, Ontario, the US, Europe. She knew what was going on in the world. She was my biggest supporter. In my first campaign, she moved to London with her dog—oh, I’m getting it from the Speaker, but he knows I’m talking about my mum. Speaker, I just have to say that my mum was with me every step of the way. My family has been with me. I am so grateful. I have so many thank yous; I don’t have time. But thank you to everyone who made this all possible.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Mr. John Yakabuski: I thought that perhaps if I had one more opportunity to speak in this House today, it would have been to Bill 70.

I do want to say to the member from London North Centre: Congratulations on your career here. Thank you for the service to your riding and to the people of Ontario. I wish you nothing but the very best. I’ve enjoyed our relationship over the last 15 years and wish, as I say, for nothing but the best in your future.

I’m sure we’ll be hearing about Deb Matthews more in the years to come. I don’t think she’s the retiring type. I think she’ll be busy doing something and I’m sure we’ll hear about it.

As I said, I thought that if the government had more business to bring before the Legislature this morning, perhaps they would have brought Bill 70, which is the back-to-work legislation at York University, which they considered to be a priority yesterday but chose not to even bring before this House today. Where are the priorities? Apparently it’s the swan song of Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Doug Ford goes to the people because he’s for the people. He has his rallies outside of this chamber. What does Kathleen Wynne do? She orders her Liberal insiders to come and populate the gallery, from which they disappeared after her speech. This is the priority of this government, to have Kathleen Wynne come in and tell the people from her bully pulpit here in the Legislature? Wow. Speaker, this was an inappropriate use of this Legislature this morning.

The opposition has a few minutes to respond. That has been the habit and the way of this government, certainly for the last few of these 15 years, when they’ve seen that the people of Ontario have tired of them.

The people of Ontario have heard enough and have seen enough. We are going to the polls on June 7. That was her goodbye. Every one of us in this Legislature has a story, but she decided that today was the day she was going to tell you just one more time how much she cares about you.

If she cared about the people of Ontario, she would be more concerned about the future of Ontario and what she is putting on the backs of those children and grandchildren and those children yet unborn. That is her legacy.

The member from Mississauga–Streetsville is here. He’s the man who said, “Tripling the debt was the right thing to do.” Maybe he’s hoping that Kathleen Wynne can be around to quadruple the debt—because that seems to be the Liberal mantra: Spend, spend, spend, and leave another generation to pay the bill.

I appreciate the job of Premier cannot be an easy one; it can’t. None of these jobs in here are easy. Their jobs are not easy; our jobs are not easy. And the Premier would have the most difficult one of anybody in this chamber. But she should respect this chamber more than her stunt this morning.

With no notice, last night we were told the Liberals would be bringing a motion to the Legislature on the final day that this Parliament exists. The Speaker will dissolve this Parliament later today. On the final day, this was her rally? This was her rallying cry to the people of Ontario from her pulpit here in the Legislature?

I say to the Premier: Get out on the campaign trail and answer for the mess you’ve created in this province over the last 15 years, because that is what the people want to say to you. They will be saying that to you in the next 28 days. They will be holding you to account for what you have done over the last 15 years, and the last five years as Premier. That is what you should be answering for—not using this Legislature for your swan song.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I want to just start, with the little time I have left, to wish well my friend Mrs. Matthews, the member from London North Centre.

I want to tell the story about my friend. There was a tragedy some years ago. Ornge had a helicopter crash taking off from Moosonee in the middle of the night. There was an accident where all on board were killed. One of the individuals was a good friend of one of my staffers at the time, André Grzela. He, unfortunately, with the pilots, died in that accident. There was a funeral to be had in Kapuskasing.

For some reason or another, and I don’t remember how this all came down, Ornge had told the parents: “Listen, we would like to make this a public funeral so that we can invite people from the government, people from Ornge and the Ministry of Health, and others to come to the funeral. Would that be okay?” He says, “Yeah, but holy jeez.” The funeral parlour is calling the dad saying the bill is getting higher and higher and higher because more people are coming, more food is needed etc. He says, “Jeez, I don’t want to say no to people coming, but this is really starting to be a problem.

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So I went to my friend Madame Matthews and I said—and I’m going to use the name here, because I think it’s worth it—“Listen, we need to do something about it. I don’t give a darn if you have to go up there with your credit card and pay for the funeral on your ministry credit card. The parents can’t be stuck with the bill.” Sure as heck, we go to the funeral, and the first thing that she showed me was the credit card in her purse.

Ms. Deborah Matthews: Personal credit card.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Oh, it was your personal credit card? I didn’t know that. I thought it was a ministry one.

I wanted to tell that story because it says something about all of us here, and something you had touched on earlier. Yes, we are all opponents here: I fight Liberals and Liberals fight me; I fight Conservatives and Conservatives fight me. That’s just the way it is. The political parties do what they do. But what people don’t recognize is that we actually get along. This isn’t Ottawa; this is more like a city council in the sense that most members have pretty strong relationships on all sides.

My good friend John Yakabuski and I are on the radio every week with John Fraser. We have a hoot of a time with CRF—

Mr. John Yakabuski: A.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: CRFA. I always get A and B mixed up, I don’t know why I do that.

But we actually get along.

Often you work on files where you’ve got to work with your colleagues in your own party, but sometimes you’ve got to work with colleagues in the other. I’ve got to say, it’s something that most people don’t realize. They think we all come here and all we do is fight amongst each other. The reality is, there is a lot that gets done in this place, and a lot of it is just us informally discussing with each other what needs to be done.

My good friend Helena Jaczek, who is the Minister of Health: The former minister, Eric Hoskins, and you as minister funded—what is it now? I think it’s nine family health teams. In Hearst, I think, you did that one, and that was something that we worked on together.

Eric funded the francophone health centre—actually, it was done by you guys when you were there. It was by my good friend Mr.—what was his name?

M^me France Gélinas: Jim Wilson?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: No, it was the former—

Mr. John Yakabuski: Charlie Harnick?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: No, no. Jeez. I all of a sudden lost his name. He was the foreign affairs guy.

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: Oh, Baird.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: John Baird. I went to John Baird, and we got that one done.

We’ve got the two health clinics in Fort Albany and Attawapiskat. We did the family health team last Friday in Kapuskasing. On Thursday we announced the francophone health centre in Timmins and two family health teams. I think you’re the one who did those in Timmins, because I remember working on those with you.

The point is, we work across the aisle. We work together in order to be able to do what’s right for people. The reality is that governments look at how many ridings there are and how much money they’re going to spend in each riding, and it doesn’t all go to government ridings. This whole fallacy that all of the money only goes to government ridings is a fallacy. We all get our part. It’s built on the relationships that we develop.

I’m the first to criticize the Liberals. I’m the first to criticize the Conservatives on matters of policy. I think that’s fair. I think my friends in the Conservative and Liberal parties will do the same. But when it comes to this Legislature, a lot of it works on the relationships that we build together as members.

I just want to wish all of those people who are not going to be running again—it’s been a pleasure working with you. I look forward, and I’m sure you’re looking forward, to your retirement.

For those of us who are running, all of us: Good luck. We’re going to go out and run in good campaigns and we’re going to do what we’ve got to do. Hopefully we will all be back here—some of us more than others.

We would like to be on the other side of the House. I think last night’s debate kind of showed that Andrea is really up for the job. We’re feeling pretty confident going into the race. The Tories are ahead right now; it’s going to be, I think, a good battle between New Democrats and Conservatives as to who is going to be the next government. I’m sure that in the end the voters will make a wise decision. I just hope that decision at the end is Andrea Horwath and the NDP.

I look forward to serving the province after the next election, if the good people of Timmins send me back.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I would like to thank all of you who have been involved in debate.

Debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Since this is my last opportunity to be in the chair for this 41st Parliament, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the respect that you have shown me—most of the time—in the chair. I look forward to returning in the 42nd Parliament.

It is now 10:15, and this House stands recessed until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1015 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Speaker, this is Nursing Week in Ontario, and I’d like to welcome Douglas Mercer, who was just named as the Lois Fairley Nurse of the Year Community Service Award winner down in Windsor. Doug has been an ER nurse for about 25 years. Congratulations to Douglas Mercer.

Mr. Michael Harris: I’d like to welcome Jay Moszynski and Jeff Gobbo from the Kitchener-Waterloo area and, of course, my mother, Margaret Harris, from home. Welcome.

Mr. Yvan Baker: One of our pages here is Hannah Arsenault, from my riding of Etobicoke Centre. I’d like to welcome her family members who are here: her mother, Nicole Arsenault, and her grandparents Diane and Stan. They are in the public gallery with us this morning. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Of course I’d like to introduce page captain William MacDonald from my riding of Sudbury, his grandparents Beverly and Peter Baulch, and his cousin Alex, who are here this morning. Welcome to the Legislature.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, please join me in welcoming, from the beautiful riding of Dufferin–Caledon, on the last day of her son Dwight’s job as page, his mother, Tove Schmidt.

And yes, they’re lovely shoes.

Mr. Jeff Yurek: I’d like to welcome the Corinth Christian School, who are with us today to see the end of the Legislature. It’s very great to be here.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I want to welcome the staff, clients and volunteers of the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office to Queen’s Park today. TNO is a key community agency in Don Valley West, and I have a bit of a list of names, so I just ask you to bear with me: Siham Abu Sitta, Siham’s daughters Jana Shehape and Joudy Shehape, Perpetual Vaz, Pierre Vas, Anthony Vas, Suheila Alkadiri, Maryam Jan, Yaser Nadaf, Tamanna Afroz, John Cowan and my partner, Jane Rounthwaite.

Siham and her daughters are members of the first Syrian refugee family that our church, Fairlawn Avenue United, sponsored. They arrived just after Christmas in 2015. The girls are now in grade 5 at O’Connor Public School, and Siham is a settlement worker at TNO, working primarily with Syrians and other Arabic-speaking newcomers. Please welcome them to Queen’s Park.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Welcome. Further introductions?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I have another quick one, Mr. Speaker. I believe he has either left or is coming back in, but my son, Chris Cowperthwaite, was here this morning, and I just wanted to welcome him officially.

Hon. Dipika Damerla: I just wanted to welcome my friend Imran Mian, who I see over here. He is also the Liberal candidate for Mississauga–Erin Mills. Welcome.

Mr. Bill Walker: I’d like to introduce Lauren McDonald and Danny Strong in the visitors’ gallery. Welcome to Queen’s Park, and thank you for all that you do for democracy.

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: I’d like to welcome my friend Nathan Carr to the gallery this morning. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Report, Integrity Commissioner

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled: a report from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario concerning the review of expense claims under the Cabinet Ministers’ and Opposition Leaders’ Expenses Review and Accountability Act, 2002, for submissions received February 2018 and complete as of May 4, 2018.

The Minister of Labour.

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to get York students back in the classroom by putting forward a motion to pass Bill 70 immediately.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Labour is seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion. Do we agree? I heard a no.

The Minister of Advanced Education on a point of order.

Hon. Mitzie Hunter: Point of order, Speaker: I need to try one last time in this House. I seek unanimous consent and call on all members to think of the York University students who cannot finish their studies and to agree to pass Bill 70 immediately.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Order.

The minister is seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice. Do we agree? I heard a no.

There being no further introductions, it is—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Hey, I’ll gladly move right into warnings on the last day; that’s fine.

Oral Questions

Government’s record

Mr. Victor Fedeli: My question is for the Premier. In this, the last question period of the 41st Parliament, we would be remiss not to summarize the last few years of Liberal rule. Premier Kathleen Wynne will desperately try to change the channel, but in this election campaign the Liberals will have to defend 15 years of waste, scandal and mismanagement.

Obviously, the skyrocketing hydro rates are first and foremost. Compared to 2003, the average family now pays over $1,000 more per year on their hydro bill. Ontario is now home to among the highest electricity rates in all of North America.

Speaker, will the Premier remember that families across the province are being forced to choose whether to heat or eat while Liberal insiders have gotten rich at their expense?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Just let me say to the member opposite: I want to congratulate him on the job that he has done as a leader in the House and to wish him well in his next steps, but he won’t be in this job. I want to say that you’ve done a great job. I don’t always like your questions, but you’ve done a great job.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say that full-day kindergarten; roads, bridges and transit being built all over the province; an unemployment level that is the lowest that it has been in nearly 20 years; the fact that there are 235,000 young people in college and university tuition-free because of the changes that we have made—the fact is that Ontario is doing well. We want to make sure that Ontario continues to do well.

We need to invest in the people of this province because investment in people means that the province is stronger and the economy flourishes.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Supplementary.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: Thank you for your comments, Premier.

However, as I continue, Ontario will never forget the gas plants scandal. This cost Ontario taxpayers a whopping $1.1 billion, and a senior Liberal operative—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. We’re in warnings, and I’ll use them.

Please finish.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, a senior Liberal operative was handed a jail sentence for deleting emails and destroying evidence. Kathleen Wynne was the co-chair of the 2011 Liberal election campaign when the decision to cancel these gas plants was made. Kathleen Wynne personally signed the cabinet documents that gave up Ontario’s legal defences, choosing instead to deal secretly with the companies. That was key, Speaker. And one of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s first decisions after the 2014 election was to cancel the committee that was so close to getting answers for Ontario families.

Does the Premier acknowledge that the gas plants scandal will remain a big part of her legacy?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Attorney General.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: This Premier ran for office on the promise to ensure that there is secure retirement for hard-working Ontarians. She accomplished that.

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This Premier ran on the promise to fight climate change. She has accomplished that.

This Premier ran on the promise of investing in our infrastructure across this province, building roads and bridges and public transit in all four corners of the province. She has accomplished that.

Speaker, this is a Premier who has put Ontarians first. This is a Premier who has invested in things to ensure that all Ontarians of all backgrounds have the equality of opportunity to succeed, whether they’re indigenous, whether they’re racialized, whether they come from urban areas or rural areas. This Premier has made sure that Ontarians come first, and she will continue to do that job for the people of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: The Premier tells us that she got into politics to fight for education, but her government has closed more schools than any other government in our province’s history.

The Premier sold off Hydro One in what families call—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Advanced Education is warned—and there are plenty more trying.

Finish, please.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: The Premier sold off Hydro One in a fire sale.

The Premier put the interests of her insider friends above the interests of the people of Ontario.

The Premier has defended a $6-million salary at Hydro One while families decide whether to heat or eat.

The Premier has watched hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs leave our province.

And the Premier has slashed health care and stood idle as the hallway health care crisis developed under her watch.

When did the Premier lose her way?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Speaker, this is coming from a party that is running on the platform of cuts, cuts and cuts. They are going to cut the minimum wage for hard-working people. Doug Ford is going to cut corporate taxes for the wealthy companies in our province—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry is warned.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: What else is Doug Ford going to do? He’s going to cut jobs of hard-working Ontarians like our teachers and personal support workers and nurses for finding his so-called efficiencies.

What has this Premier done? She has raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour, starting January 1, 2019, for hard-working Ontarians. She has ensured that drugs are free for children and youth to the age of 25—and should be free for our seniors. She has made sure that besides full-day kindergarten we have free child care for our kids in preschool—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

New question?

Government’s record

Mr. Victor Fedeli: My question is for the Premier.

For 15 years, the Premier has ignored the mantra of “care, not cuts,” always choosing cuts over care. Liberal cuts have created a hallway health care crisis in Ontario. We now have the longest wait times in Ontario’s history. The Liberals have fired more than 1,600 nurses. The Liberals have cut physiotherapy services for seniors. The Liberals have frozen hospital budgets. The Liberals have slashed physician services and cut medical residency positions.

Interjections.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Mr. Speaker—over the noise—why has the Premier left a hallway health care crisis in Ontario?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Of course, on this side of the House we are extremely proud of our record when it comes to health care, because over the past decade Ontario’s health care system has improved significantly. We’ve increased our investments in health care each and every year, allowing us to treat more patients, provide better care and reduce wait times to some of the shortest in the country. More than a million more Ontarians and 94% of all Ontarians now have access to a primary care provider—one of the early initiatives in our mandate.

Both the Fraser Institute—I would hope that the members opposite would appreciate their analysis—and the Wait Time Alliance have consistently ranked Ontario as having the best median wait times in Canada, a direct result of all the investments that we have made. Through the successive years, we’ve made considerable investments.

I’ll have more to say in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: With crisis on top of crisis, the Premier has left Ontario in a dangerous financial position. Over the last 15 years, Ontario’s debt has more than tripled, all to help pay for the Liberals’ waste, mismanagement and scandals. Ontario taxpayers now pay a billion dollars a month on interest payments. This crowds out all the services families depend on, like health care and education. This is exactly what the Auditor General warned us in 2015 and 2016 would happen.

Does the Premier realize her billions of dollars of waste, mismanagement and scandal have crowded out front-line health care and hurt families?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: I take the question with some interest. I think it’s all part of the Fedelity’s newest fantasy book about finance—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member will use members’ ridings or their title, please.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Okay, the member from North Bay’s fantasy book, talking about interest on debt just now.

This member should know that here in Ontario we have the lowest interest on debt in 25 years, at eight cents of every dollar. When they were in power, it was at 15 to 16 cents.

Talking about crowding out programs, what they’re proposing now is up to $16 billion in cuts that will crowd out and cut those programs entirely.

We’re investing in our economy. We’re investing in our programs and services. We are leading Canada. We have the lowest unemployment in two decades. We know more needs to be done, and it’s not by making those cuts.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Well, Speaker, for my final time to stand in this Legislature, I’ll go back to the Premier.

We have seen the harm the Liberals have inflicted on the people of Ontario over the last 15 years. Only Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs have a plan for the people of Ontario. We will put more money in people’s pockets. We will clean up the hydro mess. We will create good jobs. We will restore responsibility, accountability and trust. We will cut hospital wait times. The people of Ontario need to know help is on the way.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Minister.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Mr. Speaker, here’s what they’re going to help us do and what he’s going to do to this province: He’s already saying he is going to cut revenues to the tune of $2 billion to $3 billion. He’s going to stop investing in those infrastructure projects that make us competitive long-term. He’s going to cut those programs, those health care and education programs, that matter to people’s lives. He’s going to harm people, put us in harm’s way, if he gets elected. More importantly, and worse, he’s going to harm future generations by harming our economic growth.

We need to stay steady. We need to continue to invest and continue to lead. Diversifying our economy is what we are doing, enabling us to weather those commodity shocks that may occur. We have to be prepared for that.

The member of the opposition and his leader are not taking the necessary steps to protect the people of this province. This Premier is doing it. Our members on this side of the House are fighting every day for the people of Ontario and will continue to do so going—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

New question.

Health care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, before I get to the first question, which is to the Premier, I just want to recognize that we’re all heading out into the campaign trail over the next number of weeks. I’m looking forward to a very spirited but dignified debate on the future of this province and the 14 million people who call this beautiful province home. Democracy truly is a great thing when we debate each other with respect, so let’s strive to deliver that kind of campaign to Ontarians, because they deserve it and it’s something that we’ll all be very proud of.

So now to my question: After 15 years in office, why does Ontario have hallway medicine, but we don’t have pharmacare and we don’t have dental care for everyone?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I know the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care is going to want to comment in the supplementary, but I want to just thank the leader of the third party for the debate last night. I agree with her completely that having a dignified debate throughout the next 28 or 29 days is good for the democratic process in Ontario. I, too, look forward to that.

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I want to just say to all of the members in the House that I wish them luck on the campaign trail—you know, to different degrees; some more than others. But, personally, I wish you all a good month ahead.

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care has already said, we have invested in our health care system every single year. We have increased investment. We have worked to transform the system so that people who need home care have more home care in their homes, where they want it. Let’s face it: More people want to stay at home longer in Ontario, and I think that goes across the country.

We’ve made those investments, and we will continue to invest in the health care that people need, when and where they need it.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: For 15 years, the Liberal government has had a choice. They could have continued with Conservative cuts to hospitals and health care, or they could have made the investments needed to ensure that a growing and aging population had the health care that we needed. We know what this Premier chose.

Hospital patients are being treated in hallways, in lounges and even in bathrooms. Why did this Premier choose to cut and not to care?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Later this morning, the members of the third party are going to have a choice. They’re going to have a choice to vote on our 2018 budget. I would have thought that this budget, as progressive as it is, is really very much what they have been saying in this House that they want to achieve.

So I would urge them, of course, to vote with us, because we think that our plan for health care is particularly well crafted. It’s considering all the aspects and all the interconnecting links that relate to good health care and a good health care system.

We, of course, have costed it out extremely carefully. We’ve looked at the requirements with the good advice of local health integration networks, with the Ontario Hospital Association, the Home Care Ontario group. We have an excellent plan for Ontario, and I urge the third party to support it.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, don’t hold your breath.

Look, Speaker, if the Liberals wanted to end hallway medicine, they could have done that. If the Liberals wanted to bring in pharmacare and dental care for all, they could have done that for 15 years. Fifteen years ago, they could have started down that path.

But 15 years later, people are still going to an emergency room because they can’t get the dental care that they need. Fifteen years later, people are still forced to choose between paying for meds or paying for rent.

Why are Ontario families still waiting for the health care that they deserve, after 15 long years with the Liberals at the helm?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: As we’ve said repeatedly in this House, of course we have been investing each and every year. We have increased budgets for our hospitals and for all the aspects that connect to the health care system.

As we look at the NDP platform, we’re glad that the NDP did replicate our $15-million investment in palliative care. Apparently, they are supportive of what we did last fall, opening some 1,200 new beds in our hospitals this winter. But I think we can be really disappointed, when we look at the detail of their platform, that they have not extended that surge capacity into this particular coming year, which of course we have committed to do because we know that there are capacity issues and we believe that new initiatives like our reactivation care centres, such as the one at Humber, are extremely important.

We’re also quite disappointed to see that they would cut $500 million from what we have put forward for our extremely important mental health and addictions plan.

Health care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. Fifteen years ago, Ontario voters rejected a Conservative government whose legacy was cuts and privatization. Fifteen years later, Ontario voters are about to reject a Liberal government whose legacy is even more cuts and even more privatization.

Why did the Liberals spend 15 years cutting and privatizing when they could have delivered pharmacare and dental care for everyone?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Mr. Speaker, let’s just put the facts on the table. The fact is that we have not been cutting health care. In fact, we have been investing more money in health care every year.

I just need to make a comment, because we are seeing an example today where ideology gets in the way for the NDP. The NDP doesn’t believe in the private sector at all, doesn’t think business has a role to play, doesn’t think the private sector is of any use at all, which is a bizarre concept, but that seems to be what they believe. Today, what we’re seeing is that the ideology around labour relations is preventing the NDP from voting to have the kids at York back in their classrooms.

Ideology does not solve problems. We solve problems practically on this side of the House. Ideology gets in the way of the best interests of people in this province.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, 10 long weeks later and right before an election, it’s no wonder this Premier, once again, is looking after her own political interest. Those 10 weeks ago, she should have been dealing with those kids.

Look, I am very proud of my values. What this Premier can be sure of—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock, please. You may not like it, but my resolve goes right until it’s finished.

Please finish.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: What this Premier and the people of Ontario can be sure of is that my values are the same before an election, during an election and after an election—not like the Liberals; not like the Liberals.

A government can get a lot done in 15 years. If they had wanted, the Liberals could have ended hallway medicine and delivered pharmacare and dental care—if they had wanted. But for 15 years, that’s not what Liberals wanted. They wanted to cut and they wanted to privatize. They wanted to help their Bay Street friends and campaign donors while making life harder for everyone else.

For 15 years, why didn’t the Liberals want to end hallway medicine and deliver pharmacare and dental care for everyone?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: It’s interesting. My values have nothing to do with elections. My values have actually been in place my whole life. I would say to the leader of the third party, if I look at her 2014 platform, her values seem to have changed, because there’s nothing in that platform—

Interjections.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Let me just say that what we are talking about today is a request to the NDP to get the York students back into their classrooms. Get the ideology out of the—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please.

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: You still have time to change your mind and vote.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Infrastructure is warned.

Another minister was on my list, but he beat you to it.

Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Fifteen years is enough time for a government to fund colleges and universities properly so there aren’t labour strikes every couple of years. Fifteen years is enough time for a government to make sure that Ontarians can get the take-home cancer drugs they need, or a child’s toothache treated without worrying about how to pay for it.

After 15 years, haven’t Ontario families waited long enough for pharmacare and dental care for all?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: I think we need to be a little bit objective here for a moment. Ontarians are living longer, healthier lives than almost anywhere else in the world. Any opposition party that suggests our system is in crisis is fearmongering for political gain.

Our health care system and health care professionals are stepping up and meeting the needs of increasingly complex care cases with increasing volumes every year. To suggest they’re not meeting that challenge in outcomes is a disservice to all people who work in our health care system each and every day.

This mandate that we have had has recognized that we need to go beyond keeping people alive to experience a health care system that puts patients first. This is what we have done. We cannot afford to lambaste our health care system in the way the NDP is doing. It is inaccurate and it does a great disservice to all the hard-working health care—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

New question.

Government’s record

Mrs. Julia Munro: Today I rise to ask my last question of this government. Premier, as I rise today, I can’t help but think about legacy. What will be the legacy that I leave behind in my riding of York–Simcoe? What will the legacy be of this government?

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I hope that my legacy will be one of representing my riding to the best of my abilities and of standing up for our local environment. When I think of this government and its legacy, I think of skyrocketing hydro rates, cancelled gas plants, cuts to front-line health care, school closures and broken promise after broken promise. I think about the financial policies that care more about photo ops than they do real change.

Premier, my question today is simple. Given your track record, can people believe any promise that you will make once the writ drops?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I just want to say to the honourable member that she has served her constituency well. She is a fine woman, and I know that she has worked hard for a stronger Ontario.

I don’t actually believe the member opposite really wants to see this province cut. I don’t think she wants to see education and health care cut. She lived through that in another government and she knew that there was damage done in her community.

I believe she has the best interests of the people of Ontario at heart. I wish her well. I thank her for her service. I hope that as we continue to build the province, she will see the benefits in her riding.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Julia Munro: Premier, under your leadership, taxes and fees have only increased. Billions of dollars have been wasted and Liberal insiders have become rich, all at the expense of hard-working Ontarians.

In my 23 years, I have never seen hallway spaces assigned as if they were actual beds in a hospital. Now you are trying to hoodwink voters with their own money. Photo-op finance is not the answer. Responsible government is. I would begin to list the election promises that you have failed to keep, but I’m afraid the Speaker would cut me off.

Premier, I will ask again: Given your track record, how can voters trust any promise that you will make?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Premier?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Mr. Speaker, I know those are party lines that the member opposite is reading.

I have a sister and a brother-in-law and three nieces and a nephew who live in the member’s riding, in Bradford, and I have seen the great schools that they have gone to. I have seen Bradford growing and thriving. It is a going concern. It has changed enormously over the last 10 years. The greenbelt is part of the environment there.

Really, Bradford and the riding that the member represents are part of the success story that is Ontario. We’re seeing people moving to Ontario. We’re seeing businesses come to Ontario, which is why our unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in nearly 20 years.

Again, I thank the member opposite for all the work she’s done in her community, and we know the community will continue—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

New question?

Assistance to persons with disabilities

Mr. Peter Tabuns: My question is to the Minister of Community and Social Services. Carol Ratzlaff and her husband have a son, Sam, with a substantial developmental disability. This family applied for Passport funding over three years ago, as recommended by ministry staff, to ensure it would be available once Sam graduated from school. He will graduate in June. Eighteen months ago they made contact with a local church to secure a part-time job for Sam so he’d have structured activities during the day.

In March, the family tried to confirm from the ministry that the Passport funding would be in place for Sam’s graduation. What they received were vague answers and no guarantee that the funding would be in place.

To the minister: Why are families like this being aban-doned by your ministry when the need is so profound?

Hon. Michael Coteau: A little advice for the member opposite: When he has specific issues like this that relate to people in his community, the best thing to do is just to come over and talk to me about it, because we can work on that specific case and get some help. He knows better than anyone in this House that I cannot speak to that specific issue in this forum, but I would be happy to speak to him about this at any time.

We want to make sure that everyone in the province of Ontario can move forward with success, and, of course, that includes people who have developmental disabilities. That’s why, in our 2018 budget, which we will vote on today, it includes making sure that every single person in Ontario who qualifies will receive Passport funding. I hope that the member supports the budget so he can support this particular family and people in his community.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Well, that’s not what the ministry staff told the family. My office contacted the minister’s staff about this family. We got this response: The parents were encouraged to continue to work with Developmental Services Ontario, and the program supervisor also explained that there are fee-for-service options available for the individual.

The parents cannot afford to pay for services. That’s why they’ve applied for funding. Sam will be forced to stay home and do nothing during the day, although his parents planned ahead of time and they followed ministry instructions.

Why is it that families in crisis who follow your instructions still find themselves without help and directed to private services?

Hon. Michael Coteau: In our budget, we’re going to invest $1.8 billion over the next three years for developmental services. This is the first time in the history of this province that every eligible adult with a developmental disability, including youth turning 18 and transitioning to adult services, will get at least $5,000 per year of direct funding through the Passport system. This means that over 42,000 more people will be brought into the system by 2020 and 2021.

We want to make sure that, regardless of where you live in the province and regardless of your ability, you have support services in place where you can actually receive some type of funding so you can use it for services that you need.

Seniors

Mrs. Cristina Martins: My question this morning is for the Minister of Seniors Affairs. Speaker, my riding of Davenport is home to a large number of seniors. As I’m sure you know, seniors make up the fastest-growing segment of Ontario’s population. Today, there are more than two million seniors in our province, and that number is expected to double to over four million in the next 25 years.

That is why it is especially important that we have a government that is making investments in care that will ensure that seniors across the province have the supports they need for whatever their needs may be. I’m so proud that our government has continued to make historic investments that will support seniors at all stages of their life to ensure that they are living active, engaged and socially connected lives.

Just last November, our government reaffirmed its commitment to Ontario’s seniors when we announced Aging with Confidence: Ontario’s Action Plan for Seniors. This wide-ranging plan contained $155 million in programs. Speaker, would the Minister of Seniors Affairs explain to this House about these crucial investments in care that will benefit Ontario seniors?

Hon. Dipika Damerla: I want to begin by thanking the member from Davenport for that excellent question. I know personally her advocacy for seniors in her riding.

As she mentioned, last November our government announced Aging with Confidence, and part of that plan was 30,000 new long-term-care beds, including 5,000 over the next four years. I just want to say that we have made good on that first phase, and 5,000 licences have been issued, including two in my own riding in my own city of Mississauga—and something really historic: For the very first time, licences have been given for a South Asian long-term-care home. That’s really, really important for our community.

We know that today’s seniors want us to look at them not just through the lens of health care. I will have more to say on that in the supplementary.

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The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Cristina Martins: Thank you, Minister, for reiterating to this House the priority that this government places on providing care for our seniors.

I too am pleased to have announced, along with our Minister of Finance, that for the first time, 256 licences were given to the Portuguese-speaking community.

We are all pleased to know that this side of the House recognizes seniors as far more than just a health care expense. Instead, this government knows that, while some seniors require the constant care and support of a long-term-care home, others want to remain living independent and in their own homes for as long as possible. That is why it is so important for government to make the critical investments in care that provide seniors with the supports they need so they can choose to remain in their own homes for longer.

Can the Minister of Seniors Affairs please inform this House of how this government’s continued investments in care will impact the seniors in my riding of Davenport and across this province?

Hon. Dipika Damerla: Mr. Speaker, as you know, today we are going to be voting on our budget. Everybody in this Legislature has the opportunity to support Ontario seniors today because, in our budget, we have a number of initiatives that support seniors, including the $750 annually for seniors 75 years or older, which will help seniors live independently in their own homes. Mr. Speaker, we are also expanding OHIP+ to those over the age of 65. I urge everybody in this House that if you want to support Ontario seniors, today is the day. Vote for the budget.

Personal support workers

M^me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé. For a very long time, long-term-care homes in northeastern Ontario have been facing a severe shortage of personal support workers, better known as PSWs. The situation has created hardship for long-term-care homes, their workers, and their residents and families. But northerners are resilient, Speaker.

The leadership at St. Joseph’s Health Centre found a possible way forward in collaboration with Collège Boréal. They are offering free education and paid hours to people who hold a diploma in non-registered RN or RPN; developmental support workers; rehab, physio and occupational therapy assistants; as well as paramedics, to become qualified PSWs.

Minister, will you support this pilot project?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Certainly, we do value our PSWs as an integral part of the health care team. This is precisely why, over the next three years, we’re investing some $23 million to add 5,500 PSWs to the workforce in underserviced communities.

We’re also providing $38 million for training and education for new and existing PSWs to ensure that they have the tools they require to support our loved ones. We have in fact committed to $65 million over three years as retirement security for PSWs as well.

Specifically, we are working in the north with St. Joseph’s to support them. This is an interesting initiative and I look forward to hearing more from the member opposite.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

M^me France Gélinas: Minister, the shortage of PSWs in the North East LHIN is not new but it is severe.

St. Joseph’s Health Centre told you about their struggles and requested support from your government. How did your government respond? Your government gave the home a compliance order for being short of PSWs. Really, Speaker, a compliance order? How does that help the residents of the long-term-care homes in northeastern Ontario? How does that help the north recruit and retain more PSWs?

St. Joseph’s Health Centre has a possible solution: a creative pilot project developed in the north but that could help the shortage of PSWs throughout our province. This proposal is sitting on your desk, Minister. Will you sign it today?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: I would like to remind the member opposite that in 2015 we increased wages for PSWs to recognize the important role that they play. I believe the member opposite voted against that.

Of course, we’re very aware of the need to recruit, retain and keep PSWs in the system for the valuable work that they do.

We’re going to continue to work with St. Joseph’s. This is an interesting project. There is a career pathway that is being proposed. This is certainly very worthy of consideration.

Government policies

Mr. Michael Harris: I want to say first off that it has been a privilege and an honour, of course, to represent my constituents in Kitchener–Conestoga, and to work with all of you for the last six and a half years.

My question is to the Premier on a topic that I’ve raised many times in this House: fair and open tendering for construction projects. In the region of Waterloo, nearly 84% of construction firms and the skilled tradespeople they employ have been prevented from working on local infrastructure projects because of a loophole in the Ontario Labour Relations Act. This isn’t fair for taxpayers and local construction workers, who should have the right to work on publicly funded infrastructure in the community where they live, work and pay taxes.

Premier, in the spirit of fairness, will you commit today to closing this legislative loophole?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Labour.

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Thank you to the member for that question. Speaker, the province of Ontario, as we know, has a very organized system that works when it comes to labour relations in the province of Ontario. What the member refers to is provisions that typically prohibit employers throughout the province from contracting out work that is subject to their collective agreement to non-union contractors. It has been around for a long time. In fact, I believe it was brought in by the Conservative Party, if the member remembers.

Ontario’s Labour Relations Act, which we have in place right now, doesn’t require such provisions. It doesn’t prohibit such provisions, either. Each time that a case comes forward, the Labour Relations Board decides specifically on the merits of that case. If a municipality or any organization feels that it’s wrongly bound, there is a way to apply for exclusion.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Michael Harris: Back to the Premier: Premier, I know that members of your government have had the opportunity to tour St. Mary’s hospital in Kitchener, which is also home to our leading regional cardiac care program. In fact, St. Mary’s was one of three cardiac centres in Canada that recently performed better than the national average on all six cardiac quality indicators.

Over the last few years there has been a significant increase in the number of cardiac procedures performed at St. Mary’s, which of course has put stress on the local hospital. As you know, the hospital has long waited for the promised EP lab, and now requires additional investment to meet our community’s health care needs. Will the Premier commit today to providing the needed investment to expand the world-class-quality cardiac care program at St. Mary’s hospital in Kitchener?

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: To the Minister of Health.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: I’d like to say to the member opposite that I know he has recently had corneal transplant surgery. I wish you very well with your recovery and in the future.

I want to assure the member that our government has made it clear that we have approved this particular project. We know that the member has been an advocate for this project, as has our member from Kitchener Centre. Back in 2016, actually, we put this project in as part of our budget, and it was approved at that particular time. I can understand why the member opposite is anxious about this project because, should his leader potentially become the Premier, we know that there are going to have to be cuts, and I would expect that this one might very well be one of those cuts that the leader of the official opposition might put in place.

Automotive industry

Mr. Arthur Potts: My question is to the Minister of Economic Development and Growth. Our government has a long track record of standing up for the auto sector and its workers. We all know that during the recession, the sector was hit especially hard. We needed to make a bold decision: Do we stand up for the auto sector and make strategic investments, or stand back and do nothing?

Unlike the Conservatives, who would have allowed the industry to collapse, we stood up for the auto sector. Since 2004, the Ontario government has invested $1.56 billion in the auto sector, leveraging $12.2 billion in private investment, creating and retaining over 90,000 jobs. These investments not only secured auto plants at General Motors and Chrysler in Windsor, Brampton and Oakville; they also ensured that our supply chain remains strong and vibrant in Ontario.

Speaker, the opposition has regularly made it clear that they do not stand up for the auto sector. They call it corporate welfare, and Doug Ford says he is getting rid of it. Minister, please tell the House about our latest investments in the auto sector.

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Hon. Steven Del Duca: I want to begin, of course, by thanking the member for Beaches–East York for his question and for his advocacy for his community.

The member is 100% right: We have just made as a government a further investment in the auto sector, securing our auto footprint for years to come. Last Friday, in Cambridge, the Premier and the Minister of Transportation announced our renewed partnership with Toyota to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the Cambridge and Woodstock plants. Our government is investing $110 million through the Jobs and Prosperity Fund, which will help to secure 8,450 direct jobs. It has also helped us secure the manufacturing and supply chain that supports these jobs.

This landmark investment coming at a time of uncertainty in the North American auto industry makes the Cambridge and Woodstock plants highly competitive among Toyota’s global operations. This investment will make Cambridge and Woodstock the only plants in North America building the RAV4 crossover, creating a RAV4 hub here in Ontario. This new investment is exactly the type of business-support funding that our Conservative—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Supplementary.

Mr. Arthur Potts: This kind of investment is exactly what our Conservative opposition are cutting. I want to thank the minister for his answer. What a great announcement for the people of Ontario, specifically Cambridge and Woodstock.

It’s important to hear about our investments in our workers and the businesses in these sectors. That’s a lot of people; over 100,000 now are being employed in the auto sector in the communities across the province, who depend on these jobs to feed their families, to pay for little league hockey, to pay their mortgages and put away money for retirement.

These are the jobs and the workers that the Conservatives were fine to turn their backs on when they refused to help the auto sector when they needed it most during the last recession. These are the jobs that Doug Ford Conservatives would have no problem cutting when they eliminate the Jobs and Prosperity Fund and look for “efficiencies.” We all know what that means: deep, deep cuts.

Will the minister tell us, please, how this new Toyota investment fits into our broader jobs strategy, and how it differs from the opposition’s thoughtless strategy and—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Minister?

Hon. Steven Del Duca: I thank the member for the follow-up question.

Our government has made strategic investments and decisions to invest in our businesses and our people. The result is that Ontario’s economy is the strongest in the nation. Together, working closely with the hard-working people and business owners of Ontario, our government has helped to create more than 800,000 net new jobs since the recession. In particular, we have created 40,000 manufacturing jobs, and last year alone created more than our competitors in the United States.

Our unemployment rate is the lowest in 17 years and has been below the national average for 35 months straight. Our GDP growth continues to outpace Canada, the United States and Europe, and our Business Prosperity Index is at a 20-year high. We’re leading Canada in foreign direct investment, and our strategic jobs plan is to continue the success and continue to invest in the things that matter, like the auto sector, securing investments like the one that we just announced last week in Toyota.

I want to pay tribute to the Premier, the member from Cambridge and everybody in our government for this decision, for this investment and for the success that Cambridge and Woodstock will have for years to come.

Hospital funding

Ms. Lisa M. Thompson: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. In 2011, the South Bruce Grey Health Centre in Kincardine was promised $53 million in terms of redeveloping an emergency room. When the Liberal MPP at the time lost, that project was scrapped by this Liberal government. Now, we are seeing the Kincardine redevelopment project in this year’s budget again.

Minister, can you explain why the government used this year’s budget to reannounce a project that was already promised to the Kincardine community seven years ago?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: I know the member for Huron–Bruce is an advocate for her hospital. I visited Kincardine as Minister of Community and Social Services and made a major announcement at the shelter in Kincardine, just as part of what our government does, of course, caring for people. I can understand her anxiety in regard to this particular project. She has an opportunity here this morning to vote for our budget, which will, again, include the investment that we feel is needed in Kincardine.

Of course, we spend a considerable amount of time looking at projects, ensuring that they are a priority for us. We have made a number of investments across this province. We certainly intend to do the same in her community.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Lisa M. Thompson: Back to the minister: Everybody in the Kincardine community knows why they’re in the budget this year. It’s a poison pill and proof point that this Liberal government doesn’t care about rural Ontario front-line health care. They’re just playing games.

But I do recognize the fact that this minister did come to visit the women’s shelter. We stood together, and she saw first-hand how much the community is growing and how badly we need that redevelopment project. So I ask the minister: Don’t play games with this community anymore. Don’t play games with headlines.

Will the minister stand together with me today and ensure that no matter what the outcome of the budget vote is today, no matter what the outcome is on June 7, we can stand together and ensure that the community will get the project they’ve been promised?

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The President of the Treasury Board is warned.

Minister.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: I think we can understand why the member opposite is so concerned about the future of this project. What would happen under a Doug Ford government? We know the cuts are coming. He has made it very, very clear. Certainly, this would be a very easy project to cancel.

Because last October we actually did approve the planning run, this project is definitely under way. I appeal to the member: Vote for our budget. You’ll get your project.

Labour dispute

Mr. Percy Hatfield: My question is for the Premier. Good morning, Premier.

For more than a month, there has been a strike at Caesars hotel and casino in downtown Windsor. Normally, it’s a cash cow for the provincial treasury. Millions of dollars have been lost, money the Liberals planned on using for the promises in their budget. The Auditor General has already served notice that there won’t be enough money to pay for the promises made, and that’s without the loss of the cash from Caesars.

How can we have any faith in the promises made in the Liberals’ aspirational budget?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Labour.

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Thank you to the member for asking a very important question about his community. He will know that the members have been on strike there since April 6. At the time of the strike deadline, they did reach an agreement, but it wasn’t ratified by the membership.

As I always say when I stand up, we’ve got one of the best labour relations records, I think, in the western world: 98% of agreements are reached without a strike and without a lockout. So when we see a strike or a lockout occurring, we pay particular attention to that.

We’ve got some of the best mediators working on this. I would urge both sides to come back to the table. We know that the best agreements are those that are reached by the parties at the table. We do everything we possibly can to assist in this regard. By and large, we’re very, very successful in this province. I think we can achieve a settlement here if both parties come back to the table.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: For more than a month, 2,300 hotel and casino workers have been walking the picket line. Caesars is the contractor, the manager. The facility is owned by the taxpayers of Ontario. We’re losing millions of dollars. Caesars just cancelled all of its shows for the entire month of May. That’s intimidation.

This government has an obligation to the taxpayers, as well as the men and women on the picket line, to do more, to work harder, to apply pressure on Caesars to return to the bargaining table and hammer out a settlement. When will this Liberal government show some leadership and make an effort to settle the month-long strike at Caesars?

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Thank you again to the member for asking the question. As the other side would like, we would like to see a settlement in this and, really, all cases around the province. When the sides drift apart, they need to be brought back, especially in this case at Windsor. People are often drawn into a disagreement, into a collective bargaining process, who are outside of the agreement themselves. Certainly around the Windsor site, there are a lot of small businesses that we know are being impacted by this strike.

But there are a lot of people who go to York University, a lot of students at York University, who are being impacted by a strike. The member and that party over there have had four or five opportunities now to bring that strike to an end. They’ve turned their backs on the students. We have a way forward. They should be supporting the students.

1130

Pharmacare

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. It is crucial to our government that Ontario’s young and old can access vital prescription drugs without having to bear the financial burden. To do just that, our government made the biggest expansion to medicare in Ontario in a generation through OHIP+.

I know how important this program has been to my constituents in Kingston and the Islands, as they no longer have to worry about how they will pay for their children’s prescriptions: 4,400 drugs, including antibiotics to treat infections, asthma inhalers, insulin, seizure medications, oral contraceptives, anti-depressants, drugs to treat arthritis and epilepsy and more.

I know that these investments are much more worthwhile than things like paying actors at a rally.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please.

Time is up. Minister?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Thank you to the member from Kingston and the Islands for this very important question. As a physician and a mother—and unfortunately, not yet a grandmother—I strongly believe that children in Ontario deserve access to the medications they need to live bright and healthy lives.

Since January 1, over 1.3 million young people aged 24 and under have had their prescriptions filled at no cost under OHIP+. More than 4.1 million prescriptions have been filled to date under OHIP+, and the numbers continue to grow.

OHIP+ is benefiting families across the province, but it’s also helping organizations that support our most vulnerable populations, such as the Massey Centre, which provides crucial support to pregnant and parenting adolescents. Before OHIP+, the Massey Centre covered the medication costs for clients and their young ones who could not afford them, but now with OHIP+, they are able to put that money to services that help hundreds of young moms, their children and families in our communities.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: Thank you, Minister, for providing this important update and for your continued efforts to improve health care for everyone in this province.

Interjection: Including the actors.

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: Including the actors, of course.

OHIP+ is a historic step taken by our Premier and our government that has not only improved the health and well-being of young people, but it has also helped lift the financial burden off families and is soon to benefit our seniors.

In my region alone, over 96,000 children and youth have had their prescriptions filled for free at their local pharmacy, like DrugSmart Pharmacy at Queen’s University, Reddendale Pharmacy and, of course, Shoppers and Rexall and all of the other small independents.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be part of a government that helps to fight for our most vulnerable populations. Can the Minister of Health please tell this House the impact that a monumental program such as this will have on the people of Ontario and how it will help—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please.

Minister.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Yes, we’re not just stopping at young people. We know the costs of some prescription drugs can cause anxiety and stress, especially for people 65 and over who are living on fixed incomes and who are often required to take multiple medications. We all want the best for our parents and grandparents, which is why, by August 1, 2019, we’re expanding OHIP+ to offer free prescription drugs to everyone 65 and over—no copayment, no deductible. This expansion will make life more affordable for 2.6 million seniors and their families and will result in prescription drugs being free for one in two Ontarians, bringing us that much closer to the goal of pharmacare for all people in Ontario.

That, Mr. Speaker, is how our government is helping to ensure a fair and healthy province. On this side of the House, we’ll continue to fight for our vision of universal pharmacare that will help bring free drug coverage to everyone.

Health care

Mr. Bill Walker: My question is for the Premier.

Premier, your record on seniors, and especially long-term care, is a source of national shame. After making zero investments in long-term-care beds and doubling the wait-list, you shamelessly announced 5,000 new beds on the eve of a provincial election.

Considering your government had 15 years to build the needed beds but didn’t get it done, I want to know, Premier: Why should seniors and their families trust that you’re going to build any new beds after 15 years of inaction, and will you provide a list to me today of how many beds have been allocated for each of the 14 LHINs across our great province?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Seniors Affairs.

Hon. Dipika Damerla: I want to begin by correcting the member opposite. In his question, he suggested that we announced these beds on the eve of an election. That’s not true at all, because we actually announced them back in November, when we announced 30,000 beds.

We’ve moved fast. Yes, we have moved fast on this file, as we should. We have made good on the first 5,000.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Chair, please.

Hon. Dipika Damerla: That’s exactly what you have been asking us to do, so you can’t have it both ways—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): It’s nice and easy. Address the Chair, please.

Hon. Dipika Damerla: Speaker, they can’t have it both ways. They can’t say, “You’re not building fast enough,” and then when we start to build fast enough, they say, “Oh, you’re building too fast.” Pick a lane.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary? The member from Chatham–Kent–Essex.

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Back to the Premier: Chatham–Kent–Essex is in dire straits when it comes to doctor shortages. The business model for Chatham-Kent Family Health Team was built on a complement of 27 physicians, but now we’re down to 22. Two more will be out in August, leaving 3,300 orphaned patients. Chatham-Kent has been identified as underserviced by your ministry in terms of family physicians.

This business model is in jeopardy and sustainability of the corporation is in doubt. The fixed costs of running the organization do not change, so fewer positions mean higher costs for those doctors who remain.

Minister, will you help us in the Chatham-Kent catchment area and assign additional funding for new doctors and nurse practitioners so that the people in my riding of Chatham–Kent–Essex can get the primary care they need?

Hon. Dipika Damerla: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Of course, our government is absolutely committed to ensuring that we have an adequate supply of physicians. Since 2003, the number of physicians in Ontario has increased by over 30%, which is more than 6,000 additional doctors practising in our health system today. During that same time, the population grew by some 11.7%.

That means that through our investments, the ratio of physicians for every 10,000 Ontarians increased from 17.5 to 20.5. This includes over 2,800 family physicians, an increase of some 27.6%, and over 3,700 specialists, an increase of 33.7%.

We have moved forward on a number of initiatives that ensure a stable physician supply and improved retention to enhance the distribution of physicians across Ontario.

Gasoline prices

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Wow! I get the last question of the session. This is cool.

Listen, my question is for the Premier. Premier, you’ll know as well as I do—all of us in this Legislature know—you drive up to the pumps and you’re being gouged. The price of gas right now is anywhere around $1.40 a litre, at a time when the barrel is $70. It used to be as high as $120, and we’re paying as much as back then.

Clearly, the gas companies are gouging the market. There’s no way that they can defend $1.40 a litre on the price of the barrel as we see it today.

Premier, will you do the right thing and will you adopt our policy, at least into your platform, of regulating the price of gas, as Andrea Horwath and the NDP have promised in their platform?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Energy.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: I’m pleased to rise and provide the last answer in this session.

First off, I want to congratulate you on a fantastic career as Speaker, Mr. Speaker. Thank you so much for all you do.

Applause.

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Throw him out.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: You’ve been warned, Mr. Speaker.

With that, I look forward to talking about this issue on the campaign trail, because as he knows, regulation will only make costs go up.

1140

On this side of the House, we have a record of bringing things down, just like we did with the fair hydro plan. They have no credibility on that side of the House. We’ll continue to move forward and talk about the issues that matter to people.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Before we get into a round of—there are some points of order to be made. Let’s try to keep them as short as possible. I will acknowledge them before the vote. If we could do that quickly, I’d appreciate it.

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Before I even recognize you, sir, I do want to say that my lovely daughter, Rachel, is here to visit. I appreciate her presence here. Rachel, thank you for being here.

Also, my staff, without whom I could not do very much of anything: Isabel and Stavelle; and my chief of staff, who has been with me for too many years, and if I say so, she’ll get mad: Heather is here as well. Thank you for being here.

Member for York Centre

Mr. James J. Bradley: I think it would be appropriate for us to pay tribute, as we have to some who are no longer going to be running in the election, to the second-longest-serving member of the Ontario Legislature.

Elected first in 1985, the member for York Centre, now a member in his 33rd year, he has experienced some health challenges in recent months but has still managed to represent the people of his riding extremely well. He has had several senior portfolios in government. I should tell you that even in opposition, he still travelled internationally, representing the best interests of the province of Ontario. I know we all have a great affection for Mr. Monte Kwinter.

The Speaker

Ms. Lisa M. Thompson: Mr. Speaker, I would just like to extend my appreciation to you. I’m sure all of the MPPs in the House will join me. You have been a remarkable Speaker in the sense that you have done so much for this House. When you represented us at all the different conferences, I know that you were so proud to tell people how we manage this House, this amazing Pink Palace, Queen’s Park. Your legacy is going to be felt for years to come, from the Remarkable Assembly through to the carrying on of celebrating the best of the best—be it craft beer or whisky and things like that; that was a really good initiative that you started—but, more importantly, to the legacy of remembering and never forgetting. We still have work to do on your behalf, such as the indigenous panel that will be worked upon. We will, in your spirit, make sure that job gets done. Thank you for all you’ve done.

Visitors

Mr. Robert Bailey: I would like to introduce two guests of mine here this morning. I see them in the gallery: Mr. Lorne Given Sr. and Mr. Lauren Given Jr., friends of mine from Petrolia and the great riding of Sarnia–Lambton.

Le Président / The Speaker

M^me France Gélinas: Monsieur le Président, j’aimerais vous remercier pour tout ce que vous avez fait pour la francophonie à l’Assemblée législative. J’ai eu le privilège de voyager avec vous pour l’Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, et j’ai toujours apprécié les efforts que vous avez faits.

I wanted to thank you for your years of service here. Oh behalf of Andrea Horwath and the NDP caucus, thank you for all the hard work. It’s not easy, but you’ve managed really well.

Merci beaucoup.

Le Président (L’hon. Dave Levac): Merci beaucoup.

Visitors

Hon. Charles Sousa: We’re all blessed to have extraordinary staff who work for all of us, who enable us to do well. Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence, I would like to welcome to the Legislature my legislative assistant, Sophia Koukoulas, to the gallery. She is here with her friend Jason Rhyno. I want to thank her for her contributions to the budget bill and for the contributions that she made on the finance committee. She has done an exceptional job, as so many do for all of us.

Hon. Dipika Damerla: I’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of the members here for their service to Ontarians and also recognize a very important group that has come here from my riding. It’s SAV Canada, Syrian Active Volunteers Canada. It’s a non-governmental organization, and it has helped support Syrian refugees with their arrival into Canada. I want to welcome Sam Jisri, Sana Moumani, Amjad Nasri, Raghad Idilbi, Faris Ali Akbar, Munzer Wafaei, Ashraf Alareed, Ghaiyath Alsouki, Nagham Alsouki, Dana Alsouki, Hiba Jaber, Qusay Al Refai, Rayden Gergas, Maher Hammoud, Zakariya Aldaher, Ahmad Aldaher, Mohammad Alsaadi, Bahaa Aldeen Alsaadi, Zainab Al-Astarbadi and Yazan Akkad. Welcome.

I also want to recognize Tyler Freeman. I just noticed him. He works in my office. Welcome, Tyler.

Mr. Vic Dhillon: I would like to recognize a very special friend, Jaspal Grewal. We came to Canada at about the same time, and we shared many things Canadian for the first time. I’m so proud of him. He has stood with me along this journey every step of the way, so I would like to welcome him.

Mr. Jeff Yurek: I have a second school here today. Welcome to the students from the Church of God in Aylmer.

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: Speaker, I want to personally thank you for never having recognized any of my outbursts in the six and a half years I’ve been here.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Yeah, you guessed it. The member is warned.

Mr. Michael Harris: I would like to welcome and thank my constituency staff, Meaghan Martin and Erin Flynn; and, of course, those from home, David Kuhn and Norma Lock. Thank you so much.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Speaker, I’m probably out of order, but on a point of order: I would like to ask for unanimous consent to allow you to say goodbye.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Shall I get in front of that by saying I’m already going to do that?

Minister of Infrastructure.

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: Speaker, can you make a ruling on whether it’s appropriate for you to be showing your colours today by wearing red running shoes?

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): It’s the only pair I own. I would have worn yellow if I had them.

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: I just want to welcome some people who inspire me in my work every day, and that is my family. Here with us today are my father, Larry Naidoo; my husband, Randy Harris; our daughter, Oriana Harris; our son, Galen Harris; and our soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Brenna Milligan, who is sitting at the back. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Interruption.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I just want to make a note that the member from Timmins–James Bay just got his phone taken.

Legislative pages

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I do have one quick announcement, and it’s a very sad one. The sad news is that this is our pages’ last day—the last set of pages in the 41st Parliament. That’s it, no more. We want to thank them for their wonderful efforts that they’ve done here for us. We thank them very much.

Applause.

Deferred Votes

Government Contract Wages Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur les salaires pour les marchés publics

Deferred vote on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 53, An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages / Projet de loi 53, Loi concernant la fixation de salaires minimums pour les marchés publics.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1149 to 1154.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All members, please take your seats. Please take your seats, thank you.

On May 7, 2018, Mr. Flynn moved third reading of Bill 53, An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages.

All those in favour, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Albanese, Laura
Anderson, Granville
Arnott, Ted
Bailey, Robert
Baker, Yvan
Ballard, Chris
Berardinetti, Lorenzo
Bisson, Gilles
Bradley, James J.
Chan, Michael
Chiarelli, Bob
Cho, Raymond Sung Joon
Coe, Lorne
Colle, Mike
Coteau, Michael
Crack, Grant
Damerla, Dipika
Del Duca, Steven
Delaney, Bob
Des Rosiers, Nathalie
Dhillon, Vic
Dickson, Joe
Dong, Han
Duguid, Brad
Fedeli, Victor
Flynn, Kevin Daniel
Forster, Cindy

Fraser, John
Gélinas, France
Gravelle, Michael
Hardeman, Ernie
Harris, Michael
Hatfield, Percy
Hoggarth, Ann
Horwath, Andrea
Hunter, Mitzie
Jaczek, Helena
Jones, Sylvia
Kiwala, Sophie
Kwinter, Monte
Lalonde, Marie-France
Leal, Jeff
MacCharles, Tracy
Malhi, Harinder
Mangat, Amrit
Martins, Cristina
Martow, Gila
Matthews, Deborah
Mauro, Bill
McDonell, Jim
McGarry, Kathryn
McMahon, Eleanor
McMeekin, Ted
McNaughton, Monte

Milczyn, Peter Z.
Moridi, Reza
Munro, Julia
Naidoo-Harris, Indira
Naqvi, Yasir
Nicholls, Rick
Pettapiece, Randy
Qaadri, Shafiq
Rinaldi, Lou
Romano, Ross
Sandals, Liz
Scott, Laurie
Smith, Todd
Sousa, Charles
Tabuns, Peter
Takhar, Harinder S.
Thibeault, Glenn
Thompson, Lisa M.
Vernile, Daiene
Walker, Bill
Wong, Soo
Wynne, Kathleen O.
Yakabuski, John
Yurek, Jeff
Zimmer, David

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): The ayes are 79; the nays are 0.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I declare the motion carried.

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

Plan for Care and Opportunity Act (Budget Measures), 2018 / Loi de 2018 pour un plan axé sur le mieux-être et l’avenir (mesures budgétaires)

Deferred vote on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 31, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes / Projet de loi 31, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): We have a deferred vote on the motion for third reading of Bill 31, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Just a minute. Let me finish my script.

Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1158 to 1159.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): On May 7, 2018, Mr. Sousa moved third reading of Bill 31, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes.

All those in favour, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Albanese, Laura
Anderson, Granville
Baker, Yvan
Ballard, Chris
Berardinetti, Lorenzo
Bradley, James J.
Chan, Michael
Chiarelli, Bob
Colle, Mike
Coteau, Michael
Crack, Grant
Damerla, Dipika
Del Duca, Steven
Delaney, Bob
Des Rosiers, Nathalie
Dhillon, Vic
Dickson, Joe
Dong, Han

Duguid, Brad
Flynn, Kevin Daniel
Fraser, John
Gravelle, Michael
Hoggarth, Ann
Hunter, Mitzie
Jaczek, Helena
Kiwala, Sophie
Kwinter, Monte
Lalonde, Marie-France
Leal, Jeff
MacCharles, Tracy
Malhi, Harinder
Mangat, Amrit
Martins, Cristina
Matthews, Deborah
Mauro, Bill
McGarry, Kathryn

McMahon, Eleanor
McMeekin, Ted
Milczyn, Peter Z.
Moridi, Reza
Naidoo-Harris, Indira
Naqvi, Yasir
Potts, Arthur
Qaadri, Shafiq
Rinaldi, Lou
Sandals, Liz
Sousa, Charles
Takhar, Harinder S.
Thibeault, Glenn
Vernile, Daiene
Wong, Soo
Wynne, Kathleen O.
Zimmer, David

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Arnott, Ted
Bailey, Robert
Bisson, Gilles
Cho, Raymond Sung Joon
Coe, Lorne
Fedeli, Victor
Forster, Cindy
Gélinas, France
Hardeman, Ernie
Harris, Michael

Hatfield, Percy
Horwath, Andrea
Jones, Sylvia
Martow, Gila
McDonell, Jim
McNaughton, Monte
Miller, Norm
Munro, Julia
Nicholls, Rick
Pettapiece, Randy

Romano, Ross
Scott, Laurie
Smith, Todd
Tabuns, Peter
Thompson, Lisa M.
Walker, Bill
Yakabuski, John
Yurek, Jeff

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): The ayes are 53; the nays are 28.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I declare the motion carried.

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Government House leader on a point of order.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Speaker, Her Honour awaits.

Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario entered the chamber of the Legislative Assembly and took her seat upon the throne.

Royal assent / Sanction royale

Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell (Lieutenant Governor): Pray be seated.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): May it please Your Honour, the Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario has, at its present meetings thereof, passed certain bills to which, in the name of and on behalf of the said Legislative Assembly, I respectfully request Your Honour’s ascent.

The Deputy Clerk (Mr. Trevor Day): The following are the titles of the bills to which your Honour’s assent is prayed:

An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes / Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.

An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages / Loi concernant la fixation de salaires minimums pour les marchés publics.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): In her Majesty’s name, Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor doth assent to these bills.

Au nom de Sa Majesté, Son Honneur la lieutenante-gouverneure sanctionne ces projets de loi.

Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell (Lieutenant Governor): Mr. Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly, as the people of Toronto continue to display resilience following the tragic events on the streets of our city mere days ago, I wish to recognize Police Chief Mark Saunders, Deputy Fire Chief Tony Bavota and Acting Paramedic Chief Gord McEachen, who are accompanying me here today.

Applause.

Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell (Lieutenant Governor): As well, Giuliana Carbone, Toronto city manager and head of the Toronto Public Service, and Michael Killingsworth, head of transit enforcement at the Toronto Transit Commission, who are in the gallery.

Applause.

Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell (Lieutenant Governor): These civic leaders guide well over 50,000 first responders and devoted civil servants, working every day to ensure our safety and well-being and the good functioning of this great city. Their professionalism and skill, so ably demonstrated on good days and bad, are an example to us all.

I also wish to put on record my appreciation to all of you for your service in Parliament, which I know takes you away from your families and loved ones. Your dedication to your constituents and to the people of Ontario is worthy of the highest commendation. Were it not for your efforts, our democracy would be greatly diminished. As the representative of Her Majesty the Queen, au nom de la reine, I offer you my profound gratitude on behalf of the people of Ontario for your exemplary service and sense of purpose.

Her Honour was then pleased to retire.

1210

Legislature of Ontario

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I pray you’ll offer me a short moment. This is amazing. This is amazing, this place, what we do, how we serve. I need to thank you personally for this wonderful opportunity in my life that I will never forget. You know that this is a beacon to the world—this democracy, but indeed this House; and more importantly, the people in it.

Let me offer my deepest gratitude—and I’m sure you share this with me—to the staff of the Legislature. They work tirelessly—behind the scenes usually; sometimes in front of the scenes, but usually not on purpose—to make this place work and run like a clock. So to the staff, to the Clerks’ office, to security, to all of the people who work in this building and the precinct, I offer my humble thanks for a job well done—

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): —and by extension, to each and every one of your staff, past, present and some of you in the future. They are the backbone of what you are trying to do in the service of the people you serve and, by extension, the people of Ontario. The staff who help us day in and day out, who sometimes cover for us, sometimes taking the brunt and the heat of the passion of the members and the people of Ontario—to your staff, to my staff, thank you for the job well done. Continue to do that great work that you do. Thank you.

To those who would keep our feet to the fire, please, the only thing I implore is that you do it with dignity and grace, and with a little class. If you’re hurting, your passion can get away from you in that you use various means of communication to be hurtful. I know something has gone wrong, that you feel that way, and I know that in your heart of hearts, you recognize that the people before me are simply trying to do their job—maybe the way they think, but maybe not the way you think.

I offer you peace. Please, in your heart of hearts, recognize that we don’t need to go down. We need to all keep our feet to the fire, but to do it in a way that is kind. That can be done.

Finally, on a personal note to each and every one of you, I now consider you my family. If that’s the case, my house for beers.

I personally have to tell you that with two full careers for me—one in education that I was passionate about and one in politics that I was passionate about—I never lost sight of the fact that our families sacrifice. Each and every one of us, in one way or another, sacrificed something for our family.

To my family, I want to offer them my undying love and gratitude. They have allowed me to do the things that I wanted to do and I prayed to do. So to them, all I’m saying is, Dad’s coming home.

I am going to make one gesture before I leave, but I have to make this official proclamation. Once I make the proclamation, I will leave you with my eyes, my ears, my nose, my heart, to make sure that I watch over you all the time and give you a reminder to remember what I said.

Dissolution of 41st Parliament

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I have received a proclamation that provides for the dissolution of the current 41st Parliament at 2 p.m. this afternoon. As a result, the Legislature will not be meeting again today.

Therefore, this House is accordingly adjourned.

The House adjourned at 1215.