The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Let us pray.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Notice of reasoned amendment

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 71(c), the member for Waterloo has filed with the Clerk a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of Bill 66, An Act to restore Ontario’s competitiveness by amending or repealing certain Acts. The order for second reading of Bill 66 may therefore not be called for debate today.

Hon. Steve Clark: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Point of order, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Steve Clark: I seek unanimous consent that the order for second and third reading of Bill 67, An Act to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995, be immediately called consecutively and that the question on second and third reading be put without debate or amendment.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is seeking the unanimous consent of the House that the order for second and third reading of Bill 67, An Act to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995, be immediately called consecutively and that the question on second and third reading be put without debate or amendment. Agreed? I heard many noes.

Orders of the day. I recognize the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Steve Clark: No further business.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): This House stands in recess until 10:30 a.m.

The House recessed from 0903 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Aris Babikian: It is my pleasure to welcome former TDSB school trustee and a good friend of mine, Harout Manougian.

Mr. Vincent Ke: I would like to welcome grade 8 students from St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School from my riding of Don Valley North. They are visiting Queen’s Park on a field trip today. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your visit.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Joining us shortly will be the young people from Brampton Christian School. I would like to welcome them to Queen’s Park today.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): A point of order, the member for Timmins.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Mr. Speaker, I seek the unanimous consent of the House in order to move a motion that would create a select committee in order to investigate the goings-on in regard to the OPP.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Bisson is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to establish a select committee—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I heard some noes.

John Smith

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I understand the member for Flamborough–Glanbrook may have a point of order. Is that correct? Yes. The member for Flamborough–Glanbrook.

Ms. Donna Skelly: I rise on a point of order this morning simply to inform the members of the passing of a distinguished former member of the Legislature, the Rev. John Smith, who passed away on December 6. John Smith served as the PC MPP for Hamilton Mountain from 1967 to 1977, serving in two cabinet portfolios in the Bill Davis government. The headline, actually, in yesterday’s Hamilton Spectator was truly fitting: “A Gentleman of Politics, John Smith ‘Loved Serving’ the Public.” Our condolences to his wife, Judy, and his family.

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Orléans on a point of order.

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: Bear with me this morning, Mr. Speaker. My daughter is in the House: Monica Granados. Donc, je voulais juste la présenter ici puis lui souhaiter la bienvenue à Queen’s Park ce matin. I’m very happy to say: Welcome, Monica.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I guess we still have time for introduction of visitors. The member for Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

Mr. Jim McDonell: They’re not here yet, but I have two residents from my riding, Tim and Carole O’Connor, who will be showing up later on today. Welcome to Queen’s Park when they arrive.

Oral Questions

Government accountability

Mr. John Vanthof: My question is to the Deputy Premier. For the last two weeks, the Premier has ignored the growing concern about the clear conflict of interest he showed in personally appointing a family friend as OPP commissioner. Now even Ron Taverner himself has admitted that he can’t assume command under the cloud of suspicion created by the Premier.

Will the Deputy Premier continue to defend the indefensible, or will she admit that we need an investigation by the Ombudsman and by members of this assembly before this appointment can proceed?

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Our government, the independent hiring committee and our public service have 100% support and trust and faith in Superintendent Taverner. Out of respect for the people who serve our province on the front line, our police officers, Ron Taverner asked me if he could step aside while the investigation was taking place. I accepted that recommendation. I think it was a very wise and, frankly, respectful thing for him to do because he understands the process, and he wants the process to have its place.

We are doing that. We understand that an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly, the Integrity Commissioner, will do his investigation and his work. At that point, when the investigation is complete, I will be right at the front of the line to congratulate Ron Taverner and welcome him as the commissioner of the OPP.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. John Vanthof: Once again to the Acting Premier: The deputy commissioner of the OPP is just one of the many people who have raised serious concerns. In a letter to the Ombudsman, Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair said that the independence and confidence of the command of the OPP was at risk without a review from the Ombudsman.

Does the Deputy Premier agree with the deputy and now former acting commissioner that we need this independent public review?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: To be clear, the independent review is happening currently through the Integrity Commissioner.

But what I am hearing since Friday is people from across Ontario talking about, what are we going to do to ensure that we keep the heat on and the power on in the province of Ontario? That is ultimately why we are here this week. That is what we should be debating. That is what my focus is and our government’s focus is.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Final supplementary?

Mr. John Vanthof: Once again to the Deputy Premier: Deputy Commissioner Blair doesn’t stand alone. Former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson has echoed calls for an independent public review, saying, “That sense of integrity of the institution has to be preserved.”

The former OPP commissioner Chris Lewis was more blunt: It’s “simply not right and not what’s best for the organization.” The Premier responded by calling the integrity of this decorated OPP veteran into question.

The Deputy Premier must know—she must know—that this isn’t right. Will she stand with these decorated officers and back their calls for independent review or will she stand with the Premier, who attacks them?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, in the 10-plus years that I have served in this Parliament, I have never, ever heard someone suggest that an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly, the Integrity Commissioner, had anything but respect for this chamber. They report to this chamber, not to individual members, so to suggest that they are not in any way independent and they can’t do the investigation, I think, is shameful. I want to see the NDP say, “We respect the independent officer. We respect the Integrity Commissioner. We will allow him the time that he and his office need to do the investigation and issue the report.”

Government accountability

Ms. Sara Singh: My question is to the Deputy Premier. Under the Members’ Integrity Act, the Integrity Commissioner has the right to launch a public inquiry into any matter that has been referred to him. This matter is before him now.

Will the Acting Premier join us in supporting a public inquiry in the event the commissioner calls for one?

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, I’m not sure what part of “the independent Integrity Commissioner’s investigation has already started and he has accepted” they don’t understand.

To be clear, the investigation has begun. The Integrity Commissioner is in charge of that investigation. I look forward to the report because I know he will find that there was nothing wrong with the process and Ron Taverner is an excellent choice for OPP commissioner.

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I am surprised, frankly, that you are not asking questions about what’s going to happen at the Brampton Civic Hospital when we don’t have any heat on.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Restart the clock.

Supplementary.

Ms. Sara Singh: Through you, Mr. Speaker, to the minister: I would love to ask questions about Brampton Civic, but I know I’m not going to get any answers anyway, so I’m not going to waste my time on that.

Would the Deputy Premier agree that, given the serious nature of the questions about the appointment, questions that the Premier, frankly, won’t even answer, a public inquiry is necessary? And it’s public—it’s not just the Integrity Commissioner; it’s a public inquiry that we’re asking for.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I’m trying to connect the dots, Speaker, respectfully. So an independent officer of the assembly is independent and okay until they don’t give you what you want.

They are independent. Let them do their work. Let them do the investigation. Let the report come forward. And then we can talk about how excellent a candidate Ron Taverner is for the OPP commissioner.

You can’t have it both ways. You either—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Final supplementary.

Ms. Sara Singh: Back to the Deputy Premier: People want and deserve answers. The Premier claims that a close personal friend was granted this position and that he’s had no role in the decision-making process, even though that friend was not even qualified to apply for the job that was originally posted. We need a full public review if this decision is going to be upheld and people are going to feel confident in the process. Will you support a full public inquiry by the Integrity Commissioner? The question is very simple.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Allow me to repeat myself again: The independent officer of the Legislative Assembly, the Integrity Commissioner, is currently investigating the process for hiring, as commissioner, Ron Taverner. I do not understand why the opposition have suddenly decided that the independent officer of the assembly, the Integrity Commissioner, is not up to the job. I think it’s really unfortunate that you suddenly decide an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly, reporting to the entire chamber, is not good enough for this process. It’s shameful.

Government accountability

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Deputy Premier. Speaker, the deputy commissioner of the OPP has raised serious concerns about a request from Dean French, the Premier’s chief of staff, to sole-source a custom-designed camper van exclusively for the Premier’s use and keep the cost off the books and hidden from taxpayers.

My question to the Deputy Premier: Has Dean French shared the specs for the Premier’s Hot Wheels magic mystery tour bus with cabinet?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members please take their seats.

Deputy Premier.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: That question is so rude and dismissive, I’m actually amazed that you were willing to ask it. Why, when we are called back a week before Christmas, are we not asking questions about why we’re here, the importance of why we’re here, the value of what we are trying to do for the people of Ontario? This is about heating people’s homes. This is about keeping seniors safe. This is, frankly, about making sure that the province of Ontario can continue to operate after Friday.

When is the NDP going to step up and be part of the solution, instead of constantly trying to find some other nuance? This is about the people of Ontario having heat and hydro.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. House, come to order. I appreciate the enthusiasm of the members—it’s all part of the season—but I have to be able to hear the member who has the floor.

Start the clock. Member for Essex, supplementary.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: We wish the Premier and his government would learn a little something about collective bargaining with the power workers—free and fair collective bargaining—instead of ordering a mystery tour bus for him and his buddies at taxpayers’ expense—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Okay, the government side has to come to order. I will ask you individually to come to order, and then I will have to move to warnings. If need be, we move to the next step.

I apologize to the member for Essex. Start the clock.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Thank you, Speaker.

The Deputy Premier was the choice of most PC delegates in the leadership race, so it has to be pretty tough for her to watch what’s become of her party. The party that was once the party of Bill Davis is now treating the Ontario Provincial Police like a custom body shop and asking decorated police officers to cover and hide the cost from taxpayers.

Will the Deputy Premier admit that this is wrong and echo our call to have the RCMP look into this abuse of power by the Premier’s—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I couldn’t hear the member who had the floor because of the volume. Stop the clock. I couldn’t hear the member for the volume of the government side. If I miss something, that’s why.

I again say to the member for Essex, you’ve got the floor and you can put your question.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Thank you, Speaker.

The question is to the Deputy Premier. Will she admit that the use of the OPP to cover the costs of the Premier’s custom travel van is an abuse of power and wrong to be hiding from the taxpayers of Ontario?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I will take no lessons from that member or the NDP party on why it is important for the province of Ontario to have heat and hydro as of Friday.

Now, there is no truth to the allegations that have been levied. I look forward to a report coming from the Integrity Commissioner to reinforce why Ron Taverner is an excellent choice to serve as the OPP commissioner.

Labour dispute

Mr. Stephen Lecce: I find it with great regret that the NDP has yet to ask a singular question about keeping the power on in the province of Ontario. The people across this province need and deserve a reliable power source. Right now, this is at risk. After the NDP twice voted against expediting the passage of the bill, this question must—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Yes, who is the question to?

Mr. Stephen Lecce: The Minister of Energy.

After twice voting against the passage of this bill, it is abundantly clear that the NDP is the party of special interests, whereas this government, this Premier, this caucus and this minister are always fighting for the public interest: for our small businesses, for our workers, for our young families, for our seniors and for the people of the province.

We know a strike would devastate our economy. Can the minister outline how we will put this forward and ensure Ontarians can keep the lights on this Christmas?

Hon. Greg Rickford: I appreciate the member’s question. Let’s start this part of the debate out by understanding that on June 7, 2018, had the NDP won, thousands of nuclear workers in Pickering would have been cut loose. The electricity system source supply would have been in absolute chaos. So that’s the starting point for these people.

Let me reference a few points, some discussion points from the NDP over the course of time. When the threat of hydro being cut off was very real, the Leader of the Opposition said—let me put my glasses on and read me some quotes here now—in 2017, in reference to legislation that would end winter disconnection, “Get it through the House quickly. Absolutely, I’m 100% in favour of that.”

Why is she so disconnected now?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Stephen Lecce: Back to the Minister of Energy: We know this dispute will devastate Ontario’s industry, especially our small businesses, which over eight in 10 jobs depend on. We have been warned that this could result in rolling blackouts and brownouts, decimating the productivity and quality control of factories across the province.

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It will hurt our workers the most. Our government will not stand idle while employers are forced to close and paycheques of their workers are at risk. Our government believes that everyone deserves safety and stability this holiday season.

Can the minister please update this House on how this dispute could impact the business and industry in manufacturing?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Let me read a few more quotes while I’ve got my glasses on here.

In 2017, the leader of the official opposition asked, in response to the threat of hydro being disconnected, “why political credit is more important than stopping people from having their hydro cut off.”

Another quote: “When people get cut off in the winter it has serious consequences here in a province like Ontario.”

I agree, Mr. Speaker—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The opposition will come to order.

Hon. Greg Rickford: I completely agree—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, come to order.

Hon. Greg Rickford: I couldn’t agree more, Mr. Speaker. It’s cold outside. The other night, it was minus 17 in Kenora; today, right now, it’s minus 12 in Timmins.

This government has a responsibility to ensure that families can turn their lights on, turn their heat on—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. The House will come to order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Timmins will come to order. The member for York Centre will come to order.

Start the clock. Next question.

Education funding

Ms. Marit Stiles: My question is to the Deputy Premier. Friday night, school boards and education organizations across Ontario were struck by an avalanche of memos outlining $25 million in cuts. These cuts are a slap in the face to those Ontarians who have participated in this government’s so-called consultations, which, of course, did not even conclude until 24 hours after these cuts were released in the dead of night. They are causing utter chaos in our school boards and in our schools.

Overwhelmingly, the programs affected are designed to help at-risk youth. The government has yet to share what actual research they have conducted that shows that children getting physical activity, children getting programming to help them succeed if they are at risk, or providing leadership opportunities for children are programs that need to be cut. What research does this government conduct or rely on to determine that these programs are worth cutting from our schools?

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of Education.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Thank you very much, Deputy Leader, and thank you, Speaker. As we lead into Christmas, I’d like to wish you and your family a merry Christmas.

I appreciate the opportunity to stand up and talk about what’s really important. While we should be here working diligently, expediting and making sure we keep our heat and lights on as we head into the holiday season, instead we see the opposition party grandstanding.

But I’d be pleased to answer the member opposite’s question. I would have hoped that they could have connected the dots a little bit better. The consultation that we just wrapped up this past weekend, where tens of thousands of people responded—I can’t wait to start diving into that data; it’s so rich. That consultation was based on informing our direction for the next school year, 19-20.

Interjections.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: You would have thought the members opposite could have connected those dots. That’s what our consultation was based on.

First and foremost, we received great information—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Back to the Deputy Premier: This government is, let’s be clear, taking an axe to programs that are designed to help some of our most vulnerable students. They call this a responsible act; I don’t understand what part of this is responsible.

The minister wants us to believe that they are listening to Ontarians, but we have students saying this is the wrong direction, we have educators saying this is the wrong direction, we have parents worrying that their kids won’t have the supports they need to succeed this school year, and we have experts saying this is deeply irresponsible. In what universe is this acceptable? Who did the minister consult? Tell us who told them that tutors in classrooms were not worth investing in and that Indigenous kids were not worth investing in.

The government sex ed consultation has been a total sham. Kids have been put at risk while they make up excuses to carry out changes. Will the government reverse these irresponsible decisions?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

Minister?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Again, to correct the members opposite who couldn’t connect the dots, it’s school year 2019-20.

I am pleased to say that we’re moving forward with approvals of $400 million this year for the school year 2018-19. At a glance, that talks about a new investment of over $20 million for mental health workers, over $20 million in French language education and over $60 million in STEM initiatives. We absolutely are supporting our parents.

In terms of supports for our young children, in terms of bullying and mentorship, the member from Windsor–Tecumseh will be very pleased to know we continued with the support for Big Brothers Big Sisters. We’re moving forward in a responsible way.

I want to thank the members of my team and the ministry, who worked so hard to make sure we tucked away all the irresponsibility that the previous government absolutely buried in my ministry. We’re moving forward with thoughtful investments that make a difference in the classroom environment.

Labour dispute

Mr. Billy Pang: My question is to the Minister of Labour. Late last week, our government was advised that the members of the Power Workers’ Union had voted to reject a new collective agreement at Ontario Power Generation. This has left the PWU in a strike position. Despite attempts at negotiation over many months, talks between the two parties have broken down. A strike at OPG would greatly impair the stability of Ontario’s electricity supply and have a significant adverse impact on the public interest.

Our government has to do whatever is necessary to ensure that Ontario has a steady and uninterrupted supply of electricity. Can the minister assure the people of Ontario that the electricity supply will be maintained over the coming winter months?

Hon. Laurie Scott: Thank you to the member from Markham–Unionville for the great question. The people of Ontario elected our government to put their interests first. That is why yesterday I introduced legislation to send this dispute to arbitration and protect Ontarians’ homes and businesses. If passed, our legislation will terminate any strikes or lockouts between OPG and the Power Workers’ Union for the current round of bargaining. This will prevent the effective shutdown of as much as half of Ontario’s electricity system. If this legislation does not pass, families, seniors and all Ontarians face the possibility of no heat or light during the cold winter months.

We were elected to fight for the people, and that is exactly what our government is doing.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock.

Restart the clock. Supplementary?

Mr. Billy Pang: Thank you, Minister, for the answer. I know that our government is doing the right thing for the people of Ontario.

The Minister of Energy estimates that a strike by PWU workers will result in some or all of OPG’s facilities being shut down within weeks, a situation that we cannot allow to happen.

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Mr. Speaker, OPG is responsible for approximately 51% of all electricity generation in Ontario and operates nuclear, hydroelectric, thermal, and wind power facilities. We are facing a potential provincial emergency. Action is required now. Ontario is not dreaming of a blackout Christmas.

Can the minister explain to this House why this legislation is so vital for Ontarians?

Hon. Laurie Scott: Again, I thank the member from Markham–Unionville for the question. A 51% reduction in Ontario’s power supply is not something the province’s families, seniors and businesses can handle during the winter months. My colleague the honourable Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines has already discussed the potential impacts of this reduction, like rolling blackouts across the province, resulting in many families and seniors without heat or light during the cold winter months.

Speaker, our government believes that disputes that arise during contract negotiations are best solved at the bargaining table. Government should only intervene when the public interest and public health and safety are at risk and a resolution is not possible. This is when negotiations reach an impasse or a deadlock. This is the situation we are facing now.

Our proposed legislation would prevent a severe disruption of Ontario’s electricity that could endanger our—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

Next question.

Government accountability

Ms. Sara Singh: My question is for the Attorney General. Last week, the commissioner of the OPP wrote to the Ombudsman saying that the OPP was called by Dean French, the Premier’s most senior political staffer, to ask the OPP to hide the cost of a souped-up camper van. Any reasonable person would agree that that needs to be investigated. Will the Attorney General support the New Democrats’ request that the RCMP should investigate these allegations?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: As the member opposite heard many, many times from the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, the Integrity Commissioner has taken on the work of investigating, as the opposition has requested. We respect the work that the Integrity Commissioner is going to do. We understand that there is great interest in this, in making sure that the processes are followed. We welcome and we await the decision of the Integrity Commissioner. We will follow his recommendations when he has made them.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Sara Singh: The Attorney General has a responsibility to uphold the law and the principles of fairness and due process. It’s more important than her loyalty to the Premier—at least, it should be.

Former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson said about the allegation that the Premier’s chief of staff wanted the cost of the souped-up RV “kept off the books” that “if there’s allegations of criminality, supported by some substantial evidence, then that’s a whole other question and that needs to be reviewed. And that would require, I think, a separate force to do that.” Not my words; Bob Paulson’s words.

Does the Attorney General agree that the RCMP is ideally suited to investigate these allegations?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: The member opposite should realize that there are already active processes under way doing the work that the opposition is requesting. The Office of the Integrity Commissioner is conducting an investigation. An application has been filed with the Divisional Court seeking a judicial review of the Ombudsman’s decision not to investigate. Three judges will be looking at that decision.

Mr. Speaker, there are people who are already doing the work that the opposition is asking us to do. We are here to do work on behalf of the people of Ontario, to keep the lights on and to keep the heat on. We wonder, on this side of the House, when the opposition is going to understand that that is why we are here. Let the people who are doing the work do the work—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I apologize to the Attorney General for having to cut her off when there was still time on the clock. I couldn’t hear what she was saying because of the standing ovation from the government side once again.

Next question. Start the clock.

Environmental protection

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Acting Premier. Eighteen years ago, six people died and over 2,000 people were made sick as a result of drinking contaminated water at Walkerton. There are people to this very day who suffer from the health effects of drinking contaminated water.

Justice O’Connor’s report on the Walkerton tragedy led to the Clean Water Act. My question is, why is the government putting people’s lives at risk with legislation that would allow municipalities to gut the Clean Water Act?

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of the Environment.

Hon. Rod Phillips: Thank you to the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, just a few weeks ago we brought out a plan, a made-in-Ontario plan, that deals with issues like clean water, that talks about many of the issues that he’s quite concerned about, including sewage in the water system—things that the previous government, supported by the NDP, did not support.

The member also knows, because he’s very familiar with the Clean Water Act, that the powers that the Minister of Municipal Affairs has and that are suggested in Bill 66 are the same powers that he has today.

We understand why the member from Guelph may want to distract from other issues when we should be focusing on keeping the lights on and keeping the power on here in this Legislature. But let me be clear, Mr. Speaker: This government is committed to making sure the water is kept clear. Our made-in-Ontario plan includes plans to make sure that we ensure that with proper source water protection and protection of water across this province.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Mike Schreiner: With all due respect, Mr. Speaker, section 10 of Bill 66 allows municipalities to gut the Clean Water Act. What kind of business wants to invest in a province that will not protect its drinking water? What kind of government wants to gut regulations that protect people’s lives?

Likewise, the greenbelt protects our drinking water and protects our farmland. People were loud and clear during the election campaign: They want the greenbelt protected. So why is this government breaking their promise to protect the greenbelt and introducing legislation that will allow municipalities to pave over the greenbelt?

Hon. Rod Phillips: To the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, through you to the honourable member, the opposition is dragging the town of Walkerton through the mud just to try to score a couple of political cheap shots. Their mayor has even indicated that the changes in our bill would not weaken nor will they jeopardize drinking water standards. We have been extremely clear, Speaker. Again, through you to the honourable member, we are going to protect the greenbelt. We are going to not support any municipal plan under the open-for-business tool that would do that.

We want to again reassure Ontarians that the safety of the people of this province—we take it very seriously. We are going to continue to defend health and safety standards. Anything else from this member is just fearmongering. Shame on you for using this House to further—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Order.

Yet again I will say to the government side, their minister had the floor; there was time on the clock. But when the standing ovation erupted, I couldn’t hear what he said and I had to cut him off.

Start the clock. The next question.

Labour dispute

Mr. Deepak Anand: My question is also for the Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, last week Ontarians found out that members of the Power Workers’ Union voted to reject a collective agreement with Ontario Power Generation.

The Power Workers’ Union issued a strike notice on Friday, which has put the entire electricity system at risk. At this time of year, families are coming together to celebrate the holiday season. They need access to power to light up their homes, to cook their turkeys—by the way, tofu turkey for vegetarians like my wife—and watch holiday movies with their loved ones. We can’t afford to let this job action threaten holiday plans throughout this province. Minister, please explain why this is such a critical issue that requires immediate action by our government.

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Hon. Greg Rickford: It’s day four in a very serious 21-day plan to wind down the nuclear generators and dam units that supply electricity for our province.

We have given the opposition two occasions already to short-circuit the debate and make sure that the people of Ontario have light and heat for the holidays as we head into the heart of the winter.

Let me amplify the seriousness of this with other stakeholders. Mr. Colin Anderson, the president of the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario, stated, “Businesses across Ontario expect that reliable, affordable electricity is available when needed to keep our economy running. Industry can’t afford any disruptions that undermine the ability to produce. The government must do whatever it can with generators and labour to keep the lights on.” That’s exactly what we’re doing.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you, Minister, for your great leadership on the energy file.

Mr. Speaker, I’m proud to be part of a government that takes action on behalf of the people. I know my constituents appreciate us coming back to work to ensure that they stay safe and warm this holiday season.

However, let’s not forget that we are already seeing the opposition’s Grinch ways. They voted against unanimous consent for Bill 67. The NDP voted against a bill that guarantees families staying warm and keeping their lights on this holiday season. It seems they don’t think that people across Ontario need and deserve a reliable power supply, especially over the winter months.

Can the minister please tell the members of this House how our government is ensuring that the people of Ontario can keep the lights on this winter, to stay safe and stay healthy?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Mr. Speaker, when 50% of Ontario’s hydro supply is at stake, we take the issue very seriously. We appreciate the Power Workers’ Union. They issued their vote to strike and gave strike notice on Friday, and they remain on the job. We appreciate that, because we think they understand the importance of no interruptions during this critical season of peak demand and temperatures getting colder.

After eight months of negotiations, three votes, a rejection of the final offer on Thursday, a vote to strike on Friday and the option for arbitration, every right has been afforded to resolve this. This is now less about rights than it is about lights. This government is going to fight every day to make sure that the people of Ontario, families and small businesses ready to celebrate Christmas and face the winter have the heat on.

Government accountability

Mr. Kevin Yarde: My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. On October 22, while the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport was still the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, the ministry posted to hire a new commissioner of the OPP. It required that anyone applying had to have served as a deputy police chief or higher, or assistant commissioner or higher. Two days later, the posting was changed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport: Who decided to change the application?

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: To the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As usual, the NDP is missing a few facts. The facts are that it was an independent hiring committee that was tasked with finding, Canada-wide, a new OPP commissioner. They’ve done that work. They made a unanimous choice, and now, we are awaiting a review from an independent officer of the assembly.

I lived through three days in my community, a number of Christmases ago, when there was no power, no heat and no hydro. I don’t want to do that again. I have a responsibility as a member of this government to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I would hope, respectfully, that the member opposite also has that same responsibility. The families who live in your community, the families who rely on William Osler hospital and the families who have seniors living in Brampton don’t want to worry about whether they have sufficient heat and light to make sure they can stay in their own homes. I would appreciate some conversation with the NDP, an acknowledgement—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Kevin Yarde: My question once again is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Ron Taverner didn’t meet the initial requirement for the posting, but then the posting changed, ensuring that he could.

The Minister of Tourism was, at the time, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Can he explain why the government decided two days after posting to water down a requirement that would have just happened to have prevented the Premier’s personal friend from applying for the post? Who made the decision to change this posting?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I feel like we need to talk about what the definition of “independent” is. It was an independent hiring committee. It is an independent commissioner of the Legislative Assembly who is reviewing that process.

We are on day four of a strike that can shut down heat and light in the province of Ontario. If we want to talk about an emergency debate, I’m all over it, but let’s actually get to the process where we understand why we’re here, why we need to ensure that the light and the power stays on in the province of Ontario.

Health care funding

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé.

This government by improvisation continues to make short-sighted decisions with the public purse. Last week, the Premier cut funding to Ontario’s college of midwives. Women want access to more midwifery services in Ontario. Actually, 40% of women who request a midwife here are unable to get one because there are not enough to meet the demand. My colleagues’ children have had children with the help of midwives.

Actually, very important: Midwives improve health outcomes while bringing down medical costs. This is exactly why I’m asking you this question—because yesterday I was in a retirement residence, and Frank, a senior, could not understand why this government was attacking our midwife services. My question is very simple: Can you please tell Frank, and all of Ontario, the reason for these cuts?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member opposite very much for the question.

I can say that we agree that we value the support and the work that midwives in Ontario perform. But I think it’s important to note that services performed by midwives are not being cut. What is under consideration is funding to the college. The college is the only administrative body and the only college in Ontario that receives administrative funding from the province. That is under review right now.

But I must reiterate, to Frank and anybody else who might be watching, that the actual services being performed by midwives will not be cut. It is only consideration of the services that the college might provide, which is still under review.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: Back to the minister: This government by improvisation is not improvising everything. They have a plan. They are deliberately focused on making cuts that hit women, children, children at risk, vulnerable children and, I would say, language rights issues. That’s not fair. Even the inflated deficit number they cooked up—the one, actually, that the controller resigned over and would not sign off on—can’t justify the waste of public money that will result from these cuts.

I understand the minister, when she says that at this point there are 800 midwives in Ontario—there is an enormous burden on them as they are, I would say, almost creating jobs for you and lowering your costs on health care. Why attack this sector at this time while you know there is a demand and actually lowering—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister.

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Hon. Christine Elliott: Well, I have to reject the entire question that has been asked here, the entirety of the question. What we were elected to do was to transform our health care system into one that’s going to be sustainable for the future, for our children and grandchildren, and that is exactly what we are doing. As far as midwives are concerned, of course we value the work that midwives perform, but we need to make sure that we can do so on a sustainable basis. They are continuing with the work they are doing. It is only the question of money to the college that is being looked at right now.

I also have to say that this is an issue that we are dealing with, that we are working on, but we have to, again, come back to the reason why we are here. We are here to make sure that people can keep their heat on, to make sure that seniors, people who are living in northern Ontario, people who are in long-term-care homes and hospitals will be able to be cared for and will be warm and receive the necessary—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

Next question.

Hospital services

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. The previous Liberal government attacked our front-line health care workers instead of ensuring that they had the resources to look after our most vulnerable. Our families and loved ones were left languishing—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, come to order.

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: —in the corridors of our hospitals, waiting for beds. Hospital budgets were frozen for years on end.

My constituents in Cambridge and families across Ontario—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, come to order.

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: —are looking to our government for the people to deliver on our plan to end hallway health care. Over the—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek is warned.

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: —past 15 years, our health care infrastructure crumbled due to mismanaged expansions and renovations. While work on the new patient care wing at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital was stalled, renovations to the existing area have also been delayed. Can the minister please update the House on how we are getting the Cambridge Memorial Hospital back on track?

Hon. Monte McNaughton: I’d like to thank the member from Cambridge for that very important question. Our government is firmly committed to making life easier for families in Ontario.

For the Cambridge Memorial Hospital project, Infrastructure Ontario was directed to deliver the work through the P3 model as a build-finance project. This new 240,000-square-foot addition was supposed to be operational 20 months ago under the former Liberal government. This type of delay causes much anxiety in the local communities served by this particular hospital. People were expecting better care to be delivered much longer ago.

I’m not happy with this project we inherited from the previous government, because it’s been delayed so long, but, Mr. Speaker, we are going to fix it. I know the local member from Cambridge, who has been advocating hard on behalf of her constituents, as well as the members from Kitchener South–Hespeler and Kitchener–Conestoga, aren’t happy either. The people of Cambridge deserve better. Speaker, there’s positive news which I’m going to share in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: I would like to thank the minister for his response. I am proud that our government is working hard to look after the needs of families and seniors across the Tri-City and Waterloo region. They will soon have the quality health care that they deserve and expect. Instead of sitting idly, as the former Liberal government did, our Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and the Minister of Infrastructure have secured assurances that all parties are committed to moving forward as quickly as possible to complete the project.

I know I speak on behalf of the members from Kitchener South–Hespeler and Kitchener–Conestoga when I say that the Minister of Infrastructure has been working hard to make sure that our government will continue to invest in the right infrastructure at the right time and at the right place. Can the minister please elaborate on how the P3 model protects taxpayers and ensures that the project gets done?

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Mr. Speaker, I’ll tell you that my office has been in close touch with Infrastructure Ontario, the agency delivering this project on behalf of our government. As you know, the project is being delivered as a private-public partnership, or P3 model, something that our government supports. P3 projects offer certain protections to taxpayers. One of those protections is that the company contracted to do the work doesn’t get paid until that work is complete.

There has been a recent development in the situation. The project is now in the hands of a receiver who will ensure that the hospital finally gets completed. IO, the hospital and the project lenders are working together and are committed to completing the project quickly. So while the delays for residents in the Cambridge region are unacceptable, we are assured by Infrastructure Ontario that the construction issues are on their way to being solved at no additional cost to the taxpayers in the province of Ontario.

Government accountability

Ms. Sandy Shaw: My question this morning is to the President of the Treasury Board. Good morning, Minister.

I spent months sitting on a committee supposedly focused on fiscal transparency. The government tabled a bill named “restoring trust, transparency and accountability.” But less than a month after tabling that bill, we’ve learned that the Premier’s chief of staff asked the OPP to hide the cost of a special camper van for the Premier’s use.

I’m sure the President of the Treasury Board would agree that that’s not accountable, it’s not transparent and it certainly doesn’t build trust. My question is, will the President of the Treasury Board refer this matter to the Auditor General for her to investigate?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: It amazes me that the NDP are so willing to throw around allegations in this chamber that are untrue and that will be proven to be untrue.

There is an independent investigation occurring right now. Why don’t you let that investigation happen, and instead, why don’t we focus on what we are here to debate, what we are here to discuss, which is to make sure that the power stays on in the province of Ontario?

Friday is an important date and it’s not just because Christmas is coming. We have a responsibility as legislators to make sure that the heat and the lights remain on in the province of Ontario. That’s what we are doing on this side of the House. I can’t speak to what the NDP are attempting to do.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Well, Mr. Speaker, I have to say, I reject the premise of the answer.

Ontarians deserve clear answers about whether this was a one-off or part of a pattern. Will the President of the Treasury Board be directing the Auditor General to look into whether the Premier or his chief of staff asked other ministries, agencies or boards to buy and to hide the cost of this camper van or any other items?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The question has been referred to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Let me try to understand how this works: You do not agree that the Integrity Commissioner is able to do an investigation and report on the process. But while you don’t support the Integrity Commissioner, you are calling for the Ombudsman to do an investigation.

Which of the independent officers of the Legislature do you like? Which ones do you trust? Because I can tell you, in our government, we support and believe in all of them.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I think it’s appropriate to remind all members at this time to make your comments through the Chair.

Start the clock. Next question.

Public transit

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Our government has promised to get the people of Ontario moving, and we have already started to deliver on these commitments. We’re providing more reliable, predictable journeys across the GTHA, greatly improving the daily transit experience.

Speaker, last week the Minister of Transportation made a very exciting announcement for the people of St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and, frankly, all of Ontario. This announcement delivers on our government’s commitment to get people moving. I was so excited to see the minister in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. Can the minister please tell the Legislature about his announcement in St. Catharines and provide details on how we’re implementing a core campaign promise?

Hon. Jeff Yurek: I thank the member from Niagara West for that question. I truly enjoyed having him at my side at that announcement. He’s been a truly great advocate for the Niagara region as a whole and I know he’ll just continue to produce results for the people living in that region. I also want to thank my PA from Etobicoke Centre, Kinga Surma, who was also there in attendance. It was a great day for the St. Catharines area.

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I do have to note that it was something special to have the former House leader for the Liberal side, Jim Bradley, the new chair of Niagara region, applauding our announcement for the Niagara region.

As the member stated, our government for the people made an important announcement for the people of St. Catharines and Niagara. This marks the first time in history that the people of Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Toronto will be connected by a regular weekday commuter train. This train will provide a comfortable, seamless GO train trip between Niagara Falls and Union Station, with a stop at St. Catharines.

Mr. Speaker, we are four years ahead of schedule on delivering this promise.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The House will come to order.

Start the clock. Supplementary?

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Speaker, I have to thank the Minister of Transportation for the excellent response, for coming down to Niagara and for bringing the project to Niagara four years ahead of the schedule—truly, truly impressive.

As a member representing the Niagara region, I must say I am deeply proud of this announcement, for the people of Niagara Falls and St. Catharines have been asking for GO rail service for a very long time. Sadly, the previous Liberal government planned to take an additional four years to expand GO rail service into the region. However, within only six months, our government for the people delivered on this commitment by using existing infrastructure and developing partnerships to get the job done.

Our government has now announced more than 200 new GO train trips and over 400,000 new train seats every single week on the Lakeshore East and Lakeshore West rail lines. Can the minister tell us a little bit more about the expanded GO rail service into the Niagara region?

Hon. Jeff Yurek: Thank you for the question. Mr. Speaker, as the member stated, by working with our rail partner CN, we have coordinated our schedules and are using existing infrastructure. We’re able to introduce this new weekday service between Niagara Falls and Toronto.

The introduction of weekday rail service between Niagara Falls and Toronto is an important piece of work we are doing to expand GO service to make life easier for the people who use public transit. We know that efficient and reliable public transit is an essential part of connecting people with jobs and promoting economic development across Ontario. That’s why we made it a priority to get GO trains running to Niagara Falls as soon as possible. I’m pleased we’ve delivered on that commitment.

Our government for the people is doing this not only to get people in the province moving, but also to create jobs and opportunities that make life better for Ontarians. Mr. Speaker, we’ll be back in Niagara Falls to make more announcements for the people during our mandate.

Health care funding

M^me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée.

Last Thursday, this Conservative government announced, with no explanation, that they were cutting funding for the College of Midwives of Ontario. The college of midwives exists for one reason: to protect the public—in this case, to protect newborn babies. Midwives deliver and provide post-partum care to 15% of Ontario newborn babies—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for King–Vaughan is warned.

M^me France Gélinas: In doing so, midwives save the government money, save the hospital resources and help save the Ontario hallway medicine crisis.

Can the minister explain why, on November 8, her ministry advised the college of midwives that their funding was being cut retroactively to April 1? Why did your ministry send this memo?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member for the question. We do value the excellent services that midwives provide to women across Ontario.

In fact, the issue that is under consideration is funding to the college. As I stated previously, the college of midwives is the only regulatory health college in Ontario to receive administrative funding from the province. That is under consideration right now, but the services being performed by midwives continue.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

M^me France Gélinas: Speaker, midwives have been historically discriminated against when it comes to fair pay. These women won a Human Rights Tribunal challenge this year to be paid fairly. Now, we find out that the Conservative government is appealing this landmark Human Rights Tribunal judgment.

This Conservative government refuses to pay midwives fairly and they refuse to support their college that protects newborn babies, all in the name of balancing the budget. This government’s actions are sending such a powerful and such a hateful message to midwives, while at the same time every community is trying to recruit them and we have a hard time recruiting people into the profession of midwives. Can the minister explain why she is appealing the human rights decision to end discrimination in fair pay for midwives?

Hon. Christine Elliott: In fact, we respect the work that midwives are doing, and that is why we have told them straight-out that we don’t agree with the Human Rights Tribunal decision with respect to certain points. That’s why we communicated upfront to the midwives, in light of our disagreement with the decision with respect to liability and the significantly different approaches both parties take in relation to the remedy that is being proposed. We are too far apart on the issue of remedy for the negotiation to continue, so we thought that to be fair to the midwives, it was fair to let them know that we were going to proceed and have the matter determined at the next level.

Violence against women

Ms. Lindsey Park: My question is for the honourable Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Ontario’s rural communities, like Port Perry and Blackstock in my riding, are some of the most tight-knit communities across the province, where neighbours look out for one another. However, these small towns are not exempt from sex trafficking and violence against women. Police-reported rates of violence against women are often higher in small towns and other rural settings than in urban areas. Not only that, but residents of rural and remote communities often have to travel further to access programs and support. Can the minister please explain what our government is doing to combat violence against women in rural communities?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Thanks very much to the honourable member for the very important question. I was very pleased to see her and the minister of environment last week take a stand in Durham against human trafficking. I really want to say thank you to them.

As you know, Speaker, our government has decided to invest an addition $1.5 million into funding for rural front-line services to strengthen service delivery, improve culturally relevant supports for Indigenous women, and reduce geographic and transportation barriers.

I’d be remiss not to say thank you to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Natural Resources for joining me last Friday in that very important conversation. I’ll have more to say in that supplemental.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Lindsey Park: I appreciate that our minister and our government are working hard to provide survivors of violence that support they need in rural communities.

Ontario accounts for roughly two thirds of police-reported sex trafficking cases across Canada each year, many of those along the 401 corridor through my riding, through Bowmanville, through Oshawa. When someone is trafficked, they’re moved frequently, exacerbating the trauma of these already horrifying situations. For survivors, returning to normalcy can feel impossible. Can the minister please tell this House how our government will continue to work with stakeholders and hear from those with lived experiences to address these important issues?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: I really appreciate the question. This is an important topic. It’s an important piece of work that we’re doing in this government. Of course, our friend the Minister of Labour was very instrumental in making sure that we were having these strong conversations well before people were talking about this. It is Ontario’s dirty little secret, sex trafficking of young girls as early as 11. I was pleased to be in both Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke and Brockville on Friday to join my colleagues as we talked with people with lived experience who are offering support to those who have been trafficked.

Let me be perfectly clear: The work that this government is doing is going to continue to be robust. We will work with other jurisdictions, including our federal counterparts, on a task force that will bring this to the fore. Speaker, I must say I’m very impressed with many of those stakeholders across Ontario who are doing this important work and building on the $174.5-million commitment this government made last week.

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Scarborough–Guildwood on a point of order.

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: I would like to welcome a school from my riding that is visiting Queen’s Park today, West Hill Collegiate; 83 high school students will be here to learn about what we do.

Apology

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Kitchener–Conestoga on a point of order.

Mr. Mike Harris: Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to apologize for an interjection that I had made earlier. If it offended anybody on the other side of the House, I do apologize for that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Point of order, the member for Orléans.

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: Today in question period, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services said, “The Integrity Commissioner is in charge of that investigation. I look forward to the report because I know he will find that there was nothing wrong....”

Given the nature of the investigation before the Integrity Commissioner, surely standing order 23(g) must be interpreted on this matter. The minister has presupposed the outcome of the Integrity Commissioner’s investigation, creating a real and substantial prejudice to the proceeding.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I don’t believe there is a valid point of order, based on what the member has indicated. It’s a matter of opinion, but it’s not a point of order.

I would remind the members who I repeatedly called to order and had to warn that the warnings carry over into the afternoon. If whoever is in the chair has to speak to you again, you may be named.

This House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1142 to 1500.

Introduction of Visitors

Ms. Sara Singh: I have the true honour of introducing my younger sister Navprit Singh, one of five other siblings who hopefully will have a chance to visit us here in the people’s House.

Members’ Statements

Government’s record

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: “Dear government:

“It’s time to do better.

“This week we learned that you’ve cut even more services. At first I was pretty angry, but then I took a moment, took a breath and realized Ontario’s glass is half full.

“You see, you cut Indigenous programming, funds to friendship centres and breakfast clubs, not to mention cancelling the Indigenous curriculum-writing sessions when we were supposed to be working towards reconciliation with First Peoples.

“But my Girls’ Government group—21 grade 8 girls from Margaret Avenue Public School—decided that the most serious issue to lobby about at Queen’s Park next year is violence against Indigenous women.

“You rolled back employee sick days and cut benefits for folks in Ontario, but Greg Mercer, a brilliantly dedicated journalist to local stories in the Waterloo Record, made sure that we didn’t forget the experiences of workers in my riding who contracted serious illnesses after dedicating their lives to the rubber industry. And because of their advocacy, WSIB is opening up 300 cases that were denied.

“You tried to scare folks across Ontario by challenging unionized workers with back-to-work legislation before the bargaining even began, but high school students at St. Mary’s Catholic school reminded me that leading by fear is not good leadership. And I met Team Canada on Sunday. These are people who are on their way to Jamaica to compete at the International Congress of Martial Arts. They use martial arts to channel the energies of our ancestors in a really powerful way. They are going to use their power for good.

“So, there you go again, trying to drag us backwards, and there we are, cups half full.”

Labour dispute

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Every year, tourists from across the globe come to Niagara to visit the amazing glowing light displays that make up the Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls.

The signature eight-kilometre-long route travels through the beautiful landscapes of the Niagara Parks, Dufferin Islands and surrounding tourist districts to transform the city into a winter wonderland. The light displays include the iconic Zimmerman fountain, 15 three-dimensional Canadian wildlife displays, the world’s largest Canadian American flag, Noah’s ark, the lights at the top of Niagara’s iconic Skylon Tower, over 50 trees in Dufferin Islands wrapped with lights, and the Toronto Power Generating Station light show.

As a treasured holiday tradition for people from around the world, the Winter Festival of Lights is attended by over one million visitors each season. It’s so disappointing to see that the NDP want the lights to go out.

Speaker, the last thing we want for those coming from far and near to see the lights is to disappoint them with a blackout. That is one of the many reasons why we have resumed the Legislature: to make sure the Power Workers’ Union does not strike and leave those celebrating this Christmas season without any light.

While we respect the collective bargaining process, the uninterrupted supply of power to Ontarians must be protected. People across Ontario do not deserve to have their winter warmth, safety and leisure interrupted by a strike.

With that, I encourage all members in this House to work collaboratively to get this back-to-work legislation passed, which will guarantee that our province does not face a serious and damaging loss of power.

Affordable housing

Mr. Joel Harden: I’m proud to rise today, unfortunately on a sad note. We have a housing crisis in Ottawa, as I know many cities and towns in this province do. While I’m looking forward to getting home and spending some time with my loved ones, and I know my colleagues in other parties are, I have to reckon with the reality in the city where I live that many families don’t have a home to go home to.

What we know from the research is that from 2014 to 2017, chronically homeless families in my city of Ottawa jumped by 143%. What that means, Speaker, is that there are 230 families right now in the city of Ottawa sleeping in motels and makeshift hotels because there is nowhere in the existing shelter system to house them.

Since we opened our constituency office, we are aware of people sleeping in cars, people sleeping in bus terminals and people sleeping rough, outside. This can’t happen in a province and in a city with so much wealth.

I just want to draw our attention, particularly for colleagues of mine who, like me, were raised with Christian values, that we have to make sure that the society we have and the resources we have in abundance are shared equally—and that asylum seekers, who absolutely are a big portion of our shelter system right now, are essential to our society. They’re essential to our nation’s story, and they ought not to be scapegoated.

We have to find the resources. I’m confident that the mayor of our city, Jim Watson, is going to be making appeals to this government to deal with our housing crisis—and I want it dealt with now.

Ice storm

Mr. Jim McDonell: Just over 20 years ago, on January 1, 1998, the united counties of Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry were officially reorganized from 22 municipalities down to six. As a member of the township’s first council, I can tell you that it was initiation by fire, as we considered cancelling the inauguration meeting on January 5 due to freezing rain that was starting to accumulate.

The next day, rain continued, power in our area became intermittent, and finally, that night, the power went off for good and would take more than a month to fully restore.

The next morning, schools were cancelled. As I went to work at Bell Canada, I realized the extent of the problem, as most of the Hydro One power lines lay on the ground. It was a disaster. By the end of the day, our switching centre started to shut down as batteries ran out of power, cell sites became overwhelmed and most communications went dead.

Our newly formed township council declared a state of emergency. Our volunteer fire departments set up emergency shelters, for most homes were without heat. People were forced to sleep on floors in shelters, and food was collected so that residents could be fed. Homes flooded when sump pumps stopped working. Some people even tried bailing water from sumps, to try to limit the damage. Farmers shared generators to milk cows and to water their animals. Volunteers organized the limited number of generators to heat the shelters, to feed and water animals, and to power gas stations so that they could pump gasoline and diesel for cars, trucks and generators. The SD&G Highlanders were called out.

It turned out to be the most expensive disaster in Ontario’s history, taking years to complete the cleanup and repair the billions of dollars in damage.

As someone who lived through those days and saw the hardship, disruption and damage, I’m appalled that the NDP is actively trying to push Ontarians into another January power disaster.

Government’s record

Ms. Sara Singh: As we head into the holidays, I really hoped that I could be standing here to deliver a message of hope and positivity. After all, that’s what this time of year should be about.

But instead, I stand here and reflect on the past week in utter shock and disgust at the cuts coming from the Premier’s office. Reconciliation, special education, women’s health care and the arts have all taken devastating hits. By making these calculated cuts, the Premier is telling the people of Ontario very clearly that they are not a priority for this government. This government ruthlessly slashes away essential services for the sake of their bottom line, without giving a second thought to how these impacts will be felt in our communities.

A wise man once said that we should judge our society based on how we take care of our most vulnerable. I ask you all to really consider, this holiday season, how we are doing as a province.

This holiday season, I have a Christmas wish, and I wish that we could finally get a government that will be accountable and transparent. I think the people in this province deserve to live in a province where fewer people are forced to use food banks, where children can access vital community programs, and where children with special needs can get the supports they need to be included in our classrooms.

I really wish, this holiday season, that we finally get a government that is going to put the people of Ontario at the heart of the decisions that it makes.

Events in Orléans / Événements divers à Orléans

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: I’m very pleased to rise today and say thank you to our community of Orléans. Over the past week, there were two great events that truly highlighted the—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Sorry. I have to interrupt the member. The member needs to seek the unanimous consent of the House in order to give her statement.

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Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: I apologize, Mr. Speaker. I’m seeking unanimous consent, on behalf of the member from Don Valley West, to share my statement today.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Orléans is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to present a statement to the House now, on behalf of the member for Don Valley West. Agreed? Agreed.

Again, resume.

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: I’m very sorry.

Monsieur le Président, again, I’m very proud to rise today to say thank you to our community of Orléans. Over the past week, there were two great events that truly highlighted the generosity of our community.

On Friday, I had a wonderful time hosting our third annual movie night, which brought together over 600 people. It was heartwarming to see generations of families spending rare quality time together to enjoy a free movie and popcorn. They also brought along with them a great number of toys for donation in support of the Orléans-Cumberland community centre toy drive. Merci à tous ceux qui ont participé ou qui ont fait un don, au théâtre CinéStarz pour nous avoir accueillis, to mascot Lionel from Boston Pizza, and to Mr. and Mrs. Claus, who were a hit with the kids.

The other event that I want to share with this House is—again, through very generous donations, we were able to raise $1,000 to present to the Ottawa Rotary Home Foundation, through an empty bottle drive at a local Beer Store. This organization first opened their respite home for disabled children and adults in 1982 and has been a great help to families in need ever since.

As we are celebrating this holiday, I want to wish everyone in Orléans joyeuses fêtes, joyeux Noël et bonne année à tous, and to all of you in this assembly.

Doug Musson

Ms. Jane McKenna: In the beautiful city of Burlington, we have one of the most impressive Christmas light displays anywhere in the province of Ontario. It illuminates the neighbourhood around Spruce Avenue. I am truly happy to see that the Musson family is continuing this delightful holiday tradition started decades ago by their late father, Doug Musson, a highly creative and talented gentleman. His work at Christmastime and his vision of bringing joy to the neighbourhood with thousands of twinkling lights and fabulous creatures will continue to shine brightly, thanks to the dedication of Doug’s family. Doug Musson was quite simply famous in Burlington.

He died tragically last year, the week before Christmas, after falling off of a ladder. After Doug’s death, the Musson family said, “It started with a few strings outlining the house. Next a few wired form reindeers were added. When we noticed that people would stop and look at the lights we realized that we weren’t the only ones who enjoyed Christmas lights. They gave us the spark to get things really going.”

From those humble beginnings came the realization that the magic of the tradition was contagious. The Christmas lights project grew larger, brighter and more spectacular every year. Doug started building custom decorations and welding them together. Year by year, more figures were added.

In 1997, Doug started to animate some of the figures with a light controller used by DJs. Now the display included the magic of a dragon wagging its tail and soldiers saluting at attention.

I have no doubt that the labour of love required to rebuild their father’s magnificent display this year, without Doug, was bittersweet for their family. But I know I speak for many people in Burlington, young and old, when I say a heartfelt thank you to the Musson family for keeping this wonderful tradition and family legacy alive for one more year.

Suicide prevention

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: Today, the community—the city of St. Catharines—and the whole Niagara region are mourning another loss of life. Over six days in October, our community lost two lives from jumping at the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines.

This is a crisis in our community right now. This government needs to step up. This government needs to install preventive barriers on the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines today to save lives.

St. Catharines needs an expanded, dedicated mental health facility that runs 24/7. We need a facility that is there for people at all hours of the day.

The stigma needs to be combatted so that no one is left feeling stuck without hope.

A study that was conducted by Sunnybrook hospital proved that netting reduced deaths on the Bloor Street viaduct from nine deaths per year, to 0.1 deaths. Deaths by jumping declined city-wide over the long term after barriers were installed.

Barriers in St. Catharines are a necessary part of a larger preventive strategy. This is not a question of either/or.

Mayor Sendzik and the city of St. Catharines support the need for barriers on this bridge. The Niagara region has already begun consulting on a timeline. The province now must—must—step in and fund the cost of the $2 million to $5 million for these barriers, so that no more lives are lost.

I reached out, on behalf of the city of St. Catharines and the community, to the previous Minister of Transportation in October to resolve the need for barriers on the Burgoyne Bridge to prevent future tragedies, and to no avail. The—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

Labour dispute

Mr. Mike Harris: I’m here with my Progressive Conservative colleagues to make sure that 6,000 Power Workers’ Union employees do not strike and that people across Ontario have a stable power supply over the holidays and into the winter months. This strike could easily cancel upcoming sporting and cultural events that will be enjoyed by families and boost the local economy in my riding of Kitchener–Conestoga.

On December 27, I will be speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport at the 2018 University Challenge Cup’s opening ceremonies, a ringette competition that will draw 13 university teams from across the country.

You might not know this, Mr. Speaker, but ringette is a fairly young Canadian sport, being invented in my hometown of North Bay in 1963 by then parks and rec director Sam Jacks.

Hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University, a total of 60 games will be played in Woolwich township from December 27 to 30. These games will take place at the Woolwich Memorial Centre and will be open to the public and entirely free to attend. What a great family event, Mr. Speaker.

I must add, too, that in January these areas will be hosting the 2019 Ontario provincial curling championships.

Again, these events and countless others across the province would not be possible if the NDP had their way in supporting a strike that would affect almost 50% of the power generated in Ontario. It is my hope that the NDP caucus will join us in passing this legislation quickly to avert this strike.

Labour dispute

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: It’s great to see my colleagues back in the House this week. This illustrates our government’s commitment to the people of Ontario and that their needs and well-being come first. Keeping the Christmas trees lit and stoves on as we approach the holidays is a priority for our government.

Mr. Speaker, I was thrilled to participate in the Shoebox Project, spearheaded by the Attorney General and the minister responsible for women’s affairs, in which my office collected items such as shampoo, toothpaste and small luxuries to fill shoeboxes which were subsequently donated to women’s shelters in the region of Peel. I would like to thank all of my constituents who donated items with which we were able to fill 15 individual boxes.

We also collected female hygiene products which will be donated to Hope 24/7, Peel’s sexual assault centre. Hope 24/7 offers victims of sexual violence clinical and non-clinical services, and I commend their CEO, Laura Zilney, and their entire team for the incredible work they do for the many survivors who often suffer in silence.

The services that women’s shelters and organizations such as Hope 24/7 provide are crucial and often life-saving. These institutions, like so many in Ontario, depend on a reliable source of power. Mr. Speaker, can you imagine if the lights and heat were shut off even for a day? How many survivors would be impacted? Well, that’s a number that at least on this side of the House we are not willing to sit idly by to find out. That is why I am proud that our government and our Premier have taken swift and decisive action to ensure that women experiencing hardships this holiday season will have somewhere safe and warm to go to in their time of need.

Merry Christmas. Happy holidays.

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Mississauga–Malton on a point of order.

Mr. Deepak Anand: I’d like to take the opportunity to introduce my good friend Victor Saweris and Ghada Melek to Queen’s Park. Ghada is the official federal candidate from Streetsville. Welcome, Ghada.

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The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Do you have a point of order?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Yes.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Okay. The member for Mississauga–Erin Mills on a point of order.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Point of order, Mr. Speaker: I would like to take the privilege to introduce Mrs. Kamini Singh, who is now Mrs. Commonwealth Euro-Atlantic, from Canada. I would also like to introduce Mr. Aspi Wadiwalla and Ghada Hamadani, who are present at Queen’s Park. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): We welcome your guests to the Legislature, but I need to remind the members that we don’t permit members to read from their devices.

Motions

House sittings

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Motions? I recognize the Minister of Finance.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Boo.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Thank you, Grinch.

Despite the negativity from the other side, Speaker, I move that, pursuant to standing order 6(c)(ii), the House shall meet from 6:45 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, December 18, 2018, for the purpose of considering government business.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard some noes.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: On division.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Carried on division.

Motion agreed to.

Petitions

Indigenous affairs

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: I’m proud to rise on behalf of my constituents of Parkdale–High Park, who are vehemently opposed to the cuts to Indigenous programs by this government.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario is situated on the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples, many of whom have been on this land for at least 12,000 years;

“Whereas in 2015 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its final report: ‘Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future’ which made 94 recommendations or ‘Calls to Action’ for the government of Canada;

“Whereas reconciliation must be at the centre of all government decision-making;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“—continue reconciliation work in Ontario by implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission;

“—reinstate the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation;

“—work with First Nations leaders to sign co-operative government-to-government accords;

“—support TRC education and community development,” such as the TRC summer writing sessions;

“—support Indigenous communities across the province” by taking action, such as “cleaning up Grassy Narrows.”

I fully support this petition and will be affixing my signature to it as well.

Fish and wildlife management

Mr. Norman Miller: I have a petition and it reads:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the ban on hunting and trapping in sections of Ontario to protect the eastern hybrid wolf was put in place without regard for the overall ecosystem;

“Whereas this ban has adversely affected the ability of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), hunters and trappers to properly manage animal populations and Ontario’s ecosystem;

“Whereas this ban is no longer needed and is in fact causing more damage to Ontario’s ecosystem and increasing unnecessary encounters between wildlife and Ontarians;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry immediately lift the ban on hunting and trapping set in place to protect the eastern hybrid wolf.”

I’ve signed this petition and will give it to Andrei.

Services en français

M. Guy Bourgouin: Il me fait plaisir de me lever pour lire une pétition, nommée « Ensemble, résistons! », qui comprend 190 signatures d’étudiants d’Ottawa.

« À l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario :

« Attendu que la décision du gouvernement de dissoudre le Commissariat aux services en français et d’annuler le projet de la création de l’Université de l’Ontario français met les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s en péril; et

« Attendu que les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s, jour après jour, doivent se battre pour maintenir leur droit d’avoir accès à des services de santé et d’éducation dans la langue officielle qui est la leur; et

« Attendu que les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s occupent une place importante en Ontario, et méritent d’avoir leurs droits linguistiques constitutionnels respectés, protégés et défendus;

« Nous, soussignés, pétitionnons l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario de : rétablir le Commissariat aux services en français et à remettre sur les rails le projet pour une université francophone. »

Ça me fait plaisir de signer cette pétition. Je la remets au page Harry.

Services en français

M^me Marie-France Lalonde: Moi aussi, j’ai une pétition provenant de la communauté d’Orléans, de ma communauté, qui s’intitule « Prenons notre place : Redonnez-nous nos acquis ».

« À l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario :

« Attendu que la présence francophone en Ontario remonte à plus de 400 ans;

« Attendu que plus de 622 000 personnes dans la province s’identifient comme francophones et qu’ils méritent de préserver leurs acquis et ce dans un contexte de situation linguistique minoritaire;

« Attendu que l’énoncé économique présenté par le gouvernement conservateur de Doug Ford le 15 novembre 2018 s’attaque aux acquis de la communauté francophone par l’abolition de deux de nos institutions : le poste de commissaire aux services en français et l’Université de l’Ontario français;

« Attendu que l’élimination du Commissariat aux services en français et son indépendance diminue la protection des droits linguistiques de la minorité et met en péril les mécanismes de surveillance et son pouvoir d’enquête envers les communautés francophones et francophiles de l’Ontario;

« Attendu que la jeunesse francophone est en droit d’exiger la poursuite de leurs études postsecondaires dans leur langue dans un milieu favorable à leur développement et épanouissement social; ...

« Attendu que la population de l’Ontario veut conserver les acquis en francophonie et demande rien de moins que le statu quo au gouvernement Ford;

« Nous, soussignés, présentons une pétition à l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario comme suit :

« Que tous les membres de l’Assemblée législative ... défendent les droits linguistiques des francophones en Ontario et réclament que le Commissariat aux services en français de l’Ontario et son indépendance ainsi que l’Université de l’Ontario français soient rétablis immédiatement. »

Ça va me faire plaisir de déposer ma signature et de la donner à la page Samara.

Services en français

M^me France Gélinas: J’ai une pétition qui parvient de partout en Ontario et qui s’appelle « Ensemble, résistons! ».

« Attendu que la décision du gouvernement de dissoudre le Commissariat aux services en français et d’annuler le projet de la création de l’Université de l’Ontario français met les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s en péril; et

« Attendu que les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s, jour après jour, doivent se battre pour maintenir leurs droits d’avoir accès à des services de santé et d’éducation dans la langue officielle qui est la leur; et

« Attendu que les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s occupent une place importante en Ontario, et méritent d’avoir leurs droits linguistiques constitutionnels respectés, protégés et défendus; »

Ils pétitionnent « l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario de : rétablir » l’indépendance du « Commissariat aux services en français et à remettre sur les rails le projet pour » l’université de l’Ontario français.

J’appuie cette pétition. Je vais la signer et je vais demander à Kejsi de l’amener à la table des greffiers.

Arts and cultural funding

Ms. Jill Andrew: This petition is “to Restore Arts Funding and the Indigenous Culture Fund at the Ontario Arts Council.”

This petition is to “Restore Arts Funding and the Indigenous Culture Fund at the Ontario Arts Council.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Ontario government has cut its level of base funding to the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) by $5 million for the 2018-19 fiscal year, from $69.9 million to $64.9 million;

“Whereas the Ontario government has also cut its funding to the Indigenous Culture Fund (ICF) at the OAC by $2.25 million for the 2018-19 fiscal year from $5 million to $2.75 million;

“Whereas the ICF will not accept new grant applications this year while the program is under review, entailing the layoff of Indigenous staff in permanent positions;

“Whereas the arts are essential to the quality of life, cultural identity, social and community well-being, creativity, innovation, and economic prosperity of Ontario;

“Whereas the ICF was part of the Ontario government’s response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada;

“Whereas the ICF supported traditional culture, languages, teachings, protocols, knowledge, youth and elder-led and engaged community cultural projects;

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“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“(a) Restore OAC’s funding to $69.9 million this year and maintain this level moving forward;

“(b) Restore the ICF’s funding to $5 million this year, retain all ICF staff positions, and commit to funding the ICF at this level in the years moving forward.”

I support this petition, affix my signature and proudly give it to Alex.

Eating disorders

Ms. Rima Berns-McGown: “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas as of 2016 there are an estimated one million people suffering from eating disorders in Canada;

“Whereas the mental health system in Ontario is fragmented and is failing to provide the necessary supports to those suffering;

“Whereas eating disorders have the highest mortality rates of any mental illness;

“Whereas an estimated 75% of young people suffering from mental illness in Ontario do not receive treatment;

“Whereas the morbidity of eating disorders is extensive and as of 2016 the life expectancy of individuals with anorexia nervosa is 20 to 25 years less than would normally be expected;

“Whereas the 2016 Ontario’s Auditor General reported that the past Liberal government spent $10 million sending 127 youth to the United States for services not offered in Ontario;

“Whereas that $10 million could have helped more than 500 people suffering from eating disorders here in Ontario;

“Whereas factors like food and income security, access to housing, health care and mental health supports and experiences of systemic violence like sexism, racism and homophobia can contribute to the development and treatment of eating disorders;

“Whereas public portrayals often depict one type of body as an ideal over other diverse or different bodies;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to pass Bill 61, Eating Disorders Awareness Week Act, 2018 that would make the week beginning February 1 in each year Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW).”

I completely agree with this petition, will attach my signature to it and pass it to page Kidan to take to the Clerk.

Social assistance

Mr. Joel Harden: As I mentioned earlier, Ottawa is in the midst of a housing crisis, so it’s with great pleasure that I present this petition today entitled “Reverse” Premier “Ford’s Cuts to Low-Income Families.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas” Premier “Ford eliminated the Basic Income Pilot project and slashed the new social assistance rates by 1.5%, and did so without warning;

“Whereas cuts to already-meagre social assistance rates will disproportionately impact children, those with mental health challenges, persons with disabilities, and people struggling in poverty;

“Whereas the decision to cancel the Basic Income Pilot project was made without any evidence, and leaves thousands of Ontarians without details about whether they will be able to access other forms of income assistance;

“Whereas the independently authored Income Security: A Roadmap for Change report, presented to the government last fall, recommends both increases to rates” at a full 3% level “and the continuation of the Basic Income Pilot project as key steps towards income adequacy and poverty reduction;

“Whereas the failure to address poverty—and the homelessness, hunger, health crises, and desperation that can result from poverty—hurts people, families and Ontario’s communities;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately reverse” Premier “Ford’s callous decision to slash increases to social assistance rates by 50%, and reverse his decision to cancel the Basic Income Pilot project ... that will undoubtedly hurt thousands of vulnerable people and drag Ontario backwards when it comes to homelessness reduction and anti-poverty efforts.”

It is with great pleasure that I will sign this petition and give it to page Kejsi for the Clerks’ table.

Injured workers

Mr. Jamie West: “Workers’ Comp is a Right.

“Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas about 200,000 to 300,000 people in Ontario are injured on the job every year;

“Whereas over a century ago, workers in Ontario who were injured on the job gave up the right to sue their employers, in exchange for a system that would provide them with just compensation;

“Whereas decades of cost-cutting have pushed injured workers into poverty and onto publicly funded social assistance programs, and have gradually curtailed the rights of injured workers;

“Whereas injured workers have the right to quality and timely medical care, compensation for lost wages, and protection from discrimination;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to change the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to accomplish the following for injured workers in Ontario:

“Eliminate the practice of ‘deeming’ or ‘determining,’ which bases compensation on phantom jobs that injured workers do not actually have;

“Ensure that the WSIB prioritizes and respects the medical opinions of the health care providers who treat the injured worker directly;

“Prevent compensation from being reduced or denied based on ‘pre-existing conditions’ that never affected the worker’s ability to function prior to the work injury.”

Speaker, I’ll affix my signature and give it to page Andre.

Long-term care

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: My petition is to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

“Whereas the province of Ontario requires a minimum but no maximum temperature in long-term-care homes;

“Whereas temperatures that are too hot can cause emotional and physical distress that may contribute to a decline in a frail senior’s health;

“Whereas front-line staff in long-term-care homes also suffer when trying to provide care under these conditions with headaches, tiredness, signs of hyperthermia, which directly impacts resident/patient care;

“Whereas Ontario’s bill of rights for residents of Ontario nursing homes states ‘every resident has the right to be properly sheltered ... in a manner consistent with his or her needs’;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“Direct the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations amending O. Reg. 79/10 in the Long-Term Care Homes Act to establish a maximum temperature in Ontario’s long-term-care homes.”

I fully support this petition, affix my signature and give it to page Lillian.

Automobile insurance

Mr. Faisal Hassan: I have a petition entitled “Stop Auto Insurance Gouging.”

“Whereas some neighbourhoods across the GTA have been unfairly targeted by discriminatory practices in the insurance industry;

“Whereas people in these neighbourhoods are penalized with crushing auto insurance rates because of their postal code;

“Whereas the failure to improve government oversight of the auto insurance industry has left everyday families feeling the squeeze and yearning for relief;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to ban the practice of postal code discrimination in the GTA when it comes to auto insurance premiums.”

I support this petition. I’ll be affixing my signature to it and providing it to page Kidan to deliver to the table.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): The time for petitions has now ended.

Orders of the Day

Labour Relations Amendment Act (Protecting Ontario’s Power Supply), 2018 / Loi de 2018 modifiant la Loi sur les relations de travail (protection de l’approvisionnement de l’Ontario en électricité)

Ms. Scott moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 67, An Act to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995 / Projet de loi 67, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1995 sur les relations de travail.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Ms. Scott.

Hon. Laurie Scott: I’ll be splitting my time with the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Indigenous Affairs as well as the Premier.

I’m going to outline our proposed amendments to the Labour Relations Act, 1995. Our legislation would prohibit labour disruption at Ontario Power Generation involving the Power Workers’ Union. Collective bargaining talks between OPG and the Power Workers’ Union are deadlocked. A strike at OPG would greatly impair the stability of Ontario’s electricity supply and have a significant, adverse impact on the public interest, including the health and safety of Ontarians.

Speaker, we must act swiftly since the Power Workers’ Union last week gave notice of a strike. The parties will begin shutting down power-generating facilities and Ontario could begin to experience power outages in the next weeks. Any labour disruption at OPG would lead to an electricity shortage in Ontario. The consequences of that would be dire. Families, seniors and all Ontarians face the possibility of no heat or light at Christmastime. Apart from the obvious inconvenience this would cause, it also poses serious health and safety concerns. Worse, it would be exacerbated by any extreme weather conditions.

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Industries and business, the backbone of Ontario’s economy, would suffer. It could also lead to higher electricity rates as Ontario tries to buy power from other jurisdictions, jurisdictions that do not have much surplus to sell during the winter months.

OPG is responsible for approximately 51% of all electricity generation in Ontario. It operates nuclear, hydroelectric, thermal and wind power facilities. My colleague the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines estimates that a strike by PWU workers could result in some or all of OPG’s facilities being shut down and going off-line within weeks. We simply cannot allow that to happen.

Our government believes that disputes arising during contract negotiations are best resolved at the bargaining table. Government intervention should be reserved for times when the public interest and public safety are at risk and a resolution is not possible. This is the situation we are facing now.

The collective agreement between OPG and PWU expired on March 31, 2018. Following negotiations, a tentative agreement was reached between the bargaining teams on June 4. The OPG stated that this was their final offer. This tentative agreement was presented to the PWU membership by the union for ratification. The tentative agreement was not ratified when a majority of the employees rejected it and voted in favour of a strike on August 9.

The parties resumed negotiation in September. After these negotiations, the PWU decided to present the same offer once again to their membership for a second ratification vote. This offer was again rejected by the membership on December 13. The PWU then gave notice to OPG of their intention to strike.

Although this has been referred to as a 21-day notice period, it is important to understand that PWU workers will likely be shutting down operations during this period. OPG could not continue operations without PWU workers, and could shut down all energy production within weeks of a strike.

This would seriously affect the operation and stability of the grid. A safe shutdown of our nuclear reactors could take as long as a week. Restarting those reactors would take approximately two weeks. Hydroelectric facilities could continue to operate for approximately one to two weeks before shutdown.

To be precise, Mr. Speaker, we are facing a potential emergency in Ontario. This is why we are taking immediate action.

I would now like to outline our proposed legislation. We propose to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995, in order to prohibit and require the termination of any strike or lockout regarding OPG and the PWU during the current round of collective bargaining. We would prohibit and terminate any work stoppage between OPG and PWU relating to the current round of collective bargaining and send all matters in dispute to a mediator-arbitrator for a fair dispute resolution process.

OPG and PWU would have five days to agree on the appointment of a mediator-arbitrator and to notify the Minister of Labour. If they are unable to agree, the minister would appoint the mediator-arbitrator.

The arbitrator would have the exclusive power to determine all matters necessary to conclude a new collective agreement. The arbitrator would also assist the parties in settling any related matter. The arbitrator would select the method of dispute resolution.

The arbitrator would be required to begin the proceedings within 30 days of being appointed. Our proposed amendments would also require the arbitrator to make an award within 90 days of his or her appointment. The parties and the arbitrator would have the power to extend these time limits, on agreement, before or after they expire.

In making the award, the arbitrator would be required to take into consideration all factors he or she considers relevant, including certain listed criteria. The award would be final and binding on OPG, PWU and all employees who are in the affected bargaining unit.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, our government respects the collective bargaining process. Nothing in the proposed amendments would prohibit the parties from continuing to negotiate, and I encourage them to do so. If the parties execute a new collective agreement, they would be required to inform the mediator-arbitrator, and the dispute resolution process would terminate. Until a new collective agreement is in place, the terms and conditions of employment that were in play the day before a strike began would continue to apply, unless OPG and PWU agree otherwise.

A failure to comply with the provisions of the proposed law would constitute an offence punishable upon conviction by a fine. These fines would be up to $2,000 for an individual and up to $25,000 in the case of an employer or trade union. Each day of non-compliance would constitute a separate offence. Also, a strike or lockout in contravention of the proposed amendments would also be deemed an unlawful strike, and the aggrieved party would be able to apply to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for a remedy.

This is no time for ideological posturing. We are facing a serious threat to Ontario’s health and safety, and to Ontario’s economy. This is the time to take strong, decisive action to prevent grave damage. I urge all the members in this House to stand with us and quickly act to pass our proposed legislation.

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for your time. I now pass it over to the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I recognize the Minister of Energy.

Hon. Greg Rickford: I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this important matter. I want to acknowledge a couple of important things about the parties.

First, with respect to the Power Workers’ Union: These are exceptional men and women. They work to supply electricity to our entire province—from my part out in Kenora–Rainy River, some of the guys I know who keep those lines contiguous, supply electricity to our homes, go out in all kinds of weather to make sure that we’ve got lights and heat in our homes. I also want to add that even though they issued their strike notice last Friday, none of the OPG workers, including the non-nuclear workers, have taken a job action, and we appreciate that.

Secondly, I’d like to acknowledge the close working relationship that we’ve had with OPG officials in the wake of this strike notice. Much of the exercise on my part, as the Minister of Energy, is to prepare for every kind of scenario, consider every option, because the stakes are high. OPG’s assets supply this province with up to 50% of its hydroelectricity. Much of that comes from nuclear assets and, of course, hydro dams that populate our vast and beautiful region of northern Ontario.

These are important reasons, Mr. Speaker, to spend parts of several days working through contingency plans and what kinds of scenarios we would be in; for example, the 21-day plan that puts us all in a position to understand, once a strike notice is served, what exactly could happen and what steps are being taken to ensure, if there is a job action, that we would be ready to deal with that. I’ve been working very closely—my staff—with OPG officials, and we understand the 21-day plan. It’s very important because at certain stages there arrive critical windows, steps have to be taken. Right now, on days 1 through 7, OPG is busy preparing for all sorts of scenarios and contingencies, still working with Power Workers’ Union members to ensure the safety and the integrity of our system.

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Today is day 4, and by Friday we will have reached day 7, which is described as one of the first critical windows. This would be a point in time where steps would have to be taken to wind down some of these units. That would be something that would be most unfortunate. It would represent, consequentially, within a day or two, an interruption in power. I don’t think that there’s anybody in this province who actually wants that.

In fairness to all members of this place, I think it’s important to acknowledge, not just because of the season, the high demands various community and family events would place on electricity demand, the increased hours of businesses as people do their Christmas shopping—or, in my case, consider starting their Christmas shopping—but as well for the businesses across this great province that transact for us and generate this economy. So the stakes are high. They’re very high.

It goes without saying that we were very disappointed that, come Friday, an agreement could not be reached and that, further to that, arbitration was not an option between the parties as mutually agreed or as voted by the Power Workers’ Union.

So we found ourselves in a very difficult position. We were compelled, obviously, to consider all of the possibilities in the event that there would be a job action immediately, and we were relieved, as I said earlier, that that did not come to pass. More importantly, again to the credit of the Power Workers’ Union, the non-nuclear workers have stayed on the job.

So we still have this window of opportunity right now to pass this legislation, and we’ve created a couple of opportunities for the opposition to short-circuit this debate and to ensure that the people of Ontario are having hydroelectricity through the holiday and, as we head to the heart of winter, that all is safe and sound and that it is secure.

We know for our part, on this side, and our friends over there, that we stand up for the people of Ontario. We have put the priority of ensuring any notion whatsoever that there would be an interruption in service—or that the more catastrophic scenario of all of those units compromising more than 50% of the electricity supply will not come. That’s the commitment that we’re prepared to make for the people of Ontario.

I’ve heard loud and clear from constituents in Kenora–Rainy River, from people across northern Ontario, as today and yesterday we were dealing with 10 to 15 below-zero temperatures—this is not a time to play games with the temperature. It’s cold outside and we need to take this very, very seriously. So I’m hoping that the NDP in the course of today or tomorrow, at the very latest, support this legislation, stand up with us shoulder to shoulder and show the people of Ontario that we think that uninterrupted hydroelectricity supply is a top priority.

We’ve heard them speak about the potential for disconnection in the past, wanting to push through legislation at a rapid pace to ensure hydroelectricity is uninterrupted. I’m not sure what happened, but it’s very clear that when it comes to nuclear power generation for hydro, the NDP are unplugged.

Back on June 7, 2018, they were not going to renew the licence at the Pickering plant. That’s a fact. Thousands of highly skilled nuclear professionals would have been cut loose. Now, to amplify the situation, this not only would have unemployed more than 3,000 workers; it would have sent the source, the supply, in the electricity system in Ontario in June into absolute chaos. We’ve seen those characteristics from across the way over the past several months on policy positions, but on this one it couldn’t be more serious.

Last Friday, a strike notice was served by the Power Workers’ Union. The ink wasn’t dry on that notice when the NDP said that they would use every single legislative tool at their disposal. Mr. Speaker, I read it in the Toronto Star, so it has got to be true. When a good old Tory like me opens up the Toronto Star, you know that I’m after the facts. This is important news and I took it very, very seriously. The member who was quoted is one of my favourite opposition members across the way. She’s got a lot of standing with me, a lot of credibility, so when she’s quoted in the Toronto Star, I’m going to pay attention to that.

I’m going to move very, very quickly to ensure that the people of Ontario know that their government is going to take the right steps to ensure that homes, families, businesses and industry are going to have an uninterrupted electricity supply. So this legislation couldn’t be more timely and couldn’t be more important. Mr. Speaker, after more than eight months, a couple of votes, and, as I said earlier, an opportunity to go into binding arbitration, we’ve now prepared this legislation to provide a very fair opportunity for arbitration, for a method of dispute resolution to include the parties mutually choosing who that would be to resolve this dispute.

But as important, it’s a matter of public safety. It’s a matter of security for this great province, and our vast region of northern Ontario that will soon be in a deep-freeze. We are protecting them from what the NDP might otherwise want to see, and that is the rights for a strike action to actually occur and the interruption of electricity supply for this province. Mr. Speaker, this morning—

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I’m going to call you the “minister of energetic.”

Hon. Greg Rickford: I am reputed for my level of energy, Mr. Speaker. I serve one of the larger ridings in the country, historically. I’ve travelled all across northern Ontario making announcements for that region, most of them that the NDP federally—all of them, actually—and the NDP provincially vote against. So, yes, I’m a high-energy guy, and just happen to be the energy minister. I just wanted to tie that in.

But the questions I have to ask, Mr. Speaker, are why anybody would want to put a delay on this. It’s no laughing matter that we’re in a 21-day window, that we have those critical opportunities now, before Friday, to create anxiety for the people of Ontario when they’re out Christmas shopping or thinking about Christmas shopping, or spending time at community events where there is higher demand for those beautiful Christmas lights that we see adorn our streets here in this city and across the province. The fact that we require additional heating needs—it’s unimaginable to me why anybody would want to even put a moment’s delay on this opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, as I’ve said before, every opportunity for a successful resolution to this has been provided for. This contract expired at the end of March. After two votes, negotiations going back and forth, a final offer rejected and a failure to bring this to arbitration mutually by the parties, although the right to strike is important and that notice was served, this has become less about those rights than it has about our lights, about the ability to turn the heat on and to turn the heat up when it gets warm.

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We respect the process that’s taking place here, but it’s with a sense of urgency, if I could just say again, that we encourage the people across the way to stand with us in the coming votes, perhaps even as early as this afternoon. Set this to rest. Short-circuit the debate and brighten our horizons and make sure that the people of Ontario are not going to have to worry anymore, that they’re going to have the electricity that they need—whether it’s a family, whether it’s a seniors’ place, whether it’s a hospital, whether it’s a local arena, whether it’s our downtown core here in Toronto—that we have the supply of electricity that we need.

Mr. Speaker, I want to close by saying that I’m glad and proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues, in particular Minister Scott, the Minister of Labour. We’ve been busy the last couple of days and I congratulate her for acting quickly. I congratulate the Premier for his strong stand and belief that the people of Ontario deserve to have uninterrupted electricity for the coming holidays.

As we plunge into the heart of winter, I compliment our entire team for coming back here and making sure that the priority for the people of Ontario is that their hydroelectricity will be uninterrupted, that those good-paying jobs that the Power Workers’ Union members have will continue, especially in the nuclear sector, where they would have otherwise been laid off by the NDP last June.

Today, I am proud to stand and speak on behalf of the constituents of the great Kenora–Rainy River. It’s a privilege and an honour to serve them. Whether I’m fighting to lower the price per litre of gasoline, making sure they have the right infrastructure that they need to move around our vast and beautiful region, or standing here today to make sure that their hydroelectricity is uninterrupted, that’s what they sent me here for. That’s what they and people across all of northern Ontario are saying to me right now through social media, loud and clear: “Keep our lights on. Keep our heat on. Let us celebrate Christmas with our families without the threat of an interruption in electricity.”

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): The Minister is also sharing his time with the Premier of Ontario. Premier?

Hon. Doug Ford: It’s an honour to be here. I’ll tell you, it’s an interesting time when you come in the afternoon compared to the morning. It gets into the silly season here, I can tell. Anyway, Mr. Speaker, it’s an honour to be here today with an all-star PC team who are fighting around the clock to keep the lights on right across our great province.

I want to take a minute, Mr. Speaker, to thank each and every member who is taking time away from their families, and I want to include my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the NDP. They have busy lives, just like we do, so I want to thank each and every one of you for coming. They’re away from their communities so close to the Christmas season, at the drop of a hat. Without even a second guess, they changed their plans to fight for the people—I’m including the NDP on that comment as well—because the stakes are high. In particular, I would like to thank the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and the Minister of Labour for their leadership on this file.

Our electricity system powers our hospitals, our long-term-care homes, our schools, our small businesses and our farms. Our electricity system powers our hockey rinks, our community centres and charities across this province. This Christmas season, families will be depending on our electricity system to light up their Christmas trees and to cook their turkeys, and seniors will be depending on our electricity system to heat their homes and power their life-saving devices.

All of this is at risk. A prolonged strike from the Power Workers’ Union would devastate—absolutely devastate—our economy and put the health and safety of Ontario families at risk. OPG is responsible for the production of roughly 50% of Ontario’s electricity. We depend on their steady hand to run our nuclear plants in the Durham region and hydroelectric facilities across our province.

I have all the respect in the world for the front-line workers who power our towns. They are the best in the entire world. They really are. They always put public safety first. They provide our province with clean and reliable power around the clock. But the people of Ontario need peace of mind. They need to know, without a doubt, that their holidays will be free from rolling blackouts. They need to know that when they flip a switch, the lights will be turned on.

This is why our government for the people showed strong, decisive leadership by tabling Bill 67 to protect Ontario’s power supply. If passed, this bill will give the people of Ontario that peace of mind. We could have given the people of Ontario that peace of mind yesterday by passing this bill. We could have given the people of Ontario the peace of mind, again, if the people across the aisle weren’t playing their political games. I understand this is a political atmosphere. I have one question for the NDP members opposite: If not now, then when? If not now, in the face of one of the most potentially devastating strikes in Ontario’s history, then when?

The leader of the official opposition has already said she will never ever support back-to-work legislation, which means if the NDP had been elected, it would have been never-ending strike after never-ending strike. It would be strike after strike. The students of York University would still be locked out of their classrooms and the people of Ontario would be going into the Christmas season worried about the rolling blackouts, which is why I’m urging the NDP today to work with us, to pass this bill as quickly as possible, to think about your constituents right across this province. They represent a lot of people as well. Do the right thing. Give them the peace of mind. Let’s pass this bill as quickly as possible.

The people of Ontario know who I fight for. I fight each and every day for the little guy. I fight for the men and women across the province who wake up early every single morning, who drive to work and work hard to put food on the table for their family. We were elected with a promise to put people first—not the insiders, not the radical special interests and sure the heck not the union bosses. That’s what we’re delivering on. We will not allow Ontario families and seniors to spend their Christmas season in the dark without heat.

Before I end this, I want to wish my colleagues across the aisle a very merry Christmas, a very happy holiday and, sincerely, all the best health and happiness in 2019. I’m sure it will be an exciting season. But the most important thing, politics aside, is that everyone comes back healthy. That’s the most important to me.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I recognize the member from Nickel Belt on a point of order.

M^me France Gélinas: Point of order: I would like to introduce my good friend Michel Raymond. Michel is one of my favourite nurse practitioners. He has provided over 40 years of care, from Attawapiskat to the French River and everywhere in between. Welcome to Queen’s Park, Michel.

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The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you. Now, questions and comments?

Mr. Jamie West: It’s interesting that I’d be able to comment. I want to thank the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, the Minister of Labour and the Premier for speaking.

All three of the speakers talked about how at Christmastime, there will be no heat and no lights. All three of them said that—which to me seems misleading because the offer was rejected on December 14, and the information that we have is that the shutdown of OPG’s nuclear and hydroelectric facilities—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Excuse me. I would ask the member to withdraw the comment, please.

Mr. Jamie West: Withdrawn. Sorry, Speaker. I’m confused about the statement.

It was rejected on the 14th. It’s going to take three weeks for them to shut down. The minister actually said “weeks” several times. That’s because the government wants people to believe that there will be no heat or lights at Christmastime, but three weeks from December 14 is actually January 4, which is after Christmas. If the government was sincere about keeping the lights on and keeping the heat on, the government would be talking about basic income; they’d talk about OW and ODSP funding.

They want to pretend it’s about Christmas, but it’s not about Christmas; it’s about the Premier announcing back-to-work legislation before they were on strike. The Minister of Energy talked about how none of the workers have taken a job action. That’s because they’re not on strike yet. They gave their strike notice on Friday.

This is precedent-setting. It’s a precedent-setting attack on the constitutional right to free collective bargaining. As the minister said, this is lights over rights. But on our side, the New Democrats believe that constitutionally protected rights are important—very, very important. That’s why we want to discuss this. We want to know what the information is. We want to show workers that we actually do stand up for workers.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Questions and comments?

Mr. Robert Bailey: It’s a privilege to rise and speak to this bill. I just want to point out to the opposition that we’re talking about nuclear plants here; we’re not talking about candy factories.

You need to understand that when they power these plants down—I’ve got some experience. I used to work in industry. You need to know that you’re going to have a continuity of energy supply. I come from Sarnia–Lambton, the Chemical Valley, and we have many industries there. I remember in 2003, when they lost power from the blackout, it cost millions and millions of dollars in damage to those plants because, all of a sudden, the power went down. They could not possibly run. Even in this case here, if you were to power these plants down and have rolling blackouts—as the minister said, you start counting those days. You’ve got nine of these nuclear reactors. It takes seven days for each reactor, so start counting forward. There wouldn’t be a guaranteed supply of this electricity.

I think you guys are living in a dream world. You need to get with the program and you need to understand that what we need to guarantee for industry in this province and for people who live in this province is that they’re going to have electricity.

They went through the bargaining process. They got to this point now and they’re going to go to arbitration. They will probably get a better deal than they would have gotten negotiating. I don’t understand. I don’t think you guys are listening. You need to get with the program and understand what the people of Ontario want. They want to know that they’ve got a guaranteed supply of energy, they want to know that they can count on the lights being on and on industry to operate these plants.

What about the car plants? You guys are always great proponents of the automotive sector. Well, they need to have guaranteed electricity to run those auto plants. I see the member for Hamilton: The steel plants in Hamilton need to have a guaranteed supply of electricity to run those furnaces.

I think it’s quite simple. You just need to get with the program. Listen to the Minister of Energy and the Minister of Labour and we’ll get this place back up and—

Interjections.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you. Please be seated.

Further questions and comments?

M. Guy Bourgouin: Ça me fait plaisir de me lever aujourd’hui pour parler de ce projet de loi-là, non seulement parce que quand j’ai entendu le gouvernement dire que, « It’s not a game »—ce n’est pas un jeu—je peux vous dire qu’il n’y a personne sur ce bord-ci de la Chambre qui pense que c’est un jeu ici aujourd’hui, et qu’on est ici pour s’amuser.

Le gouvernement, je peux vous dire qu’en négociations—j’ai eu la chance de négocier, d’avoir de l’expérience : 21 ans de négociations. La menace de grève, c’est l’outil avec le plus de pouvoir que le syndicat a pour faire comprendre et faire avancer les choses et faire avancer leurs droits.

Le gouvernement, en s’ingérant, a enlevé le pouvoir de force au syndicat et l’a donné tout à un employeur qui n’a plus besoin de rien faire. C’est ça la réalité : ils ont enlevé le pouvoir de force au syndicat.

Le syndicat, on n’a rien qu’à regarder—on prend pour acquis des grèves. Des grèves : on entend ça, des grèves. C’est un petit pourcentage, monsieur le Président. Les grèves se règlent—très souvent, il n’y a pas de grève, parce que les conventions se renouvellent avec des bonnes conditions de travail et puis des bons bénéfices.

Mais dans cette Chambre, on a été trop vite. On a tiré du « gun » trop vite sur ce point et on n’a pas donné la chance au syndicat de faire son travail. On lui a enlevé le pouvoir de force. On regarde ce syndicat-là, c’est un syndicat qui est fier. Pour 33 ans, monsieur le Président—33 ans—aucune grève. C’est signe qu’ils font quelque chose de bien. C’est signe que les deux parties travaillaient bien ensemble et arrivaient à des solutions, mais encore, le gouvernement s’est ingéré et ils ont enlevé ce pouvoir de force au syndicat.

Je ne pense pas qu’ici, dans la Chambre, sur notre côté, on est ici pour dire : « C’est un jeu. » Au contraire, c’est un droit constitutionnel. Laissons les syndicats et les compagnies arriver aux ententes. Mais quand on s’ingère et qu’on enlève un pouvoir de force, c’est une mauvaise chose et ce n’est pas correct pour les syndicats et les travailleurs de notre province.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further questions and comments?

I now return to the Minister of Energy for final comments.

Hon. Greg Rickford: I appreciate the contributions from members from both sides. We clearly have a difference of opinion. Judging by the actions so far, the NDP have shown very little interest in facilitating a process whereby the parties could enter into arbitration, settle the outstanding points of dispute. I’m not sure if it’s because they wax nostalgic about Christmas by candlelight.

This is not funny. We have taken on briefings. I offered them to the member for Toronto–Danforth. He took those briefings. He saw documents that created real timelines and real actionable items that OPG and in fact Power Workers’ Union members have to take over the next 21 days. It’s not appropriate to come in and say, when those documents exist, that there’s nothing at risk here, that there is no threat. It is very serious.

We are in day four. Tomorrow will be day five. By Friday—and we don’t know; we have no indication so far—the windows of opportunity to short-circuit this debate and make sure that these folks can continue to work and supply Ontario with hydroelectricity are at risk.

I’m calling on the NDP, I’m calling on those members to stand with us today, very shortly—or early in the morning, whenever it is tomorrow—to make sure that Ontario has an uninterrupted supply of electricity so that we can turn on our lights, so that we can celebrate with family, so that we can go Christmas shopping, so that we can stay warm and enjoy the Christmas season and be prepared for another cold winter in beautiful northern Ontario.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate? I recognize the member from Timiskaming–Cochrane.

Mr. John Vanthof: Thank you for acknowledging me, Mr. Speaker.

Before I begin, I would like to split my time with the member from Toronto–Danforth.

We’re all here today to debate this bill of back-to-work legislation because Premier Ford and his government have decided once again to meddle where they shouldn’t have and to make things worse for Ontarians.

We’ve only been here for six months of this government. I heard the Premier say “peace of mind.” I can assure you that Ontarians don’t equate the Ford government with peace of mind, and they’re getting pretty tired of it. To give you an example, we saw this when the Premier’s office decided that half a million dollars was a small price to pay for the people of Ontario so that the Premier could settle an old score with a political foe. We saw it again when the Premier’s office thought it would be a great idea to try and interfere with policing operations so that they could get some good press for their government on the day of cannabis legislation. And now the Premier and this government are at it again.

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Mr. Speaker, it was wrong for Premier Ford and his government to meddle then, just like it was wrong for Premier Ford and his government to threaten power workers with back-to-work legislation even before they decided to go on strike. Of course, we in the official opposition know that the government didn’t have to do this to keep the lights on in our province.

What this Premier and his government could have done is work with both parties, with OPG and the power workers. The Premier and his government could have helped these parties reach a good agreement at the bargaining table, an agreement that could have been mutually beneficial and that respected the collective bargaining rights of power workers in this province—rights that all of us in this chamber know, Mr. Speaker, are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I know that the Premier could have done this, that he could have done better, because we in the NDP know that there are other tools available to end labour disputes. We don’t believe what the Premier and his government are selling—and what the Liberals also say when they’re in power, by the way.

We know you don’t have to trample on people’s charter rights to keep the province moving. In fact, we know that if you do keep disrespecting the Charter of Rights in Ontario, it actually hurts the province’s well-being, because—and I know this may come as a shock to some of the members opposite, especially to those who thought it was okay for this government to bulldoze over folks’ charter rights with the “notwithstanding” clause, but people’s charter rights matter. They are the cornerstone of our democracy. We are here to protect and defend them so that the people of Ontario can have trust in their government and in their institutions.

We’re not supposed to toss these rights aside when they’re not convenient for our agendas, and then threaten to do it again whenever we feel like it, because government is supposed to be here to represent all the people of Ontario, not just the people sitting in the government benches, or their friends or their insiders.

But instead of demonstrating leadership and taking the opportunity to bring people together, Premier Ford and his government decided to put their thumb on the scale. In fact, they went much farther than that again today in this House: They cried wolf. They fear-mongered about blackouts during the holidays and no lights on Christmas trees and unstaffed nuclear reactors. They did it again today.

Of course, the Premier and the members of the government know full well that they have a majority. They know that anything they tabled on this would pass within a few days—they know that; they have a majority—well before anyone in the public would begin to experience any power supply impacts whatsoever. But they decided to go ahead with their fear-mongering ways. There they go again, folks, making stuff up. There’s not going to be any blackouts because this government has the majority to do it. And they seem to be upset that we’re taking one or two days to stand up for the people’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That seems to upset them. And why?

The Premier and his government could, as I said earlier, justify their decision to threaten power workers with back-to-work legislation before they even went on strike. This government’s threats threw a wrench into the collective bargaining process, virtually ensuring that good-faith bargaining between OPG and the power workers would stop. In doing this, the Premier and his government made sure that we were not going to see a deal.

Mr. Speaker, before 2018, there hadn’t been a strike at OPG in 33 years—33 years. That’s under governments of all political stripes: New Democratic, Conservative and Liberal. But Premier Ford and his government arrived, and after six months here we are.

We, as the official opposition, understand it’s our job to hold the Premier and his government to account. We are going to do that job. We are going to vigorously debate this legislation. Sorry for the spoiler, but we’re not going to vote for it; we’re going to vote against it. Steamrolling the charter rights of workers is not something we will stand for, because as New Democrats, we stand with workers and their families before, during and after elections.

To the workers at OPG who have created and continue to create over 50% of our power and who control and manage some of the most complicated systems in our province—we have full faith in them. They are Ontarians as well. They are proud of the work they do, and we are proud of them. We believe that they would have come to a collective agreement if given the chance. That’s why we’re standing here on behalf of their rights. Ontario families deserve better than a government that casually tramples on their charter rights.

I’m going to take one more minute and talk about something. The government keeps talking about how people aren’t going to have lights at Christmas. They’re fearmongering. This has got nothing to do with the power system. This is about the government playing political games. But I’m going to tell you about a place that is going to have lights at Christmas; for the first time, they’re going to have dependable electricity: Pikangikum First Nation. On Thursday, they are going to flip the switch, and the member from Kiiwetinoong is going to be there.

Sadly, when the finance committee was going to do their pre-budget consultations, we pushed and pushed that the government would actually go to Pikangikum and see how the people of Pikangikum First Nation live, and all the other First Nations, and see what life is for all Ontarians. And do you know what this government did? They blocked it. They refused. You had the chance to celebrate with the people of Pikangikum and you declined for your own political ambitions, just like you’re doing this back-to-work legislation—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Please address your comments through the Chair.

Mr. John Vanthof: —for your own political ambitions.

The people of Ontario deserve better than what you’re giving them, and that’s why we’re standing here. That’s why we will vote against this.

I look forward to hearing the rest of the debate.

Interjections.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you. Please be seated. Questions and comments?

Interjection.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Oh, sharing. Forgive me. I recognize the member from Toronto–Danforth.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: I appreciate the opportunity. I want to thank my colleague for starting off the speech, and I also want to thank our labour critic, the minister—not yet minister; the member from Sudbury—who spoke so well. Thank you.

I want to review a bit of the situation that we’re facing here. I know my colleague was actually pretty thorough, but you left a little for me, John, and I appreciate that.

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I had the opportunity to get the briefing on Monday morning, and I had an opportunity to read the press releases by OPG and by the power workers. Everyone is well aware of the central facts. I think it was March 31 that the contract expired between OPG and the Power Workers’ Union. Bargaining ensued. An agreement was reached in the summer and rejected by the membership. That’s very important, because everything that has been said today by the Premier, the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Energy about this being a high-stakes matter was true then. Frankly, if you had a government that was responsible, that was a government that would have sat down immediately and said, “Wait a minute. We’re in a position where we have no agreement between a major employer and a major union. We need to talk to both parties and find a way forward,” that’s the kind of approach—not brinkmanship, not waiting until you have a crisis. John Snobelen said, “Don’t let a good crisis go to waste or we need to invent one.” It makes me wonder what we’re dealing with here today.

In the summer, the government was entirely aware of everything that they have put on the table today, and yet we didn’t see any action. What did we see? We saw a government obsessed with beating up the city of Toronto, to the exclusion of just about all other business.

Interjection: Buck-a-beer.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Sorry, I forgot buck-a-beer. How could I forget buck-a-beer? It came so quickly and went so quickly.

We have a government whose priorities were buck-a beer-and beating up on Toronto and not keeping the lights on, as they are so passionately avowing today. No, you guys, let’s face it: That was a low-priority issue for you. You were quite happy to say, “Okay, it looks like we could have a shutdown in the electricity system. That’s not our priority. That’s not where we’re going,” and so that passed. Things trundled on.

As I understand it, from both PWU and OPG releases, the agreement that came forward for a vote in, I guess, the end of November or beginning of December was effectively the same as the one that was put out and rejected in the summer. What kind of movement is that? What kind of bargaining is that? That’s the kind of bargaining you engage in when you think, “Hey, I’ve got a government that will do anything I want to break up collective bargaining—anything I want.”

We’ve got a situation now where, according to the briefing I got the other day, lights are going to be on past Christmas because it takes a while to deal with laying up those reactors. We have a hydroelectric fleet that’s going on. We have gas-powered plants that have an awful lot of capacity that isn’t being used right now. There’s a fair amount of resilience in the system. To say that as of Friday, “Boy, little Timmy’s lights are going to go out,” is not accurate, not according to the briefing that I got from the government, anyway—unless they’ve changed their briefing notes, and I look forward to seeing the rewritten notes that are being prepared by the minister.

This afternoon we heard a variety of statements by the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Energy and the Premier. I have to say, it’s extraordinary to me to hear from that government and those ministers and that Premier that we are going to be put in such a difficult situation—a government that neglected the situation for months, ignored the options that it had and decided to go for broke, roll the dice and see what kind of crisis we’d face now.

I have to admit that it’s very handy for the government, given everything that has been going on with the OPP and going on with the Premier apparently asking for a custom RV kept off the books. It’s a really good diversion from those issues. I have no doubt about it. I do wonder what the thinking was that went on, and I’m very curious to know what the discussions were between OPG and the Premier over the past few months.

Time and again, people on that side said that the PWU, the Power Workers’ Union, represents exceptional individuals, and I have no doubt about that. That’s one area where I will agree with them. We have dedicated people who work in demanding and exacting circumstances. Power workers provide power in Ontario, and frankly, we know that they’re dedicated, as have been power workers around the world, when they have faced crises and emergencies with their electricity systems. So I have no doubt about that, and I think treating them fairly is a fundamental demand on this Legislature. Is it treating them fairly to ignore their charter rights and shut them down as soon as you can and ignore the conflict that was going on from the summer? Is that really showing respect for them?

It was interesting to hear the Premier say that he stands up for the front-line workers and not for the union bosses. Well, he should remember that it was the front-line workers who rejected this deal, so if he’s standing up for the front-line workers, what is he going to do to move that deal so that it’s one that works for them? What is he going to do, if he respects them that much? Frankly, Speaker, what he’s going to do is he’s going to bring forward this bill and he’s going to do his best to make sure that their rights get trampled on. That is what he’s going to do. That is what all those fine words amount to: nothing, nothing for working people, because that government is not a government for working people; it’s a government for people with money. It’s simple as that, and nothing more and nothing less.

Speaker, I find it extraordinary that we are here today. As my colleague from Timiskaming made very clear, the government has the votes. I went through this with the Liberals. They were amazing. You guys worked with the Liberals hand in hand every time it came to crushing workers’ rights. Bill 115: We stood up against that. We knew that it was an abrogation of charter rights. Unions argued that. I argued with the Liberal Minister of Education at the time, saying, “You don’t have the legal basis to do this.” She assured me entirely that they did, and they lost at the Supreme Court, because we can see what they’re doing. People can see what they’re doing: two parties, anti-labour, united in beating up on working people in this province. There’s no question about it—no question.

The government has the votes it needs to pass this bill, but we do not stand here complicit with their actions. We are not complicit. If we had had discussions in the summer about how to resolve the gap between OPG and its workers, that would have been a constructive approach. It could have been, but they weren’t interested in negotiating. They weren’t interested in resolving that. They were interested in coming to this moment so that they can run around like crazy, telling people, “It’s going to be cold. It’s going to be dark.”

Frankly, Speaker, they can do what they can do. They have the votes, but we don’t have to vote with them. We can say that there is another course of action that people in Ontario could take, should take if you’re going to have a society where people have decent incomes, decent benefits, decent working conditions. That’s what has to be protected. Frankly, this crisis has so much about it that seems to me to be invented—so much that seems to be invented.

I don’t think I have a lot more to add right now, but I want to say that this government will be remembered, as the Liberals before them were remembered as a government that stood up against working people in Ontario.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Questions and comments?

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: We’re back in the Legislative Assembly for an “emergency,” and what’s the emergency? The members of the Power Workers’ Union have voted to reject management’s offer and are in a strike position. There is still time. There is time to negotiate a settlement. Those of us with experience in collective bargaining know that often deals are reached on these final days, when the stakes are high—when things haven’t been manipulated against you.

The government claims that now this means we’re going to have no Christmas turkey or lights or even hockey. I say humbug. Nonsense. The people of Ontario are going to pay the price of needlessly interfering in free collective bargaining, yet again threatening charter rights in order to change the channel on cuts and investigations. In case the government has forgotten, section 2(d) of the charter permits freedom of association in this country. Now bargaining will be sent to binding arbitration. This could mean an even more expensive collective agreement, and the people of Ontario will have to pay.

Meanwhile, we have a real emergency on our hands. Children and youth with autism spectrum disorder and their families are in crisis. They are waiting and waiting for services. Wait-lists are far too long, and even longer in northwestern Ontario. There’s a shortage of qualified health care providers and geographic barriers to getting services.

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Autism services must be improved and funding must be increased. Stop ringing false alarm bells about power workers. It’s time we helped children and youth with autism spectrum disorder and their families. That’s a real emergency.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further questions and comments?

Mr. Paul Calandra: I did want to get up because I did want the debate to continue on as quickly as it possibly could, given the importance of the situation ahead of us.

It is truly disappointing to hear the NDP. On the one hand, they say that they have a responsibility to the people of Ontario, to the people they pretend to represent, the workers and collective bargaining—but the member asked us to intervene in the collective bargaining process back in March, April and May. What is even worse is that the member was offered a briefing by the minister. The minister offered that briefing—the same briefing that we received on this side of the aisle—and what is clear to me is that the member chose to put his own party’s interests ahead of those of the people of Ontario. Because the member either did not understand the briefing—and if he didn’t, I would invite him to come and have another briefing.

Clearly, he does not understand how nuclear power works, how the shutdown mechanism works and how long it takes to turn a nuclear generator back on after it has been shut down. If the member opposite understood that, I’d have to believe that he would have explained that to the rest of the people in his caucus, as it was with us. If he doesn’t understand the briefing that was provided to him, perhaps he can look, I don’t know, at Google and see how a nuclear reactor, a Candu reactor, the safest reactor in the world, works. I would suggest he do that.

Nobody is arguing against the fact that this Legislature should be debating this, but let’s recognize the fact that we are not in a position to shut down power across this province, to put people’s lives at risk over the holidays on a whim, in the hope that maybe we can come back in January if everything worked out.

I would invite the member opposite, once again, if he did not understand the first briefing, to come back on this side of the House, meet with the minister, meet with officials, and we will explain to him once again why it’s so important—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you very much. Further questions and comments?

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Mr. Speaker, in my community, when we talk about hydro power—I remember the year we got hydro in my community was 1984. I remember we had our first airport in 1987. We had our first running water in 1994. When we talk about nuclear reactors, I have no idea what they are. I just know diesel generators. Thirty-four of our communities in northern Ontario run on diesel generators.

I’m going up to Pikangikum First Nation on Thursday. They’re connected to the grid on Thursday. I’m very happy to be present when I actually turn on the switch on the grid and move away from diesel generators, because this community has been in an energy crisis for far too long—so many brownouts, so many blackouts and so many appliances that are burnt out because of those issues. That’s what we deal with every day, from a First Nation context.

So when we talk about power during Christmas, Pikangikum will be on. Pikangikum lights in the community will be on. Not only that, we have the diesel generators in the north that will be on. I look forward to it.

I look forward to the Wataynikaneyap project moving forward to connect the rest of the 22 First Nations in northern Ontario to access the same electricity that every Ontarian is entitled to. We are people too.

I just wanted to share those things.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Questions and comments?

We’re back to the member from Toronto–Danforth for final comments.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the members from Thunder Bay–Atikokan, Markham–Stouffville and Kiiwetinoong for responding to the remarks that I made along with my colleague from Timiskaming.

I want to say first to the member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan that her remarks are those that were given to me by the member from Niagara, and that is, yes, negotiations trundle along for a while, but the crunch is in the last few days, the last few hours. That’s when people put their cards on the table. That’s when you know whether you’ve got a deal or not. I accept what they have to say and I think the government should accept what they have to say. That is the way bargaining works. It comes down to the crunch. When you jump in before the process is over and say, “We’re going to order everyone back to work,” you end that bargaining process because for the employer, it’s settled. It’s done. It’s a very nice Christmas gift.

The member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan talked about the emergency in her riding, an emergency that we see all over this province with kids and families, where kids need autism treatment and aren’t getting it. That doesn’t seem to be an emergency for this government. It does not seem to be an emergency at all, and yet it is, and one that’s making life very difficult this Christmas for many families.

To the member from Markham–Stouffville, I beg to differ. I actually think I understood the briefing very well. I had an opportunity to have our staff brief me before I went in. He may not know this, but we have an awful lot of gas-fired power plants in Ontario. The Liberals built tons of them in anticipation of the shutdown of reactors for refurbishing. Frankly, if it was just the reactors going down, you’d probably have enough power from the gas side to cover it. It’s the hydro going down where you get the real crunch. That’s where you get the real crunch. Unfortunately, the member does not understand the system.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Filibuster, anyone?

Anyhow, it’s really a pleasure to say a few words. Well, it’s not a pleasure. It’s a pleasure to be here with you. We didn’t need to be here. This is something—and I’ll get into this later on—that we could have dealt with much earlier on.

What I want to say to the member from Markham–Stouffville is that I was in the briefing with the member from Toronto–Danforth, and although we may disagree on some points, he asked very thoughtful questions. He probably knows as much about electricity as anyone in this assembly, so I don’t think it was fair for you to say the things you said in debate. I just wanted to point that out.

Where we differ is—look, we know this bill is going to pass. It’s not just going to pass because the government has a majority. It’s going to pass because we all know that Ontarians need their electricity. All of us here know. My colleagues to the right here are making a point. It’s a really important point: Collective bargaining is something that’s important to every Ontarian. What we’re doing right now is we’re balancing—

Interjection.

Mr. John Fraser: If you let me finish. We’re balancing those rights against a right that’s a public good and that’s public safety. We know that trumps just about anything in this Legislature.

We’ve had 33 years of no disruptions of any kind at our nuclear plants—33 years. What has changed in the last six months? What I heard from the minister in his press conference was that he had been briefed. That’s nice. We’re not looking for him to be briefed. The question is, what did you do with what you knew? Quite frankly, what the minister said is, “I’ve done nothing. As the representative of the major shareholder in OPG, I have done nothing” with something that is of utmost importance to Ontarians. That’s really disappointing, for the minister to think that’s an acceptable answer to all of us here in this Legislature and Ontarians.

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So now we’ve got this crisis where plants are going to begin to shut down on Monday. Ontarians are worried. They spent four or five days hearing this “crisis,” when in actual fact, we did not need to be here—not us here, but Ontario did not need to be involved in this crisis. I don’t want to say it was manufactured, but you let it fester and it came to this, and you’re trying to portray it as something great you’ve done for Ontarians. Well, you didn’t do anything for six months. Are you going to stand up and applaud for that? I think that’s wrong. We didn’t need to be here.

At least if we’d heard that the minister said, “You know, I talked to Jeff Lyash at OPG. We reached out. We tried to bring the sides together. We did this”—but what the minister said is, “I was briefed.” Look, there’s a reason that there hasn’t been any labour disruption for 33 years. That’s because the major shareholder at Hydro One and OPG—the Ontario government, the Minister of Energy or the Premier—said, “I can’t let this happen, so I’m going to do whatever I can within the balance of my legal ability to bring these two sides together.” You didn’t do it. You didn’t do it and now we’re here. Ontarians are in this place where you are saying, “We have this crisis and we’re going to save you.”

Interjection.

Mr. John Fraser: No, that’s not the case. That’s not the case.

My colleagues to the right are making a point. We all know this is going to pass, but the point is, collective bargaining is an important right in this country. This is the second time in six months that something has happened. We’ve seen you cut contracts, which are also a right. If you sign a contract in this country, it shouldn’t just be ended willy-nilly because the government decides to write out legislation to say, “I’m going to end this contract and I’m going to limit my liabilities.” So there is a pathology or a pattern of behaviour here that I see and it’s very concerning. But what we need to do right now is make sure Ontarians’ power stays on.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for your time. I will be voting in support of this bill, and I thank my colleagues for their attention.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Questions and comments?

Mr. Paul Calandra: I don’t even know where to begin with the member for Ottawa South. He started off by saying he was upset that I questioned the member for Toronto–Danforth. He’s right; he does ask smart questions in briefings. So I believe that he understood the briefing completely. I believe that completely, because he is a smart person. But what he said in this House directly contradicts the briefing that he would have gotten. It seems to me that you have a completely different belief than he does and you were apparently in the same briefing.

Let’s be clear. This was a contract that the union asked its membership to accept. That’s what happened on this. They asked them to accept it. Now the government has had to make a decision: Do we allow this to continue or do we allow for certainty so that Ontario families can know for sure and businesses can know for sure that there will be power, not just over the next couple of weeks but going into the new year? That’s what this is about.

To hear the member opposite talk about collective bargaining, to even hear the NDP colleague talk about collective bargaining—they had one opportunity to serve the people of Ontario, between 1990 and 1995. What did they do? They ripped up collective bargaining. They said it wasn’t important; they had a deficit to tackle, a deficit of their own making. Then they laid off thousands of people, ripped up the contract and called it a social contract. But God bless, Bob Rae went to the piano and started singing, “We’re all in this together,” and it was supposed to be everything great.

That is why the people of Ontario have never given that party the opportunity to govern again, because they know they cannot be trusted. They can’t be trusted for taxpayers. Workers can’t trust them. They can’t be trusted to run an economy. What is worse is the Liberals, who will flip-flop either way in order to try to make a silly point. That’s why they’re—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you.

Interjections.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Please be seated. Please be seated. Thank you.

Questions and comments?

Mr. Wayne Gates: I want to talk about something that you guys haven’t talked about in two hours. Let’s talk about the Power Workers’ Union. They informed me that last Friday, they issued a 21-day notice. There’s no strike action in 21 days, until early January. Yet today, the PCs are saying—and it’s not accurate—that the lights will be out over Christmas.

I know my grandchildren rush home every day to watch me on this channel. I want to tell you, I want to say to the grandkids out there, don’t worry. The lights will be on over Christmas, there will be a Christmas, and they will also get some presents from Grandpa.

Why did they issue a 21-day notice? Because that’s what this is about. They issued a 21-day notice because they had a vote already, a tentative agreement, which was turned down by the membership without a strike mandate, which meant they weren’t going on strike the next day. In the bargaining process, it’s a whole different thing to say, “I’m going to vote and I’m going on strike the next day,” than voting and saying, “We think there’s more in the pie.” What happened is, they put a 21-day notice out to put pressure—

Interjections.

Mr. Wayne Gates: No, I want you to listen to this. Don’t say anything over there; listen for a change.

This is what happens. You take the 21-day notice. You put as much pressure as you can on the company, but also on the union.

You know what? I bargained 150 collective agreements in my day. You know when you get the agreement done? Either on the last day or in the last few hours. They said, “Okay, we’re going to fight this, but we’re going to put pressure on ourselves for our membership and we’re going to put pressure on the company.” What did you guys do? You’re the only party in the world that says, “We’re going to force you back to work before you go off work.” How do you tell me you’re forcing me back to work when I’m already on the job?

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you. Further questions and comments?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Point of order.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I have a point of order. I recognize the member from—

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just wanted to say we have a special guest here in the House today. He’s a Canadian Juno-winning artist. He’s now an award-winning, bestselling author. Most challenging of all, he was my first husband. Welcome Tom Wilson to the Legislature.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Questions and comments?

Back to the member from Ottawa South for final comments.

Mr. John Fraser: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. What I was pointing out to the member from Markham–Stouffville is that the way he characterized the member’s participation was not fair. I just want to reiterate that. The member from Toronto–Danforth asked great questions in there. He knows the answers. In actual fact, some of the things that he told you—you have to take a look at this in the way that this is a public good and it involves public safety, so we can’t take any risks. I don’t agree with the member from Danforth on that. We can’t take any risks. Adverse weather events—it’s winter.

What I’m really not very happy about and Ontarians are not very happy about, especially if they knew, and you guys shouldn’t be happy about, is there is no reason that we needed to be at this point right now. For 33 years, we’ve had no labour disruptions in these areas. That’s because the government of the day, Conservative, NDP and Liberal, as the sole shareholder of Hydro One and OPG, has said, “I have to do whatever I can within the bounds of my legal limitations to make sure that we don’t get to this point,” because it’s critical. It’s because families depend on it.

It hasn’t happened for 33 years, so tell me what has changed in the last six months. Again, I don’t think it’s acceptable that the minister responds in a news conference to say, “I was briefed.” What I think Ontarians really want to hear is, “I was briefed. I did what I could to talk to the company, to send messages out there to bring the sides together, but I wasn’t successful and we’re at this point now.” What we heard was, “We didn’t want to get involved because we’re not really supposed to get involved.” Well, you are. You are supposed to get involved because families depend on it. You are the representative of the sole shareholder. You weren’t at the table. You should have been there. That, actually, is a disgrace, especially at this time of year.

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

Ms. Scott has moved second reading of Bill 67, An Act to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed to the motion will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Call in the members. This will be a 30-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1700 to 1707.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Ms. Scott has moved second reading of Bill 67, An Act to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995. All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recorded by the Clerk.

Ayes

• Baber, Roman
• Babikian, Aris
• Bailey, Robert
• Barrett, Toby
• Bethlenfalvy, Peter
• Bouma, Will
• Calandra, Paul
• Cho, Raymond Sung Joon
• Cho, Stan
• Clark, Steve
• Crawford, Stephen
• Cuzzetto, Rudy
• Downey, Doug
• Dunlop, Jill
• Elliott, Christine
• Fedeli, Victor
• Fee, Amy
• Ford, Doug
• Fraser, John
• Fullerton, Merrilee
• Gill, Parm

• Harris, Mike
• Hogarth, Christine
• Jones, Sylvia
• Kanapathi, Logan
• Karahalios, Belinda
• Ke, Vincent
• Khanjin, Andrea
• Kramp, Daryl
• Kusendova, Natalia
• Lecce, Stephen
• Martin, Robin
• Martow, Gila
• McDonell, Jim
• McKenna, Jane
• Miller, Norman
• Mulroney, Caroline
• Oosterhoff, Sam
• Park, Lindsey
• Parsa, Michael
• Pettapiece, Randy
• Phillips, Rod

• Piccini, David
• Rasheed, Kaleed
• Rickford, Greg
• Roberts, Jeremy
• Romano, Ross
• Sabawy, Sheref
• Sandhu, Amarjot
• Sarkaria, Prabmeet Singh
• Scott, Laurie
• Skelly, Donna
• Smith, Dave
• Smith, Todd
• Tangri, Nina
• Thanigasalam, Vijay
• Thompson, Lisa M.
• Tibollo, Michael A.
• Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.
• Wai, Daisy
• Yakabuski, John
• Yurek, Jeff

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be recorded by the Clerk.

Nays

• Andrew, Jill
• Armstrong, Teresa J.
• Arthur, Ian
• Berns-McGown, Rima
• Bisson, Gilles
• Bourgouin, Guy
• Burch, Jeff
• Fife, Catherine
• French, Jennifer K.
• Gates, Wayne
• Gélinas, France
• Glover, Chris

• Harden, Joel
• Hassan, Faisal
• Karpoche, Bhutila
• Kernaghan, Terence
• Lindo, Laura Mae
• Mamakwa, Sol
• Mantha, Michael
• Miller, Paul
• Monteith-Farrell, Judith
• Morrison, Suze
• Natyshak, Taras
• Rakocevic, Tom

• Shaw, Sandy
• Singh, Gurratan
• Singh, Sara
• Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)
• Stiles, Marit
• Tabuns, Peter
• Taylor, Monique
• Vanthof, John
• West, Jamie
• Yarde, Kevin

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): The ayes are 62; the nays are 34.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I declare the motion carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I turn to the minister. Which committee would you like it directed to?

Hon. Laurie Scott: The Standing Committee on Justice Policy.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you very much.

Spirits Canada

Hon. Todd Smith: Point of order.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): I recognize the government House leader on a point of order.

Hon. Todd Smith: I just want to take a moment and remind everybody that Spirits Canada is ready to help us celebrate the Christmas season in rooms 228 and 230. God bless.

Visitors

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): The member from Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill.

Mr. Michael Parsa: I just want to welcome to the House my good friend Brian Patterson of the Ontario Safety League, and Colonel Geordie Elms. Welcome to the House.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Orders of the day? Once again, I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Todd Smith: Speaker, I am happy to move adjournment of the House.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): The government House leader has moved adjournment of the House. Agreed? I heard a no.

All those in favour will please say “aye.”

All those opposed will please say “nay.”

Interjections.

Hon. Todd Smith: The ayes have it, Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): In my opinion—our opinion—the ayes have it.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: On division.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Carried on division.

This House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 9 o’clock.

The House adjourned at 1713.