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March 19, 2019

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2019-Mar-19 (PDF)

L078 - Tue 19 Mar 2019 / Mar 19 mar 2019

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 19 March 2019 Mardi 19 mars 2019

Visitors

Notice of reasoned amendment

Orders of the Day

The People’s Health Care Act, 2019 / Loi de 2019 sur les soins de santé pour la population

Introduction of Visitors

Legislative pages

Richard Allen

Bianca Andreescu

Oral Questions

Education funding

Government accountability

Government accountability

Taxation

Government accountability

Job creation

Education funding

Autism treatment

Agri-food industry

Special-needs students

Municipal government

Training schools

Public transit

Anti-racism activities

Music industry

Hospital funding

Member’s birthday

Visitors

Notice of dissatisfaction

Notice of dissatisfaction

Introduction of Visitors

Members’ Statements

Mining exploration

Fur Ball Gala

Education funding

Ontario 55+ Winter Games

Meals on Wheels

Nowruz

La francophonie

Government investments

Grey Cup

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Introduction of Bills

Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia Act, 2019 / Loi de 2019 sur la Journée de commémoration et d’action contre l’islamophobie

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Social workers / Travailleurs sociaux

Petitions

Autism treatment

Automobile insurance

Child advocate

Fish and wildlife management

Fish and wildlife management

Child care workers

Veterans memorial

School facilities

Epilepsy

Child care workers

West Lincoln Memorial Hospital

Toronto Transit Commission

Orders of the Day

Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2019 / Loi de 2019 pour des écoles sûres et axées sur le soutien

Visitors

Adjournment Debate

Autism treatment

Energy contracts

Anti-racism activities

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Visitors

Ms. Donna Skelly: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Point of order: The member for Flamborough–Glanbrook.

Ms. Donna Skelly: They haven’t arrived yet, but I would like to welcome a number of people from my constituency who are going to be coming from Hamilton today. I have Tracy Foster, who’s going to be coming in in a little while. Dan Muys is also in from my constituency.

I’m also going to be welcoming a number of people who are going to be touring—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I appreciate the member for Flamborough–Glanbrook offering the introduction of her guests. We’re going to be doing introduction of guests later on.

Notice of reasoned amendment

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 71(b), the member for Timmins has notified the Clerk of his intention to file notice of a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of Bill 81,

An Act to authorize the expenditure of certain amounts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. The order for second reading of Bill 81 may therefore not be called today.

Orders of the Day

The People’s Health Care Act, 2019 / Loi de 2019 sur les soins de santé pour la population

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 18, 2019, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 74,

An Act concerning the provision of health care, continuing Ontario Health and making consequential and related amendments and repeals / Projet de loi 74, Loi concernant la prestation de soins de santé, la prorogation de Santé Ontario, l’ajout de modifications corrélatives et connexes et des abrogations.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Further debate?

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: It gives me great pleasure to rise today with the opportunity to speak in support of Bill 74, the proposed People’s Health Care Act. This landmark legislation promises to put Ontario patients first and bring an end to hallway health care. For that, I wish to thank our Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, who has worked tirelessly to protect and transform our health care system to put patients, their families and caregivers at the centre of care.

I wanted to say a special hello to my nursing colleagues at Etobicoke General Hospital who are watching right now and have completed their morning patient rounds. You are doing an incredible job being the backbone of our health care system and caring so selflessly for our loved ones.

I’m not sure how many here will recall their maiden speeches, but I certainly recall mine as it was a monumental moment in my life and a very personal one. I remember it because it was so much more than just a significant occasion; it was the first time I shared with everyone here my background as a registered nurse and what motivated me to become a member of this Parliament.

I spoke about the realities of hallway nursing and how I have had to treat patients in overcrowded and narrow hallways, public spaces in which their privacy and dignity are non-existent. I told the story of a young woman who had miscarried her unborn child in a hospital waiting room in front of dozens of strangers because we had no rooms or beds to put her in; because we were experiencing a service gridlock. As my colleagues can certainly attest, this story is not unique and was not a singular occurrence in our health care system.

Nurses like me carry similar stories about their patients each and every day when they report for duty at the crack of dawn, when most of us are still in bed or just waking up. Inadequacies, misaligned priorities, lack of foresight, and burdensome and expensive bureaucracy is what led our health care system to fail that young woman on one of the most difficult and tragic moments of her life. The health care system was troubled then, and although progress has been made, much work remains.

Mr. Speaker, I remember my maiden speech today because in it I pledged to the people of Ontario that our government would work tirelessly to do whatever it takes to end hallway health care, to end hallway nursing in Ontario. Our leader and our team made a pledge to the people of Ontario during the campaign: Ending hallway nursing was, and still is, one of our most important priorities.

And our government has moved remarkably quickly on keeping that promise, which is why I’m so proud to be standing here today, only eight months later, supporting Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act, and commending our Deputy Premier on her unparalleled commitment to ensuring we have an accountable and well-integrated system, centred around the patient; a system that is efficient and reliable in its delivery of health care and, more importantly, sustainable for future generations. We need our health care system to be there for Ontarians not just today or tomorrow, but also 10, 20 and 50 years from now.

For patients, one can only imagine how frustrating it is not to be able to receive the care you need in a timely manner, to have to wait for hours on end before seeing a physician; and once you’re finally called, to be treated in a cramped hallway for everyone to see. It is mentally and physically exhausting to have to retell your medical history over and over to every new care provider you meet or to be given the runaround in finding and understanding the services that you need. Patients already endure the discomfort of their symptoms.

Why must our health care system make their lives even more difficult by being so disconnected? We live in the 21st century, and technology is our friend. We have instant access to so much information, and we can connect people around the world. But for some reason, in our province, we still can’t access our own health records. Not even our health care providers are able to see the full picture of our medical history.

Bill 74 will change that. This legislation will put patients first by giving them the option to securely access their digital health records whenever they need them, to seamlessly view all available health care providers and book appointments online, or to speak to a specialist virtually. It will also put health care providers first and result in large cost savings. When physicians will be able to log in and review their patient’s entire health history, the need for repeat and redundant tests will decrease.

Mr. Speaker, how is it possible that in the 21st century Ontario does not have one streamlined platform where all our health care records would be housed? Some institutions and care facilities have recognized this need a long time ago and took it upon themselves to develop such platforms for their patients. This demonstrates the incredible leadership we have in our health care communities. However, the situation is now such that there are multiple platforms across health care institutions in Ontario which do not talk to each other and are not integrated.

In practical terms, what this means—and I’ve seen this first-hand—is that emergency physicians in Toronto or Peel must try to log into up to five different platforms to look up their patient’s history, previous lab tests or diagnostic results. In addition, family physician health records are not available to physicians in hospitals. In emergency and trauma situations, having quick access to previous health records can make the difference between life and death.

Our institutions simply cannot do this alone. They’re looking to the government to lead this health care transformation and finally develop an electronic health care record, which our patients and providers need and deserve, and hopefully once and for all put our hospital fax machines out of business.

Le projet de loi 74 créera des équipes de santé axées sur la communauté, composées d’un éventail de fournisseurs de soins connectés, capables de coordonner leurs efforts et d’optimiser leur efficacité de manière à maximiser le soutien des patients, tout en éliminant toute la bureaucratie inutile qui drainait nos ressources pendant des années. Monsieur le Président, 42 centimes de chaque dollar d’impôt des contribuables vont à nos soins de santé. Il est temps que nous commencions à tirer le meilleur parti des investissements de la population ontarienne dans notre système de santé public et universel.

Right now in Ontario, there are simply too many agencies, oversight bodies and service provider organizations that fail to seamlessly provide a unified approach to health services. This fragmented collection of health organizations only serves to confuse patients and delay their treatment. By its very nature of being so poorly diffused, the current system lacks accountability. Over the last 15 years of Liberal government, we’ve had to witness our health care pulled apart in a number of different directions.

We’ve had to sit and watch the creation of disconnected agencies, working towards promoting patient health without any sort of coordinated vision. It’s a broken system that makes no sense. It’s precisely why our Premier created the Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine: so that we have the necessary professional expertise to develop the most accessible, accountable and sustainable solutions.

Just last week, I had the opportunity to work an ER shift, which I do on occasion in order to maintain my standing with the College of Nurses and my professional registration. I worked the infamous hallway shift. Ten patients came through my care that day, stuck in a hallway bed for hours, or days for some of them—a broken hip, pancreatitis, altered level of consciousness, dementia, internal bleeding, chest pain and even a bomb blast wound, to name just a few. Very few of these patients were what we would call “hallway appropriate,” but they ended up in my care simply because there was nowhere else for them to go.

Every day in Ontario, health care professionals like me put their licence and safety on the line when they show up to work in our fragmented and mismanaged health care system. Our proposed legislation, Bill 74, will change that. It will create a better-connected system. One single agency, Ontario Health, will facilitate a seamless delivery of services under one harmonized vision.

Through a carefully planned, holistic approach, this legislation will establish, in phases, Ontario health teams that are able to provide a coordinated response for patients that ensures smooth transition between care providers. Instead of a system that works in disjointed silos, we’ll have Ontario health teams that bring together local health care providers, hospitals and mental health and addictions services, all under one modernized and cohesive agency.

In practical terms, this means that when I discharge my patients from the emergency room, I will not have to worry whether their CCAC or care coordinator will show up in time to provide the home care that they need, because the care will be centred around the patient and not around the brick and mortar which they happen to find themselves in. This is a much-needed change.

The Premier’s council issued a report recently. In it, they listed a number of flaws, such as how difficult it is for patients to understand and navigate our current health network and how Ontario needs a system that maximizes value for money through increased efficiency and coordination. Some patients actually hire patient advocates to come to emergency rooms and to help them navigate our health care system. That’s how dire the situation is. Our government is listening and it is acting. Our government is listening to professionals. We’re taking the advice of doctors, nurses and front-line care providers. And, most of all, our government is listening to the patients.

When I say our government is listening, I mean that we’re doing it in multiple ways. We’re not just holding meetings with professionals, we’re going out into our local communities. We’ve having conversations with constituents. We’re visiting our hospitals and seeing for ourselves what our current health care system looks like. Every day, we’re hearing stories from doctors, nurses, pharmacists, porters, technicians, dietitians, physiotherapists and all health care professionals, as well as their patients, about our health care’s current state of despair.

The mother of one of my staffers is a nurse who has worked in several hospitals. He asked her if she had any stories about hallway health care, or hallway nursing, as I like to call it. She replied, asking if he wanted to hear the good stories or the bad ones. Confused, he asked what she meant by “good stories.” After all, how could any hallway health care story be a good one if the minimum standard for quality care is for patients to be treated in private rooms? She explained that the good stories are when they actually have room in the hallway to treat all the patients.

Speaker, what does this say about our health care system when Ontario’s nurses are telling us that a good hallway health care story is when there’s enough room in a hallway to place a patient?

When asked about the bad stories, she spoke about the complete lack of privacy and dignity patients must endure. She spoke about how, normally, patient rooms are equipped with proper beds that can be adjusted so that patients can sit up or lie down comfortably, but how, in the hallways, there is only enough space to have the most rudimentary of stretchers.

She spoke of having to treat senior patients, some of whom are unable to walk, and how they needed to be changed in the hallway because there were no available rooms for them. Imagine, Speaker, having lived your whole life with respect and dignity, only to have it robbed from you in a hospital hallway as people walk by and see you being changed.

She spoke about patients not having the privacy they deserved to hear their diagnoses, some of which are heartbreaking, or to be able to speak privately with their families about their health care decisions. Again, Speaker, I ask you to imagine finding out you have a terminal illness and wanting to make final arrangements with your family, wanting to spend time with them in peace, only to have to be interrupted by the constant traffic of people walking around you, hearing your most intimate and private conversations.

These experiences are heartbreaking, but they are the realities of Ontario’s health care system. These patients are already going through some of the most painful and stress-filled times in their lives. We cannot let our system continue to function like this. We simply cannot.

This is why our government has acted so quickly in its mandate to address these systematic problems. It is why I’m so proud to be a part of this government that is creating 6,000 new long-term-care beds towards a total goal of 15,000 over the next five years.

I’d also like to address some of the criticisms we’ve been hearing from the opposition about our new plan. I’d like to do so by asking them: When was the last time they were a patient in a hospital? When was the last time they were given medical treatment in a hallway? Because if they haven’t gone through the long wait times and been treated in narrow, overcrowded hallways, then either they’re in really good health or they must be getting their health care somewhere else. Because the unfortunate truth, which our critics fail to appreciate, is that having to wait for hours just to be treated in a hallway has just become the new norm.

So, I’d like to encourage all the members opposite to support Bill 74, because in doing so, they will also be supporting Ontario’s health care providers and, most importantly, supporting our patients, families and caregivers.

I would also like to thank again our Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, who has lived experience as a patient in our health care system and has been Ontario’s Patient Ombudsman for six years. She knows better than anyone the kind of changes that are needed to make sure our health care system becomes accessible, accountable and sustainable.

Speaker, I am looking forward to the day when hallway nursing becomes a thing of the past and the dreaded hallway shifts are no longer. This is my wish for all Ontarians.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments? The member for Ottawa Centre.

Mr. Joel Harden: Thank you, Speaker. It’s a pleasure to follow on the remarks of the member for Mississauga Centre—another Centre. I respect the fact that she’s coming from a place of working inside the health care system, but I want to take her up on her challenge this morning when she asked us: When was the last time we had to deal with hallway health care, hallway medicine?

I just want to remind the member: This is something that our critic, France Gélinas from Nickel Belt, has been mentioning for years, so I don’t think we advance the argument much further if anybody in this House claims we aren’t aware of the way in which our health care system is suffering. That’s not helpful.

What is helpful, though, is us having a collective acknowledgement of what health care transformation should be, because if we’re honest and we listen to the people on the front lines, like the member from Mississauga Centre, the kind of health care transformation we’ve been talking about in this place for far too long is one that lets administrators of large health care institutions talk about economies of scale, combining massive institutions, while people on the front lines don’t get the support they need.

Last week, I met with Cynthia. Cynthia is a personal care worker. She works with people with developmental disabilities and people living at home in our city, funded formerly by the local LHIN in our area. What she is terrified about—she and over 300 members who work with some of the most marginalized, disadvantaged people in my city—is that the health care transformation for her is going to mean amalgamating to a larger existing unit that has lower wages and doesn’t get compensation for travel between clients when cars are used.

We are dealing with a situation in which people caring for people who are the most marginalized people outside of hospitals—where you want to send people to free up those hallways—the workers, the people doing the caring professions, are facing massive deterioration in their working conditions. Let’s focus on that. Let’s focus on something real and not building massive economies of scale for hospital administrators. We need more money in our system. We need to rescind the tax cuts that are hurting our public purse and invest in front-line care.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Mr. Paul Calandra: I appreciate the opportunity to speak. I just wanted to also thank the member for her comments. She is obviously somebody that we, in this caucus, turn to. She’s somebody who has dealt with health care on the front lines and of course is a fount of information for us when it comes to how we deal with many of the situations that are confronting our health care system, whether it is hallway health care, whether it is the crisis in some of the emergency rooms across our community, or how that transition happens from the emergency room back into the community and into long-term care. So again, I just wanted to thank the honourable member for that.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity last week to visit with my local hospital and to hear some of their comments, not about the administration of the hospital but some of the front-line workers in all of the departments across the hospital: doctors, nurses—we visited the emergency room and we talked to midwives in what is one of the most exciting new clinics at Markham Stouffville Hospital, which brings midwives right into the hospital, working closely with staff. They’re excited by what they see. They’re excited by what the minister has brought forward.

The Markham health team is an extraordinary health team. It’s a large group of doctors, nurses, mental health workers and nutritionists. They have been doing this for many years in Markham. They handle a large group of people. They are also excited. They are very much the model by which the entire province will be shaped around.

I encourage all members: If you don’t truly understand what it is that the government is trying to do here, it’s about bringing better care into homes and making it seamless—fewer emergency room visits. Because when people get discharged and they don’t know what the next steps are—in particular, seniors—it will be handled by one call, one visit and one health care team. This has the ability to transform our health care system for the better. I hope the honourable members will take an opportunity to really investigate what it is we’re trying to do here.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

M me France Gélinas: I would like to start by talking about my uncle Harold. Harold is 97 years old. He lives in Sudbury. Last week, he started to not feel too good, and was transported by ambulance to our local hospital, Health Sciences North. He spent close to three days really, really sick, first in the waiting room and then in the emergency room of Health Sciences North. He finally got a room. I went and visited him. He is as sharp as ever. He is as funny as ever. I just love him to death.

But this is one more example of what it looks like at Health Sciences North in Sudbury when you have 80 more people sick enough to be admitted but no beds to put them in. It’s not good. It’s not good for a 97-year-old to be in an emergency room surrounded by sick people. As much as he’s a strong man—he’s a Second World War veteran, and he’s a big man; he has always been strong and healthy—when you’re 97 years old, you should not spend over two and a half days in an emergency room surrounded by sick people. Nothing good will come of that, but that’s all we had to offer. The staff was wonderful.

They tried really, really hard. There was just no room.

We don’t argue that hallway medicine needs to be stopped. But this bill has nothing to do with this. This bill has nothing to do with ending hallway medicine.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Mr. Will Bouma: I wanted to start by commending our member for Mississauga Centre for her insight into this issue. One of the great things about our team here is that we have so many members who have such great insights into what’s really going on on the ground in Ontario. I really appreciate her comments and the ability that she still has to keep up her nursing licence and to be right in the thick of it, as it were, and to give us real insights into that.

What we need is a patient-first philosophy when it comes to our health care. I think what sets us apart from the members opposite, especially in the comments from the member from Ottawa Centre, is that we can’t just continue throwing money at this problem and hope that it will go away, because the fact of the matter is, we don’t have any more money for this right now. We’re already spending 42 cents of every dollar on health care. We need to make that money well spent so that we can actually tackle hallway health care as it happens.

To make the issue of people lying on stretchers in hallways about the worker, I think, is somewhat disingenuous. I have to reject the premise of that sort of argument, because what we’re really dealing with is people who are waiting in hallways in order to get care. So when we come up with a timely, measured response to end hallway health care by putting patients first, I would encourage the opposition to be joining us in that so that we can try a different approach, as opposed to just letting the bureaucracy endlessly grow, and to try to cut out some of that and to put more money back into the front lines.

I think that’s how we can take care of our workers, but more importantly, that’s how we’ll be taking care of the patients. In reality, that’s who we’re all here to serve.

I look forward to support from the members opposite as we move forward on Bill 74.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We’ll return to the member from Mississauga Centre to give her an opportunity to wrap up this part of the discussion.

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: I would like to thank all of the members for their insights and their comments.

I am truly honoured to be able to speak to this bill today. I am really looking forward to the day when hallway nursing is no longer in Ontario and when we have one streamlined electronic health care record so that our patients can access care where it’s needed, how it’s needed, and they can make their own decisions about health care. I’m looking forward to the support on this bill.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Further debate?

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: A Mushkegowuk–James Bay constituent has faced a horrendous experience with our current health care system. This bill will make things worse, not better. Home and long-term care are already dealing with labour shortages and the peril of a private health care industry. This bill opens the way to further privatization of health care, and that will eventually put patients, especially in northern communities, at risk.

Madame Lillian Deschamps, for example—91 years old—cannot care for herself. She currently resides à la Résidence Lefebvre in Moonbeam. This is a privately owned home that provides assisted living. She broke her hip in December, was transferred to Timmins for a hip replacement, and eventually discharged from the hospital in late December. She received good care at the hospital, but her discharge from the hospital left her family appalled. Her granddaughter was told, literally, that Madame Deschamps would be discharged because they needed the bed. She wasn’t ready, but they needed the bed.

Madame Deschamps’s granddaughter said that on January 9, Madame Deschamps had an evaluation by the community care access centre. During the evaluation, which lasted 45 minutes, Madame Deschamps was told that her name would be added to the list for a manor or nursing home.

You have to realize that in Mushkegowuk–James Bay, waiting times are two to three years. This is why they had to put her in a privately owned home. She was also told that she would qualify for two visits per week, mostly for personal hygiene. Mr. Speaker, she was without a proper bath for 74 days—74 days without a proper bath. Why? There are not enough PSWs to do that. That’s a reality in my riding. That’s a reality in northern Ontario. This is not a unique story. It’s a reality.

While she has been put on the priority list, she’s still waiting. Her family is currently paying out of pocket for personal support workers.

So now families are paying—because when they realize what they have to go through, they pay out of pocket.

Madame Deschamps and her family do not deserve to go through these hurdles. She has worked hard for all of us, and for our province, to earn the care and the dignity all elderly people deserve, and she qualifies for that service. As her granddaughter told me, she has paid her share of taxes during 91 years and she should be entitled to these services.

The example of Madame Deschamps shows that there is a lot of work to be done on the health and home care systems. Lack of personnel, lack of beds and lack of rooms and home care forces her family to seek out private aid. It is a great idea to develop a home care system, but it is disingenuous to do so when there is no personnel available. When we should be investing every dollar in front-line care, this bill opens the way to private and for-profit companies that can bid on forming Health Ontario teams, and these Health Ontario teams can also contract out services.

Let’s recap: Madame Deschamps was discharged because they needed the bed, and was without a bath or proper care for 74 days. Her family is paying a private service and manor. We are putting the weight on people’s shoulders, and the bill is no help. The Liberals let Madame Deschamps down, and now the Tories are doing plainly worse. Where is the dignity in all this?

And let us not forget that we are next in line. Our people, the people of Mushkegowuk–James Bay, are caught up in a two-tiered health system. The Conservatives are leading us down the same path. Change will make it harder for local concerns to be heard and acted on, especially in northern and rural Ontario. Granted, the LHINs created a layer of bureaucracy between patients and front-line care workers, but by concentrating our health care system into a watertight super-bureaucracy, we are pulling our front-line care away from our people. People like Madame Deschamps deserve better and more care.

Monsieur le Président, je peux vous dire que quand j’ai entendu l’histoire de M me Deschamps et quand j’ai parlé avec sa fille—on peut dire que M me Deschamps mérite mieux et mérite plus de dignité que ça.

Quand la famille s’est fait mettre dans une situation où il fallait, peut-être, qu’eux autres doivent laver sa grand-mère, je peux vous dire que ce n’est pas évident pour une famille de se mettre dans une situation où une personne qui a grandi avec cette personne-là—et puis la grand-mère, je peux vous le dire, n’est pas intéressée à se faire laver par ses enfants. Elle a besoin de quelqu’un professionnel pour ça. Puis, elle qualifie, en passant, pour ces services. C’est un droit qu’elle a, à 91 ans. Elle a payé des taxes; je pense qu’elle mérite le moindre des services. Le problème, c’est qu’on n’a pas assez de monde pour délivrer les services.

On entend le gouvernement qui dit : « On a un nouveau programme qui va marcher et ça va être la plus belle affaire sur la terre. » Je peux vous dire, monsieur le Président, que si tu n’investis pas dans les personnes qui vont délivrer les services, comme les « PSW », dans les personnes qui vont délivrer ce système-là, les vraies personnes qui vont aller voir les personnes âgées et qui vont délivrer les soins dont ils ont besoin, et si on n’a pas l’argent pour les payer—parce que j’ai eu la chance de parler à la personne qui gère ce programme et qui fait certaine que les « PSW » sont là.

Elle m’a dit : « Guy, on n’en a pas—pas capable d’en avoir. Je viens d’engager une. Je viens d’engager une pour être capable de délivrer les services. Elle est en training. »

M me Deschamps est la 10 e sur la liste. Ils ne sont pas capables de délivrer les services. Elle a le droit à deux services, deux fois par semaine, et elle a le droit d’avoir des services pour son bien-être. On n’est pas capable de délivrer parce qu’on n’a pas les personnes pour délivrer les services. C’est la réalité dans le Nord qu’on a tous à traiter avec et que le monde est obligé de traiter avec.

Puis cette personne, je lui ai demandé : « Écoute, et si t’avais une chose que le gouvernement pourrait dire, qu’on pourrait te donner pour aider à délivrer les services nécessaires? » Elle a dit : « Guy, j’ai besoin de l’argent. J’ai besoin de l’argent dans mon budget pour être capable de payer ces personnes-là, parce qu’on les paye des salaires dégradants. Puis, la première chance qu’ils ont, ils partent. Ils s’en vont travailler à une place qui a de bons salaires et de bons bénéfices. »

Mais on demande à ce monde-là, par exemple, de délivrer des services, de ne pas être payé pour voyager des distances—parce que les distances qu’on a dans ma circonscription sont énormes. C’est une réalité qui existe, mais on semble l’oublier : loin des yeux, loin du coeur, dans le Nord. Le plus que tu vas au nord, le pire que c’est. Dans les communautés des Premières Nations, c’est pire. On dit quoi? Qu’ils n’ont pas droit à ces services-là? Ce sont des Ontariens comme nous. Ils ont droit à ces mêmes services. Si on pousse le privé—un pas en arrière.

Si tu veux qu’un système tombe, si tu veux structurer un système pour qu’il ne fonctionne pas, tu t’arranges pour qu’il ne marche pas. C’est exactement ce que le gouvernement fait en ne pas donnant d’argent aux personnes qui délivrent les services. On a besoin de donner de l’argent aux « PSW », aux personnes qui gèrent ces services, pour qu’on puisse donner des services et de la dignité aux personnes comme M me Deschamps, comme ma mère, qui est dans le système comme c’est là. Ma mère va être obligée d’aller à l’hôpital et puis payer comme si elle était dans des soins à long terme, parce qu’il n’y a pas de place.

Les deux ans ou trois ans d’attente sont inacceptables pour les personnes de cette génération, qui ont tout donné pour la province, qui ont payé leurs taxes pour faire sûr qu’on prenne soin d’eux. Il ne faut pas oublier aussi que notre style de vie nous apporte—dans l’exemple de M me Deschamps, c’est sa petite-fille et le mari de sa petite-fille, qui ont deux travails. Puis, ils sont obligés de traiter avec ça, quand on est une province riche où on devrait être capable de délivrer des services. C’est une honte, monsieur le Président.

C’est une honte, comme province, qu’on n’est pas capable de délivrer des services à ce monde-là.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Merci. Questions and comments?

M me Natalia Kusendova: Merci au député de Mushkegowuk–James Bay pour ses paroles.

Notre gouvernement s’est engagé envers la population de l’Ontario pendant la campagne électorale de mettre fin aux soins de santé dans les couloirs, et nous nous sommes pleinement engagés à tenir cette promesse. Moderniser notre système de santé prendra du temps, mais nous continuerons à écouter les médecins, les infirmiers et les agents de première ligne, alors que nous mettons en oeuvre notre stratégie de santé publique.

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what we will not do: We will not invest in further bureaucracy. We need to put our health care dollars in the front lines. I would actually like to see how much of the $1 that gets spent in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care goes into the front-lines. This is what our government has done.

We are going line by line through every ministry to look where the money is spent, because where it’s needed is on the front lines. It’s needed to help nurses not have to look for a thermometer around the emergency room when they need to take their patient’s temperature. It’s needed to buy new linen hampers in our emergency rooms and across our hospitals. That’s where the money is needed. That’s why we’re streamlining the bureaucracy into one system that will work for all patients and all families in Ontario.

The people of Ontario have always been our government’s priority and focus. We will create a public health care system that works for everyone.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments.

M. Michael Mantha: C’est avec plaisir que je me lève de mon siège et prends ma position de la part des gens d’Algoma–Manitoulin. Je veux remercier le député de Mushkegowuk–James Bay. Puis, je veux laisser savoir à M me Deschamps : vous n’êtes pas la seule, madame Deschamps. Il y a plusieurs personnes qui sont comme vous. Il y a plusieurs M me Deschamps à travers le nord de l’Ontario et à travers cette province.

Je veux reconnaître aussi tous les « PSW » qui travaillent à travers mon comté, à Little Current, Wikwemikong, Gore Bay, Thessalon, Blind River, Elliot Lake, Espanola, Wawa, Manitouwadge et Hornepayne. Vous êtes les soldats. Vous êtes les personnes qui délivrent et qui prennent soin de nos mères, nos pères, nos grands-pères et nos grands-mères : merci, merci, merci. Il faut qu’on mette une attention, mette un investissement nécessaire pour faire certain que vous êtes capables de continuer à faire le travail que vous voulez faire.

Vous voulez aider M me Deschamps. Vous voulez aider tellement les gens, mais vous êtes brûlées, vous êtes à bout de vos heures. Vous êtes en train de prendre soin de 20 à 29 personnes sur un « shift ». C’est quasiment impossible, l’ouvrage que vous faites, mais vous savez quoi? Jour après jour, vous êtes en train de faire l’ouvrage.

Madame Deschamps, vous n’êtes pas la seule, et puis on ne va pas vous oublier. On va continuer comme parti, le NPD, à faire certain que les investissements sont mis en place.

I just heard the previous speaker. Something that just resonated in my ears is that front-line workers, the PSWs that deliver those services, are the ones that we need to target to provide the investment so that those services are brought to them. They’re not a level of bureaucracy; they are individuals that care, that have a conscience, that believe in the work that they do.

We as a government, you as a government, have to believe and make that investment so that they can continue caring for the individuals that we have in our hospitals, in our long-term-care homes and in their homes, which will save us a lot of money. So let’s refocus and let’s look at making investments in the areas that it is actually required.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments.

M me Goldie Ghamari: Je voudrais, premièrement, remercier le député de Mushkegowuk–James Bay et tous mes collègues pour leurs commentaires.

Notre gouvernement s’est engagé à édifier un système de santé public interconnecté et moderne que méritent les patients, les familles et les fournisseurs de soins. Pour mettre en place un système axé sur les patients, nous devons favoriser la collaboration et la coordination, de l’échelon supérieur à l’échelon inférieur. Ensemble, nous devons tirer le meilleur parti de notre système et jeter les bases d’un système de soins de santé fortement intégré pour l’avenir.

Notre loi permettra le transfert de multiples organismes provinciaux existants vers Santé Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, Bill 74 is committed to integrating our health care system. What it does is it takes the best pieces of what we have and it combines them. It creates one interconnected system that patients can easily access—and not just patients; it’s about their families, it’s about caregivers, it’s about front-line workers and it’s about health care professionals. It’s about coming together to have one coordinated system that everyone can access and everyone can use. What this will do is put more of our money and more of our resources to the front-line workers.

Because if we want to end hallway health care, we have to see what’s happening on the back end that’s bogging everything down and what we can do to ensure that these services are being used more efficiently, that they’re being streamlined and that patients have quality and timely access to health care. The way that we can do that is by looking at our system and reworking it and fixing it to make it better. That’s why I support this bill to end hallway health care.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: The people of Ontario have been waiting for the Ford government to introduce a piece of legislation to deal with health care. I’m sure the public thought that this bill would recognize the aspects of health care that have been deemed problematic, such as long-term care, lack of beds and ending hallway health care, yet this bill seems to just introduce a privatization of health care services and provides more convenient ways to book an appointment with your physician.

I think it’s quite obvious that the level of irrelevancy in this bill is very high. This government has not been listening to their own constituents. Have the true concerns of the people in Ontario been addressed in this bill? The People’s Health Care Act should be about the people and their needs.

Hundreds of constituents in my riding of St. Catharines have emailed, or they have called my office, begging us to oppose Bill 74. One of the main arguments is that this PC government did not consult Ontarians, nor gather input from the front-line health care workers, those who deliver crucial services to all types of people on a daily basis. Residents in St. Catharines know very well what a P3 hospital looks like, and that’s what this bill is leading to: $60 more on their municipal taxes, more cuts, longer wait-lists in hallways, hallway medicine and lack of care for our loved ones.

You cannot have an inclusive and comprehensive piece of legislation without consulting the people who represent and literally care for Ontarians on a daily basis.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We’ll turn to the member for Mushkegowuk–James Bay.

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: I want to thank my colleagues from Mississauga Centre, Algoma–Manitoulin, Carleton and also St. Catharines for speaking, and also for your comments.

Monsieur le Président, comme vous avez entendu dans mon allocution, je pense qu’on entend, du côté du gouvernement, qu’il y a certaines bonnes intentions que le gouvernement veut faire, mais je prie que le gouvernement fasse la bonne chose quant aux personnes de première ligne, les personnes qui délivrent les services. On parle de bureaucratie.

On réalise qu’il y en a qui peut nuire, mais je pense qu’il faut réaliser que les personnes qui délivrent les services et les personnes aussi qui gèrent ça ont besoin de certains argents pour être capable de délivrer les services nécessaires pour que ce monde-là ait la dignité et les services pour avoir le bien-être qu’ils méritent pour le reste de leurs jours. On parle des personnes âgées.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Further debate?

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I rise today to contribute to the debate on Bill 74.

I want to begin by just saying that I know that the Minister of Health and Long Term Care cares deeply about improving our health care system, but I’m deeply worried that Bill 74 does not accomplish that. I keep asking myself this one question: Will Bill 74 improve patient care and health outcomes for the people of Ontario? At best, the answer is that we won’t know for a number of years; at worst, the answer is no.

I don’t think the solution to every problem is to blow it up, but that seems to be what the Ford government does on most issues. This tear-down approach increases costs and creates chaos—chaos that we cannot afford when we need solutions to the hallway health care crisis right now.

A new org chart over the next few years will not hide the fact that we need investments now, while restructuring health care for the future. So before the government centralizes decision-making in a big bureaucracy in Toronto, has the government studied the experiences of Nova Scotia and Alberta, which have undergone similar dramatic transitions to a centralized super-agency?

In 2017, an expert panel in Nova Scotia evaluated its super-agency and found reports of a system that is a non-system—disconnected, not communicating, non-agile, non-people-centred—as well as front-line staff and managers who feel helpless and unable to effect the changes they know have to happen. Alberta’s experience has been similar: chaos and dysfunction in front-line care as money and resources are sucked towards rearranging the bureaucracy.

Given this experience, has the government consulted with front-line health care workers in Ontario? Because what they are telling me is that we need primary health care reform, with more investments in family health teams, community health care centres and Aboriginal health centres, and we need more investments in long-term care, home care and alternative levels of care for seniors. We need more investments in mental health care and addictions care. That’s what’s driving the pressure being placed on hospitals and creating the hallway medicine crisis that we currently face.

I don’t see how centralization, and possibly privatization, will fix that crisis today.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Ms. Donna Skelly: I have to agree with the member from Guelph on one thing, and that is that our Minister of Health and Long-Term Care is deeply committed to improving health care right across Ontario.

During the election campaign, our government committed to the people of Ontario that we would end hallway health care, and we truly are committed to delivering on that promise. The fact is, Ontario’s health care system is broken. It’s on life support. Patients are forgotten on waiting lists, more than a thousand patients receive care in hallways every single day, and the average wait time to access a bed in a long-term-care home is 146 days.

Let me share with you a conversation that we had in our constituency yesterday. We had a gentleman whose wife has been waiting to get into a home for over eight months, and found out again that she cannot access that bed. This is going on in my riding of Flamborough–Glanbrook. It’s going on in ridings right across Ontario. We are doing what we can, and our minister is committed to ensuring that that change comes as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, we envision a public health care system where patients and families will have access to faster, better and more connected services—a system where family doctors, hospitals, and home and community care providers work in unison, as a team; where, within these teams, providers can communicate directly with each other, creating a seamless care experience for both the patient and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that we can end those stories that I shared with you this morning where families can actually find quick, safe and great health care for their loved ones.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Ms. Jill Andrew: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I would like to agree with one statement that the PC member from Flamborough–Glanbrook said, and that is that the health system is broken. In my strong opinion, the PC government is taking it from bad to worse with their health care scheme which, quite frankly, opens the door to potential privatization.

I’m very big on consultation, and from speaking with front-line workers in my riding—people such as the chair of the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario, friends at Epilepsy Ontario—what I’m hearing from them is that they need more services, not less. They need more front-line workers, not less. In the case of Epilepsy Ontario, they need 40 community epilepsy educators. If you’re going to put services in the community, does that mean a centralized plan is best? I think they’d say no.

What we need are our front-line workers. We need people who are able to work the job and are able to do so in a healthy and safe environment, not people who are on a shift with themselves alone and 40 patients to take care of. When that happens, it’s impossible to give each patient the 100% service that every Ontarian knows.

I’ve had the unique experience myself of experiencing hallway medicine, and I must say, Mr. Speaker, there’s a great loss of dignity. There’s also a great loss of sleep, as it’s quite difficult to sleep in the hallway under fluorescent lights and signals going off and codes throughout the night.

I just want to circle back on the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario. For people who are waiting, Speaker, it can literally be a matter of life and death. People are dying in ER rooms, waiting, so rather than centralizing, let’s talk to actual Ontarians.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Mrs. Daisy Wai: I rise today to support Bill 74, to have better-connected public health care for our patients. I want to express it through my personal experience and also as a board member for my local hospital, Mackenzie Health. My mother-in-law was admitted into hospital. Since January, she has been in and out of the hospital. When she got admitted, they were not able to connect her with further health care. It ended up that she was there for a few weeks and then, when she got back home, things were not coordinated.

Now, I really, really saw the difference when she was finally dismissed from the hospital for the third time. This time around, the PSWs as well as long-term-care people are really connected with her and our family members to start planning for a few things that are going to happen to her. What a difference. That’s why I support this, when we see that this is really patient care.

When I was having my meeting with the CEO from Mackenzie Health just two weeks ago, he let me know how he supports this plan. In the past, if he finished off with a patient, it was really off his hands. He cannot do anything else. Perhaps a CCAC will be coming into play, or perhaps they will have to connect to a few other people, but it is off his hands. But now everything is all coordinated, and he’s very supportive of that.

I want to get back to the members in the opposition when they say that we have no consultation. I want to tell you that there has been a lot of consultation. They have been consulted, and then they were telling me how this has been supportive of what they plan. Actually, our deputy minister has been—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you. Questions and comments?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: Speaker, anyone who wondered whether this bill actually does open the door to privatization might have been interested to read the London Free Press last week. There was a story entitled, “London Surgeon Pitches Province on Funding Private Operating Rooms.” This is a surgeon who works at Advanced Medical Group. This is a for-profit health care facility that is headed, not surprisingly perhaps, by somebody who wanted to be a candidate for the Conservative Party in the provincial election and is a nominated candidate for the Conservative Party for the coming federal election.

This private health care facility sees an incredible opportunity with the health care restructuring bill that we’re dealing with today and has written a letter to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and to the Premier’s Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine to put out-of-hospital operating rooms on the government’s radar. This enterprising business sees this as an opportunity to increase their business by allowing patients to come and access the operating rooms that are onsite.

Speaker, one of the concerns that we have highlighted consistently is the fact that this bill says nothing about the kind of entity that can be designated as a delivery system. This bill allows for-profit providers like Advanced Medical Group in London to apply to have public dollars siphoned off into the profits of this organization under the guise of providing patient care.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We’ll return to the member from Guelph for his summation.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I want to appreciate the members participating in the debate. I will have to say I do agree with the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook that our health care system is broken and it does need to be fixed.

But I will have to remind the members opposite that an org chart reorganization is not going to put resources into our system right now—the kinds of supports we need with primary health care reform, with more supports for mental health and addiction services, and better supports for long-term care, home care and alternative levels of care for seniors.

Let me tell you what people in my riding are saying. I know the member from Richmond Hill talked about consultation, as well as the member from Toronto–St. Paul’s. Members in my riding are deeply concerned about the lack of consultation. They have, quite honestly, mixed feelings about the opportunities this bill presents. On the one hand, people want more integrated, local care. They want to see our health care system more integrated, which is why primary health care reform is so important, which is why family health teams and community health centres are so important.

But they’re deeply concerned that centralizing decision-making in a bureaucracy in Toronto is not going to provide and listen to the local needs that people have in Guelph or in North Bay, Thunder Bay, Windsor, Ottawa or anywhere in the province. That is why so many people are concerned about the experience in Nova Scotia and Alberta, where a centralized agency hasn’t delivered the kind of patient-centred, front-line reforms that are needed at the local level.

I ask the government to go back to the drawing board with Bill 74.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Further debate?

Mr. Lorne Coe: Good morning. This morning, for those viewers who might have joined us just now, we’re debating Bill 74. What Bill 74 speaks to is building a connected public health care system for the patient, Speaker—for the patient.

Modernizing the health care system is going to take time. We all know that. But we continue to listen to the people who plan and work on the front lines, and that includes nurses, doctors and other care providers like people who work in public health units.

For a period of time, I was the president of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies of Ontario. Out of that experience, I know that patients, families and caregivers experience frequent gaps in care. They have to reiterate their health concerns over and over again—you’ve experienced it; every MPP in the Legislative Assembly has experienced it—because of a lack of digital tools and care continuity. For health care providers like public health units, they are each paid out of different funding envelopes and are discouraged from working together in teams. I’ve seen it in the region that I represent, the region of Durham.

The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care was in Pickering last week. There were several front-line providers in a room, and we were listening very carefully to their advice and counsel.

Speaker, I know that you agree that this is no way to deliver health care in our great province. One of the most frustrating aspects of all is the fact that Ontario is home to some of the world’s best doctors, nurses and health care teams, but we have left them to do their best with a patchwork system. It’s simply not built to help them do their jobs. You hear it, Speaker; I hear it regularly in my constituency office that they’re absolutely ready for a system that encourages collaboration, partnership and finally frees them from a system slowed by the bureaucracy constructed within it.

We know it happened. It happened over 15 years. We’ve seen the results. The outcomes are plain. Our health care providers work very hard to provide the best possible care. They work hard to connect us to the services we need, and they do it in spite of the fact that they have few tools to make those connections.

Speaker, our providers should be able to easily link us to that care, and they’re not able to do that now. Once they make that connection, they should already have your health care history so you don’t have to repeat it. Imagine this, Speaker: We can book appointments online; we have access to our own health care records. And what could we do if we connected the best of what’s happening across the system and leveraged those successes for everyone’s benefit? Imagine that. We can’t do that now. We will be able to do that. Efforts are not coordinated toward a common goal but are dispersed and diluted across a system that competes for rather than realizing the value of every health care dollar.

Speaker, we have thousands of dedicated Ontarians working to deliver better health care in Ontario, but the structure of the system is flawed. It’s just fundamentally flawed. But that ended a week and a half ago with Minister Elliott’s introduction of Bill 74 and our government’s commitment to the fundamental right of Ontarians of universal access to a publicly funded health care system. That is why we’re building a public health care system centred around the patient, and redirecting money to front-line services, where it belongs, to improve patient experience and provide a better and connected care model. That’s what we all aspire to.

The People’s Health Care Act improves both access to care and the patient experience, and it does so, Speaker, in several ways. I want to highlight some of them. A key element within the legislation is Ontario health teams made up of local health care providers and organized in a way that will enable them to work as a coordinated group. These teams will be built to guide patients between providers and shepherd Ontario families through transitions. We all know about those types of transitions that families experience.

These teams will share responsibility for care plans, service provision and outcomes, and Speaker, most importantly, they would take the guesswork out of navigating the health care system. You know, out of visits to your constituency office, and many other members here know, that one of the frequent inquiries we get in our constituency offices is help to navigate the health care system.

Through Ontario health teams, patients would finally have a say in their health care journey. With safeguards in place, of course, to protect information, patients would have an option to securely access digital health services such as making online appointments and talking to a specialist virtually, or having access to your own electronic health records.

A great part, Speaker, about the Ontario health teams is that they will rely on leadership that already exists in the community—your community, my community, my colleagues’ community—rather than create another level of bureaucracy and management that we’ve seen evident with the local health integration networks.

Another striking example is the integration of community care access centres within that framework and, in effect, creating sub-LHINs—too much bureaucracy.

Speaker, who among us has not sat with a family member in need of serious medical treatment and discussed and debated internally, or openly with loved ones, about how best to access the health care system? Well, help has come. Help has at last arrived, due to the hard work of our Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and her parliamentary assistants.

Meanwhile, multiple provincial agencies will be integrated. Specialized provincial programs will be melded into a single agency, providing a central point of accountability and oversight for the system. It’s so long overdue.

At the outset of my remarks, I said that it’s going to take time to reform a health care system that was put together over the last 15 years. It’s fragmented; we know that. It’s going to take time to bring the agencies that I just referred to together to form a new and more effective organization, but clearly it’s the right thing to do. If we’re truly serious about finally building a health care system centred around you and your families, we need to roll up our sleeves and put in the hard work to get there. This government is prepared to put in the hard work to build a better health care system for all Ontarians.

Speaker, we owe a better health care plan to Ontarians. The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and Deputy Premier and her team have examined the system and concluded that we can do better and we must do better—and we will. As the minister has so eloquently stated, if we expect real improvements, where patients will experience positive change first-hand, we need much better coordination of service. It must be better organized around the needs of people and around the desired outcomes.

I’m conscious of my time running out, so I’m going to sum up.

Speaker, change is never easy. You know that. Every member in this Legislative Assembly knows that. Some build their lives around a process, no matter how haphazard or ill-conceived that process might be. Little or no time is ever spent examining what could make it dramatically better for the provider or better for the patient.

Our visionary Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and her parliamentary assistants have not fallen into that trap. They knew that we needed and deserved different results, and they challenged themselves to look at an aging system in a dynamic new light. They’re not afraid of change; they have embraced it. A better health care system is on its way.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We won’t have time for questions and comments this morning.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you all for your good behaviour this morning.

We’ll now stand in recess until 10:30, when we’ll resume with question period.

The House recessed from 1013 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Before I ask for the introduction of guests, I wish to introduce some of the guests who are with us in the Speaker’s gallery today: David Adjei, Elizabeth Teo and Michael Tolkunow. These students from the University of Toronto will be participating in the job shadow program run by the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians and are joined today by our friend, former Speaker and chair of the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians, David Warner. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature today.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I’d like to welcome amongst us Chris Stigas, all the way from British Columbia, who works with the credit union movement and used to work for Carole James as her director of communications.

Mr. Ross Romano: I would like to welcome, from my constituency office, my constituency office assistant manager. Christina Spears is here with us today.

Mr. Paul Miller: It’s my privilege to congratulate the McMaster Marauders for becoming this year’s Canadian university women’s basketball champions. Their coach, Theresa Burns, led to them a thrilling 70-58 victory over Laval University to win the Bronze Baby for the first time. Congratulations, McMaster Marauders.

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

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Mr. Speaker, without my glasses I pulled the wrong card and introduced the right person under the wrong name. I’d like to apologize. It’s Sara Goldvine, not Chris Stigas, who I saw yesterday at a reception.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Member for Guelph.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s a real honour today to welcome Shona and Norm Litchfield from Guelph to Queen’s Park. They are the parents of Mirren Litchfield, who is our acting page captain today. Welcome.

Mrs. Robin Martin: I’d like to welcome Charissa and Lynda Levy, two visitors from my riding in Eglinton–Lawrence, who are in the members’ gallery. More importantly, they are the family of our page Erynn.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: I’d like to welcome Chief Rudy Turtle, all the way from Grassy Narrows, and also David Sone, Athena Pheasant and Anne Chabot. Meegwetch.

Mr. Paul Calandra: I’d like to welcome members of the Canadian Solar Industries Association who are in the gallery today. They also have a reception after question period today in the dining room, if you have a chance to come out.

Ms. Sara Singh: I’d like to welcome representatives from the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects. We have here visiting today Aina Budrevics, who is their executive director, Tim Dobson, Bryce Miranda, Kendall Flower, Sheila Boudreau and Howard Brown. Thank you very much, and welcome to the people’s House.

Mr. Stephen Crawford: I’m pleased this morning to have two guests here. We have Ronnie Gavsie, who is the president and CEO of the Trillium Gift of Life Network, and Jennifer Allan, also from the Trillium Gift of Life Network. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Wayne Gates: I’d like to welcome Ross Robinson from Niagara-on-the-Lake. I’d also like to welcome his son Scott Robinson from Niagara-on-the-Lake. He’s vice-president of finance for the McMaster University student union. I’m looking forward to having lunch with you today. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I want to thank the members for keeping their introductions of visitors brief today.

Legislative pages

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I would now ask our group of pages to assemble.

It is my pleasure to introduce our legislative pages who are serving in this first session of the 42nd Parliament: from the riding of Brampton South, Aaryan Joharapurkar; from the riding of Oshawa, Alma Mahmuda; from the riding of Peterborough–Kawartha, Arthur McLeod; from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas, Benjamin Wark; from Mississauga–Lakeshore, Elizabeth Becke; from Eglinton–Lawrence, Erynn Levy; from Markham–Unionville, Gajan Suthakar; from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, Greyson Hope; from Don Valley West, Gwenyth Chasson; from Scarborough Centre, Ishwarejan Balaratnam; from York–Simcoe, Julia Gobio; from Ottawa–Vanier, Julien Bélanger; from Oakville, Kaitlin Bowie; from Vaughan–Woodbridge, Katherine Trimboli; from Etobicoke Centre, Mathew Bitondo; from Guelph, Mirren Litchfield; from Richmond Hill, Nicholas de Souza; from Markham–Stouffville, Nikolaos Diplas; from Simcoe–Grey, Olivia Gregersen Curtis; from Etobicoke North, Saad Naseer; from Willowdale, Saniya Khan; from Scarborough–Guildwood, Sanjayan Sarmenthiran; from Flamborough–Glanbrook, Stella Duncan; and finally, from Elgin–Middlesex–London, Virginia Will.

Welcome to our legislative pages.

Applause.

Richard Allen

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I understand that the member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas has a point of order.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today on a point of order. I seek the unanimous consent of the House to observe a moment of silence to acknowledge the passing of former MPP for Hamilton West Richard Allen.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to observe a moment’s silence upon the passing of former member Dr. Richard Allen. Agreed? Agreed.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

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

Bianca Andreescu

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I see the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports. Do you have a point of order?

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Yes, a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I would like to congratulate Bianca Andreescu on her recent, and first, WTA title win at the Indian Wells Masters this past weekend.

Ms. Andreescu was born in the beautiful city of Mississauga, Ontario, and is the youngest woman to reach the finals of the Indian Wells Masters in 20 years. On behalf of the members of the Legislature, congratulations to this amazing Ontario athlete.

Oral Questions

Education funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Premier. The government announced deep cuts to education that will strip a billion dollars out of our kids’ classrooms over the next four years instead of investing in our schools to tackle the $60-billion school repair backlog or ensuring children with autism have the supports they need to thrive at school. The Premier’s cut will mean 10,000 fewer teachers and more students squeezed into crowded classrooms. Why does the Premier think our kids’ education is not worth the investment?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, what we’re doing is we’re actually modernizing the school system. I am so proud of what the Minister of Education did. Revamping the education system—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Members, please take their seats.

Hon. Doug Ford: —a plan that won’t cost one teacher their job. Not one single teacher will lose their job because, after 15 years of Liberal nonsense, testing out failed ideology for our kids, letting math scores fall to the lowest in the country—I know the Leader of the Opposition is all right with our grade 6 math students; half of them are failing math. One third of our teachers are failing the same test, but we’re fixing that problem because we know we have the greatest teachers in the world. They just need the support that they haven’t had in 15 years.

Interjections.

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

Start the clock. Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, I can assure this Premier that most of us think there is nothing modern about him or the backward way that he’s taking this province.

In just four years, there will be 10,000 fewer teachers in our schools because of this government’s cuts to education. In high schools, as many as one in every five teaching posts is in jeopardy as class sizes balloon and students are forced to take classes online—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Government side, come to order.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: —taking classes online instead of in-person instruction. That means less one-on-one attention for students and teachers who are stretched even thinner. Why is this Premier choosing to balance the budget on the backs of our kids?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, we consulted with over 72,000 parents. Over 72,000 parents told us what was important, and unlike the previous government, we actually listen to the parents.

What they told us—95% of parents do not want their children to have cellphones in the classroom. Those are staggering numbers. The students will not have cellphones in their classrooms. We’re ensuring that health and physical education are taught at an appropriate age and that the most important people to teach them are their parents.

We’re increasing the focus on skills training in math, sciences and financial literacy, because I know, my friends in this room, that there are some people who don’t understand finances. Some people don’t understand budgets. Some people can’t put a budget together. Some people missed that course in school. But I can tell you, we’re going to have the brightest students in the entire world—

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Opposition, come to order.

Start the clock. Final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Education refused to rule out future changes to full-day kindergarten that could see fewer teachers or early childhood educators in those classrooms. Instead, she said, “There’s no stone unturned at this stage of the game. We are reviewing all of our options.”

Speaker, our kids’ education is not a game. It’s not a game for the government to play. Our kids’ education is important. It’s important to them now, it’s important to their future opportunities and it’s important to us as a province to be competitive. That’s what the importance of education is. They obviously don’t know it.

Will the Premier commit right now to keeping full-day kindergarten the way it is?

Interjections.

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

The question is to the Premier.

Hon. Doug Ford: Mr. Speaker, as I said in my earlier comment, we’re going back to the basics, going back to the basics on math and sciences, making sure reading, writing and arithmetic, something that we forgot over 15 years—again, Mr. Speaker, we are here to support, number one—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Opposition side, come to order. Please, Premier, take your seat.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. We just got started. We’ve got 55 minutes to go. The opposition parties have the opportunity to ask their questions, as do all members. Government ministers have to respond.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Okay. We can start the clock. I’m going to ask the Premier to conclude his response.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: I can assure you, we will never take the advice that the NDP and the Liberals, who failed our kids for years and years and years when it came to math—we won’t take lessons from the NDP or the Liberals, who supported these failed policies for 15 years. We’re turning the corner when it comes to education. Again, we will have the brightest students in the whole country by the time our term is up.

Government accountability

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. Yesterday, the member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston came forward with a disturbing allegation that Dean French, the Premier’s hand-picked chief of staff, and other senior operatives within the Premier’s inner circle were allegedly engaged in “possible illegal and unregistered lobbying by close friends and advisers employed by Premier Ford.”

Can the Premier tell us if he or his chief of staff, Dean French, were lobbied by individuals not registered to lobby in Ontario?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, I find this so rich and ironic coming from the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition just sent a mass email out to all her downtown elite friends, heads of the public unions—and, by the way, the poor people who are part of the public unions and actually don’t support the NDP policies are having to pay for these tickets. They sent out an email: “Come and join the leader of the NDP, Andrea Horwath, for $800. It’s an open bar.” And you will actually get a reward. That is what it said in the letter: You will get a reward by having access to her highness.

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The government side will come to order.

I’m going to ask the Premier to withdraw that comment.

Hon. Doug Ford: Withdraw.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Premier withdrew the comment. Start the clock. Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Thank you, Speaker. There is a difference between legal and illegal, though; there is.

Was the member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston removed from the PC caucus because he raised concerns about the Premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, engaging in illegal lobbying activities? That’s the question.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: Once you get to pay your $800 to have access to the leader, there’s this celebration: It’s called a celebration for being the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the NDP for 10 years. Well, I’ll tell you, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to going to the next celebration for 20 years of her being the Leader of the Opposition. I will go there myself and celebrate.

But what they forgot is to follow the rules like they usually do. You’re supposed to send out your email blast seven days before, but guess what, Mr. Speaker? They broke the law. They sent it out four days ago, so it doesn’t meet the seven-day qualification. Why don’t you look in your own backyard and clean out your own closet?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I’m going to ask the Premier to withdraw again.

Hon. Doug Ford: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Start the clock. Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Thank you, Speaker, but I can assure the Premier that he won’t be invited, so he’d better not hold his breath. He won’t be invited.

The member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston went on to say, “Even when the government”—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I have to be able to hear the members who are asking the questions. It’s pretty simple. I ask all members to allow the Speaker to do that.

Start the clock. The Leader of the Opposition can conclude her question.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston went on to say—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for King–Vaughan will withdraw. Start the clock.

Mr. Stephen Lecce: I withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member over here said the same thing. You have to withdraw. Stand up, member for Brantford–Brant, and withdraw.

Mr. Will Bouma: Withdrawn.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Start the clock. I apologize. The Leader of the Opposition has the floor.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston went on to say, “Even when the government is in violation of the law or engaged in unlawful activity, I must accept these decisions as a team member and neither dissent in caucus nor speak publicly of these illegal/unlawful actions.” Was the member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston removed from the PC caucus because he objected to the government allegedly engaging in illegal activities?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Please take your seats.

Premier.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: In this chamber, we know the only thing that’s going on that was illegal was sending out a letter four days prior to a fundraiser. You need to send it out seven days prior to a fundraiser. And it’s $800 to have access to the leader. No one has to pay to have access to Doug Ford. They just call me on my cellphone. I’ll show up at their homes. I go to people’s houses. Unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who you’ve got to pay $800, all you have to do is call me on my cellphone. That’s the difference.

Government accountability

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. It raises a lot of questions when we have a Premier who was caught participating in fundraisers that were in violation of the law before he was even elected, Speaker, and now a senior member of his inner circle is accused by a veteran PC MPP of engaging in illegal lobbying activities.

Will the Premier tell this House if he has any knowledge of Dean French or of his senior staff’s involvement in illegal lobbying activities? Just answer the question.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition has thrown out names, serious accusations. Rather than sitting here cowardly in this chamber, why doesn’t she go outside and name the names? Because she knows that she’ll be sued. She knows that she will be sued and that she doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

It’s unfortunate that they throw these false accusations here in this protected chamber.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the Premier to once again withdraw.

Hon. Doug Ford: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: If the Premier has nothing to hide, and Dean French and other members of the Premier’s senior staff have not engaged in any illegal lobbying activities, will the Premier then fully co-operate with any investigations the OPP chooses to launch?

Hon. Doug Ford: Again, through you, Mr. Speaker: I find it ironic that we have an $800 cash-for-access to sit down and have a couple of cold beers with the Leader of the Opposition. That is illegal. You can’t be asking for cash-for-access four days before, sending out emails, going to all your top union buddies and the leaders—because I differentiate between labour and labour leadership, public and private sector unions.

I support the front-line people. But I’ll tell you one thing: The front-line people do not support their hard-earned tax dollars going to these $800-a-night fundraisers to have a few drinks with the Leader of the Opposition.

Taxation

Mrs. Amy Fee: My question is for the Premier. Environmentalism and conservation are key components to the identity of Ontario, and Ontario has already made significant progress. Meaningful efforts of individuals and industry have paid off, and because of this, we have already reduced provincial emissions by 22%.

Local Ontario businesses like Challenger Motor Freight in Cambridge are taking it upon themselves to reduce emissions.

Mr. Speaker, could the Premier please share with us why he and the Minister of the Environment, myself and my colleagues from Waterloo region were in my riding of Kitchener South–Hespeler last week?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: I want to thank the champion of all champions, Kitchener South–Hespeler MPP Amy Fee. She has more courage than anyone in this room. What a true champion—for the question.

We had a great visit out in Cambridge last week. We went to Challenger, one of the largest freight companies in the country. We went there with the Minister of the Environment. We went there with a couple of other MPPs.

This is what we heard from the front-line truck drivers: They are terrified about this carbon tax. They know that everything in the country will go up in cost because everything gets delivered by a truck. Gas prices will go up. Everything will go up in the household. Taking your kids from point A to point B will cost you more. Going to the grocery store will cost you more.

But the NDP supports that. They support higher taxes, higher carbon taxes, higher gas prices. That is their socialist mentality—

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

Mrs. Amy Fee: Back to the Premier: It’s clear that through great sacrifice and the meaningful efforts of businesses like Challenger, Ontario has worked to make significant greenhouse gas emission reductions, without a federal carbon tax.

Ontario can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change without a federal carbon tax, yet Justin Trudeau is continuing with his plan to force this tax on the people of our great province.

Mr. Speaker, can the Premier elaborate on what the federal carbon tax would do to the hard-working men and women of this province?

Hon. Doug Ford: Again, thank you to the member for the question.

We went there. What a positive, positive response. Do you know what was just as positive? When we heard the job numbers.

We have built an environment here in Ontario that people have confidence in. Owners of companies small, medium and large have confidence to hire people—41,000 new jobs were created; the month before, 37,000; the month before, 17,000. Almost 100,000 new jobs were created in Ontario in the private sector. It doesn’t cost the taxpayers anything at all.

Revenues went up a billion dollars in the province because everyone in the world knows Ontario is open for business and open for jobs—

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): What’s in the water today?

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I’m happy you showed up today.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Essex will withdraw.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I withdraw, Speaker.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The House will come to order so I can hear the next question.

Start the clock.

Government accountability

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Premier. Speaker, in his explosive letter from yesterday, the member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston indicated that his expulsion from the government caucus is a direct result of “raising concerns about possible illegal and unregistered lobbying by close friends and advisers of the Premier.” Did the Premier remove the member from caucus because he raised these concerns—yes or no?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: There’s absolutely no truth to any of the allegations that the member from Essex has been accusing people who are totally innocent yesterday and today.

The member from Essex walks around here like he’s a real tough guy. He thinks he’s a big tough guy, but why doesn’t the big tough guy walk outside and make those accusations outside this door if he’s so tough? He’s not tough. He knows he doesn’t have a good enough lawyer to walk outside those doors. He walks around as a tough guy, but he’s nothing but a coward. He is nothing but—

Interjections.

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

I wish to advise the House that the intemperate language is getting out of control and I have no choice but to start warning members. Personal insults are not helpful to the dialogue or the discussion, and I would ask all members to keep that in mind in terms of the language that they’re using in the context of the remainder of question period.

Start the clock. Supplementary.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I guess we know why the Premier wanted his buddy to head up the OPP so badly. That’s a telling answer by the Premier.

Expelling this member from caucus for—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the member for Essex to withdraw.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I withdraw, Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member can conclude his question.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Expelling the member from caucus for trying to speak out is just the latest of a string of revenge plots that this Premier has been obsessed by. From Brad Blair to Alykhan Velshi to the city of Toronto councillors whom he could never get along with, this Premier attacks anyone—anyone—who steps out of line.

I ask again: Did the Premier remove the member for Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston as a revenge plot for refusing to conceal alleged illegal activity—yes or no? Yes or no, Premier? Stand up and give us an answer.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: Again, the accusations are absolutely ridiculous. Again, I find it so rich, so ironic, that they’re holding an $800 access-to-the-leader bar free for all, whatever you want to call it—drink all you want for $800. Once you drink all you want, then you have the access, and once you pay the $800—again, we don’t believe in that. We believe that anyone who needs our help can make the phone call and pick it up. We believe in the $25 spaghetti dinners that we’ve been doing all across the province. We’ve had great turnouts speaking to communities and listening to their concerns.

The number one comment I hear is, “Keep going. Do not deter from what you’re doing. Keep moving.” I can promise the people of Ontario, we will keep moving this province forward and make sure everyone prospers—

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

Interjections.

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

Start the clock. Next question.

Job creation

Mrs. Nina Tangri: My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Our government came into office on a commitment to create and protect good jobs for the hard-working people of our province. We promised to make Ontario open for business and open for jobs, and our plan is working. Last month Ontario led the way in job creation by adding 37,000 new jobs, and in just the last three months we’ve created over 95,000 jobs, including many in my riding of Mississauga–Streetsville.

Can the minister outline for the House how we are making our province an engine for job creation and economic prosperity?

Hon. Todd Smith: Thanks to the member. I had a great tour yesterday of a business in the member’s riding.

Ontario is leading the way in job creation because we finally have a Premier and we have a government that understands business. As the member alluded to, we’ve created a lot of jobs since becoming government. In January, we created 41,000 jobs, and then this month we got more great news. Last Friday, Stats Canada reported that Ontario was the sole province with a notable employment gain in February.

Speaker, the United States created 20,000 jobs; Ontario created 37,000 jobs. It’s a testament to the quality of our workforce, of our job creators and of the work that this Ontario government is doing to reduce red tape, lower taxes, make Ontario open for business, make Ontario open for jobs.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Thank you to the minister for his answer. I know my constituents want to see Ontario become the economic engine of Canada once again, and I know that our government is creating the environment necessary to make that happen. We promised to create an environment where businesses can grow, thrive and create good jobs, and we are doing exactly that.

I know the minister and our entire team have been hard at work reducing red tape and burdensome regulation. Could the minister please inform how important it is to continue creating good jobs for the hard-working people of our province?

Hon. Todd Smith: Thanks again to the member from Mississauga. We had a great tour yesterday with GlaxoSmithKline in her riding, finding out how we can reduce red tape to ensure that they stay here and create good jobs in Ontario.

When Stats Canada made the announcement last week that we had created 95,000 jobs in the last three months, all the member from the opposition, the NDP from Waterloo, could do is shrug her shoulders.

We think that 95,000 jobs is great news, Mr. Speaker, for the people of Ontario. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to continue to create jobs so that families can put food on the table and they can send their kids to university and college and make sure that we have the workforce of the future.

Our government is continuing to make sure that we have that skills match that works in our post-secondary and our public education system for the jobs of the future. We’re going to cut red tape, we’re going to cut taxes and we’re going to continue to create jobs in Ontario.

Education funding

Ms. Marit Stiles: My question is for the Minister of Education. But before I go to that, the Premier has talked a few times about how he always answers his cellphone. I sat with a group of parents yesterday of children with autism who said they have been calling his cellphone repeatedly and have received no response.

Yesterday, teachers, education workers and allies across the province wore black to protest the government’s plan to jam more kids into overcrowded classes and rip a billion dollars out of Ontario schools. But as school boards and educators continued to assess the damage of these sweeping cuts, it seems the minister might already be setting her sights on full-day kindergarten, telling reporters yesterday that “we are reviewing all of our options” when it comes to staffing. Speaker, given this minister’s track record, why should parents believe that those options are anything more than cuts, cuts and more cuts?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Again, I’m pleased to rise in this House and talk about our government’s vision on how we’re going to make education work for everyone in this province, because we know that over the last decade and a half, it completely went off the rails under the leadership of the Liberal government. The Liberal government, over 15 years, failed our students with experiments and ideology that saw math scores and overall scores plummet. The resiliency of students absolutely plummeted as well, and the confidence that parents and employers had in Ontario’s education system absolutely plummeted as well.

Therefore, the narrative that the opposition party is trying to create is, quite frankly, offensive, Speaker, because we’re doing what we said we would do. We’ve consulted, we’ve listened and we’re modernizing and building an education system that is absolutely going to see success for our students.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Well, Mr. Speaker, I’m so sorry the minister is offended, but we are going to continue to stand here every single day and oppose these massive cuts to our classrooms.

Increases to class sizes, forcing students to take more classes online, eliminating 20% of teaching positions in secondary schools alone—that’s 10,000 fewer adults in our schools and less support for every single student. Small and rural schools are particularly worried about keeping their doors open, and not just the small high schools, but elementary schools too. We know from hearing from communities and teachers in Renfrew, Arnprior and elsewhere that they are looking at class sizes in elementary schools of at least 32 children.

With fewer supports, school boards continue to struggle with all of these inadequate special needs budgets. Can the minister explain how eliminating thousands of front-line jobs in education is in keeping with the Premier’s promise to Ontarians that—

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

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Speaker, first of all, we need to be crystal clear: There is no involuntary job loss happening under my watch—none. Again, I’m going to repeat that, for all our listeners and everyone in the House today. The plan we have pulled together is actually getting good reviews from parents, from teachers and from students.

Again, I repeat, to be crystal clear, so that nobody gets caught up in the ridiculous narrative that the opposition is trying to create: No one is going to involuntarily lose their job, because we know we have some of the best teachers around the world, and we are standing with them. For once, teachers know that they have a government that is going to be standing with them, to make sure they have the best learning environment in Ontario and across Canada. Because again, it all comes down to making sure we create pathways—

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

Autism treatment

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Deputy Premier. When I was coming to Queen’s Park very early yesterday morning, I met a cab driver. His name was Jessim. We got to talking. He asked what I did, and then he said to me, “Can you tell Doug Ford something for me?” I said, “Sure.”

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): You have to refer to the Premier by the expression “the Premier.”

Mr. John Fraser: Thank you very much, Speaker—“the Premier.” I said, “Sure.”

“Tell him I have a son who is six years old. He has autism. He started saying his first few words with the help of therapy. On April 1, he’s going to lose that therapy. I don’t know what we’re going to do. Schools don’t have the support that he needs. Tell him my family needs his help.”

Speaker, we are 12 days away from a little six-year-old boy and many other children losing services their futures depend on. Through you to the Deputy Premier, I’m asking again: Will they hit the pause button, meet with families and work with them?

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: I want to thank the member from Ottawa South for bringing this to the floor of the assembly and for bringing Jessim’s story here.

I must say that the last month has been very emotionally charged for many people across the province. It’s been a very difficult time for many families as they come to terms with our policy. I will say that my parliamentary assistant, Amy Fee, and I continue to consult with families. I have been working with the Minister of Health, as well as the Minister of Education, so we can ensure that there are wraparound supports for families across the province of Ontario. I’m going to continue to work with those families. I’ll continue to work with the stakeholders in the field. We’re going to make sure that where we can make some enhancements, we’ll do that.

But let me be perfectly clear: The system that we inherited from that member’s party was broken and broke. We had to go to Treasury Board not once, but twice, in order to get over $102 million to sustain a broken system. We’re going to continue to make historic investments into autism in this province.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. John Fraser: I’m not going to comment on the response; I’m just going to let it speak for itself.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: What the government needs to do for these families is to walk their very difficult path with them. What they’re hearing from the minister and the Premier is, “We’re giving you money. Just go away. You’re on your own.”

I know that across the aisle, there are other members of the government caucus who have met with families, listened to them and want to help them. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the government caucus room this afternoon, but I do know we’re 12 days away from many children losing the things they need.

I know that some members of the government caucus have had the courage to do the right thing. Through you, Speaker: Will the Premier have that same kind of courage and do the right thing, pause the program and sit down with families? Yes or no?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Look, the previous Liberal government left us with a broken system that did not support 75% of the children in the province of Ontario. We will continue with our plan on April 1 to clear the wait-list so that the 23,000 children—

Miss Monique Taylor: She’s a trophy on the shelf.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton Mountain is warned.

Minister, please respond.

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Our commitment to the 23,000 children who are presently on the wait-list is to move them as quickly as possible over the next 18 months into the direct funding model so that they get the service they need.

We have made additional investments in the education system. I’m working with the Minister of Health so we can have stronger standards. We are open and committed to an effective dialogue that is respectful and one that we can move forward on. We have empathy in our government with families who have been dealing with this diagnosis, but our commitment today is to clearing the wait-list in the next 18 months for those 23,000 children.

Agri-food industry

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. As everyone in this House knows, good things grow in Ontario. Under the previous government, farmers in my riding faced burden after burden that made it more difficult for them to produce the local food we all love.

Our government is committed to increasing access to local foods by removing redundant and outdated regulation, while also implementing exciting new initiatives. I know that increasing sales of local food will create jobs in Niagara West, increase economic growth and ensure rural communities like mine remain sustainable.

My question is simple: Can the minister please tell the House how the new goal of the Local Food Act he announced this week is proposing to increase local food purchases in the public sector?

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: I thank the member from Niagara West for his question. Yesterday, I was proud to announce that our government has established a new goal under the Local Food Act that will help the broader public sector increase access to local food in their institutions and daily operations.

Public sector organizations, including universities, colleges, school boards, hospitals, long-term-care facilities and municipalities, are being encouraged to serve locally grown, made-in-Ontario foods, including in cafeterias and to patients. We’ve launched new tools, such as the interactive local food hubs map, that will make it easier for organizations to find and purchase the local food they want.

I want to thank all those organizations that worked with us to help identify some of the barriers and red tape that were making it more difficult to purchase local food.

Our government wants to see the agriculture industry in Ontario expand, and by making it easier for those in the public sector to increase access to local food, we are doing exactly that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Thank you to the minister for his answer. Local Ontario food plays a vital role in our province’s economy. Local food encourages job creation, strengthens economic growth and supports our hard-working farmers.

It’s encouraging to see Ontario farmers, food processors and distributors coming together to increase the presence of local food in our large market, and I look forward to seeing more food grown locally in my riding across public sector institutions in my community.

Could the minister please elaborate on the various initiatives our government is developing to ensure that Ontario food is seen in the broader public sector?

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: Once again, thank you to the member for the question. In speaking with stakeholders, it was clear an increasing number of public sector institutions are looking to increase their local food. Some of the initiatives our government is proposing to increase access to local food in our public institutions include:

—new and informative videos to promote local Ontario food;

—a recognition initiative to help public sector institutions who succeed in achieving their food targets; and

—sharing tracking documents to help organizations set goals and measure their success year over year.

I also encourage everyone to look at the Foodland Ontario logo to know they are choosing the good things that grow in our Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to promoting the good things that grow in our province, and I’m excited about all these initiatives and look forward to continue working and promoting Ontario food.

Special-needs students

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Minister of Education. More than half of the approximately 3,700 students in the Thames Valley District School Board who currently require school-based rehabilitation therapy are on a wait-list for those services. Some have been waiting years for the occupational therapy, physiotherapy or speech-language pathology they need to be able to learn. Without additional funding, many of these students may never receive the essential services they require to be successful at school.

Instead of ripping a billion dollars out of our education system, will the minister commit today to eliminating the wait-list for in-school rehabilitation therapy for Thames Valley students?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Mr. Speaker, I find it kind of rich because, just a couple days ago—even just moments ago—when we talk about eliminating wait-lists, this party opposite loses their mind.

Hon. Todd Smith: Give them what they want, they go nuts.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: You give them what they want and they go crazy.

Ms. Catherine Fife: You’re cutting services when you’re doing that. That’s the difference.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Waterloo, come to order.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: The fact of the matter is, we of course are taking a look at what we need to be doing in our classrooms and in our school system.

I hear from occupational therapists and speech therapists on a regular basis. They’re providing a lot of feedback. In fact, I’m thinking of one right now, and she supports getting back to the basics.

Ms. Jill Andrew: What’s her name?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Her name is Jenna. If you want more details, I’d be pleased to speak to you about it later.

Jenna was sincere of heart because she applauded us getting back to the basics in math. She said, “Don’t stop there. We need to get back to phonics.” That is exactly what Jenna told me. And you know what? I certainly—

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

Interjections.

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

Start the clock. Supplementary?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: Speaker, eliminating the wait-list means adding services, not cutting them. The transfer of responsibility for school-based rehabilitation therapy from health care providers to children’s treatment centres was supposed to improve access for children with special needs and ensure seamless support from birth to 18. Instead, what we are seeing in the London area is even less timely service, wait-lists that are getting longer and more children being denied the supports they need to learn.

How does this minister expect students to be successful at school when they don’t have the basic physiotherapy they need to hold a pencil, the basic occupational therapy they need to sit in a circle or use the washroom or the basic speech therapy they need to communicate in the classroom?

Interjections.

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

Minister?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: You know what? What we just heard from the member opposite are more examples and more results of a failed Liberal government and how, for this past decade and a half, the Liberal administration failed our students across Ontario.

But I’ll tell you this, Speaker: We’re going to get it right. We’re investing in an education system across this province that’s going to work for everyone. We’re going to be addressing the success factors that students need in order to feel confident and resilient when it comes to being out in the world of work.

Speaker, I can tell you this: Again, what we’re doing is, we’re listening to our parents and we’re listening to the teachers. We’re listening to the 72,000 people who participated in our consultation, because constructive feedback has just been invaluable.

Again, I want to talk about Jenna, who sincerely sent me examples and clips and research that showed, not only do parents and occupational—

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

M me Marie-France Lalonde: Ma question est pour la ministre des Affaires francophones.

Demain, on célèbre la Journée internationale de la Francophonie. Ma question est très simple : est-ce que la francophonie en Ontario est une priorité pour elle, oui ou non?

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Bien sûr, la francophonie ontarienne est une grande priorité pour moi et pour notre gouvernement.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

M me Marie-France Lalonde: Je remercie la ministre pour sa réponse. Mais d’après les évidences, mis à part des petits slogans ici et là, ce gouvernement ne s’occupe que de leurs amis, et définitivement pas de leurs dissidents.

Les coupures d’un gouvernement ne doivent pas se faire sur le dos des francophones ou encore des enfants avec des besoins spéciaux, dans les soins de santé ou en éducation. Ce gouvernement est tellement mal pris qu’ils ont désespérément eu besoin de l’approbation d’un ancien premier ministre conservateur, à une émission québécoise, pour justifier les actions de la ministre des Affaires francophones.

Alors, ma question est vraiment simple pour la ministre : quels sont les gestes concrets—et je dis, les gestes concrets—que vous allez prendre pour augmenter le support à la francophonie de l’Ontario?

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Bien sûr, la francophonie ontarienne occupe une place très importante. Notre gouvernement oeuvre tous les jours pour supporter et appuyer la francophonie ontarienne de façon durable, de façon différente que le gouvernement libéral précédent, qui avait 15 budgets pour supporter la francophonie ontarienne de façon durable—

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Fifteen budgets.

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Quinze budgets sans appui durable.

Nous oeuvrons tous les jours pour s’assurer que l’Ontario soit ouvert aux affaires, pour appuyer nos entrepreneurs francophones et franco-ontariens. Nous travaillons sur les refontes de la santé pour nous assurer que les besoins des Franco-Ontariens continuent de s’améliorer, que l’accès aux services de santé s’améliore.

Municipal government

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Mr. Speaker, I’m proud to be part of a government that is committed to being more efficient while improving service delivery. That means reviewing old systems to find what is and what is not working. We are delivering on this commitment through the regional government review currently under way. It is putting the people of Ontario first and making sure that they are getting the services they need in the most effective way.

Last week, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing had some great news to announce regarding the review. Mr. Speaker, can the minister update the House on the status of that review?

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the member for Oakville North–Burlington, not just for that excellent question, but also for her tremendous advocacy in her riding.

Speaker, I want to be clear. The goal of our government’s regional government review is to make sure that regional governments are working harder, smarter and more efficiently. The review is focused on those eight regional governments and also the county of Simcoe and their lower-tier municipalities.

Last week, as the member notes, I was pleased to announce the launch of the online consultation for our government’s regional government review. The participation of the people who live, who work and who spend time in those municipalities covered by the review is going to be vital for the recommendations that my two special advisers will provide me this summer. I encourage everyone who lives and works in those regional areas to share their thoughts at ontario.ca/regionalgovernment.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: Thank you to the minister for that answer.

The constituents in my community of Oakville North–Burlington are excited to have their voices heard by this government. After 15 years of neglect and lack of consultation by the previous Liberal government, it is a refreshing change to be able to provide input and know it is valued. It is an honour to be part of a government that is looking out for the people of Ontario and that is committed to restoring trust and accountability in our governments.

Can the minister please explain to the House how those who live, work and spend time in the municipalities covered in the review can participate?

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to again thank the member for that very important question. She is absolutely right. The previous Liberal government had a history of not consulting with Ontarians but, instead, imposing their changes on municipalities and the people of this province. Speaker, our government is different. We are consulting and, more importantly, we are listening.

Residents of the municipalities captured in the review are encouraged to go online at ontario.ca/regionalgovernment and share their thoughts about our regional government review. The deadline to provide comment is April 23.

In addition to the public online consultation, the special advisers will continue to meet with key municipal stakeholders and members of the public in each region and also in Simcoe county. Details of this phase of Ontario’s regional government review will continue, and it will be available in the weeks and months ahead.

Thank you again for the wonderful question.

Training schools

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is for the Attorney General. For decades, the provincial government used the Ontario training schools as a place to send troubled youth. At these facilities, youth were subjected to physical, sexual and emotional abuse on a daily basis. The survivors of this barbaric system have asked the government for an apology or support or other remedies. This government has turned them down, and the minister is actively avoiding them.

Will the Attorney General do the right thing and apologize for the abuse survivors experienced at training schools?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I thank the member opposite for the question. This is a sad

chapter in Ontario’s history. I wish that I could say more on the topic, but Ontario was served late in 2017 with a statement of claim. It was certified as a class proceeding and, as such, I cannot speak to the case as it is a matter of active litigation. I’m sorry.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Miss Monique Taylor: Speaker, as many as 20,000 children were sent to training schools and were subjected to systemic, daily abuse. These children were the responsibility of the crown, and they were failed by their government.

For decades, the survivors have lived with the trauma. What they want is an acknowledgment of the horrific experiences that they endured, but instead they’re getting silence.

Will the Attorney General stop ignoring the training school survivors and, instead, acknowledge that their trauma is real?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Mr. Speaker, I just previously acknowledged to the member opposite and to this House how difficult this

chapter was for so many people in our history—and for those experiences—but as I’ve said, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this. That is not meant to negate the pain and suffering that so many people in this province have felt and experienced, but unfortunately, I cannot comment any further.

Public transit

Mr. Roman Baber: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Our government for the people made a promise during the election to get the people of Ontario moving, and we’re doing just that. We value input from our partners and the people of Ontario so that we can provide the best possible transit services.

Recently there have been a lot of questions and attention surrounding the GO buses that were taken off the loop at York University. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Transportation for his leadership on the issue and for always putting the interests of students first. I also want to thank Metrolinx for their ongoing conversation with York University in trying to find a solution that works for students. Can the Minister of Transportation kindly update the Legislature on the conversations between York University and Metrolinx?

Hon. Jeff Yurek: I’d like to thank the member from York–Simcoe—or York Centre; excuse me—for that question. He’s been a strong addition to our team here at Queen’s Park, and we look forward to working together for years to come.

The issue at York University regarding the GO buses is very unfortunate, but I want to be very clear with the Legislature here that myself; my parliamentary assistant, Kinga Surma; the Ministry of Transportation; and Metrolinx have worked very hard to keep the buses on the campuses.

However, York University requested that GO buses be removed off the bus loop. Metrolinx intervened and had them stay until the end of January. However, at that time, York University removed the buses and closed the loop that they went to. It’s only recently, when their students and faculty complained, that York University changed its tune and wanted the buses back. However, Mr. Speaker, they’ve closed down the loop. There isn’t safety for the students and faculty to get off. That’s what we’re focusing on: safety for the students and faculty. We’re going to continue to work with—

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

Mr. Roman Baber: Speaker, through you back to the minister: Thank you, Minister, for that response. As a York University alumni, this is an important issue to myself, my colleagues and, more importantly, the students at York University.

I know that the Minister of Transportation and Metrolinx have been working hard to find a solution that works for everyone. It’s truly unfortunate that the university made a request to remove the buses only to retract the request later on. Minister, it is also regretful the university is not interested in working out solutions for students. I know there has been much correspondence between Metrolinx and the university, but it is difficult to find a solution when York University cannot offer routes for buses that are a safe alternative to the York Lanes bus route.

Can the Minister of Transportation tell us more about what Metrolinx is doing to ensure student interest is at the forefront of these discussions?

Hon. Jeff Yurek: Thanks again to—since I mispronounced it last time—the York Centre member for that question. I just want to set the record straight here on the GO buses, because it’s apparent some members of the opposition don’t have the clear story of what went on with regard to Metrolinx and York University.

Metrolinx sent letters to York University with reasonable solutions outlined in the document. However, York University was not interested in working on any of the solutions put forward by Metrolinx for the students.

Mr. Speaker, not only has Metrolinx offered reasonable solutions to meet all the needs of all parties involved, but they have also offered to reduce fares for those travelling from the new location and transferring to the TTC.

Mr. Speaker, the MTO, Metrolinx and myself and my parliamentary assistant, Kinga Surma, are willing to continue to find solutions that work for students and faculty. It’s my hope that York University will join us in keeping students’ interests safe and keeping the faculty safe—

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

Anti-racism activities

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: My question is to the Premier. Last year, members of the Black Ontario Public Service Employees Network spoke out against anti-Black racism in the Ontario government. They shared their experiences with the former Liberal minister responsible for the Anti-Racism Directorate, and they demanded a moratorium on the suspension of racialized employees until these issues were addressed. Within a week, 52 cases of racialized employees who were suspended or off work were identified.

In July 2018, just over a month after the new government came into power, the moratorium was quietly lifted. The government claimed the investigation was complete. Can the Premier please tell the people of Ontario what they uncovered in their investigation that allowed them to believe that they had solved the problem of anti-Black racism within the OPS?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you for the question. My ministry and my deputy minister have been working very aggressively on the Anti-Racism Directorate. There are many issues that we are reviewing and studying. There are a lot of inputs, frankly, that we need to review to make sure that we get this right. This is not a fast pathway to a quick solution. We want to study it, get it right, do it carefully. We’re doing that now.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: Back to the Premier: Jean-Marie Dixon and Hentrose Nelson are both Black women who were employed by the Ontario Public Service. They’re suing the provincial government and allege that their experiences of ongoing anti-Black racism throughout their public service careers have resulted in PTSD. The OPS has