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March 24, 2026

44th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2026-Mar-24 (PDF)

L053 - Tue 24 Mar 2026 / Mar 24 mar 2026

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 24 March 2026 Mardi 24 mars 2026

Orders of the Day

Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 visant à maintenir les criminels derrière les barreaux

Members’ Statements

EnerQuest Technologies Solutions

Student assistance

Community organizations

Lambertha Dirkje Greijdanus

Hate crimes

Government’s record

Health care workers

Mental health and addiction services

Human trafficking

Eid-Ul-Fitr

Peter Clark

Special report, Ombudsman

Introduction of Visitors

Remarkable Women at Queen’s Park

Legislative pages

Question Period

Student assistance

Hospital services

Government’s record

Student assistance

Consumer protection

Health care funding

Government’s agenda

Ontario budget

Student assistance

Student assistance

Nuclear power facilities

Student assistance

Student assistance

Emergency preparedness

Introduction of Visitors

Introduction of Government Bills

Supply Act, 2026 / Loi de crédits de 2026

Petitions

Education funding

Student assistance

Education funding

Education funding

Subventions destinées à l’éducation

Education funding

Education funding

Government services

Tuition

Services de laboratoire

Orders of the Day

Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 visant à maintenir les criminels derrière les barreaux

Reappointment of Chief Medical Officer of Health / Renouvellement de mandat du médecin hygiéniste en chef

Adjournment Debate

Government accountability

Special-needs students

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Good morning, everyone.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 visant à maintenir les criminels derrière les barreaux

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 23, 2026, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 75,

An Act to enact the Constable Joe MacDonald Public Safety Officers’ Survivors Scholarship Fund Act, 2026 and to amend various other Acts / Projet de loi 75, Loi édictant la Loi de 2026 sur le Fonds Joe MacDonald de bourses d’études à l’intention des survivants d’agents de sécurité publique et modifiant diverses autres lois.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Further debate?

Ms. Laura Smith: It is my very great pleasure to rise in the House today in support of Bill 75, Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act.

Speaker, for far too long violent, repeat offenders have cycled through the justice system, putting families at risk and wreaking havoc in our communities. This legislation tackles those issues by strengthening bail compliance and holding criminals accountable and supporting law enforcement in protecting our fundamental rights to live in our communities in safety and without fear.

And that’s why we passed landmark legislation, including Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act, Enhancing Access to Justice Act and the Strengthening Safety and Modernizing Justice Act. And that’s why we’re here today with another example of us stepping forward and leading Canada in keeping people safe.

The Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act is the result of collaboration across government under the leadership of our Premier. For the purpose of my remarks today, I’m going to focus on issues that have a very profound impact on the residents of my riding and that of the entire province for that matter, which includes the fundamental right of people to feel safe in our communities. It seems quite simple, but this is what we’re going to talk about today.

Mr. Speaker, over the past two and a half years, we’ve seen a very troubling rise in hate-driven attacks, particularly in my riding of Thornhill, that have shaken the very feeling of safety that communities rely upon. People in my riding have experienced something no one in our province should ever have to feel: fear in their own neighbourhoods. I want you to think about that. They fear to be in their own neighbourhoods.

We’ve had multiple intimidating rallies that have taken place outside of synagogues and businesses, including one located beside a building that’s home to many vulnerable seniors and individuals with complex needs. These individuals, who have spent their lives contributing to our communities, raising families and building this province—in that moment, they felt afraid to leave their own homes, afraid to step outside, afraid to go about their daily routines. That should stop all of us in our tracks, because when anyone—but especially our most vulnerable—feels trapped in their residence due to hate-fuelled intimidation, something fundamental has been broken.

Another hateful rally that took place outside of a synagogue—the largest congregation in my riding and, actually, in Canada, for that matter—targeted a place of worship that’s meant to be a sanctuary—a place of worship, a place to gather, a place of peace. I recall the mob attempting to not just intimidate the community but also attempting to gain entrance to that place of worship. This was one of the lowest times I can recall where our community experienced what we thought was absolutely unthinkable. The worst part about it is that it happened again and again, and then we saw the hate elevated to an even more disturbing level.

Sadly, we’ve seen hateful words that have now become fully violent. Just two weeks ago, on March 7, shots were fired at that synagogue. Let that sink in: A place where families come together, where children learn, where communities are built, where people pray, and yet it became the site of violence. These are not isolated incidents; they are part of a pattern, one that is leaving everyone, but especially our Jewish community, feeling unsafe, targeted and uncertain about their future. No one should have to fear where they pray.

In Ontario, we won’t tolerate hatred aimed at any one group, and we won’t tolerate violence and intimidation aimed at any group. We won’t permit these lawless few to prevent people from exercising their rights to go to work, to worship and to go to school in safety and without fear. People must be able to come and go freely, without the threat of intimidation, without the threat of a hateful rally. They have to be free of those threats. That’s why we’re exploring ways to protect and secure these spaces and make accessing them barrier-free.

That’s why this legislation matters so deeply, because at its core, justice policy must do one thing above all else: It must ensure that people feel safe in their communities.

In response to these concerns, I was proud to convene a meeting, bringing together community leaders to discuss exactly what we’re going to do to strengthen safety on the ground and ensure people feel protected in their own homes, their places of worship and in their businesses.

Speaker, our government showed up. The Premier was there in Thornhill, listening to the realities facing the families. His message was very clear: Intimidation and violence will not be tolerated, regardless of someone’s religion. Because this Premier understands that the open display of violent rhetoric and actions have no place in Ontario. And, more than understanding, this Premier has taken real action.

The Solicitor General first spoke on this bill with this narrative, including ensuring secure, unobstructed access to key locations including places of worship, cultural hubs and critical infrastructure.

When these bad actors send a message of exclusion, of fear, of division, our response must be clear that this province will not tolerate it—full stop. We must ensure that our laws reflect the seriousness of these actions, that enforcement tools are effective and that those who engage in hate-driven conduct are held accountable.

But beyond that, we must also restore confidence—confidence for the seniors who want to walk outside their homes, confidence for the families who want to attend services without fear and confidence in communities who deserve to gather, to celebrate and to live freely. Speaker, this legislation is another step towards that, because our government, under the leadership of our Premier, is unwavering in this fight. We will not back down—not in my community. Nowhere in our province will we back down.

I’m now going to turn the page and talk a little bit about bail reform. Alongside these incidents, there are other concerns that continue to sadly resonate across my riding—and across this province, for that matter—and that’s the necessity of bail reform. People are asking one simple question: How is it that individuals who pose a risk to public safety are able to cycle through the system so quickly? How is it that repeat offenders—something or someone with a history of violent or hate-motivated behaviour—are released, only for communities to bear those consequences?

This is not about undermining the principles of our justice system. This is fundamental, this is foundational to who we are, but public safety must also be foundational. And right now, there’s a growing perception—in many cases, a reality—that that sense of balance is not where it needs to be, and we cannot continue to see these situations where individuals are released without sufficient safeguards, only for further harm to occur.

Keeping in mind that our government has been consistently requesting that the federal government complete a full review on the interim release system, we know that we must pull out all the tools in our tool box for the safety and the well-being of our residents. And I hear this not from just one group but from across the board—from families, from seniors, from community leaders.

Bail reform is not about being punitive for the sake of it, it’s about being responsible. In my community, we have witnessed brazen surges of violence—home invasions with armed offenders breaking into people’s homes, terrorizing family members and, in one case, the offender murdered the father of a child in front of that child. One such home invasion happened just two weeks ago, and the accused, who was charged with breach of a probation order for other offences at the time of the home invasion—let’s put that into perspective: The accused at the time of the home invasion was out on probation.

Let’s remember: Individuals who are arrested are arrested because police had grounds to do so. In many cases, we’re talking about individuals who are repeat, often violent offenders. This is about ensuring that those who pose demonstrable risk are addressed and assessed properly. It’s about restoring confidence because without confidence in the justice system, the social fabric begins to unravel.

Speaker, we owe it to our constituents to get this right. This legislation is part of that conversation. That’s why our government is taking action and delivering on our promise by making bail more real and consequential for people accused of serious crimes. Our proposed changes would strengthen bail compliance by enhancing processes for debt collection, imposing mandatory cash security deposits, and improving tracking for violent and repeat offenders. I’m going to talk about those repeat offenders in just a little bit.

We’re also introducing mandatory full cash security deposits for accused persons or sureties in the amount ordered by the court. Currently, if the court orders release on a promise to pay, there is usually no cash deposit required. This means that when a condition of bail is violated, it often leads to challenges relating to the collection of forfeited bail payments, including time and resources that must be expended to collect payment.

Mandatory cash security deposits create a new deterrence to remind offenders and would-be offenders that there will be consequences for violating conditions of their release. Because at the end of the day, the responsibility is quite simple: to ensure that 99.9% of the population—those who are law-abiding citizens—can feel safe where they live, where they gather and where they belong.

I’m now going to talk about something that’s quite near and dear to me: I’m going to talk about Christopher’s Law, which helps keep our communities and children safe by enabling Ontario’s sex offender and trafficker registry. In my previous life just a few short years ago, I dealt with matters under the child protection act and, sadly, I’ve seen the underbelly of a system that has dealt with the most heinous offenders—those who have committed crimes under Christopher’s Law.

For those of you who do not know, Christopher was 11 years old when a convicted child molester with a criminal record abducted the young boy from Brampton at a shopping mall. The offender kept Christopher alive for 36 hours and assaulted him repeatedly before slitting his throat and dumping his body. After years of advocacy, Christopher’s parents, the Stephensons, advocated for Christopher’s Law, and the Ontario sex offender registry was created.

Sadly, those who have committed these heinous acts, the most vile crimes against our most vulnerable people—our children—those people were actually at liberty to make application to change their name. That’s why, not long ago, the member from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock and myself introduced Bill 138, Change of Name Amendment Act, which bans convicted sex offenders from making application for a legal name change. And because our priority was always on protecting the people and, more importantly, the children of Ontario, we were so happy to do that. She has a background in nursing.

She truly cares about our community, and I appreciate her partnership. I want to thank her in this House for all of the work she did on that bill.

It actually felt very strange but shocking that heinous criminals who are listed on this registry under Christopher’s Law could actually make application to change their name. Criminals would take advantage of this right to use a legal name change to distance themselves from a crime and create a new life. Sadly, their victims will never have a new life. The right to change one’s name should not be abused, but our work changed that, and our government knew we needed to prioritize the rights of the victims over that of the criminals.

These offenders under that registry are no longer able, through the legislation, to change their names. I was proud to be a part of a government that recognizes we have a shared responsibility to put our efforts into protecting the victims of these crimes—full stop.

Through the leadership of our Premier, a positive thing happened: We were very pleased when the change of name private member’s bill was absorbed into the safer streets legislation, which is part of this bill that we’re talking about today. Now, in that same spirit, we are honoured to continue that work. Today, our government, under the leadership of our Premier and the Solicitor General, is continuing that important work by exploring how to share information from that registry with the police to better protect our communities, our children, our families, to keep our kids safe.

Part of the research that went into our private member’s bill on the change of name was very disturbing. We interviewed police forces and professionals in law enforcement to learn that violent sexual offenders, who prey on our children, had a very high rate of recidivism, and that means they’re more likely to be a repeat offender. Sadly, these criminals who also prey on children are going to get back on the streets and they’re more likely to perform these heinous acts.

As a legislator and, more importantly, as a mother, I think that our communities deserve better transparency in this information, and I know the sharing of the information on this registry, if that saves one child’s life, we have done our jobs as legislators—because our government is unwavering in our commitment to public safety and our priority will always be protecting the people of Ontario.

I want to thank all the professionals within the police force, including the amazing team at York Regional Police, for their assistance in our private member’s bill. Their dedication was truly outstanding, and they made a true difference for the people of Ontario.

I would be very remiss if I did not recognize the bravery, the resilience of the parents of Christopher Stephenson—Christopher, a boy whose legacy lives on through his parents’ determination in creating the sex offender registry. I had the pleasure of meeting the Stephensons on a few occasions and I hope they know how much we owe them as a province and their commitment to the creation of this registry, by taking something so difficult—the loss of a child, through a horrific act, a violent act—and creating something so positive. I’m grateful. We’re also very grateful to them for showing up and being there. They were always there for us, and now we need to continue to be there for them.

Another critical part of Bill 75 is its focus on the protecting responsible drivers’ portion and making sure impaired and dangerous drivers are held accountable, because, regrettably, we’ve seen tragedies happen. Last summer, when 35-year-old Andrew Cristillo was killed in a devastating accident, leaving behind a wife, three children and a family forever altered. The driver of that other vehicle was facing previous charges for dangerous driving and stunt driving at the time of that crash.

There was another upsetting incident, just a few years prior, that happened in my riding of Thornhill, that took the life of 10-year-old Nikita Belykh when she rode her bike alongside the sidewalk of the North Thornhill Community Centre. The driver was charged with careless driving causing death. Mr. Speaker, no family should ever have to face the heartbreaking loss of losing a loved one or the trauma of that life-changing injury because of a dangerous and careless driver.

Bill 75 explores requiring convicted impaired drivers to pay ongoing child support to surviving minor dependents because when impaired drivers kill a parent or a guardian the impact on that child is devastating emotionally and financially. Mr. Speaker, this is about justice and compassion. Families should not have to bear the financial burden of someone else’s reckless choices, and our government believes in accountability for those they harm.

That’s why we’re consulting victims’ families and legal experts and law enforcement to design the most effective approach. Under the leadership of our Premier, we’re standing up for the victims and putting public safety first.

Mr. Speaker, when we step back and we look at what we’re discussing today—community safety, bail, dangerous driving—it ultimately comes down to a shared responsibility, a responsibility to ensure that the people of our communities, the people of Thornhill, the people across the province, feel safe. This is a responsibility to ensure that our system responds appropriately when that safety is threatened and a responsibility to set clear expectations around accountability and respect across the board.

This bill is a tribute to the memory of Christopher Stephenson. Please support this bill in memory of Nikita Belykh and Andrew Cristillo and support this bill for the safety and security of our ridings, not just Thornhill, not just York Centre, not just Eglinton–Lawrence, not just King–Vaughan, but for the entire province.

I want to thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to this matter today.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: I appreciate the speech that was made by the member. A question I have, though, with regard to victims: In 2019, this government cut $17 million from victim service supports. As an MPP, I was dealing with my constituents who are involved with victim services and who are outraged that victims were being cut loose and money was being capped that needed to go to them to help them restore their lives.

Why did you take on victims that way and will you restore proper funding for victim services?

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to thank the member opposite. In my remarks, I talked about children who were killed, violent offenders who were perpetrating on these children, children who were riding a bike along a street just attempting to get to a community centre, and they were taken away quite quickly.

One of the things that we talk about in this bill is the impact on children that is so devastating and emotional—a family should not bear the burden of someone else’s reckless choices—and which provides that for drivers who kill a parent or a guardian, the impact can actually go to helping those kids get through the next 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years.

This is about justice and compassion. A family should not bear that financial burden, and that’s what this bill is aiming to solve.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Lorne Coe: The member from Thornhill, in her comments, talked about the spike in hate crimes happening in many parts of Ontario. Often, Speaker, they happen right on the ground of houses of worship. Unfortunately, bad actors use the situation to commit targeted harassment.

We’ve heard from the Solicitor General that, as part of Bill 75, the government will explore the idea of barrier-free access. Could the member from Thornhill explain why and how the government is exploring it?

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to thank my colleague. Ontarians have had enough of individuals and groups blocking roads and transit during commutes, harassing people in their communities or intimidating them at their places of worship. That’s why we’re doing it.

Regardless of ideology, there is simply no place in Ontario—these actions are not protest; they are coordinated acts of intimidation. That’s why, through the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, we’re exploring ways to give law enforcement the tools they need to protect our communities and places of worship and cultural centres.

It doesn’t matter what your background is. It doesn’t matter what your religion is. This covers everyone. No one should have to fear in their community centre. No one should have to fear to live in their home. No one should have to fear to go to pray. It’s about wide-scale, reactive movements that will really help the communities.

We’re going to be consulting with law enforcement and justice sectors to establish a path forward that ensures the rights of law-abiding citizens are protected.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I note that it’s likely that parts of this bill will be challenged as unconstitutional because they fall under federal powers.

My question is, why is the government not addressing the backlog in the courts? Because we are seeing victims of sexual assault—and those people going free because their cases are never heard. So it seems to me that this is performative and that we’re not actually addressing the real reason that people are not being sentenced for very serious crimes.

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to thank the member opposite.

This is exactly about tracking those violent offenders. I talked about Christopher’s Law, which the member from Kawartha and myself modified so that these individuals are not able to change their name, which makes them more trackable, but this goes even further.

Bill 75 makes part of the Ontario sex offender and trafficker registry publicly available, giving families the information they need to protect themselves. Transparency matters and being able to track people is really important. I, as a mother, think that this is a positive move in being able to know where the bad actors could possibly be. And the police would provide more transparency to that.

I was really happy when this extension of Christopher’s Law came forward because it deals with getting those people off the streets. We’re going to continue to work in that fashion.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Brampton West.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: I appreciate the wonderful member and my seatmate from Thornhill on her very passionate speech on this very, very important legislation.

She’s right: Public safety is the number one concern I’m hearing in Brampton West and across Brampton, Mr. Speaker. People call me every day. They’re really concerned about their safety and the safety of their loved ones. They demand the federal government—that bail reform should be done and also the amendment in the Criminal Code.

For years, Ontario’s bail system has allowed violent, repeat offenders to walk free on empty promises, putting families and communities at risk. When bail is forfeited, collecting payment is costly and often ineffective, leaving victims frustrated and law enforcement powerless. This revolving door undermines confidence in our justice system and jeopardizes public safety.

Can the member explain how this measure will strengthen compliance and protect Ontario families from dangerous offenders?

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to thank my colleague and seatmate for that question.

Bill 75 delivers on our promise to fix the bail system. We’re going to continue to speak to the federal government on the issue of bail, but we have to do our part.

The bail system has failed Ontario families for far too long, and violent and repeat offenders, like the ones that I’ve talked about today, have been cycling through the system with very little accountability.

By introducing a mandatory, full-cash security deposit, we ensure that bail conditions are very real and not empty promises. This reform sends a very clear message: If you break the law, there will be consequences—combined with modernized debt collection and enhancing tracking tools. That’s why we’re closing the loopholes on putting public safety first.

I want to thank the Premier, because he helped get Christopher’s Law across, or the puck into the net, a little while ago.

We’re taking bold action on so many issues in our communities to restore confidence in our justice system.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Question?

MPP Lisa Gretzky: The member from Thornhill talked a lot about tracking offenders, which is not a bad thing, but if you’re tracking them and they’re not actually having a day in court and having consequences for their actions, then that is not giving justice to the victims of crimes. When you are not funding the justice system and resourcing the justice system so that these offenders are being released, so that women who are nearly murdered by their partners are seeing that offender roam free, then you are not doing enough.

I’m going to go back to my colleague from Toronto–Danforth’s question. He specifically asked you about your $17-million cut to victim services. You talked about families in your community who have been impacted by crime. Do you not feel that they deserve to have proper funding for victim services so that they can get the supports they need?

Ms. Laura Smith: I want to thank the member opposite. I worked under the child protection act for the better half of 10 or 15 years, and when I first saw this legislation, I was actually fairly confident that this was going to be a very positive move. The problem is, when you have heinous criminals and they’re on the streets and there is a bail system that doesn’t enforce the cash portion and there’s no cash deposit required, that means it’s going to be all the more complicated when bail is violated. That leads to real challenges related to the collection of forfeited bail.

This is going to make a much more effective system. This is going to create resources through the payments that will be collected. Mandatory cash security deposits create a new deterrent to remind offenders and would-be offenders that there will be consequences for violating the conditions of their release.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further debate?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Thank you to my colleague from Thornhill for her debate speech and to this opportunity to speak.

It’s really an honour, as always, to rise on behalf of the people of Parkdale–High Park, and this morning specifically to speak to Bill 75, Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act. Now, that is quite the title, I must say.

In addressing this bill, I want to first note that the issues being raised of community safety, these are issues of greatest importance. Every one of us in this chamber can agree—and I know that we speak for those that we serve—that the issues of safety are of utmost importance. If you don’t have safety, it’s very hard to have anything else. I know that this is something that we in the official opposition take very, very seriously: that all Ontarians deserve safe communities, and I do mean all.

Whether that’s your child walking home from school in the afternoon or a woman jogging through the park at night or people praying in their houses of worship or a Toronto cyclist biking to and from work or a young family settling into their new home or an unhoused neighbour taking refuge from the winter cold in a public space, every member of our community should be safe—every one.

It is the government’s responsibility, 100%, to create safe communities throughout this province, and this means fixing the crisis in our courts to ensure that justice and corrections systems are properly funded and properly run. And just as important, it means that strengthening Ontario’s community services is needed to help those in crisis—putting preventative measures in place to reduce the unsafe behaviours, to stop the violence before it ever starts. I think we can agree that stopping the violence before it ever starts is far better than punishment afterwards. Imagine a world with such low crime rates. For that, we need the multipronged approach to community safety.

This Conservative government has had eight years to deliver that. Think about that, Speaker: They’ve had eight years to take action and to keep Ontarians safe, yet year over year, they’ve failed to invest in the necessary resources to strengthen our community services or to fix our courts.

The Premier has refused opportunity after opportunity to bolster Ontario’s social safety net, to fund those public services and wraparound supports so that we can tackle the root causes of crime and increase public safety throughout our province. He and his government have refused to implement policies that will truly make Ontario safe for everyone—policies that we know will reduce criminality, such as:

—getting people off the street and out of the encampments with accessible, safe, affordable housing;

—delivering more supportive housing supply to help people who cannot live independently stay housed;

—expanding OHIP coverage for mental health supports to help people who are in crisis before they harm themselves or others;

—increasing ODSP and OW rates above the poverty line to increase well-being and decrease exploitive crime;

—ensuring adequate treatment beds for mental health, for addictions, instead of the months-long wait-list that we have now—and that wait-list is even longer for those in northern Ontario and in rural communities;

—investing in positive parenting programs, emotional regulation instructions at school, and after-school programs to reduce community violence; and

—yes, declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic so that we can invest in coordinated, properly funded action to prevent violence and save lives.

This is not what is in this bill. But I want to speak to that because, in my riding, there was a horrific crime. Just a couple of years ago, a young boy was stabbed to death at the Keele subway station. No one wants change more than the mother of that young boy, Andrea. Her pain was, in her words, “unbearable,” but she felt it was critical that she speak out about what we needed most. In an emotional interview, she said, “Please, more needs to be done to help people in crisis. More needs to be done so that people don’t get to the point where they are in crisis.

More needs to be done for social services, more investments in mental and physical health, more support for housing, so fewer moms like me will suffer.”

If we are truly going to create safer communities, these investments in our social safety net are critical. As my colleague from Toronto Centre has remarked in this chamber, the social determinants of health are exactly the same as the social determinants of safety. And yet the government continues to underfund these essential services. Just a few months ago, they voted down my motion to end gender-based violence by investing in affordable child care and community public services to ensure women’s economic security and safety.

With regard to this bill, what I find very puzzling is that this government also refuses to invest in fixing our broken court system. Ontario’s bail and court system has been underfunded and uncoordinated for years, including under the previous Liberal government. But for all this Conservative government’s tough-on-crime talk, they have failed, year over year, to invest and fix our broken court system to speed up access to trial. Last time I checked, Speaker, you cannot get a guilty conviction, as my colleague from Thornhill was asking for, if you cannot get someone to trial.

That’s exactly what’s happening here in Ontario. Survivors of crime and their families are not getting justice. Ontarians aren’t getting their day in court, and as a result, serious criminals are walking free.

Fraud has more than doubled in Ontario, and yet a majority—think about that, a majority—of fraud cases are getting thrown out of court because of the backlogs and the understaffing.

Since the pandemic, we’ve seen the majority of criminal cases ending with charges being withdrawn, stayed, dismissed or discharged because the government refuses to resource our court system—56% of criminal cases ended that way in 2022-23. All across this province, serious criminal cases, including child luring, firearms charges and sexual assault charges, continue to be thrown out because of unconstitutional delays.

If we are going to keep Ontarians safe, it’s very, very clear that we must fix our courts. We must clear that backlog. The crisis of overcrowding and understaffing in our jails has also meant that more cases are getting stayed or settled with shorter sentences due to the alarming conditions for workers and inmates.

So it is critical that we fix the courts, but that is not what Bill 75 does. It doesn’t take the steps that are needed to fix our courts.

Schedule 2 of the bill introduces instead an upfront cash bail, which will require upfront payment of bail deposits by the accused or their surety instead of a promise to pay. This means that whether or not a person goes home or stays in jail before they have been found guilty while they are awaiting their trial could depend entirely on their ability to pay bail deposits out of pocket. Just think about that, Speaker. Those who are wealthy could pay to walk free while those who are low-income could sit in jail for months and months until their case.

The CCLA director of criminal justice, Shakir Rahim, has warned us that the Ontario government’s proposal to require cash bail creates a two-tier justice system, “one for the rich and the other for the rest of us.” When asked, the Attorney General wasn’t able to confirm whether Bill 75 would mean a person’s ability to pay would be at risk. He said, “I don’t think it would have an effect.”

With all due respect, Speaker, this answer from our Attorney General is not good enough, not when we’re talking about creating a two-tier system of justice which is going to have disproportionate effects on Ontarians who have low income, who are Indigenous, who are racialized, who are newcomers, on those who are unhoused, who are struggling to get on their feet. The Attorney General must be able to say, with certainty, how his government’s policy will affect the people of this province, and that effect should not exacerbate our already huge problems with systemic injustice.

I know where this leads, Speaker. I once marched with the Presbyterians in the United States carrying $60,000, and we marched up to the bail court to hand it over so that the people who were poor could get out on bail. That is where we are headed today—again, following failed US policies—a bill that is almost certainly going to be constitutionally challenged because, as the CCLA has pointed out, the federal government is responsible for criminal procedures under the Constitution Act, not the province.

I am asking this government: Why will it waste taxpayers’ dollars defending a law that it knows will be unconstitutional just to gain political points? It will perpetrate injustice rather than investing in fixing the courts, in strengthening our social safety net. Ontario has the resources—they do—to truly create a safer community, and that’s what we have to prioritize.

Speaker, before I end my time here, I do want to speak to one of the more positive aspects of this bill. Bill 75 is yet one of those omnibus bills that has so many unrelated issues in it that it makes your head spin, but

schedule 1 prohibits any provincial supplier from breeding cats or dogs for research, and it will also prohibit any invasive medical research on cats, dogs or other animals, with exemptions. Cash bail, animal protection—all in one bill.

This, though, is a positive step, as I’ve heard from many of my constituents in Parkdale–High Park who are pleased that the government is taking steps to protect animal friends, to prevent the kind of invasive procedures we’ve heard about the dogs in London being subject to.

But we’re also hearing that there is a loophole, because in addition to the ban on breeding dogs and cats, an animal law professor from the University of Toronto, Angela Fernandez, tells us, “There needs to be a ban on importing them from other jurisdictions,” or else this is useless legislation. “Research facilities will continue to experiment on non-locally produced dogs and cats brought in from the US” or the other provinces.

Schedule 5 amends the Highway Traffic Act to include tougher penalties for dangerous driving. We all know that road safety is something we’ve all long called for, and the NDP has tabled several versions of such a law, including the Moving Ontarians Safely Act and the Fairness for Road Users Act.

But these schedules—and

schedule 5, which echo a provision in last year’s Bill 197—are still unproclaimed. So how seriously can we take this particular piece of legislation and these changes when the government has failed to bring the provisions into force?

In conclusion, I want to say that this bill has a number of challenges to it, and it needs to go to committee, where it can hopefully be amended to make it better through our democratic process—something we’ve seen so rarely in my time over the last year.

Until the government gets serious about fixing the courts and the backlogs and investing in our communities, we really will not achieve a truly safe Ontario.

Interjections.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I’m going to continue. I thought I was going with some questions, no? Oh, I do have more time. Pardon me, I’m still getting into this new space of reality. I will continue because I did have more to say, but I was slowing myself down or skipping some pieces.

Here’s what I want to talk about: I actually want to make sure that we also talk a little bit more about the Animal Alliance of Canada, who has also raised concerns about the legislation’s over-reliance on the to-be-determined regulations. They’ve said it’s very important that this government—and I want this government to hear me because this seems to be a challenge—does not move forward in secrecy, but makes them public so that our community experts can weigh in and we can have the opportunity to debate them.

As I was speaking to earlier, in

schedule 5, the bill amends the Highway Traffic Act and introduces tougher penalties for dangerous driving. Now, these are good provisions because road safety advocates have called for something called the vulnerable road user law to address motor collisions where vulnerable users have been seriously injured or they’ve been killed.

We in the NDP agree in that we have also tabled versions of this law, including the Moving Ontarians Safely Act and the Fairness for Road Users Act. But again, I am worried that this is empty if the government doesn’t actually plan to put into effect this piece.

Speaker, so much of what’s happening here is really about throwing these massive amounts of spaghetti to the wall and seeing what sticks. I’m really concerned that we do need the time to properly debate motions. This time allocation of motions, this refusal to go to committee with our bills, really means that when you take these omnibus bills, like Bill 75, you Frankenstein a number of pieces of legislation together.

And then you don’t properly give the body that has been charged by the people of Ontario the time to debate it—to discuss it robustly—and you don’t give it the time it needs in the committee, where experts come and speak to it. Well, then we really are shortchanging the residents of Ontario, and, worse, we may be creating situations, as we’ve seen over the last years, that make things worse: hallway health care that keeps on growing, legislation that causes more suffering to those who are underhoused, housed and even to the middle class.

We’re seeing more and more people suffer as a result of this lack of consultation, this deep secrecy that many of my constituents—and I know constituents from across the province—are worried about.

I really do hope that very soon we see an end to these kinds of bills that are omnibus bills, and that we see an end to the use of time-allocated motions and refusals to go to the committee, because Ontario deserves better.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions, please.

Mr. Stephen Blais: Thank you for your presentation this morning. One of the consequences of the bill, should it pass, is that drivers will face a lifetime suspension if they were to kill someone as part of their reckless driving. I think, of course, the goal of government and goal of law should be to stop people from dying in the first place.

And so I’m wondering if you could talk about some of the issues around driving safely and enforcing safe driving that this government has made more difficult in the last number of years.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I want to thank my colleague for the question. I am representing the good people of Parkdale–High Park. We had a speed camera on Parkside Drive, and we lost a beautiful couple from the riding of Davenport who were killed when an individual sped down that road into their vehicle. We have seen an increase in speeding since that speed camera has been removed, and it is devastating for the members of my riding to know that this government is refusing to listen to the experts on what actually will increase our road safety and instead is just looking to punishment after. Isn’t it better to save lives ahead of time than to put people behind bars and cause punishment afterwards?

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Lorne Coe: Bill 75 proposes exploring options to make parts of the Ontario sex offender and trafficker registry publicly available, giving communities the information they need to stay safe.

Can the member from Parkdale–High Park stand in her place and support providing families with the tools to protect themselves from dangerous predators?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I want to thank my colleague. And again, I think that the best way that we can keep individuals safe is actually to get them to the courts. When we have the majority of criminals going free because they haven’t had their day in court, then we have a much more serious problem, and I would say that we want to use all the tools that are currently available to us and this government is not doing that.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Chris Glover: I want to thank the member from Parkdale–High Park for your comments today.

One of the things that we noticed is there is a pattern with this government of the Premier violating the law and then changing the law retroactively. For example, the freedom of information act—he has been ordered by the courts and been told he’s not following the freedom of information law, he is violating that law, and he needs to release his phone records. So now he’s going to change the law retroactively, so he doesn’t have to release his phone records.

You were just talking about speed cameras, and this government—the cabinet ministers were caught 23 times. Their vehicles were caught speeding with speed cameras, 12 times going over 150 kilometres an hour, which is stunt driving. It’s a whole different level of offence.

My question is, do you believe that this government is really trying to respect the law or to make people safer with this bill when they change the law every time the Premier is caught breaking the law?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Thank you to the member from Spadina–Fort York for that question. I’m deeply concerned with whatever the Premier gets his hands on, whether that is our laws about speed cameras, freedom of information, Billy Bishop airport, Ontario Place, the science centre—it’s almost as if this government headed by this Premier is more interested in playing with the city of Toronto and moving it about than it is actually with keeping vulnerable children safe, women who have faced abuse safe. This government is more interested in making their own friends, family, dentists richer and then hiding those pieces. So, no, I don’t trust the government at this point with that.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Wellington–Halton Hills.

Mr. Joseph Racinsky: Thanks to the member for her comments this morning. I’ve been listening carefully to the debate on Bill 75 the last couple of days. The opposition a few times has talked about investments in the courts, investments in our correctional facilities as well. We have 650 new spaces coming online in our correctional facilities across the province, in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Milton, with many more on the way with a great announcement in Brockville. A new judge was appointed in Halton region just last week, and we have a new courthouse coming to Oakville as well.

The budget is coming on Thursday. There is going to be great investments in that. I just wanted to know if the member is going to be supporting our budget and our investments in our justice system.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I want to thank the member across from me for the question. He spoke about the new jails coming online, but my colleague from Thunder Bay says there’s yet to be staff to support those investments there. We are also seeing in Ottawa—my colleague who visited the jails—that there are three people to a cell—a bunk bed and a mattress on the floor, which is literally the amount of room you have in there. How is that humane?

My concern is that this government has really lost the plot in so many ways. I will be waiting to see what they bring forward on Thursday. Miracles do happen. I am a Christian minister, after all, so I believe in them. I’ll be adding my prayers tonight.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

MPP Wayne Gates: Well, I would like to say to my colleague, this government probably need more than prayers, but it’s interesting that the—

Interjections.

MPP Wayne Gates: I only get a minute. Can you please not heckle me?

Listen, I’ve been here for an hour. We’ve asked two questions to this government, that you made a $17-million cut to victim services. You’re under RCMP investigation yourself, and then you’re bringing a bill to say that we’ve got to stop the criminals. Well, the criminals are on that side of the House because you’re under RCMP investigation. So I think that’s very interesting.

The last

part I want to say, although my colleague mentioned it, is that the Premier of Ontario was told by the courts that he has to give up his cellphone, and do you know what he did? Speaker, he changed the law, so he doesn’t have to do it. Do you think that’s right?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Thank you for your question. Democracy is only possible when it includes transparency and accountability. When the courts order any member in elected office to hand over the tools that they have used to run government business, then that member is obligated to—and not only obligated to, but should feel a sense of duty and honour to do so. The fact that this Premier is hiding his cellphone records, the fact that this Premier is changing the freedom of information laws so that all journalists, all opposition members, all members of the public will no longer be able to have accountability and transparency is egregious, and it tells us that he’s hiding something very serious.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: One of the important things on this bill, Mr. Speaker: We are exploring the requirement that impaired drivers who killed a parent or guardian have to pay ongoing child support to the victim’s children. This is about accountability and supporting families devastated by the crime. I will ask the member, do you oppose making offenders financially responsible for the harm they caused?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I want to thank my colleague, and I want to thank him for his reference to accountability because I think it’s very rich that this government is looking for accountability in the public sphere when at this moment they are hiding from accountability in their work, in their places here in the House, hiding from accountability from the journalists and from the opposition members.

I have to tell you a story about an OINP recipient who had filed a freedom-of-information request, and they were missing pages that three months ago the other recipients were getting. Those pages told the story of whether that recipient was approved or not approved—another moment of this government hiding instead of being accountable for their actions. That’s really where we have to put our focus, on accountable government. Then we can look at also holding everyone else accountable.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further debate?

Mr. Stephen Blais: Good morning, everyone. Bonjour, tout le monde. Ça me fait plaisir d’être avec vous ce matin après des vacances de Noël très longues. It’s great to be here after a very long, extended winter break.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve read the bill, all seven schedules, and I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be supporting it. But let’s be clear about something: This bill, which the government will have you believe is about getting tough on crime, does not contain a single word—not one—about one of the most predictable, preventable and deadly crimes in our province. Not one mention of impaired driving, Mr. Speaker. Not one mention of alcohol, which, for this government, is actually quite astonishing. Not one mention of repeat impaired drivers, people who have already been warned, that chose to get behind the wheel of a car again. Is that an oversight or is it a decision?

Let’s talk about what’s actually happening today—not in theory, not in talking points, but the reality right now here in Ontario. The Ottawa police report that in the first two months of 2026, 139 drivers have been charged with impaired driving. In 2025, the OPP laid 12,000 impaired driving charges. In 2021, it was only 9,500. That’s a 26% increase in four years under this government’s watch. In 2024, 47 Ontarians died in vehicle crashes involving drugs or alcohol. That’s nearly one person every single week, Mr. Speaker. Nationally, impaired driving is a factor in roughly one in five fatal collisions—one in five.

Behind every number is a family. And here is a truth that the House and the government cannot ignore: These deaths are preventable.

Mr. Speaker, this is not a new issue. We know about this problem. We’ve known it for decades. In fact, Ontario was once a leader in this issue. Ontario recognized the dangers of impaired driving long ago, before I was even born, introducing a warn range below the criminal level of intoxication in 1977 in order to intervene early, to try to get those people off the road before they committed a crime, before they killed someone.

We—this place, this Legislature, our society—understood that intervention saved lives. We built this system and designed it to stop impaired driving before it became fatal—or, at least, that was the intent. And yet, after 50 years, after eight years in government, after all this time, all of this knowledge, this government is not building on that foundation.

So you have to ask yourself, why? Well, we know they’re tired. We know that they’re out of ideas, and that’s why they’re standing still.

Now, to their credit, a couple of years ago, the government did pass some changes: short-term increases to roadside suspensions from three days to seven days, from seven days to 14 days, and, if you killed someone, a permanent suspension. We voted for that; we agree with that. That’s great. But, as I mentioned earlier, should the intent and the effort not be put into stopping the deaths from happening in the first place? Should we not get tough on criminals before they’ve actually killed someone?

So in a bill titled Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, there’s no evolution, there’s no modernization and there’s no strategy to deal with one of the leading causes of vehicle crime in our province. That stagnation from this government is evidence that they’ve simply run out of steam.

Now, Mr. Speaker, we know that this government likes to advertise. They like to tell everyone how good they’re doing. They’re not shy about it. We see it everywhere. We see it during baseball games and hockey games and football games. I’m not home during the day, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw it during the soap operas in the middle of the afternoon too. We see it everywhere: ads about building Ontario, ads about fighting tariffs, ads about economic strength—hundreds of millions of dollars in ads; relentless messaging.

But when it comes to one of the most preventable, deadly risks facing people in Ontario, where is the campaign? Where is the advertising? Where is the government commercial that says, “Plan a ride home; take a cab; call an Uber; take public transit; stay overnight”? Where are those ads, Mr. Speaker?

I don’t see them. I don’t see a government of Ontario ad saying, “Don’t drink and drive.” I don’t see a government of Ontario ad saying, “Spend the night. Make plans ahead of time.” So where are they? Where’s the strategy? Where’s the advertising? Where’s the leadership from the government?

Impaired driving, vehicle deaths and reckless driving: These are not just justice issues; they are behavioural issues, and behaviour changes and can change when government leads, not just with penalties—penalties are important—but with prevention, Mr. Speaker. Even if a fraction of those hundreds of millions of dollars that has gone into advertising—if just a fraction of that went into talking about impaired driving, about planning ahead, how many lives could be saved? How many families could be saved the grief of having to go through that? I guess we will never really know because this government has no strategy and hasn’t taken that approach.

Mr. Speaker, if they were serious about public safety, they would focus on where the risks actually are. The evidence on this is clear. It’s crystal clear, Mr. Speaker: Those who drive impaired repeatedly are the problem. Now, look, every case of impaired driving is serious, but repeat impaired drivers are the ones who cause the tragedies that are predictably avoidable.

This person has already been warned. They’ve already been caught and yet they still chose to get behind the wheel impaired, again and again and again. We can see it coming. The police can see it coming. We can stop it if the government puts the effort into it. So where is that effort, Mr. Speaker?

To be fair, there is a degree of escalating consequences already in the system. But here is the question: Are they working? Because if they were, we would be seeing the rate of charges go down. We would not be seeing the repeat behaviour. We would not be seeing these predictable tragedies.

The issue still exists. And yet, despite that, the government continues to turn a blind eye, seemingly to ignore it, seemingly to allow it to get worse—or at least not want to have to deal with it.

Mr. Speaker, let’s take a moment to talk about what public safety would look like—what action on impaired driving from the government of Ontario would look like. If this bill is about keeping people safe, then we should talk about preventing impaired driving in the first place, which is why I talked about putting money behind advertising. This government has an advertising budget; they like to talk about advertising. Well, let’s put it to some good use and stop bad behaviour before it actually happens.

When someone chooses to drink and drive, they’re not just taking a risk. They are creating a risk and it’s not just a risk to themselves; it’s a risk to everyone else who’s on the road, driving in a car, walking on the sidewalk, riding a bike, out and about with their family—and it’s a risk that is 100% avoidable.

If you’re caught driving impaired once, yes, of course, you should face consequences. If you’re caught impaired driving a second time, those consequences have to escalate with the behaviour. I’m not talking about a seven-day roadside suspension of your driver’s licence, Mr. Speaker, but real consequences that will force you to rethink your life decisions. Because at that point, it’s not a mistake; it is a conscious decision to get behind the wheel impaired, again and again.

We should protect children. If someone drives impaired with a child in the vehicle, this is not just impaired driving. This is putting children’s lives at risk, and we should treat it like that.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, Ontario led with the warn range a number of years ago. Warn range was intended to be a warning so that you don’t do it again before you reach the criminal threshold. So warn range once, that’s fine; okay. Warn range repeatedly, we should take their car. If you keep getting warnings and warnings and warnings and your behaviour doesn’t change, then obviously we need to escalate the penalties, so let’s take their car away. Because if you remove the vehicle, you remove the risk. So let’s do that right away.

Let’s prevent impaired driving with the use of technology. We all know about interlock devices—they work. Let’s use them a little bit more liberally with people who are caught at the warn range and who are facing penalties for their criminal behaviour as well.

We know that there’s a difference between reacting and preventing. Most of us here are parents. We know that there’s a difference in how we teach our children at home. We teach them not to touch the burner ahead of time, not to get in trouble. Of course, there are consequences when they make mistakes or they get in trouble, but as parents, our goal is to try to teach them ahead of time not to put themselves in those situations.

That should be the goal of government as well, to stop those situations from arising in the first place so that we don’t actually have to use the tough consequences that we’ve put into the law. So that we can save lives, not just punish people for taking them.

Mr. Speaker,

schedule 5 deals with dangerous driving and we support that. But dangerous driving and impaired driving are not the same. And on impaired driving, which is the leading criminal cause of road death, this bill is absolutely silent.

As I’ve said, the government will spend millions advertising itself, patting itself on the back for things that have not yet been accomplished, for building Ontario, for fighting tariffs, promoting its so-called record, but not a single dollar spent on discouraging drinking and driving, on promoting the use of public transit, on calling an Uber, on staying the night. If they were serious about saving lives, they wouldn’t just have harsh consequences for those who take them, they would put effort into saving those lives in the first place, stopping those deaths from happening.

So after eight years, it’s clear this government is out of ideas, and that’s exactly what this bill shows. It’s got a strong title, but it doesn’t have a strategy that’s kept up.

Impaired driving is preventable. Impaired driving causing death is preventable—every single one of them. We know the risk, we know the patterns, we know what works, and we know this government isn’t doing a goddamn thing about it.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I will now move to members’ statements.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Members’ Statements

EnerQuest Technologies Solutions

Mr. Anthony Leardi: We have more great news from the riding of Essex, this time from the town of Harrow. Harrow has a great company called EnerQuest Technologies. EnerQuest is an electrical firm located in Harrow, Ontario. They make switchgears. The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund has worked with EnerQuest and granted them a $1.5-million grant, which EnerQuest is now rolling into a massive multi-million dollar investment in the town of Harrow. EnerQuest will be investing $15.8 million in the town of Harrow. They will be producing switchgears, moving production from the United States to Ontario and reshoring that production.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great success. It will protect 154 jobs already existing in Harrow and add over 100 new jobs. These are good-paying jobs and will be great jobs for people living in Essex county.

I would like to congratulate EnerQuest on this fantastic investment and also thank the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade for this fantastic investment. We are creating jobs in Ontario, protecting Ontario workers and protecting Ontario businesses.

Student assistance

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Good morning, Speaker. I rise today to recognize some exceptional students from Beal, CCH and Central in London, part of a group that organized and led a high school walkout to advocate for education investments and to fight against foolish cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program. I met with Madeline Glinoga, Haidyn Marchand, Saturn Beer and Calico Richard, and was deeply moved by their passion, leadership and commitment to standing up for what’s right. These young leaders are not merely fighting for their own future, but for the future of all students in our community.

I also met with student representatives from Lucas, including Ashley Choi and Julie Yang, who told me about friends and siblings who are considering abandoning their programs in the middle of their degree and know many more who are potentially giving up on post-secondary education before it even starts.

Students are mobilizing and taking action, Speaker. Youth have the power to create change, and they are setting a powerful example for future generations of leaders. Their advocacy for accessible education is not just about protecting OSAP, it’s about ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or financial situation. Young people are asking: Are these changes a poorly veiled punishment for being poor? Education is a powerful social and economic mobilizer. Why on earth are Conservatives ruining that?

Speaker, students are showing us all what it means to lead with conviction. I’m proud to stand today to commend their dedication, determination and unwavering commitment to creating a better future for all. Thank you for inspiring us all.

Community organizations

MPP Stephanie Smyth: Good morning, Speaker and everyone. Over the recent break, I had the opportunity to visit with several incredible community organizations in Toronto–St. Paul’s, organizations that change lives every single day, often with far too little.

At Community Living Toronto, I saw how individuals with intellectual disabilities are supported to live independently, build connections and fully participate in their communities. Through Out of the Cold programs in my riding, I connected with Seeds of Hope, offering warmth, safety and dignity to people experiencing homelessness and hardship, powered by compassion and the community. And at SPRINT Senior Care, I heard a reality we cannot ignore: More seniors than ever are relying on their services for meals, through Meals on Wheels, transportation and daily support, not as extras but as essentials.

But as that reliance grows, support just isn’t keeping up. That’s what we’ve been hearing. These organizations are being asked to stretch further, to serve more people and often with fewer resources. These are organizations that hold our communities together. Today, I want to recognize their work and say this: We truly hope that this government sees the light and provides the support to these organizations that they need, because when these organizations are strong, our communities are stronger.

Lambertha Dirkje Greijdanus

Mr. Will Bouma: Lambertha Dirkje Greijdanus was born in 1942. Betty was born into war and Nazi occupation, a world where your neighbour might betray you to certain death. But her family faced down that horror. She was raised with a strong faith, raised to make her own decisions about her future. She was a full partner in a dairy farm in the Netherlands, which gave her and her future husband their start. Betty chose the traditional life of a dairy farmer’s wife, where home and garden were her domain.

Her life was a distinctly Canadian life, leaving all she knew to move to Canada and start again. She had no patience for anyone who did not measure up to her standards of hard work and generosity, but she had a deep love for all living things. Her collection of stray barn cats never went without, and she made sure the small and the weak received just as much as the big and the strong. After losing her husband, she carried on and supported her son’s dream of farming, which he does to this day.

Betty passed away last Tuesday. I am honoured to call her mem. Last week was a week of joyous happiness at her freedom from pain and dementia, and dreadful sadness at her loss.

Rest in peace, Mem. Until we meet again. Thank you.

Hate crimes

Mrs. Michelle Cooper: The past several months have been extremely busy and meaningful in my riding of Eglinton–Lawrence. This time has allowed me to connect with local businesses, places of worship and, most importantly, the constituents I’m honoured to represent. I have experienced many uplifting moments. I attended mass at local churches and celebrated Purim at many synagogues across the riding. I also visited outstanding local organizations and businesses.

However, alongside these positive experiences, I must acknowledge a deeply troubling reality that many residents have shared with me, a growing fear and concern about rising anti-Semitism and hate in our community. This became painfully clear just weeks ago when shots were fired at the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue in my riding of Eglinton–Lawrence. This was not simply an attack on a building. It was an attack on the Jewish community, on people’s sense of safety and on the values of inclusion and respect that we hold dear in Ontario.

No one should feel unsafe in their place of worship. No one should feel targeted because of their faith, identity or background. Acts of hate and intimidation have no place in Eglinton–Lawrence or any place in this province.

Speaker, we must stand united in condemning anti-Semitism and all forms of hate, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring every Ontarian can live, work and worship safely and with dignity.

Government’s record

MPP Robin Lennox: “The difference between where we are and where we could be is the greatest waste.” I read these words a couple of months ago, and they’ve stuck with me because what could better describe the current situation in Ontario? Where we are right now is defined by struggle for many Ontarians. For Sheena, it’s working full-time and still not being able to pay for her diabetes medication every month. For Stuart, it’s facing his second above-guideline rent increase and wondering how he’s going to make ends meet. And for Lucy, it’s watching her mother with dementia deteriorate while she spends days in a hospital hallway.

That’s where we are right now. But where we could be could be so much better. If we had a government that centred policy-making on the needs of real people, we could do so much more. We could have an Ontario where we boldly invest in non-market housing solutions so that everyone can afford a place to live and homelessness is no longer a reality in our communities. We could have an Ontario that restores and expands public health care, finally offering the head-to-toe health care that Ontarians need, including universal mental health care and pharmacare.

We could have an Ontario where our government stands up against corporate profiteering in our grocery stores and instead ensures that all working Ontarians can put food on the table at the end of the day.

That version of Ontario is within our reach, but it will take bold and visionary leadership to get us there. Anything else is simply a waste.

Health care workers

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: Just yesterday, I was informed by an employee that Niagara Health is announcing yet another round of layoffs and cuts. This time, it is PSWs and nursing staff taking the brunt. Niagara Health is facing a $26-million deficit—more than double last year’s—and has eliminated nearly 100 jobs already over the holidays, including front-line and support roles, in an attempt to try and balance their books.

Now medical and surgical floors at the St. Catharines hospital site will see PSW coverage go from 24 hours down to just 16 hours a day, stripping care away from the bedside and placing greater burdens on nurses already stretched to the brink. The reduction in shifts will result in the elimination of 20 full-time and part-time positions. At night, just six nurses may be left to care for an entire floor. In the event of a code blue, it means there will not be enough nurses to support other patients while providing life-saving care. This is not a staff adjustment; it is a full-on patient safety crisis.

Staff have been told that this round of cuts will not affect patient care. However, how can it not?

Speaker, I challenge the Minister of Health to come and work a day and night shift at the St. Catharines site and see for herself if cutting PSWs—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Whitby.

Mental health and addiction services

Mr. Lorne Coe: Last week, the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and I launched a new homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hub in Whitby. Through this initiative, people facing housing instability, mental health challenges or substance use issues will be able to access coordinated supports focused on treatment and recovery.

Speaker, Whitby’s HART hub will deliver services in collaboration with the Durham Community Health Centre, working alongside the regional municipality of Durham, GraceWins Peer Support, Victim Services of Durham Region and Lakeridge Health.

Speaker, we’re building a stronger, more connected system of mental health and addictions care that better reflects the needs of communities like Whitby and which focuses on lasting recovery, reflecting, at the end of the day, our government’s long-standing commitment to providing meaningful resources and compassionate care to those who need it most.

Human trafficking

Ms. Jess Dixon: At the end of February, I had the opportunity to attend the Provincial Human Trafficking Symposium that was organized and hosted by Victim Services of Peel and Peel Regional Police, bringing together victim services groups, sexual assault clinics, survivors, prosecutors, police from all across the province.

I attended both days of the symposium, took a lot of notes, and I want to specially thank Sarah Rogers, who is the director of Victim Services of Peel, as well as Detective Sergeant Bob Hackenbrook of Peel Regional Police, who is the head of their vice squad and their human trafficking unit.

Over the two days, what I saw was just how seriously human trafficking is being taken in the province of Ontario. It was also very interesting to hear so many positive comments about provincial investments, the expansions to VQRP+, the use of human trafficking restraining orders—which was fascinating—the expansion of care units and the dedication and the passion of everyone that was there.

I also want to give a special shout-out to someone from this chamber, the MPP for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock Laurie Scott. I could see her work in everything that happened at that symposium. Laurie has been an advocate for years, and while she is a silent partner, her work was incredibly obvious that day. Thank you, Laurie.

Eid-Ul-Fitr

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: Today, I want to wish all of my Muslim colleagues and neighbours Eid Mubarak. My heart is with those who gathered in local masjids, community centres, auditoriums, living rooms and neighbourhoods.

I was privileged to attend a number of Eid prayers and celebrations. I want to thank the Muslim Association of Canada, the Kitchener Masjid, Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Waterloo region and others for your leadership. Because you lead and organize, nobody needs to spend Eid alone; people can celebrate, gather and pray in community.

I also want to give a shout-out to all of my beautiful friends and neighbours who invited me into their communities and homes to celebrate iftar. Thank you to the Rohingya Centre of Canada, the Grand River Friendship Society, Muslim Social Services, Asma’a Al-Wahsh from CAWA, Sudanese Canadian association, Palestinian Youth Movement, Coalition of Muslim Women, Wilfrid Laurier University students, Mifrah Abid from the University of Waterloo.

May the blessings and lessons from your fasting, charity and prayers during the month of Ramadan stay with you all year long. Eid Mubarak.

Peter Clark

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Orléans on a point of order.

Mr. Stephen Blais: Yesterday in Ottawa, on crossing guard awareness day, a crossing guard was hit during a hit-and-run incident while helping kids get to school. I’ve just learned that he’s passed as a result of his injuries. And so, could I have a moment of silence for his family? Thank you.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Orléans is asking for unanimous consent for a moment of silence to recognize the passing of a traffic guard. Agreed? Agreed.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

Special report, Ombudsman

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled: a report entitled A Decade of Promoting Fairness: Expanding Access, Impact and Value from the Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario.

Introduction of Visitors

Hon. Zee Hamid: I’d like to introduce Mayor Meed Ward and Trustee Agnew from Burlington, Councillor Ali from Milton, Mayor Lawlor and Councillor Fogal from Halton Hills, and Halton’s Trustee Gray and Trustee Oliver, as well as Donna Danielli.

Welcome to the House.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: I’m delighted this morning to introduce Gilbert Sharpe, who’s no stranger to this House, and Dr. Edyta Marcon of the Translational Research Program at the University of Toronto department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology. They’re joined by their many students, who I hope will all enjoy their time here at Queen’s Park today.

Welcome.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I want to welcome, from the Western student council’s Women in House program, Tanisha Modi, Erikka Ocampo and Malika Sidhu.

I also want to welcome my wonderful staff here today: Shelly Eh and Susan Cooke.

Welcome to the Legislature.

Hon. Mike Harris: I want to welcome and give a great shout-out to the Ontario Waterpower Association board. They’re here today.

Annie, Bonnie, Caitlin, Julien, Karina, Michael, Oluseyi, Sophie, Stephen and, of course, Mr. Norris, we’ll see you later tonight at your reception.

Ms. Natalie Pierre: I’d like to recognize Avish Sareen, a legislative page from the city of Burlington. He’s serving as page captain today and is joined in the gallery by his mother, Ruchika.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Today, the page captain is Jiyana Agarwal, and she’s here with her mother, Komal, her father, Mayur, brother Artham and grandmother Kala Todi.

We also have students from the University of Waterloo: Luke, Talal, Zain, Abdullah, Robert, Jacob, Michael.

Welcome to your House.

Ms. Aislinn Clancy: I’d like to welcome from my constituency office our PSW and social service worker students, Rachel Holmes and Kidane Abraha, and of course Courtney Sullivan. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: I’d like to honour Mr. Connor Hammill, who’s here today with some faculty from Sheridan College and 18 graduating students. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I’d like to welcome, from the Western University Students’ Council’s Women in House program, Megan Das, Emma Fontaine and Jordyn Saari. Welcome to your House.

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: I would also like to welcome three women from Western University Students’ Council’s Women in House program today: Mina Sagheb, Sadi Duggal and Aanchal Narayan.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: I rise today to make an introduction that I hope will be met with thunderous applause on behalf of the official opposition and the entire Legislative Assembly. It’s my incredible honour to welcome the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. They are hosting the arts at the park lunch reception in room 230.

And next Oscars season, please say something more like that, Timothée.

Mr. Dave Smith: From the Ontario Waterpower Association, I’d like to welcome Jessica.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I too would like to welcome Western University Students’ Council delegates who are here for the Women in House program. In particular, I want to say hello to Amy, Sabreen and Caitlin, who are shadowing me today.

MPP Mohamed Firin: I’d like to welcome Darla Estayo, an intern from TMU, and she’s joined by my constituency assistant, Mohamed.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Welcome back. I want to also welcome and thank the Women in House group for being here. It was a wonderful reception last night and wonderful to meet you all, but I particularly want to note Thoa Le, Anusha Das, Erikka Ocampo and Tanisha Modi. Thank you for shadowing me. It was wonderful.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I see that Patti Dalton is here. She’s from the London and District Labour Council along with Stewart Wise. Welcome to the Legislature.

Remarkable Women at Queen’s Park

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Colleagues, in 2025, I launched the Remarkable Women in the Workplace initiative. It’s a monthly recognition program celebrating the outstanding women who work for the Office of the Assembly. These individuals exemplify dedication, professionalism and leadership in their roles, and this initiative is a small but meaningful way to honour their contributions to this Legislature.

Today, I am pleased to draw your attention to the Speaker’s gallery and introduce our newest honourees:

—Anna Somers, special programs and events officer from parliamentary protocol and public relations;

—Danielle Ferris, legislative protective officer from legislative protective services; and

—Janey Chen, senior systems analyst and developer from information services.

Anna’s professionalism and creativity shine in every event that she coordinates, ensuring visitors experience the best of the Ontario Legislative Building. She approaches every task with warmth, flexibility and meticulous attention to detail. Her calm, positive attitude and tireless efforts make her an essential part of our success and truly deserving of this recognition.

Danielle’s dedication and positive energy have made a lasting impact since she joined the Legislative Protective Service in 2013. She excels in critical roles from training and ceremonial duties to supporting security initiatives, always going above and beyond. Her collaborative spirit and commitment to growth exemplify the values of service and leadership.

Janey’s technical expertise and innovative approach have modernized and strengthened the assembly’s digital operations. Her proactive work ensures reliable systems that support members, staff and the public. Respected for her knowledge and collaborative spirit, Janey’s contributions reflect the assembly’s commitment to transparency and excellence.

On behalf of all members and staff, I extend our heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to Anna, Danielle and Janey. Thank you for your remarkable service to this Parliament.

Applause.

Legislative pages

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I would now like to ask the pages to assemble.

Ladies and gentlemen, I will now introduce our pages: from Waterloo, Jiyana Agarwal; from Milton, Jasper Aiello; from Whitby, Ibrahim Baig; from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, Else Engelhardt; from Kitchener–Conestoga, Jungwoon Han; from Mississauga East–Cooksville, Amanda Kapo; from Flamborough–Glanbrook—yes—Messk-Aljannah Khamis; from Willowdale, Chen Lin; from Oshawa, Ronald Lucero; from York South–Weston, Quentin Luong-Scott; from Parry Sound–Muskoka, Marigold Mason; from Oakville, Ava McAllister; from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, Annie McNaughton; from Don Valley West, Liam Merber; from Etobicoke Centre, Niyanta Pokhrel; from Nipissing, Robert Robinson; from Burlington, Avish Sareen; from Scarborough–Guildwood, Sara Shah; from Hastings–Lennox and Addington, Lily Smith; from Brantford–Brant, John Thayil; from Scarborough Southwest, Devlin Tomlin; from Newmarket–Aurora, Eleanor Yiyu Wang; and from Richmond Hill, Vivian Xu.

And I missed one: from Brampton South, Achilles Nayyar. My apologies.

Our new pages.

Applause.

Question Period

Student assistance

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is to the Premier. Yesterday, Premier, we gave you an opportunity to reverse course. It is clear that you have not taken the time to listen to students and their families who are impacted by this government’s cuts to OSAP.

I wanted to share something with the Premier today that I heard from a nursing student at Mohawk College recently and that she asked me to share. She says, “As a mother of three and a nursing student, OSAP is not just financial aid to me. It is the reason I am able to stay in school.... Choosing to go back to school was not an easy decision. It meant reducing my income, balancing clinical placements, assignments, exams and raising young children, including a baby who still needs daycare.”

My question to the Premier is, what does the Premier have to say to students like this who are having to stop their education because of his cuts?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The Premier and I have been very clear: The OSAP framework was unsustainable. In fact, the Auditor General stated it was unsustainable in 2017 as well, but a desperate Liberal government decided to move forward with 85% grants because they were desperate.

We understand that we need the financial aid not just for these students but for the next generation of students. When it comes to health human resources we do have our Ontario Learn and Stay Grant, in which we’ve invested over $173 million, helping 13,000 students in health human resource programming.

We will continue to be there for our students.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Eight years in—eight years in—and they still can’t stop blaming everybody else for their problems. This government may not be phased by the stories like the one I’ve just shared, but I am. I look up at the students in this gallery today. They feel the future slipping through their fingers. That is what they are telling us. They are just asking for a chance—a fair chance—to finish what they started, or start at all.

So I ask the Premier again: Will he listen to the students and the families across this province and stop his cuts to OSAP grants?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The Leader of the Opposition is worried about her leadership slipping through her fingers. She’s had her deputy leader go over to the Liberal side because that party is chaos.

We’ll continue to be there. We just invested $6.4 billion into the sector, the largest single investment into post-secondary education not only in Ontario history but Canadian history. We will continue to be there for the sector, as we always have been.

But I will remind the member: the Rae days. When she was a staffer in the Bob Rae government, tuition went up three times the rate of inflation at the hands of that government. And it went up three times the rate of inflation when the Liberals were in power as well.

So thank God we’ve been in power for the last eight years, because tuition would be over $14,000 if you were in power.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Well, Speaker, I wish I could say this was surprising, but none of it is.

I’ll tell you the other thing I keep hearing from students is they think that the reason that maybe this Premier is making these cuts that are going to predominantly impact low- and middle-income students is because he can’t empathize with them. He can’t empathize with the experiences of regular young people and families in this province. As many young people have pointed out to me, he was raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, right? He’s been strolling down easy street his whole life. He never had to worry about affording tuition, like so many young people and so many families have to do today.

But I’m going to tell you this: Students in Ontario are not going to be just handed some sort of cushy executive job in their dad’s company when they graduate. So doesn’t the Premier get that not everyone in Ontario has it as easy as he did?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I am proud to be the first Minister of Colleges and Universities that is a college grad—and that was on purpose. We came from a one-income family. I had no silver spoon in my mouth. I’ve been called a burger flipper many, many times. I stayed because I wanted to open a business and going to university would have put debt on my career. I had to ensure I stayed local. I made the choice to stay local because I wanted to open a small business. I made the difficult decision to ensure I stayed local so that I afforded college to be able to open a small business.

I will remind you, the ratios from grants to loan are exactly in line with BC and Manitoba, your NDP friends.

Hospital services

Ms. Marit Stiles: Let’s talk about another broken promise, shall we? End hallway health care—that was a promise made by this Premier eight long years ago. End the hallway health care that had run rampant after 15 years of a failed Liberal government. But here we are, eight years later, and it is worse than ever.

Speaker, I want to raise a few issues here with the Premier today, because this is apparently now the norm across this province. At Sudbury’s Health Sciences North, 120 patients were treated in hallways daily this year. Just the other day, I was in Hamilton and I was sitting down with a steelworker who’s getting cancer treatment. He’s 66 years old. He spent nine hours in the hallway in the emergency room, and then he was told, “You know what? You’re going to have to spend the night lying in the hallway at the hospital.” Can you imagine?

Will the Premier explain why he has abandoned his promise to end hallway health care and abandoned so many patients across this province?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Since Premier Ford came into office, we have, in fact, expanded and increased funding to our hospital partners by over 50%. Are we working with them to make sure that they spend that money wisely? Absolutely. We are doing that work, ongoing.

But I will point to a quote that I received in December from Sudbury Health Sciences North: “We’d like to extend our appreciation for the base and one-time funding allocation provided to Health Sciences North. This funding allocation provides and enables the organization to continue to provide important health services to the people of northern Ontario.” That’s your Sudbury hospital.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Let me be very clear with this minister: We have lost more nurses in this province than they have hired. It is a net loss. I don’t know what the Minister of Health doesn’t understand about that. She can quote back all the CEOs she wants to at us.

Not only has this Premier failed to clean up the Liberal hallway mess, not only has this become the norm across this entire province, but this Premier has also decided that hallway health care isn’t even worth tracking anymore.

Let me explain that. I would say that, I guess, when you’re failing as miserably as this government is, you don’t want to publish your test scores anymore. This is the pattern with this government. You got a Premier who’s hiding his cellphone records. You’ve got a Premier who has now decided that the public shouldn’t know the extent of the hallway health care crisis. Can the Premier come clean about why he is hiding hallway health care data from the people of Ontario?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Some 100,000 new nurses that have registered in the province of Ontario; 30,000 nursing students who are training in the province of Ontario; a Learn and Stay program that did not exist under previous governments, where nursing students get their tuition and their books covered in exchange for working in communities that need those primary care nurses, those world-class clinicians.

I look at where we have come, and I do not want to go back to what we were faced with when we had physicians who didn’t want to work in the province of Ontario.

We had governments that were simply not training health care professionals. Now, we have a program in place where we are seeing more people connected to primary care providers and ensuring that that support means it funnels through to emergency departments, to ICUs, to our home care workers and our long-term—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Final supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Well, Speaker, it’s very disappointing not to have the Premier be able to stand up and answer these questions—maybe a little bit of performance anxiety this morning.

I will say, what we are seeing here today is a net loss—a net loss. Let me give you an example, Minister of Health: In the past year, the government has fired 700 nurses. We are losing nurses faster than we can hire them. In places like Manitoba and Nova Scotia, they are guaranteeing that new graduates will have jobs, but not here—not here in the province of Ontario. Here in the province of Ontario, hallway health care is now the status quo; it is the norm under this government.

Can this Premier stand here in his place and tell me—are you not embarrassed to become the very thing that you campaigned against?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, you know, I’ve always found in debates that when you go personal, it’s because you’re not winning the debate.

I look at how we have transformed our health care system, how we are training more people as lab technicians, in nursing, as nurse practitioners. We are making the investments in our education system. We are making the investments to ensure that our hospitals have the support they need—again, an over 50% increase in their baseline budgets. That means that they can focus on patient care.

And are we asking them to also ensure that the money that we are flowing is being spent on front-line patient-focused care? Absolutely we are. It is partly why we need to do this work. If we’re going to make those investments of over 50%, we’re also going to ensure that money—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Government’s record

Mr. John Fraser: After eight years of this Premier and his out-of-gas Conservative government, the things that people count on, they’re just not there. Ontarians aren’t asking for much. They just want their kids’ schools to be safe places to learn and to work; they’re not. They want their sons or daughters to graduate from college, university or get a trade without crushing debt. Well, the Premier’s piling that debt on now and making life harder.

So my question for the Premier is—life is hard already, Premier. Why are you making life harder for Ontario families?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Minister of Finance.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: You used the word “gas.” I really like that because who was it that cut the gas tax? Was it those folks?

Interjections: No.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Did they vote for that?

Interjections: No.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Did we put it forward?

Interjections: Yes.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: And did we vote for it?

Interjections: Yes.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: And did we pass it?

Interjections: Yes.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: On behalf of all Ontarians, lower gas taxes.

Madam Speaker, we worked early in July 2022 to cut the gas tax. This government had the vision to put more money back in the pockets of people—$12 billion more back in the pockets of the people of Ontario.

Because God forbid that the NDP or the Liberals ever had $12 billion to spend, we all know how they’d spend it. They’d keep it all in their pockets instead of the people’s pockets and instead of the pockets of businesses. That’s why this government is making life more affordable for the people of Ontario and the businesses of Ontario—putting money back in their pockets.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The leader of the third party.

Mr. John Fraser: I know the half-trillion dollar man loves debt, but he shouldn’t be foisting it onto Ontario families.

While the Premier is focused on things like floating convention centres, luxury spas, airports—I’m trying to figure out what’s next. Could we have a Ferris wheel here at Queen’s Park and free candy for the kids? That’s not what Ontarians are looking for. So if you’re out of a job in Windsor or Kingston or Thunder Bay or Sault Ste. Marie, you don’t care about Billy Bishop; you want a job.

The Premier’s record? Folks, the Premier’s record—you should all hear this. Listen: 1,000 fewer manufacturing jobs than there were in 2018.

So my question for the Premier is, Speaker: Life is hard already. Why is the Premier making it harder for Ontario families?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Well, my honourable colleague here did mention debt, so I’ll come to that. I hear the word “debt” or “deficit,” and just to remind everyone in the House: We have the lowest deficit and debt relative to our economy in over 15 years.

Because under their leadership, do you know what happened? They raised taxes, they built nothing, and credit rating agencies, what did they do? They downgraded the government under the leadership of the Liberals. And what are we doing? We’re using debt to build infrastructure—$230 billion of infrastructure. And do you know what that does? That builds hospitals. That builds roads. That builds schools, long-term care. That builds transit. All for not just this generation but future generations—putting the people of Ontario to work, not just for today but for tomorrow.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Final supplementary?

Mr. John Fraser: If you wonder why we’re half a trillion dollars in debt, just read that answer.

After eight long years, this government and this Premier are out of gas, out of ideas, tired and out of touch. Two million people still don’t have a family doctor. They don’t want a luxury spa; they want a doctor.

We’ve had record ER closures in this province, and this morning the northern hospital association said to us, “We’re on the brink. We can’t survive on a shoestring budget.” And while the Premier is focused on his fantasies, our health care system is drowning.

So I’m going to ask again, and maybe the Premier can answer: Life is hard already. Why are you making it harder for Ontarians?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Madam Speaker, $91 billion—$91 billion. When we took over, it was in the low $60 billions. This Minister of Health, this Premier, this government, every one of us invested in health care from $60 billion to $90 billion, making sure that we invest right across, in acute care, in home care, in long-term care, in mental health and addiction care.

And do you know what happened with that investment? The CIHI data comes out and tells us we are leading the country in attachments to family doctors—leading the country. But does the Minister of Health stop there? She says, “No, that’s not good enough. We need to attach every single Ontarian to a family doctor,” and thanks to the leadership of the Minister of Health, along with Dr. Jane Philpott, we are on the path to making sure that everybody—everybody in Ontario—has access to a family doctor. That’s what government does.

Student assistance

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. Again, after eight long years, this Premier and his Conservative government are so out of touch, they can’t see that there’s an affordability crisis. And if you needed any confirmation on that, you just have to look to what the Premier and his party did to young people and their families when they broke OSAP, driving young people and their families further into debt. And don’t ask me—just take it from Leigh: “I am a single parent on low income sending my daughter to university to become a mechanical engineer so she will not have to struggle like me. And now after her first year she may not be able to afford to go for her second year.”

So, Speaker, why is the Premier and his party making life harder for young people and their families, and will they fix OSAP ASAP?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The interim leader needs to stop fearmongering and recognize that we have a higher grant ratio than under 15 years of Liberal government.

That member actually ignored the Auditor General in 2017 when they were desperate, and they decided to hopefully hang on to government and increase it to 85%. The Auditor General made it very clear it was unsustainable, Speaker.

Since the federal government has changed our career colleges and the uptake of OSAP, we saw a $2.3 billion pressure this August, if we did not act. We are acting, Speaker, to ensure that OSAP is sustainable, not just for these students but for the next generation’s students behind them as well.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The leader of the third party.

Mr. John Fraser: I can understand where the government’s coming from because you have a Premier who’s put no value on education ever. If this was such a great announcement they made, why was the Premier nowhere to be seen?

You just don’t understand, Premier, that the most valuable thing in the global economy is highly trained, highly skilled, healthy people. If you did, you wouldn’t let our hope for the future wither.

Don’t take it from me—ask Sayed: “I’m waiting to start college this September, and I come from a low-income household. I have been trying to find a job, but it’s very hard right now”—right, Premier—“OSAP is my only real hope to afford my education and work toward my dreams. Grants make a huge difference for students like me.”

Speaker, why are the Premier and his party making life so much harder for young people and their families?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I would just remind the member of our $6.4-billion investment into the sector, which is going to add another 70,000 newly funded seats, and that’s on top of the 20,000-funded seats in budget 2025—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Scarborough–Guildwood will come to order.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The output in funding for our sector has gone from $5 billion last year to $7 billion this fall—that’s a 30% increase. We’re bringing more seats online for our youth to ensure that there is a seat for them at colleges, universities and Indigenous institutes, if that’s where they choose to go.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Final supplementary?

Mr. John Fraser: Well, I’m not sure what $6.2 billion in 2005 would be in 2026 dollars, but I know it is more historic than the historic thing you’re talking about.

But it’s not about historic; it is actually about what is happening to families. What is happening to families is the Premier is piling on debt, like the finance minister is, to Ontario families every single day. The thing that’s going to get us out of this thing is making sure that we have people who can compete in the new economies, in the global economy.

Just don’t take it from me—here is a message from Abigail: “The job market is scarce and everything from school to food is getting more expensive on the daily. Money has always been a stressor, and these cuts are making me unsure of how I can pay for my future, something I always have been passionate about.”

Back to the Premier—one answer; that’s all I’m asking for today: Why are you making life so much harder for young people and their families in Ontario?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: If the interim leader wants to talk about historic, let’s talk about historic increases in tuition under your watch: 83% increase in tuition—that is three times the rate of inflation. Are you proud of that?

Interjections.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: He’s ignoring me. But regardless, we’re going to continue to be there.

I hope that member is clarifying to the students that our universities have $1.8 billion every year of grants that they give out, as well as our enhanced Student Access Guarantee. But I know he’s not doing that. He’s fearmongering them, Speaker.

The money will still be there for OSAP. If they received OSAP last year, they’re going to receive OSAP this fall, so please clarify to the students that the supports will continue to be available for them.

Consumer protection

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: The FIFA World Cup is right around the corner, and it should be illegal to scoop up and resell tickets for anything above face value. New Democrats have been saying this for years, while this government has defended greedy resellers and the big corporations that rip off fans.

But this weekend, the Premier has taken a miraculous 180 on this issue and now agrees with the NDP. Lucky for him, we’ve already introduced a bill to make it happen. So now that we are all in agreement, will this government pass into law today our fans first act to make it illegal to resell tickets for anything above face value?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: It’s great to see that the NDP is changing their stripes here, because if I’m not mistaken, over the past eight years, they’ve voted against every single affordability measure we’ve brought to this Legislature, whether it was the gas tax cut, the one-pass fare—whatever. We could go on and on.

Bottom line, our Premier has made it very clear: He cares about affordability. He cares about the people being able to go to cultural and sporting events. I agree with him and that’s why we’ll be putting forward legislation this week that will put fans first, that will allow tickets to be resold in the province of Ontario only at face value, unlike the previous Liberal proposal, which had a 50% mark-up.

We are going to have enhanced transparency, face value for consumers. We’re on the side of consumers. We’re going to keep fighting for the people.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: The Premier had eight years to put fans first and did nothing. Taylor Swift fans were locked out by bots snatching up tickets minutes after they went on sale. When the Blue Jays fans were priced out of their own stadium, the Premier shrugged his shoulders and told Ontarians to stay in their man caves. The World Cup is coming to Ontario and it’s already too late for FIFA fans who can’t afford the predatory resale prices.

Over the last two years, the Ontario NDP has put in two motions calling on this Premier to ban the sale of ticket resells above the original face value and he did nothing. Speaker, why would anybody believe him now?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order. I’m going to ask the members to come to order. The chatter across the aisle has to stop.

I recognize the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Let’s be clear: Ontarians deserve a ticketing system that works for fans, not just price gougers. That’s why we’re taking real action for the people—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Waterloo will come to order. The member for Windsor West will come to order.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: That’s why we’ve taken real action, Speaker. Not only that, we’ve banned ticket bots with penalties of up to $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for companies. We require all-in pricing in Canadian dollars and no hidden fees. We mandate resale agreements, meaning if a ticket isn’t valid, the consumer will get their money back. Then we made it illegal to list tickets that you don’t actually have.

Our enforcement on this, Speaker, will only be increasing going forward. We’re focused on helping the consumers of Ontario, helping the people of Ontario afford the tickets to go to the concerts, to the shows they want, whether it’s the Maple Leafs or Taylor Swift or FIFA that’s coming up, and we’re looking forward to that. In Ontario, people will be able to go to these because we care, first and foremost, for the people of Ontario and affordability.

Health care funding

Mr. Adil Shamji: Earlier this month, the Premier proposed to change the very freedom-of-information laws that hold our government accountable. It was the most transparent attempt to hide from transparency—an attempt he felt necessary because after eight long years, all he can do is hide from his broken promises.

Protect Ontario from tariffs? He made them worse. Protect Ontario from job losses? He made those worse. Protect Ontario from criminals? He got shaken down by crooks after home care patients had their health information stolen for ransom, and that man let the criminals collect. Now he’s going to miss an April 1 deadline imposed by the federal government to stop illegal user fees and extra charges in health care.

Will the Premier reimburse every single bill that Ontario patients receive from their nurse practitioner after April 1 or will he continue to break the law?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you, Speaker. You know, there is—

Interjections.

Interjection: Yes, you can’t say that.

Mr. Adil Shamji: I withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Thank you.

The Minister of Health.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As I’ve said previously, when you’re not winning an argument, you go low.

Back to nurse practitioners: There is no doubt that Ontario has been a leader in engaging and embracing nurse practitioners in our world-class health care system. We were, of course, one of the first jurisdictions that actually ensured that nurse practitioners were not only being trained in the province of Ontario but were being embedded in our primary care teams with our family physicians, with nurses, with mental health care workers, with dietitians.

We are actually training more nurse practitioners in the province of Ontario now because we see the value and that the work that they do is so important in our home care, in our long-term care and in our hospitals. We’ll continue to make those investments because we know that nurse practitioners who are trained in the province of Ontario and working in the province of Ontario do exceptional work.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Don Valley East.

Mr. Adil Shamji: Madam Speaker, of course she didn’t answer the question, so back to the Premier.

The Premier is always writing a letter to blame someone for something, but how many letters has the man actually read in the last eight years? Has he read the letter from the federal government that he received about one year ago, in which the feds mandated a deadline to fully fund all medically necessary services provided by NPs and to stop private billing? The deadline for that mandate: April 1, 2026. That’s next week, Premier.

Eighteen months ago, I wrote legislation to fully embrace nurse practitioners in our public system, and every single one of these Conservative MPPs voted no. They voted to make the lives of their constituents more expensive. They voted to leave tens of thousands of them without access to primary care.

Will the Premier comply fully with the Canada Health Act, and will he completely fund all medically necessary care provided by nurse practitioners?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: A $3.4-billion investment in interprofessional primary care teams means that nurse practitioners, doctors, physicians, RNs, dietitians, mental health workers are actually working together. The member opposite is suggesting that we want all these stand-alone individuals to be able to bill when we know patients want and practitioners want the ability to work together in an interprofessional team.

The $3.4-billion investment means we are doing that—240—where we have had multiple new expansions in Sudbury, in Ottawa. I can name every community in the province of Ontario that has a new or expanded community health centre, interprofessional primary care team, family health team. That’s making the difference, where those individuals are working together with their clinical partners to serve who? The patients of the province of Ontario.

Government’s agenda

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: My question is for the Minister of Finance. Speaker, people in my riding of Newmarket–Aurora are relying on our government to maintain a strong economy, to create good-paying jobs and to support public services. But with tariffs and trade uncertainty affecting the lives of people here at home, it is clear that our government must continue to do more to protect Ontario businesses and families.

The minister has outlined many times that our government has a plan to invest, to build, to grow and to prosper.

Through you, Speaker, can the minister please tell the House what measures our government is taking to protect Ontario now and into the future?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: This one’s a lot tougher than the one I got before. My thanks to the great member for that question.

Madam Speaker, trade pressures, supply chain disruptions and shifting markets are sending unpredictable shocks through economies everywhere, but our government has stood up and faced those challenges head-on. We put $12 billion back into the pockets of Ontario families, created one million more jobs and led our nation to unlock interprovincial free trade. We have done all of this without sacrificing our historic investments in public services, including health care, education, social services, all the while cutting taxes.

Our plan is working, and we will continue to deliver on our mandate to protect Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Newmarket–Aurora.

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: Thank you to the minister for his answer. At a time when workers, businesses and families are facing real economic uncertainty, people in my community are encouraged to see our government taking action to support them and to protect their livelihoods.

However, Speaker, it is important that we maintain our course and not let down our guard. We must keep building critical infrastructure, putting more money back in people’s pockets and supporting public services while keeping taxes down.

Through you, Speaker, can the minister please tell the House how our government will continue to protect Ontario’s economy and ensure lasting prosperity for the residents of Newmarket–Aurora and across this great province?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you again to the member from Newmarket–Aurora for that terrific question.

We have seen other jurisdictions, other provinces, raise taxes and cut public services. We here in Ontario have chosen another path, a path to continue to deliver on our economic plan for growth and for prosperity. Our government is choosing to act by boosting competitiveness to empower businesses, lowering costs to support families and making historic investments to strengthen our services.

This Thursday, March 26, I will release our 2026 provincial budget, and with it I will reveal the next steps in our government’s plan to deliver growth and prosperity for Ontario today and for future generations.

Ontario budget

Ms. Jessica Bell: My question is to the Premier. On Thursday, we will be grading the government’s budget on whether it fixes the issues that actually matter: health care, education, housing, affordability. After eight years of this government, a lot of things need fixing. We have a doctor shortage. We need more teachers in classrooms. The cost of rent and groceries keeps going up and up and up.

My question is this: Is the budget going to trot out the same game of cuts and favours to friends, or are you actually going to start fixing the problems that you are responsible for creating in the first place?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Finance.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Madam Speaker, let me understand the question from the member opposite. Should we continue making historic investments in health care? What do you think folks?

Interjections: Yes.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Historic investments in making sure our students in our schools and more money gets to teachers like the teacher card, $750 of supplies. Should we do more of that?

Interjections: Yes.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Should we continue to improve the lives of our most vulnerable by investing in social services? What do you think?

Interjections: Yes.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: And should we continue to invest in the economy so that people have a good-paying job here in this province, like investing $210 billion in infrastructure? What do you think? Is the answer yes or no?

Interjections: Yes.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: The answer is yes. And what do they say? The answer is no.

So Madam Speaker, stay tuned. Only two more sleeps and we will reveal our plan to build Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for University–Rosedale.

Ms. Jessica Bell: They weren’t very enthusiastic yeses there, Minister.

My question is back to the Premier. I’ll tell you who’s really concerned about the budget: young people, especially the young people who are going to be out on the lawn today, because they know this government is not working for them. They face high rent. They face rising tuition. They face high grocery prices and rising unemployment. They do not want to be saddled with more student debt. They want good jobs and they want a future here.

So on budget day, my question is simple: When it comes to helping young people get ahead, do you honestly think your budget is going to pass the test?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: I don’t know. I hope my budget passes. I think we’ve got a good shot.

Let’s think about this: youth unemployment. What we’re working on is making sure that everyone has an opportunity in this great country, just like my parents who came here with no job, no money in their pockets. And what did Ontario and Canada give them? An opportunity.

Let’s think about the Minister of Education, who is making sure that our teachers are supported, making sure our students, with the curriculum—whether it’s skilled trades, health care work, whether it’s education—are having the best opportunity for once they graduate.

Post-secondary education—our great Minister of Colleges and Universities, who has put in another $6.4 billion to make sure that those students have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

And then when the great economy—when you have a million new jobs created, but you’re out of a job, guess what? The Minister of Labour steps up with skills and development training, and reskilling and retraining so that you can continue to have a good-paying job.

And guess what? Every minister and every government member is investing in nuclear, in critical minerals, in infrastructure.

Madam Speaker, we’ve got a plan and that plan is working.

Student assistance

MPP Tyler Watt: Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Last week, at an OSAP demonstration, I met this awesome high school student named Noah. Noah is the oldest of four and helps care for his grandmother at home with his single mom. Noah has a dream of being a lawyer, but because of this government’s cruel changes to OSAP, he’s worried that he’ll graduate buried in debt. This out-of-touch Conservative government says that there’s no money for students like Noah, that it’s unsustainable, but somehow, we have enough money for a new convention centre in downtown Toronto or the Premier’s fantasy tunnel under the 401.

After eight long years, why is this tired government making life harder and more unaffordable for young people like Noah?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I’m not sure what that member’s talking about, about no money—$6.4 billion is a pretty significant amount of money. Part of that is $3.3 billion for those high-cost, high-priority programs that our province desperately needs; $1.7 billion for 70,000 newly funded seats, and that’s on top of the $750 million for 20,000 new STEM seats last year; and $284 million for small, northern, rural and French institutions—I will remind that member that his party, the Liberal government, called it a no man’s land in the north, but we are investing in our northern institutions—as well as $57 million for Indigenous institutes.

Speaker, $7 billion is going into operating finding this September. That’s an increase of 30% since last year.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’ll remind the leader of the third party to come to order.

Back to the member for Nepean.

MPP Tyler Watt: This minister needs to update his references. He’s accusing us of things that were said in the 1990s, honestly.

One of the reasons why I’m here today is because of what this government did to OSAP in 2019. When I was a student nurse, I was one of the students that lost a bunch of OSAP because of your hundreds of millions of dollars of cuts to the program. You tout all these new seats and schools, but you’re completely ignoring the fact that it’s unaffordable.

I’m asking you again, do you think all of the students outside right now are here to t