role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" id="main-content">

April 16, 2026

44th Parliament, 1st Session

< Previous sitting day

Next sitting day >

Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2026-Apr-16 vol. A (PDF)

L063A - Thu 16 Apr 2026 / Jeu 16 avr 2026

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 16 April 2026 Jeudi 16 avril 2026

Orders of the Day

Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité à la réussite des élèves

Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité à la réussite des élèves

Members’ Statements

Vaisakhi

Orthodox Christian Week

National Volunteer Week

Carleton students and constituency office

Unemployment

Non-profit organizations

Highway safety

Diagnostic services / Protection for workers

Rural Ontario

Introduction of Visitors

Opposition day motions

Question Period

Consumer protection

Government accountability

Public safety

Public safety

Education funding

Public safety

International trade

Education issues

Education issues

Energy rates

Hospital funding

Education funding

Public transit

Highway safety

Public safety

Deferred Votes

Protecting Seniors’ Rights in Care Homes Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la protection des droits des personnes âgées dans les maisons de soins

Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité à la réussite des élèves

Business of the House

Notice of dissatisfaction

Introduction of Visitors

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Petitions

Veterans

Gender identity

Education funding

Labour legislation

Education funding

Social assistance

Student assistance

Health care

Environmental protection

Ontario economy

Land use planning

Freedom of information

Ontario economy

Health care funding

Orders of the Day

Better Regional Governance Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 pour une meilleure gouvernance régionale

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers / Prières.

Orders of the Day

Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité à la réussite des élèves

Resuming the debate adjourned on April 15, 2026, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 101,

An Act to amend various Acts in respect of education and child care / Projet de loi 101, Loi modifiant diverses lois relatives à l’éducation et à la garde d’enfants.

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

MPP Lise Vaugeois: From 1998: “The sound and fury of the latest proxy battle between our provincial government and public education in this province has, among other things, provided a useful smokescreen for the Harris government’s attack on the economic foundations of the education system.”

Do folks remember the notorious education minister John Snobelen, who made headlines in 1995 when he was caught saying the government should create a crisis in education to generate support for change? It wasn’t meant to be public—oops—but just like the greenbelt video with Ford’s developer buddies, the Snobelen video revealed what was behind the government’s decisions, and it wasn’t the well-being of students.

In the same era, does anyone remember how the Conservatives ran a campaign designed to incite contempt for teachers, all while cutting financial support for virtually every aspect of education?

They revived the “attack the teachers” mantra in 2018 with their snitch line, but apparently it didn’t work.

This brings us to the game plan we’re seeing today. First, the Conservatives needed to create a really good crisis in education—and I don’t mean the outrage the minister has been stoking to justify appointing failed Conservative candidates as wildly overpaid supervisors or to justify knee-capping democratically elected trustees.

No, I mean the actual crisis in education that this government set out to accomplish in 2018 by removing, piece by piece, the funding from education until we were down $6.3 billion, leaving teachers with more and more struggling students, fewer resources, fewer staff, larger class sizes, an irresponsible transportation formula, and huge gaps in support for special-needs students.

And parents, when you are wondering how these ministers can claim to be giving what they call “historic” funding—it’s called magic with numbers, and it is exactly the same tactic they used in 1995: Don’t include increased enrolment numbers, don’t include inflation, and, bingo, you can say you increased funding. It’s a classic illusionist’s trick.

I’ve been around for a while. I taught in teacher education in the one-year, the two-year programs, and the online COVID year. There are undoubtedly things that can be improved, but this is not the intention of this bill. The intention, as in bill after bill introduced by this government, is to gut our democracy and centralize power in themselves.

So let’s be clear: Nothing in this bill will improve outcomes for students or ensure that they have smaller class sizes, special education, mental health supports—there’s nothing there—or even basic resources like pencils in classrooms. And this credit card for teachers—give your heads a shake. Teachers need cash on hand because the boards have been starved of the money they need to buy supplies. It’s a gimmick.

Rather than putting student achievement first, the bill vastly expands the minister’s powers, creates a new layer of bureaucracy, but limits the advocacy and support that parents currently receive from trustees.

The bill is designed to discourage good people from running for trustee, and the minister has already said he will appoint people where there are no trustees elected. This is not an accident, because the goal, as in everything else this government does, is to put themselves and their buddies in charge; like changing the rules to appoint judges because you don’t like their rulings. You put in people in who are beholden to you—not accountable to students, teachers or parents, but beholden only to you.

The priorities in this bill tell you everything: Class sizes are mentioned zero times, while the supervisors imposed on the TDSB are forcing even larger, unsustainable class sizes. Classrooms are mentioned zero times in the bill. Mental health: zero. Special education: zero. Student achievement: three times—grand. But liability, 43 times. Why is the minister so obsessed with giving himself and his supervisors immunity if his goal is student achievement?

Are all trustees perfect? Do they all do justice to the responsibilities they have been elected to fulfill? Well, let me ask: Do the elected officials in this government all behave responsibly? We just have to look at the financial abuses right here between the greenbelt, Skills Development Fund, pet vanity projects of the Premier—the largest, most expensive government in the history of Ontario. There is a problem with people in this House making themselves God, continually changing the laws to avoid accountability.

Well, the current Conservatives, with this ideologically driven Minister of Education, are following exactly the same game plan: Eliminate the climate surveys and don’t find out how students are feeling, like ditching hallway medicine records, hiding phone records, or having 47 clauses protecting themselves from liability. Information and accountability are strictly forbidden.

A minister who wants to decide what will be read and not read; wants to get subscriptions for pre-packaged lesson plans, produced by whom? Bill Gates? Disney? Apple? The right-wing Fraser Institute? This is a minister and a government that is obsessed with the righteousness of their own ideology.

Remember that statement that we all must be proud of Canadian history? Let’s think about that. What is appropriate is neither pride nor shame. What is appropriate is awareness of the full story. I recommend that the minister visit room 228 and look at the river of children’s shoes representing the many Indigenous children who never made it home.

Our students right now learn about Canadian history in its breadth; neither pride nor shame, but thoughtful consideration and awareness. This bill is about power. It’s about ideology. It’s about eliminating critical thinking, eliminating democracy. And it’s also about breaking the system so badly, parents with money will send their kids to private schools where they will have class sizes of no more than 15 students.

I know this because my nephew was a troubled kid in his youth, and he wasn’t doing well in school, and because his parents had the money, he went to a private school with 15 kids in the class, and he blossomed. He continues to do very well. Why? Because the resources were there to support him. Every student deserves to have those kinds of resources.

We know your endgame, and it is diametrically opposed to well-funded, creative and thoughtful public education.

As I said earlier, I have been a professor in teacher education programs. I’m certainly aware of the kinds of challenges that teachers face. I’m aware of the challenges that trustees face. I am aware of the heart and soul that teachers put into everything they do. I’m also aware of the heart and soul of the trustees that put everything they have into looking into the well-being and supporting the well-being of our students.

There may be problems in some boards. I don’t see those problems being solved with supervisors making almost $400,000 that could be going to support students, but it’s not. Instead, it’s supporting failed Conservative candidates making really bad decisions.

We talk about laying off 600 teachers, and yet at the same time, you’re talking about, “We need more teachers.” There’s a big contradiction in there, and I must say it’s clear that nobody has thought through what the transition will look like when you have students in the middle of a two-year program and now you’re going to switch to a one-year program so the students who are already in education programs are paying a lot more. How is that going to go?

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Questions?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Everything that this government has done could be described as a smash and grab. We’ve seen this government try and take the greenbelt from the people of the province, $8 billion worth of value. Ontario Place: They gave a for-profit foreign spa a 100-year lease. Skills Development Fund: hundreds of millions of dollars went to insiders, including $10 million to a strip club buddy of this government, and the Premier’s family dentist also received money from the Skills Development Fund.

So you can understand why when this government gives themselves the power over land acquisitions when it comes to school boards that people think this is business as usual. The real estate holdings of school boards across the province are very vast and very expensive and very attractive to insiders and developers of this government.

Without providing any clear evidence as to why they are doing this, why they need this power, do you think people are right to suspect that this has everything to do with the land and real estate holdings of the—

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Thank you.

Response?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I want to thank my colleague from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas for the question.

It’s an important question, because we have seen this repeatedly. We know that there were favours that had to be paid back after the greenbelt scandal was cancelled. We see the same thing; we this happening with school properties in prime real estate. We see this happening with the conservation authorities that are being amalgamated in order to make it easier to sell off prime real estate—again, to their buddies.

So, yes, it’s a very serious concern. Frankly, it’s appalling. We keep seeing the same story again and again. We see power being heaped onto the government without any accountability whatsoever.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Bill 101, along with many other things it’s doing, is modernizing the education system and simplifying the child care registration. What we’re trying to do through this is assign the Ontario education number at birth as part of ServiceOntario’s newborn bundle rather than when they enrol at the time of school—which, in other words, will replace 140,000 manual OEN assignments each year, helping the parents, reducing the red tape, supporting them so that they don’t have to do it again and the child care wait-list can be seamless.

What is your opinion about all these things which we’re doing through this bill?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: The government wants to register children when they’re born. Parents want to register their children when they take them to school. I just don’t see how this is adding anything to the quality of education that students are actually receiving. I would much rather see the government stop pretending that it’s giving money when it has actually removed an enormous amount of money and actually support students and teachers so that the teachers can do the jobs they are so committed to doing.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question? I recognize the member for Sudbury.

MPP Jamie West: Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to my colleague as well for her debate.

She had mentioned that about 50 times there’s legal protections in this bill for the government and that students are mentioned three times. Also in the bill, if you’re looking for mental health, which students need, or smaller class sizes, or special education—those three things are not mentioned even one time in this bill. Those should be tenets of trying to create a better education system.

I’m wondering for this—for my colleague: Do you think the reason that legal protections are here so often is because of what’s happened with the greenbelt scandal and the Premier trying to shield his phone records by bringing in freedom-of-information laws that prevent people from seeing what they’re doing?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I want to thank my colleague from Sudbury for the question.

It’s a pattern we’ve seen again and again. As I recall, there is built into the Ontario Place bill protection from actually being sued for malfeasance. We see it with the changes to the FOI—hiding evidence, hiding the workings of this government from the public.

We see it in this bill with 47 mentions of protecting the government and their supervisors from liability from, essentially, being held responsible for their actions. It is unacceptable. It’s actually incredibly embarrassing and it’s incredible that the government keeps trying to pull the same stunt.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

M me Lucille Collard: Thank you to the member for Thunder Bay–Superior North for highlighting some of the important “lacunes” in this bill.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but every time the Minister of Education tables a bill, I get hopeful. I get hopeful that maybe we’re going to be addressing the real issues, the real strain on our education system, but yet I remained disappointed.

Can you tell us what you would have liked to see in in this education bill that is important for the people in Thunder Bay–Superior North when it comes to fixing our education system?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I want to thank the member for her question.

First of all, fix the transportation formula so that students in the north can get to school safely. Provide adequate funding so that teachers actually have the supplies that they need, that they can be purchased in bulk from the board. Make sure there are enough teachers that the class sizes are smaller, that there are enough EAs in the classroom. And frankly, make sure that the French-language system is protected as it is supposed to be—constitutionally—but it is at risk in the writing of this bill.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question? I recognize the member for Burlington.

Ms. Natalie Pierre: Thank you, Speaker, and good morning. Thank you to the member opposite for her remarks earlier.

My question is about supporting teachers with consistent, high-quality learning resources. Right now, teachers across the province of Ontario spend hours sourcing their own material online, on sites like Instagram, TikTok, when we already have the Trillium List for textbooks.

You know, we’re looking to have teachers keep full flexibility to supplement the curriculum, but giving them a reliable, high-quality base to start with. Having those consistent resources across school boards for all teachers helps to ensure that students are getting consistent learning materials and curriculum all across the province of Ontario.

So my question for the member opposite is, do you support consistent, high-quality learning resources for teachers in the classroom across the province of Ontario?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Of course we need good-quality resources for teachers. At the moment, they’re going to get this gift card so that they can get pencils and paper—remarkable. The question is, who is going to design those resources and who is funding it?

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

MPP Jamie West: I believe that the cut to the education since 2018 is $6.4 billion. I do know that there’s $150 million less in this budget. That money isn’t being spent on increased class sizes. Instead, it’s being spent on supervisors who make $400,000 a year, who aren’t accountable to the public, who don’t answer questions and who don’t seem to be improving anything. Can you help me understand how this is working well for our students who are in larger classrooms?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: Well, I’ll say it is not working for our students. In fact, it is doing the opposite. It has created another massively expensive layer of bureaucracy. Parents get no information from these supervisors. In fact, they have actually banned live broadcasts of the disability meetings that are so important to those parents. It’s a lot of money for zero accountability, and it’s money that is not going into classrooms. It’s not going to support teachers. It’s not going to support parents. It’s not going to support students with special needs.

It’s going to reward insiders—people who, I guess, needed new jobs after they failed in running for office. It’s been very, very distressing, sitting through this, watching the histrionics. Am I allowed to say that?

Interjection: No.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: No? I can withdraw it.

But the drama is created around, frankly, crises of the government’s making. They have been working on this strategy for years, and we can see it echoed in the strategy of the Harris government of 1988. It is exactly the same song and dance to justify cutting funding to education.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Further debate?

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: I’m happy to rise and talk about something that affects every family, every community and the future of our province, and that is public education.

Ontario’s education Bill 101 is being presented as a solution, a way to improve accountability, fix governance issues and ensure better outcomes for students. Let me be clear: We all want strong schools, we all want students to succeed and we all want accountability, but wanting those things does not mean that this bill delivers them. Because when we look closely—not at the slogans but at the structure—we see something else entirely. We see a shift: a shift in power, a shift in voice and a shift in who gets to participate in deciding the future of education in Ontario.

Let’s start with the most fundamental concern, and that is the erosion of local democracy. For generations, school boards in Ontario have been governed by elected trustees, people chosen by their communities to represent local needs, local values and local priorities. Bill 101 doesn’t completely eliminate trustees; it doesn’t need to. Instead, it reduces their authority, caps their numbers, restricts their budgets and limits their ability to make meaningful decisions. In other words, it keeps the appearance of democracy while quietly removing its power.

We have to ask ourselves: What is the point of electing representatives if they no longer have the authority to represent us? Democracy is not just about voting. It’s about influence, it’s about accountability and it’s about having a voice that actually matters, and this bill weakens that voice.

Secondly, this bill centralizes power in the hands of the provincial government. Under Bill 101, decision-making authority shifts away from locally elected boards and towards the Ministry of Education and appointed officials. New leadership structures, CEOs and chief education officers, will oversee operations and student outcomes. On paper, this could sound efficient, professional, streamlined, but here’s the problem: These individuals are not elected. They are not directly accountable to parents, to communities or to voters.

They are accountable upwards to the province, and that changes everything, because when decisions are made far from the communities that they affect, those decisions often fail to reflect the realities on the ground.

A rural school board does not face the same challenges as an urban one might. A northern community does not have the same needs as downtown Toronto. A one-size-fits-all approach may be efficient, but it is rarely effective. Education is not something that can be governed entirely from a central office. It requires local knowledge, local input, local trust, and this bill risks replacing all of that with centralized control.

Third, there are serious concerns about accountability. The government argues that this bill improves accountability, that it ensures boards are better managed and more fiscally responsible. But again, accountability to whom? Under the current system, trustees answer to voters, and if they fail, they can be voted out. Under the proposed system, key decision-makers answer to the province only. And if something goes wrong, if policies fail, if resources are misallocated, who is held responsible? That line of accountability becomes blurred, and when accountability is unclear, trust erodes.

Parents begin to feel disconnected, communities feel unheard and confidence in the system declines. Accountability should move closer to the people, not further away.

Fourth, this bill risks over-standardizing education. Bill 101 introduces greater provincial control over curriculum materials, testing and classroom expectations. Standardization can have benefits—it can create consistency; it can ensure minimum standards are met—but too much standardization comes at a cost. It limits flexibility, it reduces innovation and it ignores the diversity of student needs across this province.

Teachers know their students, schools understand their communities, boards recognize regional differences and when decisions are imposed from the top down, that expertise, that knowledge is sidelined, and education becomes less responsive, less adaptable, less human. We should be empowering educators, not Restricting them.

Fifth, there’s a risk of unintended consequences for student outcomes. The bill is called the Putting Student Achievement First Act, but nowhere is that promise guaranteed. Because improving student achievement is not just about governance structures; it’s about class sizes, teacher support, mental health resources, infrastructure, community engagement. If we focus too heavily on control and compliance, we risk neglecting the factors that actually drive success in the classroom.

Students don’t benefit from power shifts; they benefit from support, stability and investment, and many are asking: Is this bill addressing the real challenges that students face, or is it focusing on administrative control instead?

The government has pointed to cases of financial mismanagement and governance issues with some school boards, and yes, those issues should be taken seriously. But we must ask: Are we solving specific problems or applying sweeping changes to address isolated cases? When broad policies are built on narrow problems, they often go too far. It’s like using a sledgehammer when a scalpel would do. Reform is necessary, but reform must be proportional. Otherwise, instead of improving the system, we would end up destroying it. Well, then, maybe that is the ultimate goal.

There are concerns about long-term precedent that we must also think about. Policies like this don’t just affect today; they shape tomorrow. If we normalize the idea that local governance can be overridden, centralized and reduced whenever problems arise, what comes next—changes to the municipal governance so that this government appoints municipal officers instead of electing them by the people? That’s the next step, and we are already there.

This is not just about education; it’s about the balance of power in our province. When that balance shifts, once it’s gone, it’s not easy to restore.

So what should we be asking ourselves instead? How do we strengthen school boards without silencing them? How do we support students by investing in what actually matters? What do we need? We need targeted oversight when it’s needed, transparent financial practices, stronger collaboration between boards and the province and real investments in classrooms.

Education is not just another policy area; it is the foundation of our future. Bill 101 may be presented as a step forward, but we must ask whether it moves us forward in the right way, because progress is not just about change; it’s about good change, change that strengthens our institutions, not weakens them. Ontario students deserve nothing less.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Mr. Lorne Coe: I have a question for the member for Kanata–Carleton. It has to do with a part of the bill that modernizes teacher education. We’re modernizing teacher education programs, saving aspiring teachers up to $3,000 in tuition costs and reducing the time needed to launch a successful teaching career.

Added to that is the classroom practicum, the hands-on learning that prepares teachers for real classrooms. It’s being maintained, and we’re quadrupling the associate teacher honorarium, the $635 to expand and strengthen placement opportunities.

My hope, Speaker, is that these changes, particularly because they deliver on commitments that all major parties have campaigned on—my hope will be that the member from Kanata–Carleton will stand in their place and support Bill 101.

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: Thank you to my honourable colleague. I believe that that particular thing about teacher education was in the Liberal Party platform in the last election. That was part of our platform.

I think that whatever we do to make the role of teachers—if we can prepare them better, if they can get—I do agree that in-classroom experience is really important. They do need more of that in their curriculum, let’s say. So that part of the bill, I have absolutely no trouble with.

Again, it comes back to the centralizing of power, the removal of accountability. Those are the things that worry me in this bill.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you to the member for her comments.

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: I thank my honourable colleague for the question.

Again, it comes down to accountability. Because trustees were elected, if they start to do things that make the electorate unhappy, they can always be removed in the next election. But with this—being appointed—there is no accountability. They’re accountable only to the Minister of Education but not to the community as a whole, and that’s a dangerous precedent.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

M me Lucille Collard: Thank you to my colleague for her remarks pointing out that the government is not focusing on the right priorities when it comes to the education system.

We talk about education a lot in here, because everybody cares and everybody hears from parents in their riding, from schools. I go in schools very often. It looks like right now we might not be able to do as much because there seems to be some restriction around attending graduations, which I think is a shame.

But on the point of what the priorities should be—like I said before, I always get hopeful when I see an education bill. But we talk about priorities. What should the government be focusing on when we’re bringing about change to our education system?

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: Thank you to my honourable colleague for the question.

It comes back to smaller class sizes, because we know, when we’re integrating students in an integrated classroom, there will be some students that will need a little bit of extra support. So make those class sizes smaller.

Secondly, make sure that that specialized support is there. And we’ve also seen the crisis of violence in schools. That requires—more mental health support, I would imagine, is the right way to go there.

We need more people in schools in order to make sure that education is progressing the way we need it to progress.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Further debate?

Mr. Jeff Burch: I’m pleased to stand and give some comments on Bill 101.

Nothing in this bill will improve outcomes for students or ensure they have smaller class sizes, special education and mental health supports—as we are always hearing in our community are desperately needed—or even basic resources like pencils in classrooms.

Rather than putting student achievement first, this bill is all about putting the Minister of Education first. It vastly expands his powers and creates a new layer of bureaucracy but limits the advocacy and support that parents receive.

This government is more focused on controlling classrooms than improving them. Bill 101 gives the minister power over grades, textbooks and school operations. That kind of top-down control undermines educators and distracts from the urgent need to reduce class sizes and improve learning conditions.

Also in the bill, there are 57 clauses regarding protection of the minister, cabinet and the minister’s appointees against legal cases, but only one clause in the bill on student achievement.

It eliminates the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. OCUFA says this removes any measure of accountability or transparency in the post-secondary sector, giving the government the power to interfere without consulting experts or engaging with fact-based evidence. It also gives the ministry of colleges and universities the power to police free speech on campus.

In addition to giving the minister more power, it seems to be designed to discourage good people from running for trustee, and the minister has already said he will appoint people where there are no trustees elected.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, ETFO, who I have the pleasure of working with in my community, says, “The proposed legislation removes trustees from the central bargaining tables and shifts local bargaining away from trustees to ... CEOs. This upends decades of established labour relations and eliminates a core democratic safeguard. Trustees have been central‑table partners since 2014, when the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act created Ontario’s two‑tier bargaining model, and have held a statutory role in local bargaining since 1975 under Bill 100.

That’s decades of democratic responsibility and oversight now put at risk by” this “government. ETFO will review the legislation to determine how these changes may impact central and local bargaining further”—so, having workers’ rights under attack here, Madam Speaker.

We’ve heard the minister stand up and say that he is working on behalf of teachers. These are teachers and their unions who are saying their voices are being removed from the system.

“School board trustees are elected and can be held accountable by their ... communities. The minister has made clear that the government’s new chief executive officer position will be accountable to Queen’s Park alone—and not to local parents.

“This silences our families and local communities”—and I have heard that in my community and I’m sure my colleagues are hearing it in communities all over Ontario—“the very people who keep our schools strong. At the bargaining table, by replacing trustees with CEOs, the government is removing critical education experience and expertise, as well as local voices, limiting the ability of parents to advocate for the resources students deserve.”

The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association says, “Over the past several months, we have seen troubling decisions made in supervised boards without public consultation—decisions such as changing school bell times, lifting class size caps, eliminating programs, closing schools, and reducing supports for students in high-needs communities and those with special education needs. These decisions are being made by highly paid individuals—making as much as $350,000 a year—accountable only to the Minister of Education, not to local communities.

“In early March, groups representing all levels of the education sector called on” this minister “to consult with them on the rumoured governance changes. No consultations occurred. We continue to call on the minister to provide a clear and transparent plan to return the supervised” school “boards to stable, locally accountable governance. There is still no publicly available list of goals or tasks that the supervised boards need to achieve in order for supervision to be concluded. Students, families, and staff deserve to understand how decisions impacting their classrooms are being made and how local voices will be restored.”

This government is doing nothing to address the staffing crisis, hurting students every day. Ontario schools are dealing with teacher shortages and fewer one-on-one supports for students. Instead of hiring more caring adults, the Premier is focused on yet another power grab.

Families are already paying more out of pocket because of cuts, and this bill offers no relief. When supports like mental health services, special education and nutrition programs fall short, parents are forced to fill the gap. Centralizing control won’t put more supports in classrooms. Too many students are falling behind because they don’t have the special education and mental health resources they need and deserve.

Bill 101 ignores the crisis in school infrastructure. Students are learning in schools with leaking roofs, aging buildings and massive repair backlogs. Instead of fixing school, this government is instead focused on consolidating power.

This is a terrible bill that everyone except this government is opposed to. It clearly requires sober second thought, and I move to adjourn this debate.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Mr. Burch has moved the adjournment of the debate. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Second reading debate adjourned.

Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité à la réussite des élèves

Resuming the debate adjourned on April 16, 2026, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 101,

An Act to amend various Acts in respect of education and child care / Projet de loi 101, Loi modifiant diverses lois relatives à l’éducation et à la garde d’enfants.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): The member for Niagara Centre, where we left off, was debating the bill, so I return to the member for Niagara Centre.

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you, Speaker—I think.

In Niagara, in my neck of the woods, severe underfunding has led to extreme understaffing in both the District School Board of Niagara and the Niagara Catholic District School Board. As a result, student needs are going unmet and incidents of violence have increased—and that’s been reported very much in the local newspaper. That’s according to a survey of education workers by the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions. The survey included more than 12,000 respondents from across Ontario, with more than 700 from Niagara-area school boards.

Interjection.

Mr. Jeff Burch: And I now move adjournment of the House, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Based on the guidance of the table that no member may move adjournment of the House during morning debate—

Mr. Jeff Burch: I tried.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I acknowledge the request of the member and will rule that out of order.

I return to the member who still has the floor, the member for Niagara Centre.

Interjection: What’s going on in Niagara?

Mr. Jeff Burch: There’s lots going on in Niagara, Speaker.

One of the things that’s going on in Niagara is that school offices are over-burdened by increasing demands, cleaning is neglected and necessary repairs are often delayed or left incomplete. These are some of the challenges that schools are facing, and instead this government is attacking democratic rights in our region. Thank you.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): And thank you. That is time.

Questions?

M me France Gélinas: We all know that the pandemic was hard on everyone, including on our kids in school. We have seen a rise in the number of kids who face mental health challenges. I’m really happy that stigma has changed. Families do reach out when their kids need mental health care.

Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods, they will be put on 18-month wait-lists before they can see anyone, which means that a lot of kids with sometimes serious mental health issues attend our school every day. This is something that needs to be addressed urgently.

Do you see this in the bill as an emergency that is getting the attention that it needs?

Mr. Jeff Burch: I thank my friend from Nickel Belt for the question. It’s a question that hits close to home. My wife, Linda, is the volunteer coordinator at Pathstone, the children’s mental health agency in Niagara. Of course, we’ve seen increased wait-lists. My son was actually in grades 7 and 8 during the pandemic, so it’s a very good question. There’s nothing in this bill that address that. Those are the things that we believe the government should be focused on rather than taking democratic control out of school boards.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

MPP George Darouze: We’re going to move the question from Niagara to York. At York Catholic District School Board, trustees burned through seven different directors of education in just nine years, hiring and firing senior leadership at will, holding board operations hostage to political games.

Bill 101 ends that revolving door by requiring ministerial approval before a CEO can be terminated, ensuring qualified professionals—not warring trustees—lead the day-to-day operation of multi-billion-dollar organizations responsible for the education of our children.

The question is, why does the member opposite want to preserve a system where trustees can fire seven leaders in nine years and call it good governance?

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you to the member for the question. Look, there are all kinds of attacks going on against local democracy, and this is one of them. I mean, the member can point to all of the scandals that he wants; this government itself is not without scandals. If we were going to appoint people instead of electing them, there would be no members left in the government side.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Four trustees at the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board went on a $45,000 trip to Italy under the guise of purchasing artwork for a new high school in Brantford—a trip the trustees themselves authorized after quietly rewriting their own expense policy days earlier to allow business class flights and luxury hotels, colleagues. After legal fees managed the fallout, the total cost to taxpayers ballooned to $190,000—money that was supposed to go to students in Brantford classrooms.

Bill 101 finally puts an end to this kind of abuse by capping trustee honoraria at $10,000, eliminating discretionary expense accounts and giving the minister the tools to hold trustees accountable.

How can the member opposite stand in this House and vote against legislation that would prevent another $190,000 junket to Italy on the backs of Ontario students?

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you to the member for the question. I’m going to repeat the answer from my last question. You know, Vegas—massages in Vegas—I mean, do you want me to list all of the things that your government has done? It doesn’t justify taking away democracy just because there’s corruption. You address the corruption; you don’t take away democracy and start appointing people and engaging in even more corruption.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Questions?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: There was some discussion yesterday on this bill about constitutionality. I wanted to make the point that there is compliance with constitutional rights in this legislation. In order to underscore that, in

schedule 2 of the bill, in paragraph 17.3—it’s kind of a legal issue—it specifically says this act “does not apply with respect to an application for judicial review” or “a claim for constitutional remedy....”

I believe that it provides the constitutional safeguards—which, even if it weren’t stated, would still be there anyway.

I just invite the member to comment on that in any way he chooses to do so.

Mr. Jeff Burch: I honestly have no idea what the member just asked. But the bill doesn’t address the staffing shortage. It doesn’t address what’s happening with students in classrooms. It doesn’t address, as my friend from Nickel Belt pointed out, the terrible situation with children’s mental health in the province. It doesn’t address any of the problems, and trying to confuse things with legal mumbo jumbo doesn’t make this bill any better.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

MPP Jamie West: Thank you to my colleague on this debate, There has been a lot of conversation today about being fiscally prudent. I want to point out that our debt today in Ontario under the Conservative government is $485 billion. That’s a 50.15% increase from when they took office. The deficit is $13.8 billion. That is almost 77% higher than last year.

You would think that this has ballooned because we’re investing more and more into students, into our children for education. But the reality is, there has been a $6.35 billion cut to education, increased class sizes and reduced supports for students. There has been an increase of about $400,000 for these appointed supervisors, who don’t seem to be helping the students. And we do know that the Premier’s office now has a payroll of $8 million for the 50 people working for the Premier.

I’m just wondering, do you think that children in the classrooms would be better off if there were 50 people working for them?

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you to my friend for the question. One of the things we try and teach kids is to lead by example. We have a government that doesn’t lead by example. As was pointed out, this is just typical: get rid of some elected people and hire high-priced middle-management bureaucratic people. We see it in our health care system with middle management people, we see it in our education system, and we see it in our municipal system.

They’re attacking municipal councillors across the province and appointing people, while they’ve downloaded—from 2019 to 2026, it’s gone from $3.5 billion to $5.5 billion in provincial responsibilities onto municipalities. So they can’t even do their job anymore as municipalities because they’re trying to pay for things that this government is responsible for.

I guess the message is that they should lead by example.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question? I recognize the member for Ottawa–Vanier, quickly.

M me Lucille Collard: Again, I think the government’s got their priorities wrong. I think that what’s in this bill doesn’t address the needs in our education system, and there’s so much we could do and so many things we should be doing to help our kids succeed in our classrooms and have a better education.

I got into the education system because I couldn’t believe how many portables there were in our schools—the schools my kids were going to—and I really wanted that to change. What would you like to see in this bill to help the kids at school?

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): A very quick response from the member from Niagara Centre.

Mr. Jeff Burch: I completely agree. Thank you to the member for the question. As I mentioned in my speech, students are learning in schools with leaky roofs, aging buildings, massive repair backlogs. Those are the things that this government should be focused on, not on messing around with internal structures and getting rid of democratically elected people and appointing their cronies at $300,000 or $400,000 a year. That’s what we want to see on this side of the House. But in all of these areas, whether it’s school boards or municipalities, this government just wants to install their own friends and cronies in these jobs, pay them $200,000 or $300,000 and ignore the real problems.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Further debate?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Madam Speaker, before I start my remarks, I will be sharing my time with the chief government whip, the member from Perth–Wellington.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to talk about Bill 101, the Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026. This bill is jointly proposed by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security.

If you look at the heart of this bill, as you know, the government is making historic investments in education that put students, parents and teachers first. These investments are focused on improving outcomes in the classroom and ensuring the success for our students. Parents and caregivers should be confident that these resources are reaching the classroom and these resources are directed to support student achievement and educators who are preparing students for a stronger and prosperous Ontario.

Madam Speaker, I’ll be talking more about what is proposed by the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. As we all know, colleges and universities play a critical role in Ontario’s success. They prepare workers for in-demand jobs and institutions make sure the needs of learners and employers are taken care of.

What we are doing in this bill is, we are proposing changes that condense teacher education programs to 12 months over three consecutive semesters, as opposed to the current model of four semesters over two years. Another thing we’ll be trying to do through this bill is establishing a new minimum length of practicum. As we all know, with work-integrated learning, over and over the data shows that when you have the learning as part of the work, you learn more and you learn faster and you stay longer and you contribute more. Across the country, as we know, practicums range from 70 days to 120.

Teachers, faculties, students and school boards have been clear that in order to best prepare for a successful teaching career, our teacher candidates need as much time as possible in the classroom.

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I apologize to the member for interrupting him. I have stopped the clock.

Could side conversations please consider the fact that there is a member speaking that I am unable to hear—

Interjection.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): —who has the floor and I will be happy to hear him continue his speech.

I will return to the member from Mississauga–Malton, with apologies for the interruption.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I appreciated that.

Madam Speaker, I was talking about that these changes would reduce the financial barrier to launching a successful teaching career by saving students up to $3,000 in tuition.

As we all know, teachers are essential to Ontario’s future. What we’re doing through the bill is modernizing teacher education, investing in capacity, shortening time to entry and expanding responsible pathways.

Our government is ensuring that more qualified educators can enter classrooms sooner, without sacrificing quality. This approach saves candidates time and reduces cost. It trains them for successful careers and good-paying, in-demand jobs, and it ensures that students across Ontario have access to well-prepared teachers. As a whole, this approach will strengthen our education system, support families and build the workforce Ontario needs to remain competitive in the years ahead.

I urge everyone and I look forward to continuing this work with the Ministry of Education and our partners across the sector. It is time to stand up for our students and educators and support Bill 101.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): The member said he was sharing his time, and I recognize the member for Perth–Wellington.

Mr. Matthew Rae: It’s great to rise this morning on a very foggy Thursday morning to talk about a very important piece of legislation, colleagues: Bill 101, education 101 in the province of Ontario, and this important piece of legislation that the Minister of Education has brought forward to strengthen our great education system across Ontario and bring transparency, accountability and modernization, colleagues, to our education system.

I know that some of you in this place will know that I did have the pleasure of serving as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Education—

Interjection.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Thank you to the member from Whitby for that round of applause—when the member from King–Vaughan was the Minister of Education, and I know that when we were there, I found it perplexing that we still have an education system that was designed for a one-room school. Our education system was set up in the late 19th century, more or less when our country was forming and our province was being created. It was designed for a system where it was obviously classroom learning, a professor or a teacher at the front.

Obviously, education and technology have evolved since the late 19th century. I know the three previous Ministers of Education under this Premier have brought forward a plethora of initiatives, whether it’s around curriculum development, whether it’s around mental health supports in classrooms. Colleagues, I know it’s been talked about a lot by some of the opposition members.

I remember when I was in the Ministry of Education, serving as a parliamentary assistant, I was pleased to work with the then Minister of Education from King–Vaughan on increasing the mental health supports to our students in the schools. Now it’s obviously higher, but at that time, four years ago now, we increased it to $125 million annually in mental health supports for students in our schools.

I also remind colleagues around the support that we provide our primary care expansion. I meet with a lot of my family health teams. I have, I think, the most family health teams or primary care interdisciplinary teams in the province. They actually look at hiring child psychologists and other medical experts to work with our local school boards in that as well, ensuring they’re then in our health care system and getting those additional supports in school, but outside of school as well. So a lot of government investment may not directly be focused on the Ministry of Education, but is supporting our students and children in their communities and across all communities.

Speaker, I know—

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Order.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Don’t worry, Speaker. I can talk over them.

Interjection: She can’t hear you.

Mr. Matthew Rae: She can’t hear me? This is the closest a member can be to the Speaker. She’s probably telling me to quiet down.

Interjection: She has you in her sightline, too.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Yes.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Order.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Speaker, I had the pleasure of hosting the current Minister of Education from Markham–Stouffville last week in my riding. We had the opportunity to tour a local school being built. The Drayton Catholic elementary school will open in September 2027. It is the first new elementary school in my riding in a few years, with over 200 student spaces. But more importantly, there are also 64 child care spaces. That’s important because it’s in a portion of my riding that doesn’t have any licensed child care providers.

We’re making this $20-million investment in the community of Mapleton and Drayton. It was great to have the Minister of Education out there last week, as I mentioned, touring the site. Obviously, with the rain we’ve been having in Perth–Wellington, it was a muddy site. But seeing that progress—they’ve already start putting up the walls around the child care, and I know many people in my community have appreciated that.

I bring that up, Speaker, because this bill will allow the minister to ensure that we get more schools built quickly across the province of Ontario. I think of the Near North board, which encompasses North Bay and Parry Sound, where they literally built half a school and then they walked away from that. That’s not acceptable, and that’s why we’re bringing forward this piece of legislation: to ensure accountability and transparency on making big capital decisions.

As I mentioned, the elementary school in the community of Drayton is a $20-million build now. Obviously, high schools, which are larger, are even more. So it’s vital to ensure that our capital budget, well over $16 billion in the Ministry of Education, is spent in a transparent and accountable way. This is the taxpayers’ money, as the Premier likes to remind us in our caucus, and I know that’s a focus of our government members. It’s ensuring that we spend that money in an appropriate manner.

Colleagues, I know potentially later today, potentially next week, my colleagues across the way will have an opportunity to vote for this piece of legislation, and they have a decision to make. Will they stand with the trustees that take junkets to Italy and buy Italian art, or will they stand with the hard-working people in Perth–Wellington, Essex and Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, and vote with us to ensure that we continue to support Ontario?

I move this question now be put.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): There having been nine hours of debate and 27 members having participated, Mr. Rae has moved that the question be now put. I am satisfied that there has been sufficient debate to allow this question to be put to the House.

It is the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.

All those in favour of the motion that the question be now put, please say “aye.”

All those opposed to the motion that the question be now put, please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred to the next instance of deferred votes.

Vote deferred.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Orders of the day.

Hon. Steve Clark: No business.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): There being no further business, this House stand in recess until 1015.

The House recessed from 1010 to 1015.

Members’ Statements

Vaisakhi

Mr. Hardeep Singh Grewal: Speaker, April is Sikh Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the history, culture and contributions of Sikh Canadians who have helped shape Ontario and our great country of Canada for the better.

It’s a privilege to rise in the House today to extend warm wishes to Sikhs across Ontario and around the world celebrating Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi marks the creation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh Ji in 1699—a defining moment that established a community grounded in equality, courage and selfless service. Khalsa Sajna Divas reminds us of the responsibility to stand for justice, to serve others and to contribute to the greater good. This spirit will be on full display at the Khalsa Day parades taking place in Toronto on April 26 and in Etobicoke on May 3, where hundreds of thousands will come together in celebration of faith, community and service.

On behalf of this House, I would like to wish everyone celebrating a happy Vaisakhi and a happy Khalsa Sajna Divas. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.

Orthodox Christian Week

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: This week, we are proud to mark the second annual Orthodox Christian Week in Ontario—a moment that carries deep meaning for so many families and communities across our great province.

Once again, I want to thank all the members of Ontario’s Legislature who unanimously supported my bill to establish an annual Orthodox Christian Week in Ontario. Most of all, I want to thank Orthodox Christians across our great province for coming together to make this a reality for us all.

Ontario’s diversity is its strength, and for over a century, Orthodox Christians have been arriving here and strengthening the communities they live in, contributing enormously to the social, cultural and economic life of our province.

Like so many other faiths and cultures in Ontario, Orthodox Christians are now formally honoured and recognized each year.

This Friday, religious leadership from Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox dioceses across Ontario will gather to celebrate here at Queen’s Park in unity and shared purpose. I would like to recognize and deeply thank this year’s hosts, the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church of Canada.

Happy Easter, and happy Orthodox Christian Week.

National Volunteer Week

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: National Volunteer Week is here, and I want to take some time to thank amazing volunteers in Kanata–Carleton—those who volunteer at the Kanata Food Cupboard, Chrysalis House, the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, and all of the amazing community association volunteers who work so hard to make their communities better. They make such a big difference.

The Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition is a group of Kanata residents concerned about losing their green space and the potential that uncontrolled development could poison the watershed. They showed up in cold, damp weather to rally together and to share their concerns.

And let me talk about two high school students I’m meeting tomorrow. Seb and Tianshu are collecting petition signatures, and they want to discuss their concerns about the changes to OSAP and the devastating consequences these changes will have on those wanting to pursue post-secondary education.

When I think of these two students and all these other volunteers, I am reminded of Margaret Mead’s words: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

I am so grateful to you all.

Carleton students and constituency office

MPP George Darouze: I rise today to recognize a special group of guests who joined us at Queen’s Park on April 1: a number of outstanding students from Carleton University. As Matthew Cairney, Benjamin Scharf, Lauren Weldon-Vaughn, James McLaren, Evan Lecours, Daisy Hagens and Colin McKay walked the halls of the Legislature, I was reminded that they are not only students today, but the leaders, innovators and decision-makers of tomorrow. Ontario’s future is bright because of them. I would like to thank you, Speaker, as well as many of our ministers and colleagues who took the time to speak with the students and make it an informative trip.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize my hard-working constituency office staff from Carleton, who were also invited to Queen’s Park that day. Whether the House is in session or not, they are in Carleton supporting residents, solving problems and ensuring that constituents receive the assistance they need. The team includes Stephanie Nelson, Jane DiRaimo, Candice Coates, Ethan Smith and Owen Murdoch, who work closely with my EA here in Queen’s Park, Katherine Tsekareas.

To the students and the Carleton constituency team, thank you for your commitment to learning and your service to our community.

Unemployment

Ms. Peggy Sattler: Speaker, London now leads the country with 9.1% unemployment, the highest in Canada. This is a devastating blow for workers in our community, and it should be a wake-up call for this government to finally address the jobs disaster that is unfolding in southwestern Ontario.

Behind this statistic are real people: workers in health care, manufacturing and education who have lost good, stable jobs; recent grads who can’t find employment; students whose co-ops and internships are being cancelled. This not only hurts young people, workers and their family; it hurts our economy. And it leaves Londoners without access to the skilled workers they rely on.

At a time when cost-of-living pressures are higher than ever, fear of job loss just adds another layer of anxiety for workers struggling to get by in a community where poverty continues to deepen, where 2,000 Londoners are chronically homeless, 7,000 are on year-long wait-lists for social housing, and food bank usage is at an all-time high.

Instead of a real plan to protect London workers and create good stable jobs, this government’s solution is to waste taxpayer dollars on a downtown Toronto luxury spa and fantasy projects that no one asked for and that will do nothing to help our city. Londoners cannot afford more government inaction while their livelihoods and hopes for the future disappear.

Non-profit organizations

M me Dawn Gallagher Murphy: This past February, I was honoured to hold my third annual non-profit appreciation event in Newmarket.

Firstly, I would like to thank my dear colleague and friend the MPP from Richmond Hill, Daisy Wai, for her leadership in bringing Bill 9, non-profit appreciation week, to fruition—a bill that received unanimous support from all provincial parliamentarians in 2021. I cannot think of a better way to ensure that the work that non-profit organizations do every single day is indeed recognized.

It is important to recognize individuals and organizations who make our community stronger, kinder and more vibrant every single day.

I was pleased to welcome more than 40 of our local non-profit organizations from various sectors: those who hold beautiful community events that bring us all together, like York Pride, 108 Health Promotion, TCMA, Hindu Sanatan Kendra of York-Simcoe Region, Senior Iranian Multicultural Association and more; to those who provide essential services for people at various stages in life—Newmarket Soccer Club, CHATS, the ABLE Network, Communauté du Trille blanc, Community Living Central York—and to all those who stand beside those who are facing the most challenging moments.

Their dedication is nothing short of extraordinary. They nourish the spirit of our community. This is why we take a moment to celebrate them and thank them.

Highway safety

Mr. John Vanthof: As we sit here, once again, Highway 11/17, the 17 portion by Upsala is closed—again, a multi-vehicle accident. I’m sure I convey for everyone in the House our hope that no one is seriously injured.

But this happens time and time and time again. On Tuesday, April 21, we will be discussing or debating an NDP motion to actually make Highway 11/17 an issue of provincial significance. Because it is the Trans-Canada Highway, and it’s continually blocked, and people continually lose their lives needlessly.

This shouldn’t be a partisan issue, and this isn’t a partisan motion. It’s a motion where we all we can work together to try and solve this issue on behalf of the country. It’s not just about pavement. It’s not just about maintenance standards. It’s not just about driver training. It’s a very complicated issue, but all those issues have something to do with it. But the fact remains that Highway 11/17 is the Trans-Canada Highway through this province, and we should be ashamed in Ontario of what’s happening on that stretch of road and why the rest of the country can make it work and we can’t.

Diagnostic services / Protection for workers

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Earlier this month, I was proud to join the Minister of Health and the Minister of Long-Term Care and the acting Minister of Infrastructure at the Queensway Health Centre in Etobicoke–Lakeshore for the official opening of the first MRI machine. With a provincial investment of $800,000, it will support an additional 3,000 scans this year. There are now five MRI machines across the Trillium Health Partners network, providing access to timely diagnostics and care for patients in both Mississauga and Etobicoke.

Earlier this week, I joined the Ministers of Labour and Red Tape Reduction at Cinespace Studios in Etobicoke–Lakeshore, a major production hub for high-profile series like Law and Order Toronto and Cry Wolf. We announced an important new measure to improve the oversight of talent agents and a ban on employers charging employees for required uniforms to ensure that workers can’t be forced to pay out of their pocket.

Speaker, these were two very different announcements, but they share a common purpose: removing barriers, whether it’s an MRI wait time list or out-of-pocket costs just to go to work. From investing in better access to care to putting more money back in workers’ pockets, we’re taking action in our hospitals and in our workplaces to support people where it matters most, to make life easier and more affordable for people in Etobicoke, in Mississauga and across this province of Ontario.

Rural Ontario

Mr. Matthew Rae: It’s a pleasure to rise this morning to share some great news for the riding of Perth–Wellington about some significant investments that our government has been making in rural Ontario.

I know budget 2026 had a lot of great initiatives, whether it comes to infrastructure expansion, health care funding and a variety of other supports for our businesses impacted by the US tariffs. And I know it’s great to be able to share with my colleagues in this place that just over a year ago—in that time period—working together with communities in Perth–Wellington, my office and I have been able to secure over $62 million in infrastructure funding for communities across Perth–Wellington.

Speaker, this goes to important projects that build roads, bridges, roundabouts, but also, more importantly, waste water infrastructure. Because at the end of a pipe is a new home—a home that a family can move into and can rent or own. I know it’s important that we continue to do that, so it’s great to see that in this provincial budget—$4 billion for the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program.

Health care was a key component of the provincial budget as well, and I’m pleased to share with this place that since the last provincial election in 2025—again, working with local health care workers—we’ve been able to secure 51 million net new dollars in health care funding for Perth–Wellington.

We are not done as a government, and we’ll continue to invest in rural Ontario.

Introduction of Visitors

MPP Alexa Gilmour: In the members’ gallery today is Michael Compeau. Michael was a high school educator. Now retired, he is an artist growing in fame in Ontario. His art is inspired by nature, and I am inspired by his art. Welcome to your House, Michael.

Mr. Joseph Racinsky: Today’s page captain is Manuthi, and I’m happy to welcome her grandmother Chandra; father, Nirosh; mother, Savithri; and younger sister Tenaya to Queen’s Park. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature.

MPP Jamie West: I would like to welcome a proud member of IBEW and candidate for Pickering city council, Jamie Nye, and also his campaign manager, Virginia Vidal, to the Legislature today. Welcome to the House.

Hon. Mike Harris: If you will indulge me for a minute, it’s a very, very special day in our house: It’s my daughter Gemma’s 10th birthday. She’s watching live right now, so do you think we might be able to do a happy birthday for Gemma, Madam Speaker?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I think so. Kill the clock.

Singing of Happy Birthday.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Introduction of visitors?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Speaker, in the gallery today we have a blue-shirted individual. He is a business student from McMaster University. He’s Andrew Leardi, my son.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I recognize the member from Scarborough–Agincourt.

Mr. Aris Babikian: Madam Speaker, thank you very much. I am not sure if it’s an appropriate time, but you can direct me. I wish my mother a happy 90th birthday. She is healthy, living on her own, and she is a self-sufficient lady.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): With the number of birthdays, I guess spring fever really is a thing.

Opposition day motions

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Yesterday, the leader of the official opposition and the member for Toronto–St. Paul’s each filed notices of opposition day motions for consideration next week. I have selected the notice standing in the name of the leader of the official opposition to be debated. The third party’s notice will be removed from the orders and notices paper.

Question Period

Consumer protection

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning, Speaker. A couple of weeks ago I met with members of Manitoba’s NDP government cabinet, including Finance Minister Sala. It was refreshing to meet with a government that is truly putting working people first and committed to transparency and accountability.

One of the ways that they’re doing that is by cracking down on predatory pricing. Companies in Manitoba, whether it’s online or in stores, cannot change prices for people based on individual algorithms. In Manitoba that means that companies can’t spy on you, steal your data and charge you higher prices. Unfortunately, they can still do that in Ontario.

So my question to the Premier is, will your government follow the lead of the NDP government in Manitoba and end predatory pricing here at home?

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

Hon. Stephen Crawford: It’s great to be able to speak here in the House.

It’s great that the member opposite was in Manitoba. My question to her would be, actually, if I’m not mistaken, the leader of the NDP in Manitoba, the provincial Premier, spoke, as did the leader of the NDP opposition in Alberta, against the leader of the federal NDP. Is that something you would be willing to do in terms of where you’re at?

So with that, let me say, Speaker, we have some of the strongest consumer protection laws in Canada right here in Ontario. We don’t just have rules, we enforce them. We conduct inspections, we carry out investigations, we issue compliance orders, we lay charges and we hold bad actors accountable.

Speaker, we are aware of concerns being raised around practices like algorithmic pricing, and we’re paying close attention. But let me be very clear: If a business is misleading consumers, if they’re making false claims, if they’re charging a price that is out of line—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: That is bizarre. This should be an easy one, right? Just say yes. The NDP is doing it in Manitoba. The NDP is calling for it all across the country.

This Premier was afraid of Chinese spy cars but he’s totally comfortable, apparently, with his tech buddies spying on everyday people and gouging them, by the way, at the grocery store, online or in the store. And groceries have never been more expensive.

Will this Premier do the right thing for once and end predatory pricing in Ontario?

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Listen, this is a government that has been focused on supporting consumers with issues and measures we’ve introduced year after year supporting consumers in Ontario, which the opposition has voted against time and time again.

Speaker, one of the highest contributors to the high cost of groceries is the gas tax and the carbon tax. We supported a 10-cent reduction in the gas tax, Speaker; the opposition voted against that. We scrapped licence plate sticker fees for eight million people, saving over $200 a year per vehicle in the province. We dropped tolls on the 412 and the 418. We dropped tuition for university and college students by 10% eight years ago—eight years ago. If we had not done that, it would be 20% higher today.

We also brought in the one-pass transportation cost, which saves consumers about $1,200 a year. The LIFT tax credit—I could go on.

I’ll answer more in the supplementary, Speaker.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: I certainly hope we’ll do better than that.

Look, we are in a cost-of-living crisis. This has been the defining issue of this government, after eight long years, and they have taken no action at all. Baby formula has gone up 81% since this Premier took office. Gas has been at $2 a litre in many regions. Groceries are up more than 30% since this government was elected. People are being squeezed everywhere they turn and now we find out that big tech companies are spying on us and they are using our personal information to jack up prices.

It is time to once and for all give people in this province a break. Will the Premier do the right thing and ban predatory pricing in Ontario?

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

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Madam Speaker, it’s great to rise again in the House to answer a question, so thank you for that question to the member opposite.

I think the member from Oakville answered the question extremely well with regard to predatory pricing, but I often wonder—we just went through Easter; do you remember Saul of Tarsus, who, on the road to Damascus, had a conversion? I’m just wondering: Are we witnessing a conversion that the opposition is now starting to think about affordability?

Madam Speaker, we capped the gas tax four years ago. They did not support it; they didn’t vote for it. Now, Madam Speaker, perhaps a conversion is going to happen, because in the budget, we have the HST rebate, helping families buy a new home. We’ve got a tax cut for small businesses, helping families and small independent workers.

This is the time for their conversion. Vote for the budget. Vote for affordability.

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: There’s a finance minister who just tabled a budget that doesn’t even mention groceries or affordability. Give me a break.

There you go, Speaker: We have a Premier and a government that are not willing to protect other people’s private information, but they are willing to change the law to hide the Premier’s receipts.

My question to the Premier: The courts have ordered the Premier of this province to release his phone records, and now he is changing freedom-of-information laws to shield his secret text messages from public access. I know that we’re going to hear some of the same, tired, scripted responses from this government, but we are all getting pretty tired of it. We’ve seen too many backroom deals and too many insider appointments to take this government at their word. What is the Premier hiding in those phone records?

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

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Again, this is legislation that has been sitting on the books since 1988. That’s almost 40 years ago. This legislation that was sitting on the books did not contemplate smartphones; it did not contemplate artificial intelligence, computers. The world we live in, the way we communicate, is very, very different.

We will continue to deliver the results for the people of Ontario. Most importantly, they will have—

Interjection.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Sorry. Thank you, Speaker.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, back to the Premier: I want to remind folks here about Dr. Brooks Fallis. He was the medical director of critical care in the William Osler hospital and he is one of the complainants in the case to reveal the Premier’s phone records. And there’s a very good reason why.

In 2021, Dr. Fallis was very suddenly fired from his job after what he believes was undue influence from the Premier. The hospital network was extending his contract, but then suddenly they’re firing him, apparently because of his outspoken public statements, which I remember—we all remember here—criticized this province.

Is the Premier hiding his phone records because they would reveal calls and texts between the Premier and executives at William Osler?

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Again, as I reiterated, over 95% of what is available—and that includes government decision-making, most importantly. The people will hold our government to account by the decisions we make. We put legislation through the House. We have legislation currently through the House. People have full accountability. You may vote for or against it.

We will put this forward. We are in alignment with other jurisdictions not only in Canada but throughout the Westminster democracy, where cabinet confidentiality is essential. We are going to continue on that process, modernizing an outdated system, ensuring at the same time that the people have access to all government decision-making, and cabinet confidentiality will remain as such.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: It’s always with this government about protecting the king, isn’t it? Ontarians are seeing through this. If it wasn’t clear enough already that the Premier is hiding something, then it is pretty cut and dry right now because he is changing the laws of this province to do so.

We all know that these changes to the FOI laws are really about the Premier using his position to silence dissent, to shut down criticism, and now he is changing the law to hide the evidence.

When you weaken access to information, you weaken accountability. When you hide records, you hide the truth.

Back to the Premier: When will the Premier come clean about what he is hiding in those phone records?

Hon. Stephen Crawford: The members opposite have a lot to say about transparency, but they ignore the reality that every province in Canada, as well as the federal government, protects cabinet confidentiality. Ontario is not breaking new ground here, Speaker. On the contrary, we’re bringing our laws within established practices here in Canada.

Across Canada, every province respects and protects cabinet confidence or executive council deliberations in their access-to-information laws: British Columbia, which, if I’m not mistaken, is an NDP-run province; Manitoba—perhaps the member should have discussed that with the Premier of Manitoba when she was there a few weeks ago, about the FOI—she probably didn’t; Quebec; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; Prince Edward Island; the federal government, Speaker.

Frankly, we will not take lectures about transparency from a party—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order. I will be warning people today. I’m warning you now, I have no problem warning people today.

Public safety

Mr. John Fraser: Speaker, yesterday we learned that this Premier and this government lost 150 criminals. Yesterday, we asked 11 times—I repeat that, 11 times—about that. And we didn’t hear once, “Yes, it’s a problem. I’m trying to fix it. I’m worried about it.” We didn’t hear that at all. In fact, they laughed it off.

It’s a serious situation. I don’t think it’s funny for the victims of the 150 criminals that are out there, that we don’t know about, that are lost in the wind. People should be able to trust that someone who did something to them who is sent to jail will stay there.

So how can we take the Solicitor General’s late admission that it was a problem and he was going to look into it seriously?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Solicitor General.

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: I’ll say it again. I said it yesterday outside. It’s completely unacceptable, and we have been fixing the problem since the day we inherited a serious problem of neglect in public safety from the opposition.

What we have done is, we have made changes administratively. We’ve made investments to make sure that we’ve benefited from the digitalization with the Ministry of the Attorney General to make sure it doesn’t happen. We’re going to make sure that everybody is held to account.

But I’ll say one more thing, Madam Speaker. I know, and the Deputy Solicitor General for corrections reaffirmed this yesterday, that if there was an improper release, those people are immediately re-apprehended and put back in jail, where they belong.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Speaker, we built as many beds as we had to close because Mike Harris left hundred-year-old jails. And this government can’t be taken seriously, because in the House leader’s riding, there has been a jail on the books for eight years, and there’s not even a shovel in the ground. You can’t take him seriously.

How does the minister expect us to take him seriously? He was briefed about this in January 2025. Nine months later, the situation didn’t get better; it got worse. There were more people released in the first nine months of 2025 than there were in 2024. They lost more criminals in 2025 in nine months than they did in 2024.

So how can we actually believe that this minister is going to fix it if when he knew about the problem it got worse?

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: Well, Madam Speaker, I’ll say it again: Any improper release is completely unacceptable. But when the ministry found that there was an improper release, those people were immediately re-apprehended and put in jail.

When the leader of the third party tries to scare Ontarians and make them forget their record of closing seven jails, never attending one graduation for the police, never visiting a fire hall, never meeting with an association—and when Bonnie Crombie says police are scary, that’s your record.

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

Mr. John Fraser: You lost 150 criminals, Minister. You lost 150 criminals.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Through the Speaker.

Mr. John Fraser: The minister was briefed in 2025. He didn’t come out and say, “Look, there’s a problem.” Even yesterday, he didn’t know there was a problem—or he made it like he didn’t know there was a problem. But we found out through what? Does anybody know? FOI. Wow. An FOI, the same FOI that this Premier and this government are going to try to eliminate so we never find out. Can you imagine if this didn’t happen for another couple of months? We would never have got it. It would have been retroactive.

So how many other secrets are they keeping? What are they keeping from the public? If we can’t trust the Solicitor General to actually admit there’s a problem when we ask him 11 times in here about it and it’s like he doesn’t even think it’s a problem, how can Ontarians believe that this government is actually protecting their public safety?

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: It’s very simple: When there was an improper release, those people were re-apprehended instantaneously. I said that.

Madam Speaker, our record protecting Ontario stands on its own. Thousands of new police officers have been spread across the service because of the investments that we have made by paying the $17,000 tuition for 2,100 individuals who join, by bringing thousands of new spaces, of new jail cells, online, just like we said. Our record of being tough on crime; on standing with families who have been victimized by murderers, by drug traffickers, by human traffickers, people that shoot a father in front of a child—we stand with them.

The opposition record of having Bonnie Crombie say police are scary, that’s your record, and you know it.

Public safety

Mr. John Fraser: No matter how loud the Solicitor General speaks, how much he talks about police, he knew since January 2025, and yesterday, they couldn’t answer the question 11 times.

So if you’re the victim of an assault or a robbery or a carjacking or a home invasion, do you know what helps you sleep at night? That the criminal who did that is behind bars. That’s not happening. They lost 150.

So a simple question to the Solicitor General: Will he report back to this Legislature the details of which criminals were released, what they were charged with, the reason they were mistakenly set free and a plan to ensure that it never happens again?

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: Improper releases are completely unacceptable, and stopped. What I can tell the Legislature is very simple: This government has been fixing a problem. We’re fixing a problem by providing extra administrative supports. We’re fixing a problem by making sure that the digitization of records is there. We’re fixing a problem by making sure that we have better oversight. And we’re fixing a problem because one is too many and we want to get that number to zero.

At the end of the day, because my friend across the aisle doesn’t hear very well, I’ll repeat it: Those people that were released improperly are back where they belong, almost instantaneously behind jail. That’s how you protect Ontario.

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

Mr. John Fraser: I didn’t hear the word “unacceptable” once in 11 questions. I didn’t hear that yesterday. I didn’t hear “unacceptable.” I didn’t hear any of what the Solicitor General said.

These folks like to blame everybody else, but the reality is, the Solicitor General and the Premier lost 150 criminals and they can’t answer questions. They’re gone. They’re in the wind.

I said it yesterday, but maybe the Solicitor General will have an answer today. Can he explain to us what’s behind the Premier’s catch-and-release program?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The associate minister.

Hon. Zee Hamid: I’d like to thank the leader of the third party for that question. I’ll repeat the same thing the Solicitor General has been repeating repeatedly: Anyone who was improperly released and found out was immediately apprehended and brought back. It seems like the leader of the third party refuses to hear that. You can tell; they’re not listening even right now.

Speaker, this problem was created by the mismanagement from that third party for 15 years—15 long, painful years. They took us back. They destroyed the system. They shut down seven jails when our population kept going up. And for eight years, when we’ve been building the system, when we’ve been building jails, when we’ve been hiring correctional officers, where have they been? Voting against every single thing because they choose to stand with criminals, with human traffickers, with sexual offenders, as opposed to us, who stand up for the hard-working men and women in uniform. We’ll continue to do so.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Prove it. Prove your claims, Solicitor General. Prove it. I’m not hearing any proof. I just asked you for it. You’re doing everything but.

The reality is, you’ve lost 150 criminals. Yesterday you didn’t think it was a problem. It wasn’t that you saw the light; it’s that you felt the heat, and I hope you’re feeling it right now, because it’s unacceptable that a government would lose 150 criminals and not be able to report back to this House just exactly what happened, who got released, how it happened and how they’re going to fix it. If the Solicitor General can’t do that, then maybe somebody else should be doing that job.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Solicitor General.

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: Madam Speaker, our record of standing with Ontarians to keep them safe speaks for itself. It can’t be clearer: Improper releases are unacceptable.

I might say to the member opposite that what I’m going to do is find out, in the 15 years they were running the show, how many improper releases they had and what they did about it.

I can tell you what we’re doing about it: We’re fixing it. We’re putting more administrative efforts in place to make sure that it doesn’t happen. We’re using technology. We’re using digitization to make sure that everything is just so.

Madam Speaker, what I can’t believe the opposition doesn’t recognize is they left the correctional system broken beyond belief. That’s why we’ve added thousands of beds. That’s why we’ve added 2,000 correctional officers. That’s why we’re rebuilding our old jails. But at the end of the day, we won’t compromise on one thing: protecting Ontario.

Education funding

Ms. Jessica Bell: My question is to the Minister of Education. Parents are here in the gallery today because they are alarmed by what the Conservative government is doing to our public schools and the one million children who attend them. This is what their kids are experiencing: overcrowded, large class sizes; schools being prepared for closure; hundreds of teacher layoffs; cuts to language programs; cuts to special education.

This is Jessica Roberts, a parent. She says, “Making cuts to classes for kids with disabilities tells us everything we need to know about this government’s priorities.”

Minister, what do you have to say to the parents here who are demanding this government stop the cuts and start prioritizing our schools?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Of course, the member opposite will know that education funding is at the highest level that it’s ever been in provincial history. The member opposite will know that we’ve substantially increased special education funding in the province of Ontario.

But as I’ve said on many occasions, Madam Speaker, I don’t think parents care that the opposition says I’m not spending enough or that I say I’m spending record levels. This is a story they’ve heard over and over and over again for the last 50, 60 years. A minister gets up and says, “I’m spending the most,” and the opposition gets up—and the unions say, “You’re not spending enough.”

So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to rebalance the system so that it’s focused on student achievement. We’re going take the distractions out of the system, and we’re going to focus again on giving teachers the resources they need so that our students can succeed.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member from University–Rosedale.

Ms. Jessica Bell: Minister, these parents came here today because the cuts made by this government are directly impacting their children. That is why they’re here: They are alarmed.

The minister can say all he wants about what the budget is telling us according to him, but the facts tell a different story. These are the facts: The government is on track to cut another $900 million from schools over the next two years. That is the Financial Accountability Officer—$900 million.

Minister, how bad are you going to let public schools get before you stop the cuts and start investing in our kids instead?

Hon. Paul Calandra: The member opposite obviously knows that the funding formula is based on student enrolment, so obviously, when student enrolment goes down, certain areas of education are readjusted. But despite the fact that enrolment has gone down across the system, we are still spending record amounts in public education. We have declining student enrolment across the system, and we are spending more than we ever have on education.

Again, it comes down to the same thing: When you’re a $43-billion ministry, I think the people of the province of Ontario, the parents of the province of Ontario, expect that ministry to show leadership. That’s what the bill in front of the House does: It shows leadership from the ministry. It puts more money back into our classrooms. It ensures accountability for our students. It removes the distractions and the fights between boards and parents so that teachers aren’t put in the middle of that.

I know that’s stressful for the opposition. I know it is, because they thrive on chaos. But what I think our students want is a system that works on their behalf. That’s what this bill is about. It builds on the great work that was done by previous Ministers of Education to refocus the system on achievement.

Public safety

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: Does anyone in the government benches know who said this: “The justice system is no longer just a revolving door for repeat ... offenders; the door is now wide open.” Well, it was the Premier, and yesterday we learned that it was him who opened that door and lost 150 prisoners.

To the Solicitor General: Did you lose 150 prisoners due to your government’s negligence, or due to its incompetence?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’ll remind the members to always address their questions through the Speaker.

I recognize the Solicitor General.

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: I’ll say it again: Improper releases are completely unacceptable. We inherited a system that was brought down to its knees. We have been fixing it since the day this government came into office in June 2018.

And I’ll say it again, Madam Speaker, so that the member can hear it: The improper releases—those people were re-apprehended within minutes. Those people were apprehended and brought back to justice.

At the end of the day, what the Liberals fail to realize is, they starved a system. They closed seven jails. They didn’t attend police graduations. The member from Ottawa, the leader of the third party, had an opportunity to attend the largest graduating class at the Ottawa Police Service, and he wasn’t there. Nobody was there.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Don Valley North.

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: Well, Minister, your finger-pointing and circular answers aren’t going to make anyone feel safe tonight—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Through the Speaker.

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: Minister, your circular answers and finger pointing aren’t going to make anyone feel safe tonight when they’re at home, Speaker, trying to feel safe with their family.

Minister—through you, Speaker—documents obtained by the media through the freedom of information act show that you were briefed on this issue as early as January 2025 and you never once—never once—brought it to this House’s attention. Meanwhile, crime rates are going through the roof. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to this: three masked gunmen storm the Piper Arms pub in Scarborough Town Centre; 20-year-old man found fatally shot near the University of Toronto, Scarborough; boy, 14, wanted for attempted murder in Scarborough double shooting.

No wonder crime is out of control. You’re asleep at the switch and allowing criminals to walk through the front door of the prison

My question to the Solicitor General, Speaker, I’ll ask it again: Is this due to your government’s negligence or simple incompetence?

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: When an improper release occurred, which was completely unacceptable, those prisoners were rearraigned and put back in jail almost instantaneously.

But I would ask the member opposite: When this government passed a budget that had so many examples of investments in our public safety—to build more jails; to give more money to police services, including his police service, Toronto Police Service, which is my police service. I want to thank the men and women from Toronto who work hard every day to keep us safe.

Why do you always vote no? You don’t have to vote no. You can stand with your police service—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Through the Speaker.

Hon. Michael S. Kerzner: —and you should be standing with 33 Division in Toronto and say thank you for—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Don Valley North has been warned. The member for Ajax has been warned.

I recognize the member for York South–Weston.

International trade

MPP Mohamed Firin: Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Amid unprecedented global economic uncertainty, countries around the world are looking for reliable trading partners that respect the rules of free trade and are committed to building strong and stable relationships.

For us in Ontario, that means promoting our strengths on the global stage and opening new doors for our workers and businesses. It also means reducing our reliance on any single trading partner by strengthening ties with nations that share our values. Since 2018, our government has been laser-focused on delivering these goals.

Speaker, can the minister tell this House more about the work that’s being done to diversify Ontario’s trade and build lasting partnerships around the world?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, President Trump’s tariffs have shown us exactly why our efforts to diversify our trade are not only important, but they are absolutely critical. That’s why we continue to take unprecedented actions to increase our trade with partners all across the world.

So here are some of the facts, Speaker: Since 2018, Ontario’s trade is up with India 88%; South Korea, up 94%; Switzerland, up 132%; Brazil, up 241%; Vietnam, our two-way trade is up 288%. Speaker, across every continent of the globe, we are now creating opportunities for our businesses and our workers.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for York South–Weston.

MPP Mohamed Firin: I would like to thank the minister for those encouraging figures and for his great effort and tirelessly working to promote Ontario.

At a time of global economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever that Ontario continues to expand its reach beyond any single market and build strong reliable partnerships with allies around the world. Through our government’s proactive engagements, whether in Europe, Asia, or the Middle East, we’re seeing Ontario businesses gain access to new customers and new opportunities in fast-growing markets. Speaker, this is not about reducing reliance on one trading partner, but also about ensuring that Ontario-made products are reaching more markets than ever before and that our economy remains resilient in the face of global challenges.

Speaker, can the minister tell this House more about how these efforts are driving increased exports and strengthening Ontario’s presence in key international markets?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, since we were elected in 2018, we have seen our non-US exports increase by 74.5%. In Germany, our exports have increased nearly 81%. In Japan, our exports are up 44%. Poland is up 117% and, in the UAE, a 197% increase. Whether it’s cars, or medicine, or machinery, agricultural products or natural resources, there is a massive demand for products that are built right here in Ontario. The demand is all across the world.

Speaker, we’re going to continue our engagements across the globe, ensuring that Ontario remains front and centre. As Premier Ford has said many times, he wants every nut, every bolt, every widget to be built right here in the province of Ontario.

Education issues

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: My question is to the Premier.

In a letter to the Minister of Education, the chair of Thames Valley District School Board’s special education advisory committee raised concerns about “secrecy” at the board and how the appointed supervisor has “significantly reduced ... engagement and transparency,” with decisions happening behind closed doors. The Conservatives’ highly paid insider/supervisor is operating without accountability, and my community is losing trust.

Will the Premier direct his minister to respond to the letter and correct the culture of secrecy at TVDSB?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: So, I guess what the member opposite is suggesting is that a board that used money that was meant for the classroom, that instead went to a luxury hotel in Toronto and partied it up—that we should somehow support that type of an engagement. No. No, Madam Speaker.

I’ll let the opposition continue to support a governance system that has failed our students so poorly in the province of Ontario.

Thames Valley is a classic example of why we brought in Bill 33. They are the poster child for why we brought in the reforms that we have in front of us right now, because what we’re going to do is remove the diversions and distractions within the system and focus on student achievement.

We’re going to stop putting teachers in the middle of disputes between parents and school boards. We’re going to have real results expected from our education directors. We’re going to refocus budgeting, human resources and capital into an office of a CEO—a person who can undertake those duties while still ensuring that the director of education is focused on one thing: student achievement.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for London West.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Back to the Premier: Television, movies and video games include content warnings, but every day in Ontario, young people are witnessing vicious assaults, emergency evacuations and young people hurling vile and abusive language—all in their classrooms. But it’s not a complicated problem to solve. Teachers are calling for smaller class sizes, targeted mental health and special education supports to help children succeed.

After billions of Conservative cuts and ignoring escalating problems in education, why on earth should students, parents and education workers believe this government gives a damn about public education?

Hon. Paul Calandra: When I speak to teachers, they say they want a system that is focused on allowing them to deliver results on behalf of their students.

I am looking at other jurisdictions, the steps that they have taken. I’ve made no secret of that. I’ve also said very clearly that there have to be consequences for decisions that are made, consequences when you decide to skip school. This bill addresses that, but we also have to look at the discipline policy within our schools. Our teachers are telling me we have to bring back consequences for bad decisions if we’re going to give them the ability to manage their school.

I appreciate the members opposite’s support for—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Kingston and the Islands.

Education issues

Mr. Ted Hsu: In May 2020, this government put out a news release that it had a great 2A Support for Students Fund “to provide school boards with more flexibility to address special education, mental health initiatives as well as unique learning needs.”

In October 2020, a government news release said, “Revoking regulation 274 is about ... giving school boards more flexibility....”

In October 2021, there’s another news release saying they would “give school boards the flexibility to hire....”

After eight long years in power and having supposedly given school boards more flexibility, why are the Conservatives now throwing all school boards under the bus?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: I don’t know where to begin with that. I guess the member opposite forgets that we were in a global health and economic pandemic during the time frames that he mentions. Of course we were going to extend flexibility. The entire world was operating on flexibility. The member himself will know that the government of Ontario, this Legislature, came back and worked flexibly so that we could address the needs of the province and of the people of the province of Ontario. And we’ve extended, we’ve increased, special education funding by over $3.85 billion above where it was when they left office.

That accountability has to return back to the system, and it starts with the Ministry of Education showing leadership to ensure that there is a consistent delivery and consistent level of results across the province. I’m not going to apologize for that at all. It is a $43-billion ministry, and the people of the province of Ontario should expect that it delivers results on behalf of students.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Member for Kingston and the Islands.

Mr. Ted Hsu: In August 2018, they put out a release entitled, “Ontario’s Government for the People Respecting Parents by Holding Unprecedented Consultation into Education Reform.”

In April 2023, the Minister of Education said, “We’re now going to be imposing a requirement for school boards to meet with their parent communities and other stakeholders and voices....”

Now Bill 101 says, stop collecting information from students, staff and parents. The minister knows best, and the best thing is to give him more power to control it all from Queen’s Park.

After eight long years in power and five Ministers of Education later, why does this minister think he knows best?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Of course, the bill does no such thing. But the member opposite and his party are continuing to support something called the climate survey within the school boards. So I’ll let them go into their communities and explain to parents why a grade 7 student should be asked if he considers himself a Canadian.

I’ll let them go and explain how it improves the system when you ask somebody in grade 4 if they’re non-binary, transgender or questioning; asking a student as young as grade 4 if they identify themselves as asexual or demisexual; asking students as young as grade 4 if they are worthless or inferior; asking students as young as grade 4 if they feel others will miss them when they went away.

I don’t think that’s the type of thing that helps build a better student—just the opposite, Madam Speaker—so I’m cancelling this survey, because it has no way of improving student results. He can try and explain to parents—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Energy rates

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: My question is for the Minister of Energy and Mines. Keeping costs down for Ontario’s families remains a top priority for this government. At a time when energy demand is rising and affordability is top of mind, it is critical that we take a disciplined, responsible approach to building out our energy system. That’s why our government is using competition and long-term planning to secure new power at the lowest possible cost to the ratepayer.

Under the previous Liberal government, sole-sourced above-market contracts drove up cost and left Ontario families paying the price.

Speaker, can the minister outline how our government is keeping energy costs down while ensuring a reliable supply of power for Ontario’s families and businesses?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the PA to the Minister of Energy and Mines.

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Speaker, while the Liberals locked families in contracts paying up to 80 cents for kilowatt hour, keeping costs down is our Premier’s top priority, and that is exactly what our plan delivers. Our government is delivering on this plan with the largest competitive energy procurement in Canadian history, using competition to bring prices down, and we’re already seeing results. Projects are coming down at the rate of 73% lower than the overpriced contract signed by the previous Liberal government.

At the same time, we’ve launched the largest energy efficiency program in Canadian history, helping families use less energy and pay less every month. Through the Home Renovation Savings Program, people can get thousands of dollars to upgrade their homes, including windows, insulation, appliances and even rooftop solar. We’ll keep taking actions to make life more affordable for families across this province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Oxford.

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: Thank you to the PA for the answer.

Keeping energy affordable requires more than just securing new supply; it requires discipline in how projects are delivered and how demand is managed over the long term. That means building the right projects at the right time and at the right price, while also helping families and businesses reduce energy use.

Our government has taken a responsible approach, ensuring projects are built on time and on budget, while investing in energy efficiency programs that help lower bills and reduce pressure on the grid. After years of poor planning and overpriced contracts under the previous Liberal government, our government is focused on keeping energy affordable for Ontario families.

Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant explain how this approach is helping to keep our energy costs down?

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Our government has a proven track record on delivering major energy projects on time and on budget, restoring discipline to a system that was mismanaged under the Liberal government. That is the same approach we’re continuing with our new procurements of the LT2, the largest competitive energy procurement in Canadian history, securing the power we need and at the lowest price for ratepayers.

At the same time, we’re lowering demand and reducing bills through the historic investment in energy efficiency—over $10.9 billion in this plan to help families upgrade their homes, use less energy and save money, while avoiding billions in future system costs.

Speaker, this is how we keep energy affordable and build responsibly and help families use less.

While the Liberals left Ontario with decades of overpriced, sole-sourced contracts, our government is delivering disciplined—confidence in the people and confidence in this province of Ontario.

Hospital funding

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Speaker, the hospital in Tillsonburg is about to lose 26 PSW jobs, and at London Health Sciences Centre, hundreds of nursing roles are disappearing—all because of this government’s continued underfunding.

With these hospital budget cuts, it’s predicted that we will lose up to 9,000 nursing and PSW positions by 2027. Why is the minister cutting health care jobs and compromising patient safety?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I think the member opposite needs to be reminded that, as recently as last month, in our budget, we actually once again enhanced hospital operating dollars in the amount of $1.1 billion—on average, an increase of 4%; a 4% increase that, I might add, we’ve already done in the last three years. I would compare that to previous governments who, for three years running, actually froze hospital operating dollars for three years.

So are we investing in our hospitals? Are we investing in our people? We are, 100%. We’ve actually seen a 15% increase in the number of nurses who are working in our publicly funded system. Those are numbers that you can point to to show that we’ve actually invested in our hospital system and our health care.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for London–Fanshawe.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Speaker, here’s the truth: Ontario already has the lowest nurse-to-population ratio in the country, and it is short 25,000 registered nurses. For every 10 nurses hired, six leave.

Will the minister commit to implementing mandatory patient-to-staff ratios to ensure safe care, or will she continue to allow staffing shortages to put patient care at risk?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Let’s talk about the numbers. Since Premier Ford took government, we have actually seen 100,000 nurses registered in the province of Ontario. Currently, because of the excellent work that is happening with Minister Quinn and his ministry, we actually have 30,000 nurses who are training in the province of Ontario. And, again, a reminder: We have actually seen a 15% increase in the number of nurses that are working in our publicly funded health care system.

Those are the numbers that people point to and see that we are making an impact—because we’re not only investing in our hospitals, we’re investing in our people, we’re investing in our training and we are welcoming the world to Ontario and their health care system.

Education funding

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Speaker, as a former lifeguard, I saw first first-hand the importance of swimming lessons. The Lifesaving Society of Canada says, “Swimming is a life skill that all children need to learn.” The Red Cross says, “Learning to swim saves lives.”

With hotter summers, more people are jumping into a pool or a lake to cool off, but unfortunately, not everyone survives. Close to 200 people drown every year in Ontario, as well as hundreds of ER visits and hospitalizations for non-fatal drowning incidents.

While debating Bill 101, the Minister of Education mentioned pools in TDSB schools, saying he is very sympathetic to the board needing assistance with that infrastructure.

Speaker, my question to the Premier: How will you invest in school pools and ensure students are learning a vital life skill?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: A very good question; I appreciate the question from the member. I have said, and the Premier has also been very clear to me, that at some of the historical infrastructure in places like Toronto, where pools were built in co-operation with the municipality, and the municipality at some point decided to no longer support that, there would have to be special accommodation for that.

At the same time, life-saving skills like swimming—we saw in Dryden, I think, last year, a number of other instances. The mayor of Dryden was very, very expressive at last year’s AMO conference that the province had to assist. We said that we would look at ways of adding into the curriculum additional opportunities for kids, not only in Toronto but across the province, to have access to life-saving swimming classes. So it is something that we’re working on right now.

I know some people would suggest that there are other ways to do this, but just given the instances that we saw last summer, I think it is incumbent on us to see what help we can do. If we can provide that through the education system, at least in part, we will.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Beaches–East York.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Speaker, we have a serious shortage of lifeguards in Ontario. The TDSB now needs two lifeguards on deck to align with Ontario pool regulations. School swim programs need more staff to continue.

In beautiful Beaches–East York, swimming lessons—part of the elementary curriculum—have gone from once a week to biweekly or monthly.

Fewer lifeguards also means fewer swim teams. I know the members from Eglinton–Lawrence, Willowdale, York South–Weston, Scarborough–Agincourt and York Centre are also very concerned about their school pools.

Speaker, my question to the Premier: Given that swimming is a life skill and that we all want to reduce drownings in Ontario, what is your plan to solve the lifeguard shortage at schools?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Speaker, this is not just a problem in Toronto. I know that when my daughters were learning to swim—we don’t have pools in our high schools or in any of our schools in Stouffville, so my wife and I had to go to the local community centre. That’s where we had swimming lessons with our children, and we used other community resources in order to give our children that opportunity.

So not every school in this province—in fact, very, very few have access to pools right within their schools. Is there something that we can do to handle those challenges in Toronto? Absolutely. But more importantly than that, Madam Speaker, this is something that we have to work on province-wide.

We have seen an alarming increase over the last number of years—again, I reiterate that the mayor of Dryden made a very, very, very passionate appeal on behalf of a number of communities where he had been seeing things that he was unhappy with. We made a commitment then that we would work within our school system to at least help.

But it’s not just the school system, right? We have to work within our communities because not everybody, as I said, has access to a pool. We have to find other ways of delivering this program.

Public transit

Mr. Brian Saunderson: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Many people living in rural and northern communities across Ontario, including my great riding of Simcoe–Grey, rely on local transit to get to work, to school and to medical appointments. However, many of these communities face challenges in expanding and improving transit services to meet growing demand. Without the right support, it will be difficult to build and sustain reliable transit systems. We must ensure that, as our communities grow, transit systems keep pace.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is strengthening local transit systems across Ontario?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

Mr. Ric Bresee: Thank you to my friend the member from Simcoe–Grey for the question.

Speaker, our government is taking real action to expand transit and improve access to these essential services in rural and under-served communities. That’s why we are doubling the funding for the Ontario Transit Investment Fund, increasing it from $5 million to $10 million annually for the next three years, for a $30-million total. This funding is giving communities the tools they need to build and to sustain reliable transit systems that meet the local demand. It will ensure that Ontarians, no matter where they live, have access to reliable transportation options for years to come.

Speaker, we’re connecting people to jobs, to services and to opportunity all across Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Simcoe–Grey.

Mr. Brian Saunderson: Thank you to the parliamentary assistant for that answer. I’m very glad to hear about our government’s commitment to supporting transit in rural and under-served communities.

However, Speaker, we know that many residents in these communities still face barriers when it comes to accessing reliable transportation. We also know it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution across this province. Flexible and locally tailored solutions are needed to meet the unique needs of residents and ensure people can stay connected to their jobs, to their education and to essential services.

Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant share more about how these investments are supporting innovative, community-based transit solutions across our province?

Mr. Ric Bresee: Thank you again to the member from Simcoe–Grey. That’s exactly what the Ontario Transit Investment Fund is delivering. We’re supporting municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profit organizations to launch and expand transit services that work for them. Our government is investing in the start-up and expansion of new bus routes, on-demand rideshare and door-to-door transit. We’re investing in practical solutions that reflect the very local needs. These investments are making it easier for people to get to work, access essential services like health care and stay connected throughout their communities.

Speaker, we’re making sure that no community is left behind.

Highway safety

MPP Li