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December 8, 2025

44th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2025-Dec-08 (PDF)

L048 - Mon 8 Dec 2025 / Lun 8 déc 2025

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 8 December 2025 Lundi 8 décembre 2025

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

Members’ Statements

Holiday events in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell / Événements du temps des Fêtes à Glengarry–Prescott–Russell

Consumer protection

Supportive housing

Jason Dixon / Firefighters

Holiday messages

Holiday messages

Volunteers

Holiday messages

Spirit Para Sport Association / Holiday messages

Introduction of Visitors

Question Period

Government accountability

Education funding

Government accountability

Government accountability

Education funding

Government accountability

Ontario economy

Health care

Government accountability

Energy policies / Politiques énergétiques

Public transit

Supportive housing / Addiction services

Small business

Notice of dissatisfaction

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

Protect Ontario by Securing Affordable Energy for Generations Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en garantissant l’accès à l’énergie abordable pour les générations futures

House sittings

Notice of dissatisfaction

Introduction of Visitors

Introduction of Bills

Meredith Act (Fair Compensation for Injured Workers), 2025 / Loi Meredith de 2025 sur l’indemnisation équitable des travailleurs blessés

Ontario Wildlife Holdings & Sanctuary Corp. Act, 2025

Petitions

Homelessness

Vision care

Transportation infrastructure

Education funding

Gender-based violence

Youth unemployment

Health professions

Social assistance

Cycling infrastructure

Health professions

Youth mental health

Youth mental health

Orders of the Day

Peel Transition Implementation Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la mise en oeuvre de la transition de Peel

Buy Ontario Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 visant à encourager à acheter ontarien

Barrie — Oro-Medonte — Springwater Boundary Adjustment Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la modification des limites territoriales entre Barrie, Oro-Medonte et Springwater

Buy Ontario Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 visant à encourager à acheter ontarien

Barrie — Oro-Medonte — Springwater Boundary Adjustment Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la modification des limites territoriales entre Barrie, Oro-Medonte et Springwater

The House met at 1015.

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

Prayers.

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled: a report entitled Ontario’s Credit Rating: Fall 2025 Update from the Office of the Financial Accountability Officer of Ontario.

Members’ Statements

Holiday events in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell / Événements du temps des Fêtes à Glengarry–Prescott–Russell

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: As the holiday season approaches, I want to recognize a strong community spirit in my riding of Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.

Au cours des dernières semaines, notre circonscription a été animée par des défilés de Noël, des marchés festifs et des événements communautaires.

Des personnes de tous âges se sont réunies pour admirer des chars décorés, écouter de la musique des Fêtes, savourer des gourmandises et profiter des traditions spéciales. Ces événements permettent aux voisins de se rencontrer, aux familles de célébrer et aux communautés de montrer leur créativité et leur générosité.

None of this would be possible without the hard work of many volunteers. Firefighters, service clubs, parade organizers, local businesses and residents all give their time to make the season brighter. Their dedication shows the pride and strong sense of community that defines Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.

Alors que nous concluons cette session législative cette semaine, je tiens à souhaiter à tous les résidents de joyeuses Fêtes. Que cette période vous apporte paix, bonheur et de précieux moments avec vos proches. Je vous souhaite également une nouvelle année heureuse, en santé et prospère.

Aux habitants de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell : merci pour votre gentillesse, votre esprit communautaire et votre soutien. C’est un véritable honneur de vous servir et de représenter une communauté aussi dynamique et bienveillante.

Consumer protection

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Dynamic pricing is digital pickpocketing. Maybe you haven’t heard about it before, but soon it’s going to be raising the cost of everything that you really need. Have you heard of the saying “Business isn’t personal?” Well, it’s about to get real personal now.

What is it? Dynamic pricing is when a company mines your online personal information to charge you—and I repeat, you—the absolute maximum it thinks it can get away with on a product or service you need. Let’s say you’re really excited about a flight to see mom in Vancouver. The more you google it the higher the price will get, because they know you really want that ticket. If they know you’re a parent you’ll pay more for school supplies in August. Stuff sitting in your online cart might start creeping up in price to force your hand to buy it. Some retailers are starting to remove in-store sticker prices so they can control the price at checkout.

During holiday shopping, you could pay more for the same gift than others because they tied your data to your identity at checkout. This is happening in the United States right now, and it’s starting to rear its ugly head here in Canada. We have to put the brakes on it right now. People deserve transparency and fairness. That’s why today I’m tabling a motion to protect people from dynamic pricing, this growing new form of gouging.

Supportive housing

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: I rise today on behalf of Ontarians who are deeply concerned about the growing homelessness, addictions and mental health crisis facing our communities. Ontario’s Big City Mayors have urged the province to declare a province-wide state of emergency as we enter the winter. My community of Ajax is seeing this first-hand: There’s an encampment that’s showing no signs of disappearing, and the region of Durham’s plan for a 24/7 emergency shelter and hub fell through at the last minute, despite support from the town of Ajax. Residents are fed up, and they want governments to act and stop giving excuses.

The town of Ajax has endorsed the Solve the Crisis campaign, asking the province to appoint a responsible ministry and minister with the appropriate funding and powers as a single point of contact to address the full spectrum of housing needs, mental health and addictions and wraparound supports.

At pre-budget consultations last week, we heard clearly from mental health providers and municipalities that supportive housing levels are nowhere near adequate, and the shortage has reached a crisis point.

In Ajax and communities all across Ontario, we’re tired of band-aids—we’re tired of shelters and temporary warming centres. Residents want to feel safe in their communities. To do that, we need supportive housing with wraparound supports so that people can access services and rebuild their lives. It’s the smart thing to do, Speaker, and it’s the right thing to do.

Jason Dixon / Firefighters

Mr. Joseph Racinsky: Last week, I had the privilege of honouring Jason Dixon with the Ontario Fire Services Long Service Medal for his 25 years as a volunteer firefighter with Centre Wellington Fire Rescue, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. This is an honour that few achieve and, according to the chief, the next time someone reaches that milestone in Centre Wellington is at least six years away.

Jason Dixon has done so much for the community of Fergus, and this is just one example of what he contributes to our community.

Speaker, the work firefighters do is extremely difficult. Our catastrophe is their day-to-day. They are there for the worst days of our lives. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of a government that supports and protects our firefighters. Our government has doubled the Fire Protection Grant from $10 million in the program’s first year last year to $20 million this year. I’m proud to announce today that Wellington–Halton Hills’s various fire departments will be receiving a combined $153,338 this year. This important investment will help protect firefighters that protect our communities.

To all the firefighters in Wellington–Halton Hills and across Ontario: Thank you for your service. Thank you for keeping us safe.

To Jason Dixon: Congratulations once again on 25 years of incredible service.

Holiday messages

Mr. John Vanthof: It’s the Christmas season and, really, it’s the season of volunteers. We all go to a lot of events. It’s the season of parades, the season of telethons, the season of toy drives—people who want to help their fellow residents have a merrier Christmas. On all our behalf, we’d like to thank those volunteers who go out of their way to do everything they can so everyone has a merry Christmas.

It’s also the season of people who often don’t get thanked but who are working. The people who are working on the holidays: the health care workers, the OPP—there’s no one who works harder during the holiday season than the OPP.

I talk about the highways a lot in northern Ontario. I’d really like to give a shout-out to the people who are actually on those highways keeping them clean—with the rules that we have. To the people who are on the snowplow on Christmas Eve—when we’re with our families and they’re on the plow, and people are rushing past them making life dangerous for them—I wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas. We all want to get home to see our families. Please, let’s all work together to make sure that everyone gets to see their families when they can.

Holiday messages

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: I rise today to wish the people of Oxford and everyone across Ontario a very merry Christmas, happy holidays and a happy new year.

This time of year reminds us of what really matters: spending meaningful time with family, friends and the people who support us throughout the year. It’s a chance to slow down, reconnect and enjoy simple moments together.

I was grateful to see so many friendly faces at my Cider and Cookie Social this past Saturday at the Woodstock Farmers’ Market, sharing a treat and a chat with our great local vendors.

But the holidays are also about how each one of us can make a difference. Our organizations: the Salvation Army, Operation Sharing, the Christmas Place and Ingersoll and District Inter-Church do incredible work but it’s the people behind them who truly shine—volunteers, donors and everyday neighbours—people like you and me who give their time, share their skills and offer help quietly when someone needs it. Even small acts can make a big impact, like checking in on someone who might be alone. We all have the power to make someone smile this season.

As we look ahead for 2026, let us carry that spirit with us and continue supporting one another. From my family to yours, merry Christmas, happy holidays.

Volunteers

MPP Jamie West: On the 14th, I’ll be performing a stage radio play of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. It’s a Sudbury version that’s been adapted by Sudbury resident, author and arts enthusiast Judi Straughan. I cannot but be reminded of the moral of this timeless tale as it relates to our world today: the importance of compassion and generosity and the emphasis on our social responsibility to care for each other in our community, and Sudbury is a community that cares.

I want to talk about some of the organizations that keep Sudburians warm, safe and fed:

—the CTV-Lions Children’s Christmas Telethon;

—Canadian Tire and Our Children, Our Future’s Tree of Dreams;

—the Salvation Army Santa Shuffle;

—YWCA’s Adopt a Family program;

—Closet Share and Cooper Equipment Rentals winter clothing drive;

—Giant Tiger’s Keeping Seniors Warm;

—Sudbury Outreach Services;

—Go-Give Project;

—Elgin Street Mission;

—Blue Door Soup Kitchen; and

—the Sudbury infant food bank.

I want to thank them, the volunteers and everyone who donates to them, but unfortunately, Speaker, affordability and the cost of living is something that’s top of mind all year long. Nearly 20% of Ontarians are living in housing they can’t afford. And last year, more than 6,300 people in my community used the Sudbury Food Bank and more than 2,200 of them were children.

So today, with affordability at top of mind, I ask that all members of the assembly heed to the moral of A Christmas Carol. Together, let’s embrace compassion instead of greed and recognize the joy that comes from supporting and connecting with the community around you.

Holiday messages

Mr. Ric Bresee: As we near the end of the year, I’ve already begun making my way across Hastings–Lennox and Addington at Santa parades and Christmas events, community celebrations, and I’m looking forward to even more and a full calendar in the days ahead.

I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers, service groups, churches and municipalities that make this season so very special. Your work brings joy to families and strengthens our communities year after year.

As we prepare to head home for the holidays, I want to share a small blessing for all of you and for the folks back home in Hastings–Lennox and Addington:

May your roads be plowed,

May your cookies be many,

May your gatherings be joyful,

And may your family feuds be ... minimal.

May your shopping be local,

Your lights stay untangled,

Your holidays peaceful,

And your heart a little more full.

To everyone in Hastings–Lennox and Addington, and to all members of this House, merry Christmas, happy holidays and the very best of the happy new year.

Spirit Para Sport Association / Holiday messages

Mr. Deepak Anand: On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I want to recognize Spirit Para Sports with the remarkable founders, including Mohsin Watto and Mudassar—para-athletes who turned their hardship into hope for others.

The two top-ranked, fully qualified athletes lost their international ranking simply because they could not afford the flight to compete. Instead of giving up, they chose to stand up for the next generations so that they should not suffer. Without any support they opened up a para-sports club to provide coaching, opportunity and dignity for athletes thriving to represent Canada.

Their mission is inclusion. Their vision is empowerment. And the impact is already changing lives. I want to wish them continued success and thank them for their courage, compassion and unwavering dedication. Thank you so much.

I also want to say this is my last statement of the year. Thank you to the residents of Mississauga–Malton for their support, kindness, community spirit. You continue to make our community warm and bright. Together, we got Goreway bridge, the expanded youth hub, opened Lincoln’s track and started Ascension’s track. Thank you for the wonderful year.

Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy holidays. May the season be a time to cherish loved ones and build lasting memories. Together, we’re building a stronger Mississauga–Malton and a stronger Ontario.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Members, if I could have your attention. Joining me in the Speaker’s gallery today, I have some pretty strong, intelligent, powerful, influential women from my city of Hamilton—women who work hard to make a difference, to make the city that we have a great place to visit, to raise a family, to work. Of course, their work isn’t done.

But joining us from Hamilton Health Sciences, Tracey MacArthur; from the Hamilton Club, Shendal Yalchin; from the Vantage Group, Cathie Puckering; from the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Shelley Falconer; from the Hamilton Police Association—who’s also celebrating a birthday today—Jaimi Bannon; from LIUNA, Victoria Mancinelli; from Breakwater Investments, April Cotton; from Breakwater Investments, Kathy McKeil; from Theatre Aquarius, Kelly Straughan; from the Carmens Group, Heather Williams; from McMaster University, Susan Tighe; and from Theatre Aquarius, Mary Francis Moore. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The person that gets the first introduction today because it comes with toffee: the Associate Minister of Forestry.

Hon. Kevin Holland: Thank you, Speaker. I want to welcome to the House the love of my life, my best friend, my beautiful wife: Lori.

Mr. Joseph Racinsky: I am very happy to welcome my incredible parents, Tim and Glenda Racinsky, to the Ontario Legislature. Welcome, mom and dad.

M me France Gélinas: J’aimerais présenter la sage-femme Geneviève Gagnon, d’Ottawa, qui est ici aujourd’hui.

I’d like to invite all the MPPs to join the Association of Ontario Midwives at noon today in room 230. See you there.

Mr. Chris Glover: I want to welcome all of the midwives, including one of my very good friends, Manavi Handa.

Manavi Handa, thank you so much.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: I want to wish Manélie Lavictoire, who’s our page captain today, all the best, and welcome her many members of her family: her mom and dad, Azadeh and Guillaume Lavictoire; grandparents; brothers; and extended family. Welcome to your House.

MPP Billy Denault: I’d like to welcome the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. They’re strong advocates for the tourism sector. I want to welcome them to Queen’s Park and hope they enjoy question period.

Hon. Rob Flack: I want to recognize two friends up in the gallery, John and Jeff Ferguson from Elgin county—great farmers, great food producers. Farmers feed cities, Speaker.

Hon. Stan Cho: Conveniently sitting next to Andrew Siegwart, who of course is the head of TIAO, is somebody who drives tourism in the entertainment scene here in Canada—a legend. He has done creative work, photography, for Post Malone, Drake, French Montana, Popcaan, Bad Bunny, Peso Pluma and Boi-1da, just to name a few. We have Adam Francis visiting, better known as Astral. Welcome to Queen’s Park, my friend.

Mr. Deepak Anand: I’d like to introduce my friend Murtaza Jowia and international medal winners for table tennis para-athletes, Mohsin Watto and Muhammad Mudassar. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It gives me great pleasure to welcome Meagan Furnivall. She wears many hats. She’s the founder and CEO of Empower Elle. She’s also a registered midwife, a clinical researcher and is with the Western University department of family medicine, and here for the day of midwives. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: I’d like to welcome Pastor Fredrica Walters from the Christian Faith Outreach Centre in Ajax: Barry and Marla Walters, Janis MacDonald, Francine Kimasi, Paul Ivbarue, Charles de Guigné, Audrey Forbes, Ruby Woodward and Marsha Walters—congregants and team members there. Welcome to your House.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I’d like to wish a happy birthday to my oldest daughter, Norah, 13—we have a teenager in the house. Happy birthday, Norah.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Good morning, everyone. I’d like to welcome clever Kevin Clowes—he’s a dynamic dad in beautiful Beaches–East York and also the tourism industry. Thank you for making our province lively and vibrant.

Hon. Graydon Smith: There’s no friend like an old friend. I’d love to welcome my old friend Dave Cosgrave to this House today.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Today I’m pleased to welcome Linda Reid and Shelley Black. Welcome to Queen’s Park today.

Question Period

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning. This question is to the Premier.

The Globe and Mail has reported that this Minister of Labour handed out $1 million in skills development money to Connex Telecommunications for a project to train and test AI customer service chatbots that can replace workers.

Ontario is in the middle of a jobs disaster. We are seeing manufacturing, service and retail jobs leaving Ontario in record numbers. Why did your minister hand out skills development money to a company for projects that are just going to lead to more job losses?

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

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, as I’ve said for weeks, every SDF project goes through a strict risk-assessment process: monthly reporting, visits, expenditure monitoring, spot audits and clear transfer payment agreements.

AI, we know, is increasingly disrupting the workforce, and that’s why it’s important to make investments to support AI. We committed to that in the budget; we’ve made investments to support AI adoption, how it can assist workers, and we’ve got a fund that can now train workers on AI adoption and automation.

I visited manufacturers. I reference them because they were here last week. We’ve seen AI and technology support the manufacturing workforce, and SDF programs have helped workers implement better training so that they can adjust and they can be supported. That’s what we’re doing: supporting better jobs for better training, and it’s delivering better outcomes for the workers of this province.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Look, if that wasn’t bad enough, I’ve got to tell you, Speaker, the name sounded very familiar to me in this story. And do you know why? Because Connex technology’s CEO, Sayan Navaratnam, used to head up Facedrive. Remember that? Facedrive, the company that your government gave $2.5 million to during COVID—the same CEO, the same company, the same person who was hit with a three-year ban by the Ontario Securities Commission for the Facedrive scandal. Surely, the Minister of Labour would have known Mr. Navaratnam’s history of misleading the public and investors and yet, still, this Minister of Labour decided to hand them millions of taxpayer dollars again.

Is this an issue of competence, or is it the other C-word again?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, as I said, every program, project and proponent are assessed prior to funding, and we’ve got AI—Speaker, 430,000 tech workers in Ontario. That’s up 100,000 since we formed office—100,000 jobs since we formed office. Today we know, last month, over 55,000-plus jobs created—another 6,000 last month, and it’s because this Premier, this government are creating a competitive climate in which to attract investment. You’ve got to make sure you’re ready for AI. You’ve got to make sure you have training programs to support both companies and workers with its adoption. That’s exactly what the fund is doing, and we’re supporting workers.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: My goodness, can you just resign? Honestly.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Let me connect the dots for you—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Once again, Speaker: Is this gross mismanagement or is it just the fact that this minister has his hands all over these files? Mr. Navaratnam has donated over $13,000 to the Progressive Conservative Party just in recent years, including to the member for Bay of Quinte by the way. I know he loves to get up and defend this minister.

It looks like Mr. Navaratnam is getting good bang for his buck: $1 million in a project to replace workers. Is this what the minister is calling skills development these days, standing up for workers these days? Is donating to the Progressive Conservative Party the one criteria for getting an SDF grant?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, no, it’s not. And that member may want to reflect on her own score—a dismal rating from her own party because they abandoned labour. They abandoned labour. That’s why that member faced the music when she went to her own members, promised to get labour back—but you can’t get labour back when you oppose the very projects that put labour to work, like the 413, like the Bradford Bypass, like SMRs and new nuclear construction. When you oppose all of those projects and the training that puts those members to work, you stand against those workers.

On this side of the House, we’re going to keep supporting those workers and keep making investments to build a stronger Ontario.

Education funding

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the minister can’t even address the grift anymore, right? He just has to go to petty insults.

But listen, back to the Premier, because that is quite the performance from a government that is failing on every single front. The EQAO results that we saw last week gave us another clear example of that. Now even our children are having to pay the price for this government’s mismanagement. These kids in grade 3 and in grade 6, all they have ever known is a school system under this cruel and callous government, a government that doesn’t believe in public education. All they have seen are cuts and crowded classrooms.

When is the Premier going to take responsibility for the mess that he has created in our schools?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: Look, obviously nothing could be further from the truth. The member will know, as I’ve said on many occasions, we are spending more than we ever have in education.

But ultimately, as I have said, I don’t think parents care that we’re spending more than any other government has ever. I think what they care about is what are the results that their students are having. And you know what? Under Progressive Conservatives, we see the highest graduation rates in the province’s history. Under Progressive Conservatives, we see the best literacy—reading and writing scores are at the highest that they’ve ever been. Under a Progressive Conservative government, we are seeing increases in the math scores. But you know what the difference between Progressive Conservatives and the opposition is? It’s not good enough for us.

So that is why we’re going to double down, build on the success of the previous ministers and make sure that we give our kids every opportunity to succeed. Despite the opposition, who would like to take us back to the future, we’re going to go back into the future stronger than ever before by focusing on students, parents and teachers and their needs.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Wow, the minister said one thing that I agree with: This government is not good enough for our kids. It is darn well not good enough.

This government cut education funding by $1,500 per student and now they are blaming, once again, students and teachers, and hiring so-called advisers for $1,500 a day. I’ve got some free advice for this minister: Take that money and put it back in our classrooms.

The math here is very, very simple, Speaker. More students plus fewer resources equals worse outcomes.

So why is the government, once again, blaming students and teachers for the conditions that they themselves have created?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Madam Speaker, as you know, that’s just simply incorrect. The reality is that we are at the highest level of spending ever, and it’s just still not good enough in the sense that we want to have our students do even better.

I just highlighted for the member opposite—the member opposite would like to bring us back to what it was when the NDP and the Liberals combined to give us a system where parents were at war with their teachers, and students were failing, Madam Speaker.

Under a Progressive Conservative government, because of the work started by the former minister to stop and reverse the horrific things that the Liberals and the NDP were doing—Minister Lecce, who brought us through a global health and economic pandemic.

And you know what we’re seeing in all of this? We’re seeing graduation rates at the highest that they have ever been, literacy scores higher than they have ever been before in the province’s history. But we’re not accepting of the fact that our students can’t do better when it comes to math and that we can’t do better in all facets of the education system. That’s why we’re going to see what it is that we’re missing, look at other jurisdictions and look to ourselves. Where we have failed, we will do better. That’s what our parents, students and teachers deserve, and we won’t be stopped because the NDP—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, this minister needs to do his homework because students out there are struggling; families are exhausted. Our education workers—I mean, I’m meeting principals that are responsible for three schools in three separate locations in a city because there aren’t enough people that they can find to fill those roles because everybody is burning out because of this government’s incompetence and mismanagement.

Enough with the blame game. The government has spent millions on handouts and millions on self-serving ads, but our kids are struggling in crumbling and overcrowded classrooms. Instead of fixing the problems, the Premier just wants to create more chaos.

Why won’t the Premier direct his education minister to put our kids first and put resources back in the classroom?

Hon. Paul Calandra: That’s an interesting question coming from the Leader of the Opposition who, as a school trustee and, I think, a chair of the board in Toronto, brought more executive principals on the system than ever before. You know why there aren’t more principals in the schools, Madam Speaker? When she was a trustee and a chair of the board, she took them out of the school and made them executive principals. You know what an executive principal is? Somebody who sits in the board office and isn’t assigned to a school. So you know what we’re doing? We’re undoing everything that the Liberals and NDP did.

We’re doubling down by giving them more money, more resources. We’re telling the principals, “Get back into the classroom.”

And do you know what principals are telling me? They want to be educators again, and they’re saying that when the NDP and Liberals were in charge, they took them out of the classroom, put them at war with parents and students and teachers. Do you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to end the divisiveness. We’re going to double down and focus on student achievement. We’ll let them be satisfied with students who don’t pass, who are failing. We’re going to be only satisfied when 100% of our students achieve the best—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Question?

Government accountability

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: Ontarians learned on Friday that $1 million of skills development financing—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: —went to a company whose CEO has been sanctioned—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order. I will allow the member for Don Valley West to begin her question again.

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: Thank you, Speaker.

Ontarians learned on Friday that this government gave $1 million in Skills Development Fund money to the company of a CEO who’s been sanctioned by the Ontario Securities Commission for misleading investors.

That same CEO also misled this government, not too long ago. He promised to build pandemic response equipment here in Ontario and create jobs, and he was going to get $2.5 million in taxpayer money to do that. But instead, he bought the equipment from China.

The government said the deal would create jobs, boost Ontario manufacturing when people in this province were scared and desperate for work. The deal did neither of those things, Speaker, but the CEO’s company still got $2.1 million in taxpayer money.

Speaker, my question to the Premier: Why did his government give another million dollars of taxpayer money to someone who’s already proved he can’t be trusted with taxpayer money?

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

Hon. David Piccini: As I said, investments go into organizations and into training for workers, Speaker. We’ve seen an increase of over 100,000 tech jobs in Ontario just recently, thanks to the work of this government.

In the Liberals’ own campaign platform, they campaigned to leverage the best available Canadian technology and artificial intelligence. Yet now, their own interim leader says that AI investment is antithetical to the idea of worker training, Speaker. You can’t have it both ways. That’s why we’re making investments to support worker training to support increased jobs, Speaker. Disruption is facing the manufacturing sector, and we’re making sure we’re making investments to support workers with training. We’re going to continue doing it.

And you have to do it, because we’re creating the economic climate to attract investment, to make sure that Ontario is well positioned for the jobs of the future.

We’re going to keep working on that, Speaker, and keep supporting a low-tax environment that attracts investment.

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

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: You know, this government gave a million dollars to a CEO caught misleading investors and this government. That kind of deal makes no sense, and it smells fishy.

The Premier was a businessman, the Minister of Economic Development was an entrepreneur, the Minister of Finance worked in investments and the President of the Treasury Board was a corporate lawyer. I’m sure they’re all familiar with something called a reference check. It’s the kind of thing where you say, “Hey, have you ever been found guilty of a securities violation? Have you ever breached a government contract?” So the real question isn’t whether this government should have known better; it’s why they deliberately ignored all the obvious warning signs.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: Why did this government give another million dollars in Skills Development Fund money to a company run by this CEO?

Hon. David Piccini: As I said, that’s incorrect. Through strict risk-assessment processes, monthly expenditure monitoring and spot audits, we assess companies, Speaker.

Over the last number of years, we’ve made improvements, linking our SDF programs through a centralized employment management system, which is able to track outcomes at six, nine, 12 months on.

We’re going to keep working to create an environment where we can attract jobs. They drove out 300,000 jobs when they were at the helm. They created an uncompetitive environment where nobody wanted to invest. Well, we’re turning that around and attracting investments: 55,000 jobs last month, another 6,500 jobs this month. We’re turning that around, embracing AI and supporting workers on its adoption so that we can create a more resilient workforce. We’re going to keep doing that, keep building and keep creating jobs.

I think about the 18,000 workers with the SMRs. I think about over 100,000 workers in my region alone. These are workers they would have given a pink slip to, Speaker—a pink slip—because they’re not interested in building a stronger Ontario; they just oppose it every time.

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

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: Speaker, it’s clear why the minister can’t give an answer. It’s because something fishy is going on here. This is a very serious matter, and the people of Ontario deserve a real answer.

After being misled and burned once by this CEO, this government turns around and hands him another million dollars—a CEO who was fined and sanctioned by the OSC. The OSC said the CEO acted “contrary to the public interest” and that his company “published contradictory and misleading news releases regarding the capabilities ... of its COVID-19 digital contact-tracing platform” and “failed to correct forward-looking information ... after it had become clear that the information was inaccurate.”

Speaker, we know the CEO didn’t get a grant just because he gave money to the PCs. So back to the Premier: Which people close to Sayan Navaratnam benefit when he gets money from this government? Who is it?

Hon. David Piccini: As I said, we’ve made improvements to the program after each round—risk assessment, monthly monitoring—and we’ll keep doing that with this program. We’ve implemented the AG’s recommendations, linked it to our employment management system, and we’ll keep supporting AI.

I think to programs like Coding for Veterans that has enabled veterans who fought on the front line—who’ve served our country both abroad and at home—to integrate into civilian life, and it’s supporting them. It’s supporting them with a coding program, enabling them to serve our country in a different way. We’re going to keep supporting this adoption—keep creating the conditions for job attraction and investment.

They voted against every single measure that has brought in billions in investments to this province. They have no leg to stand on when it comes to this.

Government accountability

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: The Skills Development Fund promised training, promised careers and it promised results. Instead, taxpayer dollars are going to the owner of a downtown strip club, the Ford family dentist, the minister’s hockey buddy, and now we’re learning about $1 million to the CEO of Connex, who was banned from directing public companies for misleading investors.

That alone should have been a giant red flag and disqualified them from the Skills Development Fund, but, of course, there’s more to this story. The CEO also happens to be a self-described “partisan Conservative.”

Speaker, is the Premier’s loyalty to taxpayers, or is it to connected insiders?

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

Hon. David Piccini: Over 100,000 people have achieved employment within 60 days or less—100,000. I challenge anyone to find a single program under their tenure that did the same thing: 100,000 workers found employment within 60 days or less, Speaker. We’ve actually invited them out to meet some of these workers. They’ve shown no interest, Speaker. They’ve never visited a union training hall. They’ve never taken us up on our offer to visit some of the construction sites. Perhaps it’s because they oppose each and every investment. They opposed the 413. How did that work out for them in Brampton?

They opposed the Bradford Bypass. How did that work out for them in Simcoe and Brampton? They’ve opposed investments that are going to get workers to work.

We’ve got a fund that’s going to support them with training, Speaker. We’re going to make investments that help them land better training for better jobs with bigger paycheques, and we’re going to keep working for workers of this province.

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

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: Ontarians deserve to know whether the $1 million given to Connex even produced a single cent of value. So let’s talk about what this government refuses to make public:

(1) How many people were trained?

(2) How many actual jobs were created, and how long did they last?

(3) What score did this application receive before the minister intervened?

Speaker, instead of answers, this government has built a disturbing playbook where connected insiders benefit, Conservative donors gain an advantage and taxpayers are always stuck with the bill.

Speaker, how many times does this pattern have to repeat itself before the Premier finally stops directing taxpayer dollars to connected insiders?

Hon. David Piccini: I’ve addressed those questions. How many people trained? Over 700,000 people. How many people achieved employment? Over 100,000 people achieved employment within 60 days or less. That’s what’s working with this program, Speaker.

The member talks about this. We’ve already said in this House, programs led by former Liberal candidates have been supported through the SDF. We’ve received letters from their own members supporting programs with maxed-out donors to their leadership campaign. But that’s not what we assess, Speaker. We assess the merits of the program and the impact it’s going to have on workers, and 100,000-plus people have been impacted and have achieved employment within 60 days or less.

We’re visiting the sites, on this side of the House, all over Ontario that are supporting workers in every corner of this province because those are the investments we’re making. Building a stronger Ontario doesn’t just mean GTA. It means rural Ontario; it means critical minerals and mines in northern Ontario. And we’ve got a fund that’s going to support those workers, Speaker.

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

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: While this government continues to shovel out the cash to connected insiders like Connex, average Ontarians are suffering. Nearly 700,000 people are out of work. Two million still can’t find a family doctor. Half of grade 6 students are falling behind in math. And this holiday season, more families than ever will have to rely on a food bank.

And what did this government just do? It gave $1 million to a self-described partisan Conservative donor to test an AI chatbot that would put workers out of a job. Why does this government keep prioritizing connected insiders and donors over Ontarians who need their help the most?

Hon. David Piccini: The only one researching donations is them, but I did a little over the weekend, Speaker, and the same person has donated to the Liberal Party. That’s not what this program is about—over $10,000, Speaker, and that’s not what this program is about.

We’ve talked in this place about supporting groups that used to protest this government—that used to protest them—and donate to organizations that fought PCs. Well, now they’re supporting us. They’re supporting us, Speaker, because their workers see a better future with this government.

We’re building a stronger Ontario. They wanted to give pink slips to workers in the nuclear sector. We’re building new nuclear. They did nothing for the Ring of Fire and mines, Speaker. We’ve unlocked the Ring of Fire. We’ve signed off on the terms of reference for mining in the north, creating more mining jobs. We’re going to keep building a stronger Ontario, an Ontario that can stand on its own two feet. That’s why organized labour abandoned the members opposite, Speaker.

Education funding

Ms. Chandra Pasma: The Premier’s cuts to education funding have put our kids in schools that can’t even deliver the basic elements of education: paper and books, qualified teachers and now principals. Some schools are getting half a principal, creating risks to student safety, disruptions to learning and increasing the workload for already overworked teachers and education workers.

Our kids deserve the best, but under this government they keep getting less and less and, as the EQAO results show, our kids are struggling. Will the Premier reverse course, quit taking money out of classrooms for cushy Conservative jobs and properly fund our schools?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: It’s interesting getting some questions from the opposition on education because I’ve been the minister for a year and the first time they actually ask questions is when I’m actually out of the House for the first time in eight years. So it’s good to see that they’re actually paying any attention to question period now.

So let me just say this, Madam Speaker: We’re continuing to fund education, but the difference between Conservatives and the Liberal and NDP opposition is that we always expect more. It’s not simply good enough to have the highest graduation rates in the province’s history. It’s not simply good enough for us that literacy rates are higher, that reading and writing scores are higher than they’ve ever been before. It’s not good enough for us that math scores continue to increase year over year.

What we want to do is what parents and teachers and educators are telling us: Remove the division from schools, focus on what matters by giving our teachers the ability to do what they do best, teach our kids, and that’s what we’re going to do.

We’re going to continue to fund education at the highest levels it ever has before, but we’re not going to simply say, “Great, that’s good enough.” It will not be good enough until every single student passes with the highest level of support and opportunity—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Ottawa West–Nepean.

Ms. Chandra Pasma: Well, the minister is getting an F for math, Speaker, but apparently an A for creative writing.

It’s clear what the future holds under this minister, Speaker:

—supervisors who shut parents out of decision-making and restrict our access to public meetings;

—fewer parent council meetings because one principal has to run back and forth between different schools; and

—gaps in student safety and learning that put our kids at risk, and there’s nothing we can do as parents because the Conservatives making the decisions don’t care what we think.

Parents don’t want this minister’s dystopia, Speaker. We want our kids to be safe, cared for and supported, and we want to have a say in their education.

Will the Premier do what the minister won’t, listen to parents and fund our schools?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Speaker, do you know what parents want? They want us to show the leadership that is necessary to make sure that our students, parents and teachers have the absolute best outcomes.

I’ll let the Liberals and the NDP sit here and support and fight for school trustees who have failed our students year after year after year after year.

Do you know what happened in Ottawa when I was there, colleagues? I’ll tell you what happened in Ottawa: Parents were coming up to me and saying, “Thank you for firing our trustees. They were not listening to us.”

Do you know what’s happening in Near North in North Bay and Parry Sound? I’m getting emails from grandparents who say, “Our students have been failing for years because of school trustees who could care less” about their kids, Madam Speaker.

I’m seeing the same thing in Toronto, the same thing at the Catholic board and the public board, the same thing at Dufferin-Peel. Parents are very clear, as are teachers: Stop focusing on division, stop supporting the very trustees that that party and the Liberals are supporting day in and day out, and focus on students, parents and teachers. That’s what we’re going to do. We’ll let them focus on the one-room schoolhouse. We’ll focus on—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Government accountability

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: My question is for the Premier. With the holidays approaching, companies like Connex received an early Christmas present. Meanwhile, families across Ontario—and Tiny Tim—are wondering what it will take for this Premier to show a hint of compassion and support.

One million people in Ontario used a food bank last year, and instead of helping people through the toughest season, the Premier is acting more like Scrooge, clutching every dollar for his friends and insiders through the Skills Development Fund.

What will it take for this Premier to stop hoarding help for his well-connected circle and give the people of Ontario the support that they need this holiday season?

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

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, I think Ontarians will be supportive when we create the conditions for jobs—55,000 jobs last month. In the US, a country exponentially larger than ours, they created over 100,000 jobs. We did almost half that here in this province alone last month—6,500 jobs last month.

That member should be supporting us on this side, voting for the fall economic statement, supporting our budget measures to build a stronger Ontario, because it’s working, Speaker.

New nuclear will make us energy sufficient. Building SMRs, exporting that technology around the world makes us an energy superpower, and it creates good-paying jobs for Ontarians here—90% of that supply chain is done right here in Ontario, creating opportunities for workers.

That’s why organized labour is supporting this party, supporting these members, because we’re investing in their training centres, we’re investing in their workers to give them better pathways to jobs, and we’re actually creating the opportunity for them to get jobs in every corner of this province.

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

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: In the story of Scrooge, it took three ghosts to make him face the harm he caused. I ask the Premier, if he were visited by the ghost of Christmas past, would he see the billions he lit on fire? If the ghost of Christmas present showed him the reality in communities all across Ontario, would he see families struggling for help? And if the ghost of Christmas yet to come showed him failing health care and education systems, would he change course?

Speaker, through you to the Premier: Will he finally learn the lesson Scrooge learned and stop funnelling money to friends and failed companies and instead give real support to people who need it now?

Hon. David Piccini: It’s one of my favourite Christmas movies. Let’s talk about Scrooge and the Scrooge that was the previous Liberal government, chasing out 300,000 manufacturing jobs—300,000—taxing Ontarians. People were choosing between heating or eating. It literally is like A Christmas Carol. They were choosing between heating or eating. How about the schools or hospitals that they closed?

That’s all turning around. We’re building a new school. That member took time to have lunch with the Liberal candidate I ran against. Maybe she reminded him they closed Liberal schools in our riding. They closed them. They didn’t deliver on Campbellford Memorial Hospital. We did, Speaker. We’re building a brand new hospital.

We’re creating the opportunity for men and women to join the lines of our energy industry with new nuclear in my riding, SMRs in the riding next door and refurbishing Pickering in that member’s own riding. Maybe he should talk to those workers he would give a pink slip to. They know a better Christmas is upon them because we’re refurbishing the Pickering plant, which is going to give them jobs and prosperity.

Ontario economy

MPP Silvia Gualtieri: My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. President Trump’s tariffs shift the global landscape for investments. Ontario is stepping up to attract investment and create good-paying jobs for Ontario workers. Across every corner of our province, our government is driving job creation and creating new opportunities for businesses to invest in Ontario’s future.

As we continue to build a more competitive and resilient economy, our government must look for ways to reduce reliance on the US in critical sectors such as agri-food, mining, advanced manufacturing and tech.

Speaker, can the minister share what he is doing to ensure Ontario becomes more self-reliant, strengthens our own industrial capacity and continues to attract investment and create good-paying jobs for generations to come?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Last week, five days, five cities: $1 billion in new investment in Ontario. In Ottawa, Marvell Technology: a $238-billion investment and 350 new jobs, expanding their semi-conductor research and design operations. In Morrisburg, Japan’s Alinova: $24 million and 15 jobs. They’re going to build the very first soy milk powder processing plant in Canada. In Hamilton, AtomVie: a $138-million investment and 70 new jobs, expanding domestic manufacturing capacity to support increased clinical trial activity.

Speaker, with these investments we’re strengthening our supply chain, reducing our reliance on the US and adding to the one million new jobs created since we took office.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member from Mississauga East–Cooksville.

MPP Silvia Gualtieri: I want to thank the minister for that response. As we continue to attract new investments, we are seeing more companies choosing to expand, hire and build their futures right here in Ontario. These announcements mean new facilities, new production capacity and new opportunities for workers and communities across our province.

But with the economic pressures growing demand for made-in-Ontario products and rapid changes in manufacturing and technology, we must remain focused on strengthening domestic production, growing our industrial capacity and ensuring businesses have what they need to compete and succeed.

Speaker, can the minister expand on how these investments help strengthen Ontario’s industrial base, drive innovation and ensure that workers across our province benefit from good-paying jobs being created today and to the next generation?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: These projects are creating new opportunities for workers in every corner of the province. In Mississauga last week, Lee Li invested $533 million, creating 275 new jobs as they build and expand their beverage packing, bottling, warehousing and distribution hub. We had a great time on Friday in Sudbury, where Sweden’s Sandvik invested $85 million—created 60 new jobs—to build a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility.

Five days, five cities: $1 billion in new investment here in the province of Ontario. Madam Speaker, we are not stopping there. We’re going to continue to ensure that companies have the confidence, the talent and the support they need to grow, expand and hire people right here in Ontario.

Health care

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour le premier ministre.

Speaker, medical laboratories are a cornerstone of our health care system. In August, Quest, a US company, purchased LifeLabs. To increase their profit, they are laying off medical technologists in Sudbury. Now, lab samples from Timmins, North Bay, Algoma, Hearst and Sudbury will be driven to Toronto. When the highways are closed, those samples will age out, and the people will have to redo them.

Where was the Premier three months ago when he agreed to let an American company purchase Ontario’s biggest medical lab provider?

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

Hon. Sylvia Jones: When I listen to the member opposite talk about how she would like to limit access to community diagnostics, I question where her values are. We need to make sure that we have access, and that includes, absolutely, in northern Ontario.

As we expand the access for diagnostic and for labs, we’ve worked very hard with our partners to make sure that, as they expand, they make sure that they have additional offers in communities. We’ve talked for, literally, months about how important it is to have care closer to home. When we work with our lab partners, when we work with our diagnostic centres and make sure that as the expansions happen, they happen in communities that have been historically under-serviced—it is exactly because of the philosophy the member has, which is, “Don’t let anybody do anything in Ontario unless it’s perfect.” We are making sure those expansions are happening.

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

MPP Jamie West: I don’t understand how we’re debating a bill about Buy Ontario, and the Minister of Health is applauding an American company buying a Canadian company.

The root of this, Speaker, is that the Premier is a jobs disaster. There are 40 medical laboratory technologists in Sudbury who will lose their jobs, and they’re joining 40 health care workers in North Bay, and they’re joining 192 health care workers in Niagara, and they’re joining 62 health care workers in Hamilton. Wait times for specialists and at hospitals are already too long. There are thousands of people without a family doctor or primary care. Ontarians can’t get the access to health care they need. And now, with more health care job losses, there will be less care and longer wait times for Ontarians.

Speaker, my question is, when will the Premier finally start fighting for health care workers so Ontarians can get the jobs, get the care they need?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Since 2018, under the leadership of Premier Ford, 100,000 new nurses have been registered in the province of Ontario, working in our communities. We have expanded access so, no matter where you live in Canada, you have access to quickly being able to be registered through the College of Nurses of Ontario and through the CPSO, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

By doing that work proactively almost two years ago, we now have a system where within 10 days, if you have a complete application, you can actually get licensed in the province of Ontario—unheard of—where literally people had to wait years to find out if they were going to be able to get licensed in the province of Ontario.

New medical schools in Brampton and where we’ve announced in Vaughan—literally, new learners, new residencies who are now working, practising and learning in Brampton. Why? Because under the leadership of Premier Ford, we’ve made sure those investments are there so that people have the opportunity to not only learn, not only train, but work in the province of Ontario.

Government accountability

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I will ask the member for Orléans to put the book down.

I recognize the member for Don Valley East.

Mr. Adil Shamji: Madam Speaker, this morning I want to talk about promises. The Premier promised that he’d protect jobs and then let a thousand go at Algoma Steel. He promised a family doctor for everyone and then left over two million people without one. He promised he’d make life affordable, and now he’s taking away our rewards points. So if you’re an everyday Ontarian, then the Premier’s word isn’t worth the breath it takes to make them, unless you’re the CEO of Connex.

Last week, we learned a discredited CEO sanctioned by the Ontario Securities Commission was awarded $1 million from the Skills Development Fund to train an AI chatbot that will take jobs away from everyday Ontarians. His highest qualification: being a donor to the Premier.

Madam Speaker, the Premier always prioritizes his promises to his donors over his promises for the people. Why did he give $1 million to this discredited CEO?

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

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, let’s talk about what that member just said. Jobs in health care: 100,000 new nurses registered; more doctors, residency positions that were slashed under that previous government; nursing spots slashed in communities like mine under the previous government.

Through programs like SDF, through investments in health, through investments in the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, we’re expanding training for PSWs, expanding training for nurses, expanding training for doctors.

Where are they going to work, Speaker? They’re going to work in the new hospitals we’re building in communities like mine and all over Ontario. That’s creating good-paying construction jobs. And where are they going to train, Speaker? In newly expanded training halls in every corner of this province thanks to the Skills Development Fund.

That’s what we’re doing for Ontario, building pipelines for people to get better employment—over 100,000 people achieving employment in 60 days or less. We’re going to keep working hard to build a stronger Ontario. We’ll take no lessons from the members opposite.

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

Mr. Adil Shamji: Despite what the member across said, health care workers cannot count on this government, but I will give you one group that reliably can—that group is its donors.

Here’s a question for the House, Madam Speaker: What does the Minister of Labour sitting with his best friend in the front row of a Leafs game have in common with the sanctioned CEO of an AI chatbot company? One thing: a payday. That’s because the CEO and senior executives of Connex gave tens of thousands of dollars to the Premier, having figured out a winning formula: When you give, you get—$1 million from the Skills Development Fund so that an AI chatbot can take human jobs.

To the Minister of Labour: Why did Connex get a massive, million-dollar payday when the CEO’s last company already blew its shot and lost provincial funding after failing to deliver jobs or production?

Hon. David Piccini: Speaker, 400,000-plus jobs in the tech sector; over 100,000 new jobs—opposed by that member; the manufacturing jobs that we’re creating; foreign direct investment, up from $8 billion to now, I think, over $40 billion or $50 billion under this government—opposed by that member.

All they offer Ontarians is higher taxes. They’ll drive manufacturing jobs out, and they don’t have a plan to nation-build. They oppose each and every bill that we bring forward to nation-build, from nuclear to critical minerals, the Ring of Fire, new highways and hospitals. If they had their way, we wouldn’t build another road. We wouldn’t build another bridge. We wouldn’t build another highway. That’s why they lost every seat in Brampton.

We’re supporting those workers, Speaker, putting them to work, building a stronger Ontario that can be more self-reliant, more dependent on itself. We’ll keep working hard to support the workers of this province with training to get them there.

Energy policies / Politiques énergétiques

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: My question is for the Associate Minister of Energy-Intensive Industries.

Speaker, we all know that protectionism measures by Donald Trump have created uncertainty and disruptions in our global economy, directly affecting Ontario jobs and workers. At the same time, Ontario’s population is growing rapidly, and with that, we are seeing a significant increase in energy demand.

Our industries and workers need assurance that our government has their backs and that we will protect their jobs and livelihood today and for generations to come.

Speaker, can the associate minister tell the House how our government is carrying out a much-needed expansion of Ontario’s energy sector to limit our reliance on foreign sources and drive economic growth?

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: I have to thank the member for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell for this question because he has been such a fierce advocate for workers and industries in his community and in every corner of this province and has shown such leadership.

Speaker, after question period this morning, we’re going to have the opportunity, all members in this House, to vote on Bill 40, the securing affordable energy for generations act. And this legislation is really driven by the need to continue building out our energy system in a way that prioritizes made-in-Ontario jobs. What does that look like? This bill will help us expand over 30,000 jobs at the Pickering nuclear site, contributing $41.6 billion in GDP growth, which keeps over 90% of those funds directly here in the Ontario and Canadian economy, supporting 2.2 million homes—

Interjection.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: —with the power that they need to survive.

It will also help us build a $10.9 billion—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Kitchener Centre will come to order.

Hon. Sam Oosterhoff: —for 7,500 megawatts through the LT2 program.

Those supply chains are built here in Ontario by proud Ontario workers, who we want to support. All members will have a chance to do so after question period.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: Thank you to the associate minister for his response.

Speaker, the people of Ontario remember the damage that the Liberal policies caused on our energy sector, chasing hundreds of thousands of jobs out of this province. Now, with added threats and uncertainty from Donald Trump, we have even more reason to support local and to build Ontario’s energy self-reliance.

Our government has been at the forefront of prioritizing the made-in-Ontario energy supply chain and building on our competitiveness.

Speaker, can the associate minister further explain what our government is doing to support Canadian procurement and protect Ontario jobs and industries?

L’hon. Sam Oosterhoff: Absolument. Je remercie encore le député pour cette question et son travail. Les dispositions que nous avons introduites dans le projet de loi 40 visent à mieux permettre aux services publics de l’Ontario d’acheter canadien et de bâtir un système énergétique plus sûr.

Again, Speaker, this is really about supporting industries and the workers in those industries: 90% of Pickering’s refurbishment expenditure will stay here in Canada, supporting jobs; 80 cents to the dollar for the G7’s first SMR is going directly to Canadian businesses alone. Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program will spend approximately 98% of those dollars directly here, in Canada, and 93% of Hydro One’s $2.9-billion procurement spend went to companies based in Canada, 76% here to Ontario and over 90% of OPG’s annual expenditure went to suppliers based in Ontario.

But we know there’s more that can be done. Bill 40 will allow for provisions to ensure that we’re able to better support domestic supply chains, and I hope all members in this House will vote for it immediately following question period.

Public transit

Ms. Doly Begum: Speaker, here are a few things that took less time than it has taken Metrolinx to get the Eglinton LRT built: Japan built the first Shinkansen bullet train in less than five years. The Panama Canal took 10 years. The Americans actually put a man on the moon in eight years. The list is long and I could go on.

Yet the Premier and the minister have made it clear that they don’t actually know what is going on with Metrolinx. But Ontarians deserve answers. I don’t know why they have such love for Metrolinx. Ontarians deserve to know why billions of their hard-earned tax dollars—you know, people are struggling, and you’re using people’s hard-earned tax dollars—were mismanaged for more than 15 years.

So will the Premier launch a public inquiry into Metrolinx’s financial mismanagement?

Interjection.

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

The Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Here’s a fact: From 2003 to 2018, not a single line of public transit was delivered in this city. But guess what? This Sunday, we marked the opening of the Finch West LRT, the first new LRT, the first new line in the city of Toronto since 2002, under this government’s leadership. Do you know why, Madam Speaker? Because we got shovels in the ground and we were building.

For 15 years, the Liberals did absolutely nothing to improve public transportation—not a single line completed in this city. That is why we continue to work day and night to get these projects built. No matter how much opposition we get, every time we table a piece of legislation in this House, from the NDP or Liberals when we’re trying to speed up projects, we continue to work through the noise, get the projects done, get them completed and built. That’s why we’ve got shovels in the ground on the Ontario Line. That’s why we’ve got shovels in the ground on the Scarborough subway extension and all of our other projects across the city.

We’re going to continue to build public transit. We’re going to continue to invest in it, and we’re going to continue to get the job done.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Ms. Doly Begum: The Liberals created the problem, but you have had more than seven years now.

Billions of tax dollars have been mismanaged by overpaid executives, self-serving private consultants with total impunity by this Conservative government. Businesses and families along Eglinton lost their livelihoods, while a handful of Metrolinx executives made fortunes of a lifetime. People across the province are calling for transparency to this disastrous project so that this doesn’t continue to happen.

Again, to the Premier: Will he listen to the people and launch a public inquiry into Metrolinx today?

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Madam Speaker, what is disappointing is the NDP’s record on public transit in this House. Let’s take a look at every single one of the projects that this government has put forward.

The funding for the Finch West LRT that opened this Sunday, that is going to move over 50,000 people—the members of the NDP couldn’t get up and support that project because they believe in too much of their own partisan stripes.

When it came to One Fare, saving commuters $1,600 every single year, the members of the NDP couldn’t stand up and support that policy.

When it comes to building rapid transit like the Ontario Line, which is going to move 400,000 people every single day, or when it comes to delivering all-day, two-way GO to places like Kitchener, where we started the first weekend trip, the members opposite voted against that every single time.

Every single time they had the chance to step up in this House, support public transit, which isn’t a partisan issue, they refused to do so. That’s why we’re going to continue to build in this province, and that’s why we’re getting it done. We’re getting shovels in the ground.

For 15 years—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Supportive housing / Addiction services

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Speaker, municipalities and local property taxpayers are at a breaking point. On Friday, Ontario’s Big City Mayors’ caucus asked the province to declare a provincial state of emergency—to step up to provide the funding and programs needed to address the Ontario-wide homelessness, mental health and addictions crisis.

Local property taxpayers pay half of the $4 billion a year in the cost of shelters, affordable housing and preventing homelessness, yet average wait times for substance use treatment: 253 days. You wait 345 days for bed-based residential treatment, and the average wait time is five years for the over 36,000 people on waiting lists for supportive housing.

To the minister of housing and municipalities: When will this government take responsibility and provide the sustained provincial funding needed to address this crisis?

Hon. Rob Flack: As I think everybody knows, we have an obligation collectively to protect our most vulnerable in this province, and that is exactly what we’re doing under this Premier and this government.

Speaker, it’s very important to note that, while we have to protect our most vulnerable, we also have to protect the communities in which they live. That is why, when we talk about funding and working with our municipal partners, we’ve invested $1.7 billion to support affordable housing and homelessness. That includes a 40% increase—$700 million—to support homelessness with our municipal partners; $529 million through HART hubs; and last year, $76 million to help with encampments.

We have a significant role to play here. We continue to invest, we continue to support and I thank our municipal partners in helping us get the job done.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Well, I can understand why municipalities are concerned. The Auditor General found that the government’s new HART hubs were announced without any needs assessment or consultation. Now, many are months late, and there are no uniform standards and no clear measures of success. She said, “The ... opioid strategy is outdated and does not address ... risks and needs, even with the new hubs.”

The opioid crisis is hitting Ontario’s communities, families and our economy hard. A recent study found the risk of an opioid poisoning was 57% higher for a construction worker than others who had received workers’ compensation, with both terrible human and economic costs.

To the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing: When Ontario’s Big City Mayors are pleading, why is the government still downloading the consequences of an effective opioid strategy to cities and local taxpayers instead of delivering a province-wide response that communities desperately need?

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

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I’ll tell you what’s outdated: Outdated is when you continue to provide access to illicit and illegal and, yes, deadly drugs to people instead of offering them hope. And we have offered hope through a $550-million investment in 28 HART hubs that were application-based. Municipalities stepped up and brought together their community agencies and said, “We want to do better. We can do better. And we know, by working together, we will do that.”

Do you know what happened when we ended up changing a consumption and treatment site model that, frankly, was not helping people and not working, and invested over four times more in HART hubs that ensure that people absolutely have access to primary care, access to mental health and addiction support, access to supportive housing and, ultimately, to job supports? That’s the hope that people are expecting and demanding from the government, and that’s what they’re getting through their government.

Small business

Ms. Jess Dixon: My question is for the Associate Minister of Small Business. As the holiday season is approaching, small businesses across Ontario are looking for more opportunities to reach more customers and grow. We all know how important they are to our economy, especially at a time when many are feeling the pressure of an uncertain global landscape. With ongoing US tariffs adding to that uncertainty, supporting small business owners and workers has never mattered more.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government is helping Ontario’s small businesses through the busy holiday season and positioning them for long-term success into the future?

Hon. Nina Tangri: I’d like to thank the member from Kitchener South–Hespeler for the wonderful work she does in her riding with her small businesses, which I visited.

Speaker, as a former small business owner, I know first-hand the risks and hard work it takes to start and to grow a business. Ontario’s more than 500,000 small businesses are the backbone of our communities, employing over 2.5 million Ontarians.

This holiday season and all year round, our government is encouraging consumers across our province to help support and protect Ontario’s economy by shopping local. And 66 cents of every dollar spent at a small business stays local. That is a significant contribution to our communities.

We’re also ensuring those same small businesses have the tools and resources they need to succeed in this challenging economy by making key investments in programs that support their growth.

Our goal is to make Ontario the most competitive place to create jobs and to do business within the G7.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Ms. Jess Dixon: The associate minister is absolutely right: They are the backbone of our community. They create excellent jobs and help families across the province make ends meet. They also add considerably to the vibrancy of our downtown cores, something that I think we all especially notice around the holiday season. I certainly do in my own area.

However, for far too long under the previous Liberal government—propped up, of course, by the NDP—small businesses were ignored, and Ontario and Ontarians paid the price. Today, many long-term business owners are preparing to retire, and without proper planning support, too many of those businesses could close instead of being handed down or sold. We need to make sure that they have the tools to plan for the future and to keep our communities vibrant.

Speaker, can the associate minister please outline how our government is helping small businesses plan for succession and build long-term stability across Ontario?

Hon. Nina Tangri: Thank you again to the member for the question.

Our government understands that small businesses are vital to our economic success and essential to regional communities across our province. That’s why when an owner decides to retire, we need to ensure there is somebody there to take over and keep those businesses in our economy.

This past week, I was pleased to announce that our government is investing $1.9 million over three years to establish a succession planning hub led by the Kingston Economic Development Corp.

Succession in Ontario will feature centralized free resources and tools for buying and selling a small business in Ontario with a focus on preparing businesses for smooth ownership transitions.

Under the leadership of this Premier, our government will continue to ensure small businesses have the resources they need to stay in our economy and help make certain that Ontario remains the best place to live—

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

Notice of dissatisfaction

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to standing order 36(a), the member for Don Valley East has given notice of dissatisfaction with the answer to the question given by the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development regarding Connex. This matter will be debated on Wednesday, December 10, following private members’ public business.

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): We have a deferred vote on government notice of motion number 12 relating to allocation of time on the following bills: Bill 45,

An Act to make statutory amendments respecting the transfer of jurisdiction within The Regional Municipality of Peel and the appointment of Deputy Provincial Land and Development Facilitators; Bill 72,

An Act to enact the Buy Ontario Act (Public Sector Procurement), 2025, to repeal the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act, 2022, to amend the Highway Traffic Act with respect to the installation of certain signs and to amend

section 10.1 of the Legislation Act, 2006 with respect to certain provisions of the Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015; and Bill 76,

An Act respecting the adjustment of the boundaries between the City of Barrie, the Township of Oro-Medonte and the Township of Springwater.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1138 to 1143.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Members, please take your seats.

On December 4, 2025, Mr. Clark moved government notice of motion number 12 relating to allocation of time on Bills 45, 72 and 76.

All those in favour of Mr. Clark’s motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Allsopp, Tyler

Anand, Deepak

Babikian, Aris

Bailey, Robert

Bouma, Will

Bresee, Ric

Calandra, Paul

Cho, Stan

Ciriello, Monica

Clark, Steve

Cooper, Michelle

Crawford, Stephen

Cuzzetto, Rudy

Darouze, George

Denault, Billy

Dixon, Jess

Dowie, Andrew

Downey, Doug

Dunlop, Jill

Fedeli, Victor

Firin, Mohamed

Flack, Rob

Gallagher Murphy, Dawn

Gualtieri, Silvia

Hamid, Zee

Hardeman, Ernie

Holland, Kevin

Jones, Sylvia

Jones, Trevor

Jordan, John

Kanapathi, Logan

Kerzner, Michael S.

Khanjin, Andrea

Kusendova-Bashta, Natalia

Leardi, Anthony

Lecce, Stephen

Lumsden, Neil

McCarthy, Todd J.

McGregor, Graham

Mulroney, Caroline

Oosterhoff, Sam

Pang, Billy

Parsa, Michael

Piccini, David

Pierre, Natalie

Pinsonneault, Steve

Pirie, George

Quinn, Nolan

Racinsky, Joseph

Rae, Matthew

Riddell, Brian

Rosenberg, Bill

Sabawy, Sheref

Sandhu, Amarjot

Sarkaria, Prabmeet Singh

Sarrazin, Stéphane

Saunderson, Brian

Scott, Laurie

Smith, Dave

Smith, David

Smith, Graydon

Smith, Laura

Tangri, Nina

Thanigasalam, Vijay

Thompson, Lisa M.

Tibollo, Michael A.

Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.

Vickers, Paul

Williams, Charmaine A.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Begum, Doly

Bell, Jessica

Blais, Stephen

Bourgouin, Guy

Bowman, Stephanie

Brady, Bobbi Ann

Cerjanec, Rob

Clancy, Aislinn

Collard, Lucille

Fairclough, Lee

Fife, Catherine

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gélinas, France

Gilmour, Alexa

Glover, Chris

Gretzky, Lisa

Hsu, Ted

Kernaghan, Terence

McCrimmon, Karen

McKenney, Catherine

McMahon, Mary-Margaret

Pasma, Chandra

Rakocevic, Tom

Sattler, Peggy

Schreiner, Mike

Shamji, Adil

Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)

Stiles, Marit

Tabuns, Peter

Tsao, Jonathan

Vanthof, John

Vaugeois, Lise

Watt, Tyler

West, Jamie

Wong-Tam, Kristyn

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day): The ayes are 69; the nays are 37.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I declare the motion carried.

Motion agreed to.

Protect Ontario by Securing Affordable Energy for Generations Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 pour protéger l’Ontario en garantissant l’accès à l’énergie abordable pour les générations futures

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

Bill 40,

An Act to amend various statutes with respect to energy, the electrical sector and public utilities / Projet de loi 40, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’énergie, le secteur de l’électricité et les services publics.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

Interjection: Same vote.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Same vote? Same vote.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day): The ayes are 69; the nays are 37.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I declare the motion carried.

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

Third reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): There being no further business, this House stands in recess until 1 o’clock.

The House recessed from 1147 to 1300.

House sittings

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Members, I have a bit of a mea culpa. I did not recognize the government House leader just before we rose for lunch recess. So I do recognize the House leader on a point of order.

Hon. Steve Clark: Thank you, Speaker. No need to apologize. I’d just like to advise members that the night sitting scheduled for this evening has been cancelled.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): You’re too predictable.

Notice of dissatisfaction

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to standing order 36(a), the member for Scarborough Southwest has given notice of dissatisfaction with the answer to the question given by the Minister of Transportation regarding Metrolinx. This matter will be debated on Wednesday, December 10, following private members’ public business.

Introduction of Visitors

Hon. Michael Parsa: Joining us today is my good friend Anthony Garramone. Congratulations on the unveiling of your new film, my friend. He’s one of the most talented individuals, right from the town of Aurora. Thanks for joining us, my friend.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): We must support our artists.

Introduction of Bills

Meredith Act (Fair Compensation for Injured Workers), 2025 / Loi Meredith de 2025 sur l’indemnisation équitable des travailleurs blessés

MPP Vaugeois moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 86,

An Act to enact the Meredith Act (Fair Compensation for Injured Workers), 2025 and to repeal the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 / Projet de loi 86, Loi édictant la Loi Meredith de 2025 sur l’indemnisation équitable des travailleurs blessés et abrogeant la Loi de 1997 sur la sécurité professionnelle et l’assurance contre les accidents du travail.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Does the member wish to briefly explain the bill?

MPP Lise Vaugeois: The act is a product of years of work by injured workers advocacy groups. It returns the WSIB to its original purpose, as laid out in the original Meredith principles: to support injured workers through WSIB premiums, so that a worker made ill or injured on the job does not become a financial burden on their family or on the public.

It also establishes the requirement to have 50% of the board of commissioners be made up of representatives of injured workers.

Ontario Wildlife Holdings & Sanctuary Corp. Act, 2025

Mr. Riddell moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr38,

An Act to revive Ontario Wildlife Holdings & Sanctuary Corp.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

Petitions

Homelessness

MPP Alexa Gilmour: I’m proud to rise on behalf of the members of Parkdale–High Park. Today I’m bringing a petition that is by the Faith Communities of Halton Advocates for the Unhoused. I’m really proud of the United Church of Canada, which has begun this petition.

The churches in our communities do so much to address homelessness, whether that’s through their soup kitchens or through their Out of the Cold programs, but they really are saying that enough is enough and that we really need to enact the policies that lift the burden off of these institutions, off of the economy, and often off the people who are experiencing homelessness themselves.

So I’m pleased to be tabling this petition, affixing my name to it.

In addition, they’re saying that it costs $50,000 or more to have emergency shelters and only $14,000 to have supportive housing. Let’s do that instead.

I’ll be signing my name, and I’ll be handing it in with page Oskar.

Vision care

MPP Jamie West: I want to thank Guntas Jhand. He’s a student at Lockerby Composite School and a participant in the STEP program there.

He formed a petition entitled “Prescription Eyewear and Pharmaceuticals.” This is a petition that raises concerns about the rising prices and the rising rates of prescription pharmaceuticals as well as glasses. They point out that approximately 2.8 million Ontarians lack prescription eyewear insurance, and that rising costs create a rising concern for individuals as well as for individual and public drug plans. The payment out of pocket means that people are incurring a higher expense at a time of financial instability. The effect of this really is hitting people in the pocketbook at a time when people just can’t afford to fill their prescriptions.

So they petition the Legislature to create a rebate for low-income individuals to access eyewear and ensure pharmacare for all Ontarians.

I support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Shriya for the table.

Transportation infrastructure

Hon. Steve Clark: I have a petition that calls on the Legislative Assembly to call on the Canadian government to restore full navigation to the Rideau Canal by installing a structure that will enable all marine traffic to pass through the LaSalle Causeway in time for the 2026 boating season, which I want to say is the 200th anniversary since the construction of the Rideau Canal began. Public Services and Procurement Canada has not established a clear timeline nor a plan, nor have they demonstrated that there is an urgency in replacing the temporary structure with a permanent bridge that restores full navigation.

Speaker, the Rideau Canal contributes about $309 million annually to the economy of eastern Ontario—it has already been a negative by this temporary bridge that doesn’t allow all marine traffic. So I’m hopeful and optimistic that this petition will spur the federal government, the Canadian government, to move on this. It’s a very important economic driver in eastern Ontario.

I’m pleased to sign the petition, and I’ll send it to the table with page David.

Education funding

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: I’m proud to rise on behalf of the residents of Toronto Centre, including many of the students, including the children who are here today to present this petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It is entitled “Stop Cuts to Education!”

”Whereas more families, students and teachers are experiencing first-hand the effects of” Premier “Ford’s cuts to education.

“Whereas schools are so understaffed and overrun with crowded classrooms, creating unsuitable environments for children to learn. Schools are dangerously overpacked and they have fewer one-on-one supports.”

Therefore the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to call on the Premier and his government “to prioritize children’s and workers’ safety by investing in education, hiring more teachers and education workers, and keeping class sizes small.”

I’m happy to sign this petition and return this to the centre table with wonderful page Ojas.

Gender-based violence

M me France Gélinas: I would like to thank Dr. Jane Cox and the Canadian Federation of University Women for these petitions. They’re called “Declare Intimate Partner Violence an Epidemic.”

Intimate partner violence impacts every community across Ontario.

The Renfrew inquest’s number one recommendation is to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in Ontario.

Gender-based violence is a human rights violation, and no one should be harmed or killed due to their gender, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

The province should join the hundred municipalities in Ontario that have already declared intimate partner violence an epidemic. Advocates, survivors and municipalities have called on the government to take this step.

The Indigenous Chiefs of Ontario passed a resolution declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic way back in 2005.

So they petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to save lives across the province by respecting experts in the field who have years of experience, knowledge and research; accepting the Renfrew county inquest’s number one recommendation; declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic, joining the nearly hundred municipalities that have already done so; and immediately passing Bill 55, the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act.

I fully support this petition. I will affix my name to it and ask Olivia to bring it to the table.

Youth unemployment

MPP Jamie West: This petition is entitled “Lower the Youth Unemployment Rate.” I want to thank Brock Brisson. He’s a student at Lockerby Composite School and a participant in the STEP program. This petition pertains to youth unemployment.

This year, roughly 914,000 youth were unemployed—not in education and not in any kind of training.

Since 2023, the youth unemployment rate has increased by approximately 200,000 people.

At Lockerby secondary school—a riding, actually, that I went to a high school at—students in the STEP program did a survey of their school and found that many of their classmates were having trouble finding a job.

So the petition raises concerns about some of the statements the Premier made about youth being able to find employment if they just look hard enough.

They’re calling on the Legislature, by the spring of 2027, to lower the youth unemployment rate of Ontario.

I support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Thridev for the table.

Health professions

MPP Alexa Gilmour: In my hands, I have petitions from members of my own riding, Parkdale–High Park, as well as across the province.

These people have written to us because they are concerned about the changes to the entry-to-practice registration requirements for psychologists and psychological associates that the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario has approved. In particular, they’re speaking about the doctoral degree requirements that are going to be removed, the four years of supervision training for master’s candidates being removed—the critical licensing exams, and the collapse of practice areas.

What they’re really saying is that they would like the Ministry of Health to direct the college to halt the changes and undertake a transparent and collaborative comprehensive consultation with the membership, with the stakeholders, that will ensure that our training and our registration remain aligned, evidence-based, and protect the public. I am fully supportive of a halt and a collaborative process like this.

I will affix my name and send it with page Oskar down to the table at the front.

Social assistance

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I want to recognize the tireless efforts of Dr. Sally Palmer—someone you know at McMaster University—for her efforts to urge the Legislative Assembly to raise social assistance rates.

At this time of year, we all know the affordability pressures that all Ontarians are facing, but it is particularly hard for people who are living on Ontario Works or ODSP. The social assistance rates in this province are well below established poverty lines, and far from adequate to cover basic needs like groceries, rent and transportation.

Over 230 community organizations in this province have sent a letter to the Premier and cabinet ministers recommending that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works and the ODSP.

I support this petition. I want the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP. I will affix my signature and send it to the table with page Lucas.

Cycling infrastructure

MPP Jamie West: This petition is entitled “Prioritize Cyclist Safety Over Reduced Traffic Congestion.” This petition was collected by Gwynne Edwards, a student at Lockerby Composite School—go Vikings—and a participant in the STEP program. This petition is in regard to the limitations of municipal jurisdiction over bike lanes and bike infrastructure.

Notably, the recent Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024, they say, is not beneficial to cyclists. The act puts decision-making in the government’s hands, which limits the ability of the municipalities to increase and improve existing cycling infrastructure, which is currently insufficient, especially in the north.

The lack of the cycling infrastructure, the petitioners explain here, affects the cyclists and the drivers alike, because fewer people cycling means more people on the roads. It also affects the environment and the economy because it discourages a green travel method and a proven economy-boosting activity.

They are petitioning the provincial government to not prioritize fast traffic and reducing congestion over people’s safety, which was allowed by Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024. They also petition that the act should be amended—excluding any mention of the bike lanes and laws that promote cycling that should be passed—and also that information around cycling should be actively distributed, and that laws should ensure that it is necessary for bike lanes to be connected, and ensure that new road projects include bike lanes, and ensure that funding is provided for our roads.

I want to again thank Gwynne for this petition and for collecting the signatures.

I support this petition. I’ll affix my signature and provide it to page Andrew for the table.

Health professions

M me France Gélinas: I would like to thank Dr. Andrew Ekblad, as well as 5,000 other psychologists, for signing this petition.

The petition basically says that the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario is looking at changes to entry-to-practice registration for psychologists and psychologist associates. The changes would see a cut to the minimum training by 75%, removing the doctoral degree requirement and the four years of supervised training for master’s candidates. It would also remove the critical licensing exam, collapse practice areas, and abandon nationwide controlled program approval. Those changes, they find, threaten to undermine the safety and quality of psychological care for Ontarians and place Ontario’s entry-to-practice from the highest to the lowest in the country.

They petition the Legislative Assembly to ask that the Minister of Health undertake a transparent and comprehensive consultation process in conjunction with the membership and stakeholders to ensure that the training and registration requirements remain aligned with evidence-based standards that protect the public.

I support this petition and will ask my good page Raj to bring it to the Clerk.

Youth mental health

This is a very serious issue. For a government that pretends to be so strong on law and order, why are you not protecting youth online? Do something.

Youth mental health

Ontario can do much better. We need clear guidelines on how much screen time and what kinds of content may negatively affect children’s development.

It’s crucial to support young people in developing healthy relationships with technology to help them prevent long-term societal challenges.

Speaker, I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature to it and give it to page Oskar to take it to the Clerks.

Orders of the Day

Peel Transition Implementation Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la mise en oeuvre de la transition de Peel

Resuming the debate adjourned on December 3, 2025, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 45,

An Act to make statutory amendments respecting the transfer of jurisdiction within The Regional Municipality of Peel and the appointment of Deputy Provincial Land and Development Facilitators / Projet de loi 45, Loi apportant des modifications législatives en ce qui concerne le transfert de compétences dans la municipalité régionale de Peel et la nomination de facilitateurs provinciaux de l’aménagement adjoints.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to the order of the House from earlier today, I am now required to put the question.

Mr. Flack has moved second reading of Bill 45,

An Act to make statutory amendments respecting the transfer of jurisdiction within The Regional Municipality of Peel and the appointment of Deputy Provincial Land and Development Facilitators.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to the order of the House from earlier today, the bill is ordered for third reading.

Buy Ontario Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 visant à encourager à acheter ontarien

Resuming the debate adjourned on November 27, 2025, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 72,

An Act to enact the Buy Ontario Act (Public Sector Procurement), 2025, to repeal the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act, 2022, to amend the Highway Traffic Act with respect to the installation of certain signs and to amend

section 10.1 of the Legislation Act, 2006 with respect to certain provisions of the Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015 / Projet de loi 72, Loi visant à édicter la Loi de 2025 visant à encourager à acheter ontarien (approvisionnement du secteur public), à abroger la Loi de 2022 sur l’initiative favorisant l’essor des entreprises ontariennes, à modifier le Code de la route à l’égard de certains panneaux et à modifier l’article 10.1 de la Loi de 2006 sur la législation en ce qui concerne certaines dispositions de la Loi de 2015 sur la protection des propriétaires de condominiums.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to the order of the House from earlier today, I am now required to put the question.

Mr. Crawford has moved second reading of Bill 72,

An Act to enact the Buy Ontario Act (Public Sector Procurement), 2025, to repeal the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act, 2022, to amend the Highway Traffic Act with respect to the installation of certain signs and to amend

section 10.1 of the Legislation Act, 2006 with respect to certain provisions of the Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to the order of the House from earlier today, the bill is ordered for third reading.

Barrie — Oro-Medonte — Springwater Boundary Adjustment Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 sur la modification des limites territoriales entre Barrie, Oro-Medonte et Springwater

Resuming the debate adjourned on December 1, 2025, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 76,

An Act respecting the adjustment of the boundaries between the City of Barrie, the Township of Oro-Medonte and the Township of Springwater / Projet de loi 76, Loi concernant la modification des limites territoriales entre la cité de Barrie, le canton d’Oro-Medonte et le canton de Springwater.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to the order of the House from earlier today, I am now required to put the question.

Mr. Smith, Parry Sound–Muskoka, has moved second reading of Bill 76,

An Act respecting the adjustment of the boundaries between the City of Barrie, the Township of Oro-Medonte and the Township of Springwater.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.

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

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

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1324 to 1329.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): On November 26, 2025, Mr. Smith, Parry Sound–Muskoka, moved second reading of Bill 76,

An Act respecting the adjustment of the boundaries between the City of Barrie, the Township of Oro-Medonte and the Township of Springwater.

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

Ayes

Allsopp, Tyler

Babikian, Aris

Bailey, Robert

Bethlenfalvy, Peter

Bouma, Will

Bresee, Ric

Calandra, Paul

Cho, Raymond Sung Joon

Cho, Stan

Clark, Steve

Cooper, Michelle

Crawford, Stephen

Cuzzetto, Rudy

Darouze, George

Denault, Billy

Dixon, Jess

Dowie, Andrew

Downey, Doug

Dunlop, Jill

Firin, Mohamed

Flack, Rob

Gallagher Murphy, Dawn

Gualtieri, Silvia

Hamid, Zee

Hardeman, Ernie

Holland, Kevin

Jones, Trevor

Jordan, John

Kanapathi, Logan

Kerzner, Michael S.

Khanjin, Andrea

Kusendova-Bashta, Natalia

Leardi, Anthony

Lecce, Stephen

Lumsden, Neil

McGregor, Graham

Mulroney, Caroline

Oosterhoff, Sam

Pang, Billy

Parsa, Michael

Pierre, Natalie

Pinsonneault, Steve

Pirie, George

Quinn, Nolan

Racinsky, Joseph

Rae, Matthew

Riddell, Brian

Rosenberg, Bill

Sabawy, Sheref

Sandhu, Amarjot

Sarkaria, Prabmeet Singh

Sarrazin, Stéphane

Saunderson, Brian

Scott, Laurie

Smith, Dave

Smith, David

Smith, Graydon

Smith, Laura

Tangri, Nina

Thanigasalam, Vijay

Thompson, Lisa M.

Tibollo, Michael A.

Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.

Vickers, Paul

Wai, Daisy

Williams, Charmaine A.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Begum, Doly

Bell, Jessica

Blais, Stephen

Bourgouin, Guy

Brady, Bobbi Ann

Cerjanec, Rob

Clancy, Aislinn

Collard, Lucille

Fairclough, Lee

Fife, Catherine

Fraser, John

French, Jennifer K.

Gélinas, France

Gilmour, Alexa

Glover, Chris

Hsu, Ted

Kernaghan, Terence

McCrimmon, Karen

McKenney, Catherine

McMahon, Mary-Margaret

Pasma, Chandra

Rakocevic, Tom

Sattler, Peggy

Schreiner, Mike

Shamji, Adil

Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)

Watt, Tyler

West, Jamie

Wong-Tam, Kristyn

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Trevor Day): The ayes are 66; the nays are 30.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I declare the motion carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Pursuant to the order of the House from earlier today, the bill is ordered for third reading.

Buy Ontario Act, 2025 / Loi de 2025 visant à encourager à acheter ontarien

Mr. Crawford moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 72,

An Act to enact the Buy Ontario Act (Public Sector Procurement), 2025, to repeal the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act, 2022, to amend the Highway Traffic Act with respect to the installation of certain signs and to amend

section 10.1 of the Legislation Act, 2006 with respect to certain provisions of the Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015 / Projet de loi 72, Loi visant à édicter la Loi de 2025 visant à encourager à acheter ontarien (approvisionnement du secteur public), à abroger la Loi de 2022 sur l’initiative favorisant l’essor des entreprises ontariennes, à modifier le Code de la route à l’égard de certains panneaux et à modifier l’article 10.1 de la Loi de 2006 sur la législation en ce qui concerne certaines dispositions de la Loi de 2015 sur la protection des propriétaires de condominiums.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the minister.

Hon. Stephen Crawford: It’s an honour to rise in the House at third reading to speak to Bill 72, Buy Ontario Act (Public Sector Procurement), 2025. At its heart, this bill is about turning the power of public purchasing into a practical engine for Ontario jobs, supply chain resilience, and value for taxpayers. It builds on the work this House has supported across multiple sessions—work that modernizes procurement, protects consumers, and strengthens the economic foundations of our communities.

Bill 72 establishes a clear framework for public sector procurement that prioritizes Ontario-made goods and services first and Canadian-made second, while preserving open competition and value for money.

Concretely, it authorizes the Management Board of Cabinet to issue directives that set uniform, public rules for ministries, provincial agencies and designated broader public sector organizations, with regulation-making powers to prescribe additional entities in the future. These directives may require a preference for Ontario or Canadian goods and services, set reporting requirements, mandate vendor performance standards, and specify compliance tools, all within a documented, auditable process.

The act also modernizes compliance and accountability: Public sector entities must co-operate with reviews; findings can be posted publicly; corrective action can be directed; and, with MBC approval, funding can be withheld in cases of continued non-compliance—paired with an obligation on the entity to minimize service impacts to the public. That is a practical balance, with real consequences for ignoring the rules and real safeguards for patients, students and families.

Finally, Bill 72 repeals and replaces the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act, 2022, not because its intent was wrong, but because stronger, clearer and more adaptable tools are needed now. This bill gives us the tools and makes their use transparent—directives are publicly posted on a government of Ontario website—so people can see the rules and auditors can test them.

Over the course of debate, colleagues across the aisle have raised thoughtful concerns and, equally important, encouraging points of agreement. Let me speak directly to both, not with jargon, but with plain words about what this bill means, why it’s needed, and how it will work for the people of Ontario.

What Ontarians expect from their government isn’t power for its own sake; they expect rules they can see and results they can trust.

That’s exactly what this bill delivers. The resulting regulations will be posted publicly before decisions are made. And when something doesn’t meet the mark, independent reviews can shine a light and fix it.

We’re not just centralizing Buy Ontario; we’re standardizing fairness. That’s how a big system with hospitals, schools, municipalities and more can start rowing in the same direction for Ontario workers and Ontario businesses.

Speaker, you may recall that the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore asked whether we could do this under existing directives. We tried. We moved the ball with earlier policies, especially around domestic content and government fleet procurement.

This bill will harmonize the procurement directives. It doesn’t ask anyone to take the government’s word for it; it asks us to post the rules, record the choices, and correct what needs to be corrected in the open.

Second, my ministry team and I have heard from many members and stakeholders that hospitals, schools and municipalities could be punished for non-compliance without support. Nobody wants to see any services suffer. That’s why this bill puts help before penalty. Institutions will get guidance, templates, training, and time to get it right. If a review finds a problem, the first step is a corrective plan, not a hammer. And if there’s ever a last-resort consequence, the institution must minimize any impact on patients, students and families. That’s practical, and that’s responsible.

The member from Guelph raised the point that small businesses find procurement complicated, and while my ministry and Supply Ontario have worked day and night to consult and offer informational sessions to potential vendors, more can always be done. So I hope I can count on his support so we can address that together through this legislation.

We are proposing common rules to simplify the maze. Clear

definitions put an end to mailbox companies pretending to be local. Vendor performance standards reward reliable Ontario suppliers—and public posting of the rules, so entrepreneurs aren’t guessing; they’re spending their time competing.

Our government—along with every member here—was elected to the House to lead by example. As we deliver Ontario’s historic capital plan, we will give real weight to domestic supply chains so that when a proponent shows a strong Ontario plan and their price and

schedule are within reasonable bounds, Ontario workers and Ontario products don’t get crowded out. That’s the change people have asked for. That’s the change we’re making.

I heard from the member from Don Valley West on trade and fairness—and I can say that that is the preference in this bill. It’s not arbitrary. It’s rules-based, documented and reviewable. It’s designed to work alongside our obligations, not to invent excuses.

Our aim is simple: Where it’s prudent and lawful, use public dollars to build Ontario’s capacity, without closing the door on fair competition or value for taxpayers. That’s not a slogan. That’s a system.

Many colleagues—from Ottawa–Vanier, Nickel Belt, Ajax, and others—asked us to make Buy Ontario inclusive of Indigenous-owned businesses, Franco-Ontarian enterprises, and social-purpose suppliers. That’s not just possible; that’s desirable, because when all communities see themselves in the economy, the economy is stronger.

This framework lets us define classes openly, set verifiable criteria, and apply them transparently. Inclusion isn’t just an afterthought; it’s part of how we build capacity here at home.

I heard from the member for Kitchener Centre that energy sovereignty and supply chain resilience is paramount, so procurement can help us rely less on foreign inputs; on this side of the House, we could not agree more. By weighing domestic content where it counts, we strengthen Ontario’s hand across materials, technology and services, while keeping competition and value for money at the core. We’re not promising businesses the moon; we are building the ladder.

I also want to speak to cost, because Ontarians expect prudence and financial accountability from our government. This week, we got our eighth straight clean audit from the Auditor General, and in the midst of a trade war, value for money is our anchor. The change here is that “value” finally reflects reality. Resilience matters. Local jobs matter. Shorter, safer supply chains matter.

In capital projects, we will respect price and

schedule guardrails while allowing a better Canadian or Ontario content plan to secure an award, when it’s reasonable to do so. That’s how you grow capacity and protect the taxpayer at the same time. It’s how you build a stronger Ontario without risking financial irresponsibility.

On enforcement: Good suppliers who deliver get recognized; those who don’t face consequences—with fines, even barring from future work where warranted.

On the public sector side, we start with help and correction. That’s accountability that works in the real world.

Now let me bring this back to first principles. This bill is not about picking favourites. It’s about picking Ontario when it makes sense to pick Ontario—openly, fairly and effectively. It’s about realizing that in a world of uncertainty, we cannot be casual about our supply chains, our jobs, or our public dollars. It’s about choosing the common-sense proposition that when hospitals buy beds, when schools buy desks, when we build subways and bridges, the first question we ask is, can Ontario workers and businesses do this? If the answer is yes, let them.

To the member from Beaches–East York, who spoke about transparency, youth unemployment and the need to avoid undue burdens: We agree. The transparency is baked in. The youth pathways open when domestic suppliers grow. And the burden is managed by phasing and guidance, not by one-size-fits-all edicts.

To the member from Humber River–Black Creek, who said you welcome Buy Ontario but want real enforcement: This is exactly what this framework will deliver—rules on paper, decisions on record, and consequences when promises are broken.

To the members for Sudbury and for University–Rosedale, who urged for clarity, so members know that the steel in the bridges we build and the gravel in the roads we pave or the wood in the supportive housing we build is Ontario-made: We will define, verify and publish—because clarity and honesty are the foundation of trust. I hope I can count on your vote.

To the members from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas and from St. Catharines: You also called for guarantees on Ontario steel and Ontario workers. This bill gives us the tools—scoring, contract terms, and performance monitoring—to make the ambition measurable and real.

To the members from Waterloo and Don Valley West, who pressed for credibility, transparency and guardrails: The bill is built around those ideas—public rules, documented decisions, published findings, and value for money that is tested, not assumed.

Speaker, I want to take a moment to reflect on the AMO MOU meeting I attended last Thursday with my colleagues the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the associate minister. It was a powerful reminder that when we talk about building a stronger Ontario, we are talking about every community, every region and every local government that makes up this great province. I was grateful to see so many municipal leaders around the table—mayors, chairs, councillors, senior staff—who represent the front lines of service and delivery and economic development right here in Ontario.

Their message was very clear: Municipalities are not just stakeholders in this conversation; they are absolutely critical partners. They invest $68 billion annually in Ontario, and nearly $24 billion of that goes directly into procurement—buying the goods and services we need to keep our communities strong. Municipalities, like our government, have already been moving towards buying-Ontario as they already source a large amount of their non-construction procurement from Canadian vendors. It speaks to the commitment of local governments to support homegrown businesses wherever possible.

These insights are not just numbers on a page; they are a road map for Ontario’s industrial policy and a call to invest in local alternatives where possible.

Speaker, what I heard from AMO was not resistance, but willingness and readiness. Municipalities are eager to continue supporting Ontario and Canadian businesses. They want to be part of the solution, but they also ask for flexibility—flexibility that recognizes the realities of local markets, the diversity of municipal needs, and the importance of timely, cost-effective procurement. I made it clear that this government will continue to work with the municipalities to ensure “Ontario-made” and “Canadian-made”

definitions are flexible to meet procurement needs, and that industry is supported in matching production with demand. To them, the Buy Ontario Act is not just technical points, but the foundation of a partnership that will make Buy Ontario real and effective for every single community in this great province.

AMO also welcomed the liability protection built into our framework, ensuring that municipalities are shielded from trade challenges under agreements like CETA. This is absolutely critical because it gives local governments the confidence to prioritize Ontario and Canadian businesses without fear of legal repercussions from international vendors.

We also discussed the interaction with other funding sources, like federal and municipal grants. Municipalities need assurance that compliance with the Buy Ontario procurement rules will not jeopardize non-provincially funded projects. That’s a fair concern and one we’re committed to addressing in collaboration with our inter-ministerial colleagues.

We will ensure municipalities are not unfairly penalized for cost increases or project delays resulting from new procurement requirements, especially for capital projects.

The data is clear. As I said before, according to the financial information return, municipalities invested $68 billion in Ontario in 2023, with over $23.6 billion of that spent directly on procurement. AMO’s March 2025 survey showed that almost 98% of municipal non-construction procurement was sourced from Canadian vendors. Those numbers are not just impressive; they are a testament to the commitment that our local governments feel in supporting the Ontario economy. But numbers alone don’t tell the whole story.

What matters is the spirit of partnership, the willingness to adapt, and the shared goal of building a stronger, more resilient Ontario. Municipalities are ready to work with us, but they need a framework that is flexible, practical and responsive to local realities. They need

definitions that make sense, protections that give confidence, and collaborations that ensure no community is left behind.

As we move forward with the Buy Ontario Act, I am committed to ongoing consultation with AMO and every municipality in this province. We will listen, we will adapt, and we will build a procurement framework that works for everyone, from the largest city to the smallest town here in Ontario.

Speaker, this is how we stand together on the right side of Ontario’s history—by working in partnership, by respecting local expertise, and by ensuring that every public sector dollar strengthens our communities, supports our workers, and builds a future we can all be proud of.

Colleagues, we have a choice here today that goes beyond talking points. Under this Premier, we realized that we cannot have procurement as a patchwork of inconsistent practices and hope for the best. We must choose a path where public dollars do more than buy things; they build things: capacity, confidence, resilience and pride. We can choose to stand with Ontario’s workers and entrepreneurs, who don’t ask for handouts. All they want is a fair shot and clear rules.

Speaker, I said at second reading that this was an inflection point. At third reading, this is now a moment of decision. The easy path is to delay and to doubt. The right path—the path that puts us on the right side of our province’s history—is to say yes to a practical, transparent, accountable Buy Ontario Act that takes good ideas from all parties and turns them into work for Ontario families.

Let us vote not as partisans, but as stewards for the neighbours and communities that we all ran for. Let us vote for the welders in Hamilton, the coders in Kitchener, the francophone entrepreneurs in Hearst, the Indigenous-ow