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March 23, 2026

44th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2026-Mar-23 (PDF)

L052 - Mon 23 Mar 2026 / Lun 23 mar 2026

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 23 March 2026 Lundi 23 mars 2026

Resignation of member for Scarborough Southwest

Tabling of sessional papers

Members’ Statements

Bruce Wylie

Government’s record

Riding of Scarborough–Guildwood

Government investments

Government accountability

The Children’s Foundation gala

Youth employment

Pharmacists

Jay Dearborn

Max Simao

Introduction of Visitors

Paul Dubé

Question Period

Government accountability

Student assistance

Government accountability

Student assistance

Special-needs students

Government accountability

Mining industry

Hospital funding

Special-needs students

Small business

Highway safety

Manufacturing jobs

Skills development

Order of business

Introduction of Visitors

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

Introduction of Bills

Truck Driver Training Schools Accountability Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la responsabilité des écoles de formation de conducteurs de camions

Putting Fans First Act (No Ticket Resales Above Face Value), 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité aux fans (interdiction de revendre des billets au-delà de leur valeur nominale)

338026 Ontario Limited Act, 2026

Petitions

Student assistance

Transportation infrastructure

Water supply

Laboratory services

Highway safety

Cancer screening

Student assistance

Student assistance

Student assistance

Student assistance

Highway safety

Affordable housing

Orders of the Day

Concurrence in supply / Adoption des crédits

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

The House met at 1015.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Good morning, and welcome back.

Prayers.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): And now a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Resignation of member for Scarborough Southwest

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that a vacancy has occurred in the membership of the House by reason of the resignation of Doly Begum as the member for the electoral district of Scarborough Southwest, effective February 3, 2026. Accordingly, I have issued my warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer for the issue of a writ for a by-election.

Tabling of sessional papers

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I beg to inform the House that, during the adjournment, the following documents were tabled:

From the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario:

—the 2023-24 annual report; and

From the Office of the Financial Accountability Officer of Ontario:

—a report entitled 2025 Capital Plan: Spending Plan Review;

—a report entitled Economic and Budget Outlook, Winter 2026;

—a report entitled FAO Forecast Accuracy: 2024-25;

—a report entitled Ontario Economic Monitor: July to December 2025; and

—a report entitled An Update on Subsidized Housing Programs in Ontario.

Members’ Statements

Bruce Wylie

Hon. Steve Clark: Good morning, everyone. I rise this morning to celebrate the legendary broadcasting career of Bruce Wylie, the voice of Brockville.

On April 7, Bruce shuts off the studio mike for the final time, after an extraordinary 55 years on the air. For generations, his morning radio show has informed, entertained and brought our community closer together. Bruce’s trusted voice helped us celebrate great times and comforted us on those difficult days.

Never was his voice more important than during the ice storm of 1998. Broadcasting from a generator-powered studio, his call-in show was a lifeline for listeners, connecting them with emergency help and supplies.

Bruce’s impact went far beyond the airwaves. He helped raise millions of dollars for local causes, collected tons of food for those in need, spearheaded special events like Riverfest, and founded both our sports and our music and performing arts halls of fame.

Bruce, congratulations on an extraordinary career. You’re truly one of a kind, and you can retire knowing that Brockville is a better place than when you first moved there in 1971, and we’re so thankful that you did. Thank you. I wish you and Eileen all the best.

And as Premier Ford told Bruce when he personally recognized him last week at my constituency office, “Enjoy sleeping in for the first time in decades.”

Government’s record

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Good morning. This morning, I’m sharing lessons that I’ve learned from my very first year at Queen’s Park.

Number one, if they can’t get shovels in the ground, this government will spend $112 million on ads suggesting that it’s already built.

Number two, when Ontarians ask for safer northern highways, this Conservative government draws up plans for fantasy tunnels and luxury spas in Toronto.

Number three, when the courts say no—no to secrecy—this government rewrites the rules, turning freedom of information into none of your business, though the greenbelt will always be public business.

And fourth, I have learned that when hospital health care isn’t improving, when children are waiting more than five years for autism supports, when child welfare data shows that on average one child is dying every three days, this government stops reporting the numbers to the public and even tracking them.

These are the lessons that I’ve learned in this chamber. But outside, among the families we are sworn to serve, when the data disappears, the needs don’t. When the services fall short, families carry the burden that this Conservative government made with their decisions. And somewhere in Ontario tonight, there’s a child who is still waiting and there is a family who is still struggling.

And I have learned this year that Ontario deserves better.

Riding of Scarborough–Guildwood

MPP Andrea Hazell: Madam Speaker, it’s great to be back.

I rise today to address the reality that my constituents of Scarborough–Guildwood and communities across Ontario are facing.

I always love to take pride in sharing progress and good news from my riding, but today I can’t do that. The people of Scarborough–Guildwood and Scarborough are not just under pressure; they’re struggling to survive. Unemployment in my riding of Scarborough–Guildwood stands at a staggering 16%, far exceeding the provincial average of 7%. Meanwhile, the cost of living continues to rise, pushing families to their breaking point.

Madam Speaker, one in five Ontarians is forced to spend over 70% of their income just to keep a roof over their heads, leaving nothing for essentials like food, savings, or a secure future.

In my riding of Scarborough–Guildwood, hundreds of renters are just one paycheque away from going homeless.

At the same time, Scarborough has the highest child poverty rate in Toronto, and my riding follows closely—listen to this number—with over 34% of children living in poverty.

I stand here today as their voice, committed to advocating for fairness and ensuring that no family or community is left behind.

It’s great to be back. We cannot hide anymore.

Government investments

Mr. Steve Pinsonneault: It is a pleasure to welcome everybody back as we begin this new session. I hope all members had an opportunity to spend meaningful time in their communities over this break.

In my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, we continue to see the impact of strong provincial investment in infrastructure that brings people together.

I am proud to share that two community arenas in my riding have each received $1 million in support, which ensures these vital spaces remain accessible for families, youth and local organizations. Just a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of joining Minister Lumsden and community members for the grand opening of one of these upgraded facilities. It was a great reminder of how investments like these strengthen not only our infrastructure but the fabric of our communities.

I want to thank everyone involved for making these projects a success, and I look forward to continuing this important work together.

Government accountability

Mr. Chris Glover: I’ve got to hand it to the government: They’re really, really brilliant at the politics of distraction.

This morning, the Legislature is coming back after three months, and the thing that’s going to be on everybody’s mind is that this government is going to be gutting the freedom-of-information act because the courts have ruled that the Premier has to release his phone records that he was using to make deals. The freedom-of-information act has been used to expose the $8.3-billion greenbelt scandal, the $2.2-billion Ontario Place scandal, and the $2.5-billion Skills Development Fund scandal. So this has been very, very helpful for the people to understand how many tax dollars this government is wasting.

But this morning, to try to distract everybody, the Premier went to Billy Bishop airport and announced that he’s going to be invoking Bill 5 in the redevelopment of Billy Bishop airport. Bill 5 is another attack on our democratic rights, because Bill 5 allows the Premier or any minister to break any law any time, anywhere in the province of Ontario.

So the questions that I have for the Premier are what environmental, labour and safety laws are you planning to break at Billy Bishop airport, that you’re invoking Bill 5—and the other one is, what is the incriminating evidence in your phone records, that you are changing the freedom-of-information record to keep your phone records hidden?

The Children’s Foundation gala

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Good morning, colleagues, and welcome back to the Legislature. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here with you today.

I rise today to share a great event that took place in Belleville over the break: the Children’s Foundation night-in-Ireland gala. This gala supports children’s causes across the Bay of Quinte, Hastings and Northumberland counties. My wife, Jennifer, and I had a fantastic time. As busy parents of three, it’s not often that we get the opportunity to get dressed up and go out together for a night of fun, food and great friends, both new and old. Despite some last-minute setbacks that required reworking the program the week of, the event was an incredible success.

It was completely sold out and raised more than $408,000 for children in our area, which is a new record. It was so inspiring to see so many members of our community come together to support young people across our region, and I want to thank the foundation, the volunteers, the donors, the sponsors and the guests for a job very well done. It was incredible to see the Belleville armouries completely transformed into a night in Ireland.

I did want to give special thanks to executive director Ingrid Moore, gala chair Cassandra Bonn, emcees Victor Cooper and Kelly McKinney, auctioneer Boyd Sullivan, and board chair Jack Miller. Thank you for all that you do for our community.

Youth employment

MPP Lisa Gretzky: Youth unemployment in Windsor has reached alarming levels, leaving many young people struggling to find stable work and build a future. Known for its strong manufacturing base, the city has faced economic shifts that disproportionately impact youth, especially those entering the workforce for the first time.

This situation will get worse due to cuts to OSAP by the Premier and his government. For many years, OSAP has been a critical support system enabling students from lower- and middle-income families to access post-secondary education. Cuts to funding grants and stricter eligibility requirements are forcing many young people to either take on unsustainable debt or abandon their education goals altogether. This creates significant barriers for many.

The combined effect of high unemployment and reduced educational support will make it even harder for youth in Windsor and across Ontario. Without access to education or meaningful employment, youth in Windsor are left with fewer pathways to success, increasing the risk of long-term financial instability and social inequality. If these challenges aren’t addressed, the city risks losing an entire generation of talent and potential.

Investing in youth employment opportunities and restoring accessible education funding is essential to ensuring that young people can contribute to and benefit from a more equitable and prosperous future, which creates economic stability that we all benefit from.

I’ll continue to join students in Windsor and across Ontario in the fight for better, fairer OSAP, as well as more meaningful job opportunities that set up students and recent grads for success.

Pharmacists

Mr. Deepak Anand: Since 2023, Ontario pharmacists have completed over 2.2 million assessments for common ailments and issued nearly two million prescriptions, helping people get care faster and reducing pressure on our health care system. That means, colleagues, over two million times someone walked into their local pharmacy looking for help and received the care they needed right in their community.

Whether it is recommending the right treatment or explaining how to use a prescription, pharmacists are always ready to help.

Pharmacist is one of the oldest health professions in the world, dating back thousands of years to ancient civilizations.

Across Ontario, more than 4,700 pharmacies play a vital role in our health care system, with most residents living within five kilometres of their local pharmacy.

Thank you to the Ministry of Health for expanding the role of pharmacists to provide more accessible care close to home.

I want to recognize the important work of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, OnPharm-United, and local pharmacies that I have had the opportunity to visit and connect with over the past year.

This Pharmacy Appreciation Month, I encourage all my colleagues to visit their local pharmacy and thank the dedicated pharmacists for keeping our communities healthy and safe.

And I have Sherif Guorgui, the president of OnPharm, here supporting our province and helping to build a better, safe community.

Jay Dearborn

Mr. Ric Bresee: It’s great to be back here in the House with all of our colleagues.

Today, I rise to recognize one of our own, Tamworth’s own Jay Dearborn. He recently represented Canada at this year’s Olympics, from my area, and has made Hastings–Lennox and Addington very, very proud.

Before hitting the ice in the sleds, Dearborn was a standout defensive end, best known for his elite explosive speed. Playing for the Holland Hurricanes and the Carleton Ravens, he recorded 50 tackles and seven interceptions.

Following a football injury in 2019, his “rocket ship” obsession progressed into the notable sport of bobsledding.

After competing on the world stage this year, Jay kind of playfully summed it up with, “Eh, couple of losses on the road ... looking to take the next one at home ... it’s a long series.”

I’m still not completely sure how that applies to two-man and four-man bobsleigh teams. But I do know this: That mindset—the mindset of teamwork, resilience and playing your role—is exactly what got him to the Olympics and what gets anyone to the Olympics.

Jay represented our riding with excellence, authenticity and a sense of humour, and had people across the whole country smiling. And in Hastings–Lennox and Addington, we couldn’t be more proud.

Max Simao

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

MPP Robin Lennox: I seek unanimous consent of the House to have a moment of silence in honour of the life of Max Simao, who tragically died on December 11, 2025, and whose family is visiting Queen’s Park today.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Hamilton Centre is seeking unanimous consent of the House to have a moment of silence in honour of the life of Max Simao, who tragically died on December 11, 2025, and whose parents are visiting Queen’s Park today. Agreed? Agreed.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Please be seated.

Introduction of Visitors

MPP Robin Lennox: It’s my honour to recognize Chris Simao, the father of Max Simao, and Jennifer Timmins, the educational assistant for Max Simao, who are in the gallery today.

Applause.

Hon. Stan Cho: It’s great to be back in the Legislature. I’m proud to have today’s page captain Chen Lin from Willowdale in the Legislature.

Mr. Chris Glover: I’d like to welcome Professor Semra Sevi and her political science students from the University of Toronto taking course POL382 to the House. Welcome to your Legislature.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Good morning, everyone. It is so great to see your smiling faces.

I’d like to welcome the Ontario Craft Brewers, who are in the House today. They help us deal with the antics in this chamber. And especially, a shout-out to Great Lakes Brewery and Left Field Brewery—Mandie and Mark Murphy and Troy Burch. They are inviting you to a reception tonight.

Mr. Aris Babikian: Here with us today are youth from the Armenian community: Tro Karshafian and Joshua Lin.

It is also Joshua’s birthday today. Happy birthday, Joshua.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Chandra Pasma: I’d like to introduce Donna Blackburn and Jennifer Jennekens, democratically elected trustees from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and Cathy Abraham from the Kawartha Pine Ridge school board and former president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association. Welcome.

M me France Gélinas: I would like to introduce three medical students who are here at Queen’s Park today: Audrey Marquis and Isabelle Moy from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and Asma Bilgasem, who is from Sudbury but studies medicine in Toronto.

Welcome to your House, ladies.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: I want to wish a warm welcome to Dave Carnegie and Sandro Perruzza, representing the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, who are here for their lobby day. I’m looking forward to joining the reception this evening.

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: I’d like to welcome constituents from Toronto Centre who are here today to watch our proceedings: Anan Qiang and Shuguang Xie. Welcome.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I would like to introduce two very impressive groups of students who are with us today. The Western University Students’ Council has their delegates from the Women in House program, and the Ontario Medical Students Association is here.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Steve Pinsonneault: I’d like to welcome Annie McNaughton as page for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. She is the daughter of my predecessor, former Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton. Welcome.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I’d like to welcome Professor Sevi’s third-year political science class, as well as my intern from the last two summers, Connor MacDonald. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Deepak Anand: I’d like to recognize Rhea Saini, Davi Sihota, Merna Mina and Harmanvir Dhaliwal as a part of 80 medical students from the Ontario Medical Students Association. Welcome to Queens Park.

Hon. Vijay Thanigasalam: I would like to welcome our friends from PeerWorks: executive director Allyson Theodorou and all the board members who are here today. You are an integral part of the mental health and addictions system in Ontario. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It gives me great pleasure to welcome the Ontario Medical Students Association. I had the pleasure of meeting with Rachiel Chirara, Joshua Jonathan Williams, Nellie Krougly and Virginia Guisandes Bueno.

I’d also like to welcome Western USC’s Women in House.

Welcome to your House.

Mr. Adil Shamji: I would like to welcome the Ontario Medical Students Association, who are here today for a lobby day to share their vision of a better, stronger and healthier Ontario.

I also want to welcome the students from the Western University students’ union as well.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I’m pleased to introduce Sandro Perruzza, the CEO of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers. We want to welcome him. Please join the reception at 5:30 tonight.

Paul Dubé

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): We have with us in the Speaker’s gallery today Ombudsman Paul Dubé. He is accompanied by Barbara Finlay, Deputy Ombudsman, and Houda Bennani, his executive assistant. Please join me in warmly welcoming our guests to the Legislature.

I would also like to acknowledge that next Tuesday marks the end of Mr. Dubé’s 10-year service as Ombudsman of Ontario. He served as the province’s seventh Ombudsman, first appointed in 2016 and reappointed in 2021. As Ontario’s Ombudsman, Mr. Dubé oversaw the office through expansion and change. He also supported several initiatives in the best interest of the public.

Mr. Dubé, on behalf of the Legislative Assembly, thank you for your service and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): This morning in the members’ gallery, we are joined by Eve Rachel McLeod, a soprano and long-time member of the Canadian Opera Company Chorus from the riding of King–Vaughan, who will perform O Canada and God Save the King.

Please stand and join her in the singing of our national and royal anthems.

Singing of the national anthem / Chant de l’hymne national.

Singing of the royal anthem / Chant de l’hymne royal.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I want to see someone top that. Where’s Yak when we need him, right?

I recognize the member of His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: I seek unanimous consent that the House calls on the government to reverse its proposed changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): A member of His Majesty’s loyal opposition is seeking unanimous consent that the House call on the government to reverse its proposed changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program. Agreed? No.

Question Period

Government accountability

Ms. Marit Stiles: Welcome back, everyone.

This question is for the Premier. The Premier has announced he is dismantling Ontario’s freedom-of-information laws to hide from accountability and take away the people’s right to know how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent. This is a huge violation of the public’s trust. They are taking us backwards in accountability and transparency.

So I would ask the Premier to explain. Why is his government taking away the people’s right to see how decisions are made, and who is benefiting?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Madam Speaker: We aren’t taking anyone’s rights away; 95% will be FOI-able. That’s number one.

Number two: All we’re doing is duplicating other provinces—no matter if it’s Saskatchewan or Quebec, for example, but the rest of the provinces—and the federal government. We’re duplicating what the federal government has done. The only thing we haven’t done—we should have moved a lot quicker on this. But again, 95%—I’m going to emphasize that—is FOI-able.

There are two groups that are concerned about it. They’re the opposition—they should talk to their federal partners—and the media. Everyone else is focused on something else. They’re focused on the economy, about jobs, fighting President Trump. That is what they’re focused on.

We’ll let them chirp away, but we’re going to—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the Premier has been pretty clear, actually, with the public already about why he’s making these changes. He said himself that this is about concealing his cellphone records—the cellphone that he admitted he conducts government business on. The courts have ordered for those records to be shared, to be released. The province’s own accountability watchdog has said that this is all about evading accountability.

So I would ask the Premier—protect Ontario? No. This is only about protecting himself. What is in those cellphone records that the Premier is trying so very hard to hide?

Hon. Doug Ford: Madam Speaker, I’ll tell you what’s inside these phone calls: 6,743 messages that people need help. They need help, no matter if it’s health care, family issues—and do you know why they don’t have to worry about it? I’m the only person in the world who gives out his cell number to help people. That’s the difference.

They don’t get any phone calls. They’re all right to put out publicly personal information about people.

Constituents don’t even call you, because they don’t get a call back.

But if they were to call them and tell them personal health issues—do you think for a second anyone in this province wants to release personal information?

That’s what this is all about. That is what it’s all about—taking care of the people, personal issues.

You have no problem with airing people’s issues around the province. I have an issue with that.

I took an oath, like each and every one of you, to protect the people who call you and their—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Well, they’ve sure got issues, Premier, but those issues are with the cost of everything; they’re with the hallway health care that has exploded under your watch; they are with the lack of funding for OSAP. That’s what people here are worried about. But you seem to be consumed, for some reason, with hiding your cellphone records. We know it’s not about hiding constituent information, because that is already covered and protected—and the Premier knows absolutely why.

The timing of these changes is very suspicious, Premier.

The RCMP are—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: —closing in on this government. They’re going to reveal each government member’s involvement in the greenbelt scandal. And let me tell you, Speaker, they’re not going to be coming with FOI laws; they’re going to be coming with a warrant.

Multiple recipients of skills development funds closely tied to this Premier, to this labour minister—now the Premier is in court fighting to keep his cellphone records private.

Is the Premier changing the rules because he is trying to hide the truth?

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

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Thank you to the member opposite for allowing me the opportunity to talk about what this legislation is actually doing. And I can tell you, it’s long overdue.

What we are doing with this legislation is updating and strengthening cabinet confidentiality, which is certainly the bedrock of the Westminster system. If we look across Canada, to New Brunswick, Newfoundland, PEI, Quebec, Alberta, BC, Manitoba, all these provinces and the federal government have one thing in common: They have rules around cabinet confidentiality. I think everyone here should be able to understand that most basic principle. There is still absolutely complete—and there will be—transparency over decisions that are made by this government. That is how people will judge the government.

That will still be open. And as the Premier alluded to, over 95% of what is accessible today will still be accessible through the FOI process.

Student assistance

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the member opposite knows perfectly well that cabinet confidentiality is already protected in existing laws. Nobody is buying that.

To the Premier—I’m going to go back to him, because I’m going to ask a question on behalf of every young person in this province. It has never been harder to be a young person in Ontario than it is today. Youth unemployment is at an all-time high. The cost of rent and groceries and gas is through the roof. Higher education already feels out of touch for almost every young person today, and their families. But this Premier decided, over his extended break, to make it even more difficult.

Why is the Premier turning his back on the next generation?

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

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I’d like to address some of the NDP-Liberal narrative that the government is getting rid of OSAP.

The Leader of the Opposition just stated the lack of funding for OSAP—OSAP is not going away. We’ve made that very, very clear. The changes we’re making to OSAP are to ensure it is sustainable so that this program can be around for the next generation of students behind these students. They’ll continue to get the support they need when accessing higher education. If our government had not acted, like myself and the Premier have clearly articulated, we would have decimated OSAP, putting student access at risk and a massive burden on the taxpayer.

Let me remind you, Speaker, under the Liberal McGuinty-Wynne government, the grant-to-loan ratio was actually only 15% grants until 2017. That’s less grants than we just currently introduced. When the grants were flipped to 85%—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: —the Auditor General made it very clear that it is unsustainable. You know the Auditor General clearly articulated your changes to OSAP—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I would ask the members in opposition and members of the third party to come to order.

Back to the leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the government has decimated OSAP—decimated it. Nobody is buying that line of argument. You are saddling Ontario’s young people with a lifetime of debt.

I want to be very clear. I have met nurses over the last few months who are going to have to withdraw from their programs or face debt until they’re in their forties. Students who rely on OSAP are going to have to pay $3,500 more per year, and that is on top of what the federal government—the federal Liberals—are already adding: $1,200 per year to student loans. Look at those numbers. Look at those numbers.

A lot of students are deciding that they’re going to have to give up on university or college—and we’re talking PSWs and ECEs and teachers and health care workers. They are turning down their offers because they cannot afford it. That’s what we’ve been hearing. I know you’re hearing it too.

I gave this government a chance to do the right thing this morning. But I’ll ask the Premier again. Will you do the right thing and reverse your OSAP cuts?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I know it has been a while since the Leader of the Opposition was a member of the Rae government. Under the Rae government, tuition went up 50%, three times the rate of inflation. That was under your watch.

Interjection.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: That was under your watch. It was.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: And under the Liberals, it went up 83%. Tuition went up 83%—again, triple the rate of inflation.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: If you were in power right now, tuition would be over $14,000 a year—if you were in power—because history speaks for itself.

Speaker, our new grant-to-loan ratio is right in line with other provinces, including the NDP friends in Manitoba and BC. When the Leader of the Opposition was in front of the media in February, she said, “We’d like to get to the place where other provinces are at.” Great news: We did exactly that. We’re in line with the rest of the other provinces.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, so there you go, right? That is this government’s message to young people, to families out there. And I’ve got to tell you, that’s devastating. The thousands and thousands of young people we have heard from over the last few months have been very clear that they cannot afford this government, and clearly, based on what that minister said, they are on their own.

People out there are working harder than they’ve ever worked before, just to make ends meet, and you are shutting down the future of the next generation.

Why is this Premier punishing young people instead of investing in their future? I hope he has the guts to stand up and answer the question.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I’ll remind the Leader of the Opposition that it was our government that cut and froze tuition for the last eight years, when high inflation—

Interjections.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: We have saved the average university student $1,800 a year on tuition and $450 a year for the average college student. But the sector has changed significantly since the federal government has made many unilateral changes.

Speaker, we are there for the students, whether it’s through the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant that has had almost 13,000 health human resource students go through our system with free tuition, free books covered by our government, as well as the First Nations mining scholarship that has the first cohort of students enrolled this January—$10 million.

Higher education is an investment students make in themselves, in their community and in their future, and our government will always be there to support that investment in a sustainable and responsible way for hard-working taxpayers.

Government accountability

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

Mr. John Fraser: Thank you very much, Speaker. It’s good to see you.

It has been, I think, 102 days since we were all last here, and I know the Premier hopes that we all forgot things—things like $10 million to a strip club owner; or $2 million to the family dentist; or the mess that’s Keel Digital Solutions. That’s not going to happen. No one is going to be forgetting this Premier’s or this government’s record on anything. The longer rot sits, the more it stinks.

And the Premier’s latest stinker is changing the FOI laws, retroactively.

There must be something really, really, really bad on that phone, Premier.

Speaker, after eight years, does the Premier think he can hide from any of his record?

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

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. It’s good to see you again. It gives me an opportunity today to highlight what we are doing with this legislation, which is well overdue. The legislation that it will be replacing is almost 40 years old. To put that into perspective, that was even before the disastrous Bob Rae government. This was before cloud computing, before text, before WhatsApp, before artificial intelligence—well before that. So the legislative framework we have for FOI and cyber security in this province is well outdated. That’s why we’re making changes.

What are we doing? First, we’re strengthening cabinet confidentiality. Number two, we’re modernizing the privacy and access framework for FOI in the province of Ontario. And third, we’re strengthening cyber security, enhancing protection for children.

The current cyber security network in Ontario is outdated. We will be bringing in regulations with EDSTA that we passed a year or two ago—the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act—to expand cyber protection through the broader public sector. That will include hospitals, school boards and children’s aid societies, among other institutions.

We’re excited that we will have a more strong, united, protected Ontario.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Speaker, why is the Premier hiding? It’s because after eight long years, everything is worse. Life is harder. Class sizes keep going up. Unemployment: up. Hallway health care: up. People without a family doctor: up. Electricity and heating costs: up. And crime is up too. Don’t take it from me. Just ask the Premier. And after eight years, it’s all on him.

So how does the Premier think he can hide from his record of making life harder and less safe for Ontario families?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Premier of Ontario.

Hon. Doug Ford: Madam Speaker, this is real ironic coming from the Liberal member who destroyed our province for 15 years, chased 300,000 jobs out of the province.

And every piece of legislation that we put forward—they voted against.

They voted against building infrastructure to $223 billion and building the 413 and the Bradford Bypass to get goods to market sooner, to get people home sooner.

They voted against building 60 additions or new hospitals around the province. They voted against it.

They voted against, obviously—and you’re dead against the airport, to create economic development and 23,000 jobs.

They voted against our great nuclear program that’s going to create 150,000 jobs.

They voted against the Ring of Fire and the critical minerals. That’s the reason they lost 300,000 jobs.

Since we’ve been in office, there’s over a million more people working.

We’re going to continue giving people opportunities to thrive and prosper and grow.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Eight years, Premier—eight years.

Life is harder under this government and this Premier. They’re tired, out of gas, and out of touch. And everything is going up.

The only thing that I can find that’s going down is the Premier’s popularity. That’s easy to understand because when all you do is talk, at some point people finally realize that you just can’t deliver on the things that are important to them.

Speaker, I’ll ask the Premier again: Does he actually think he can hide from his record of making life harder for Ontario families for eight years?

Hon. Doug Ford: To the member over there: He mentioned the word “gas.” They voted against 10.7 cents a litre.

Imagine, if they were in power, the pro-carbon tax—another 10 or 11 cents on top of the gas.

They voted against absolutely everything that puts money into people’s pockets.

We cut the cost of doing business and off the backs of people by $12 billion a year.

They voted against the One Fare that can save riders up to $1,700.

They voted against getting rid of the tolls because they’re the ones who put the tolls in. We got rid of the tolls on the 412 and the 418, saving families $5,000 to $7,000 a year.

And do you know something? I know he likes talking about polls. The only poll that counts is on election day. Just to let him know, the PCs are up 45%. The Liberals are at 28% or 29%, and the Dippers are at 21%—I’ve got to help the Dippers get up a little bit. But if the election was held today, we would have a larger majority today—

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

Student assistance

Mr. John Fraser: The Premier is talking so much, we need to get him a Truth Social account.

Do you want to know what else is up? The provincial debt. It’s closing in on half a trillion dollars. As the Premier would say, “Hey, folks, that’s historic.” It is.

Do you want to know what other debt is up? The debt of young people—and their families—who are trying to get a degree, a diploma or a trade. And that’s because that guy over there decided that he was going to break OSAP. He’s making life harder for them. He’s piling on those families. Life is already hard. Why is he piling on?

After eight long years, does the Premier really think he can hide from his record of making life harder for Ontario families?

Hon. Doug Ford: Speaker, that’s why we have elections. And we kicked their asses three times in a row, okay?

Interjections.

Hon. Doug Ford: I apologize.

We kicked their butts three times in a row, and we’re going to kick their butts four times—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Please withdraw.

Hon. Doug Ford: I retract that.

Anyway, let’s talk about OSAP. When we came into office, we knocked off 10% tuition—they increased tuition by 83%. We kept that tuition down for eight years. Now they’re getting their tuition reduction—by 8%.

All they do is want to tax people to death, put their hands in their pockets. That’s what they believe in—tax and spend.

We believe in putting money in the people’s pockets until they have more money to go out there, maybe go for dinner, maybe put a little addition on, buy their kids clothes.

Not under the Liberal and NDP governments—they gouged them to death. Highest taxes ever in the history of Ontario from—

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

Mr. John Fraser: Speaker, they can’t do that, and the Premier is making them go into debt just to give their kids opportunity.

After eight long years, what are Ontarians left with? What does the Premier say to that mom or dad in Sault Ste. Marie who just lost their job at Algoma, when their son or daughter says, “Mom, Dad, I want to go to school. I want to get a trade”? Just exactly what do they say?

The Premier is making life harder. I know he can’t see it. It’s harder for people in Windsor. It’s harder for people in Amherstburg. It’s harder for people in Brampton. It’s harder for people all across Ontario—name any city.

So why is the Premier making life even harder for young families? Is the Premier actually proud of his record of making life harder for Ontario families?

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

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: In the 15 years that the member opposite was in government, do you know what they did? They taxed everything, and they built nothing. That’s why they are over there now.

This government is building everything in this province. We are building hospitals. We’re building schools. We’re building energy and nuclear. We’re building highways. We’re building transit. We’re building long-term care.

Do you want me to keep going?

Interjections.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Yes, yes, of course.

We’re building houses. We’re getting everything built across this province. And do you know what that does, Madam Speaker? That puts people to work. What a concept. We put the great people of Ontario to work. That’s what a government does.

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

Mr. John Fraser: There are a whole bunch of people on the front lawn today, and that’s because the Premier and the minister have made their lives harder. They’ve made their schools not safe places to learn or to work—not just OSAP, not just post-secondary. Class sizes are too big. They went up. Right, Premier? Special education has been starved; more kids are not getting their needs met. Up—and a mental health crisis that this Premier has just skated right by in schools. They’re on the front lawn today. You’ve made life harder for them.

Are you proud that you’ve made life harder for all those people and those kids on the front lawn today?

Hon. Doug Ford: This is a person who was in charge of long-term care—in 15 years, built 600 beds. Our great minister is up to 30,000 long-term-care homes—30,000 long-term-care homes.

This was the member who voted against closing 600 schools. We’re building $23 billion of new schools, under our great Minister of Education. That’s what we’re doing.

You put us in debt—a record debt that we’ve never seen before. You drove up the deficit.

You dismantled jobs. We’re creating jobs. We’re creating opportunities. Folks, there’s a million more people working today than there were when you were in office. You chased 300,000 jobs out of this province.

Special-needs students

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Today in the gallery is Chris Simao. He should be here with his son Max. But Max is not here, because Max died when he was excluded from school.

There are 100,000 other kids in Ontario experiencing school exclusions, and the number one reason is that there is not enough support to keep them safe in our schools. Families and experts have been sounding the alarm for eight years now, and they are out on our front lawn again today.

Can the Premier please tell Chris, his wife, Emily, and their other kids what he will do to ensure that no other family in Ontario experiences a tragedy like this?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: Well, let me just say this: Obviously, our hearts go out to the parents who are in the gallery today. This is obviously something that is heartbreaking, and I think all of the Legislature has nothing but the greatest amount of sympathy for what these parents have gone through. I’m sure that they don’t care to hear the money that is being spent in the system or the supports that are being spent in the system. I think all they care about, really, is the fact that they lost a loved one and that they expect better and that things change as a result of that—and we’ll make sure that it does.

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

Ms. Chandra Pasma: Every single day, there are thousands of children like Max around the province—children who should be in school, who have every right to be in school, but aren’t, because the supports are not there for them.

This government has cut more than $6 billion from our schools—more than 5,000 educators gone since 2018. That is an utterly shameful record.

I’m going to ask the Premier one more time. Can he please tell Max’s parents directly, what is he going to do now to ensure that there are no more tragedies and that every child in Ontario is able to go to school?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Madam Speaker, my answer is not going to change. The reality is that I have nothing but the greatest amount of sympathy for what these parents are going through and what they have endured.

The people of the province of Ontario expect the best from their education system. I expect the best from our education system, as do all members of the caucus on this side.

That is why we’ve taken aggressive actions to make sure that our education system is responsive to students, parents and teachers. We will continue on that mission because it is absolutely critically important that our school system does just that—that it meets the needs of parents, it meets the needs of students. and it meets the needs of teachers who just simply want the best for the kids they are educating.

We’re going to make sure that we continue on this mission of revamping and reenergizing our school system so that it is the absolute best not only in Canada but in the world.

A $43-billion investment should have better results—I absolutely agree with that—and we’ll make sure it does.

Government accountability

MPP Stephanie Smyth: My question is to the Premier.

The government’s proposed changes to the freedom-of-information act would give ministers and parliamentary staff a get-out-of-jail-free card. These laws exist to hold those in power accountable, not to shield them when it’s inconvenient.

If the Premier is so concerned about risk, why is the solution to reduce transparency from his own office instead of strengthening accountability for Ontarians?

Hon. Doug Ford: I have an idea. Why doesn’t the member call the Prime Minister, call their federal cousins, call their local MPs and ask them why we’re duplicating exactly what they have? Ask them why their staff and MPs and ministers and the Prime Minister are not handing over their records. Do you know why? Because 95% there, 95% here—we’re duplicating what they have.

I find this double standard hypocrisy at its best. We’re duplicating the federal government. That’s what we’re doing. So call your cousins up in Ottawa and ask them why they aren’t doing it. But you won’t. You won’t call them. I’ll call them for you—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Premier, I’m going to ask you to withdraw the word “hypocrisy.”

Hon. Doug Ford: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Toronto–St. Paul’s.

MPP Stephanie Smyth: Well, I think we have all kinds of ideas to strengthen transparency and accountability for this government that were proposed today.

But I still have to say, the question is, “Why?” It’s simple. Why is this on-the-run government moving to change the rules retroactively, conveniently right after a court ruled that the Premier must hand over his cellphone records? Ontarians deserve transparency. The question is simple. Again, what is the Premier trying to hide?

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

Hon. Stephen Crawford: Thank you again to the member opposite.

This legislation is long overdue. This legislation that is being replaced is almost 40 years old, as I mentioned.

What we are doing, as the Premier mentioned, is aligning with other jurisdictions in Canada—just about every province, the federal government. And not only, actually, in Canada—let’s take a global look. Let’s look at the Westminster democracies: Australia, New Zealand, Ireland—similar laws.

What’s really interesting coming from that party is talking about transparency, because I remember, in 2018, when I was first elected, the first issue we had to deal with was a hidden $15-billion deficit, that the previous Liberal government had hid from everybody in the province of Ontario. We, as a result of that, brought in a new fiscal transparency act. I thank the Minister of Finance at the time for doing that—for bringing openness and transparency to the province of Ontario.

Mining industry

MPP Billy Denault: My question is for the Minister of Energy and Mines.

Speaker, this year’s PDAC convention was historic. The world is turning to Ontario and Canada.

Under the previous Liberal government, Ontario was paralyzed by delay and red tape. Our government is taking a different approach.

In less than one year, we reformed the permit process and introduced key initiatives, from a new critical mineral strategy and processing fund to a Critical Minerals Innovation Fund, and support for early exploration. As a result, Ontario took centre stage as a global mining powerhouse, showcasing our leadership in delivering major projects with speed.

As global demand for minerals like nickel, lithium, chromium and cobalt continue to surge, countries are looking for stable, reliable partners with the resources, workforce and supply chains to meet that demand. Ontario has what the world needs.

Can the minister outline how our government’s reforms are building momentum and gaining traction among global investors and governments?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to thank the member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke for his leadership.

And more than anything else, I want to thank members of this caucus for standing firm in defence of ethical resources.

Madam Speaker, leadership is about challenging the status quo. We inherited from the former Liberals a permitting system that was the second-slowest in the OECD. In the industrialized world, we were among the slowest on earth. Our Premier challenged the status quo and demanded better. We reduced the permit times by half with “one project, one process,” that has resulted in Ontario, for the first time in the history of this country, emerging as Canada’s top place to invest—number two in the world, from 15.

And that didn’t happen because of an accident; it was an intentional policy to streamline, to accelerate, to move with speed in this moment—the ministry of economic development working together to get a processing fund to end the ripping and shipping of our resources.

This is a whole-of-government effort to stand up for our ethical resources, productive workers and our country at a critical time.

At PDAC, the world saw first-hand that we are the world’s reliable partner.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke.

MPP Billy Denault: Thank you to the minister for his response.

Speaker, early-stage exploration is high-risk, capital-intensive and increasingly competitive, with jurisdictions around the world competing for the same investment.

Unlocking Ontario’s full mineral potential will require getting major projects moving in the north—and that includes infrastructure, from roads to transmission lines.

Our government has a plan to end the delay. That means finally building roads to unleash the north’s true potential, including in mineral-rich regions like the Ring of Fire.

Speaker, can the minister explain how Ontario is supporting exploration and how our government is advancing nation-building opportunities in the Ring of Fire?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I know we want to supercharge our economy and help bolster our self-reliance. We really need a new pipeline of new mines in this province. We have 36 today—blessed with 36 mines in the province, 30 more anticipated over the coming decade. But it’s clear we need to support, incentivize prospectors to explore and identify the next big discovery in the north. That’s why in Sudbury, with the parliamentary assistant, we announced a plan to launch the Ontario Junior Exploration Program, supporting 68 early-stage projects.

It was 20-odd years ago that explorers identified vast deposits in the Ring of Fire. That too was a prospectors’ initiative, and they unearthed or unlocked the largest multi-commodity, undiscovered region on earth.

It is our government’s plan to get on with building. It was our Premier, at PDAC, who announced a globally significant plan to accelerate road construction to the Ring of Fire, five years ahead of schedule, moving from exploration to extraction, getting on with building our economy.

Hospital funding

MPP Robin Lennox: Madam Speaker, while this government had an extended break, health workers have been taking to the streets, protesting cuts to hospital funding.

It’s truly stunning that more than a thousand patients are cared for in hospital hallways each day, and yet this government decided to take that problem and make it worse.

Let’s talk about what this means for a community like Scarborough. A patient admitted to a Scarborough hospital already spends more than 21 hours waiting for a hospital bed. And a bed might actually be a hallway stretcher.

To the Minister of Health: Why are you wasting millions of dollars on advertisements, rather than giving our hospitals the resources for everyone to simply have a hospital bed when they need it?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I’m not sure what the member opposite has been doing in the last three months. But I can tell you, in January alone, we were able to make announcements to mark a one-year milestone in primary care attachments in the province of Ontario—a 10% increase in what we expected, which was 300,000 people attached to a primary care provider.

Also in January: 16 teaching clinics that are going to ensure that our students who are practising in medicine are actually going to get an opportunity in community to, again, connect more than 300,000 patients to primary care clinicians. HART hubs—Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs—in Sault Ste. Marie, in Sudbury, in regions across Ontario, because we know when we offer pathways and hope, then they get the opportunity to actually get better.

That’s what we’ve been doing in the last three months; I’m not going to presume what you’ve been doing.

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

MPP Robin Lennox: I’m not sure what the Minister of Health has been doing for the last three months, but it sure as hell wasn’t working in a hospital.

Madam Speaker, the minister should know that the best—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I’m going to ask the member to withdraw.

MPP Robin Lennox: Withdraw.

Madam Speaker, the minister should know that the best advertisement for health care would be an open sign on every single rural ER. Instead, this government continues to underinvest in health care and prioritize reckless spending on ads and vanity projects.

The people of Ontario are not fooled by your ridiculous ads that you’re paying for with their tax dollars. They know the realities: long wait times, hallway health care, closed signs on rural ERs, and valued health workers laid off.

To the Minister of Health: When will you stop throwing money at private, for-profit companies and instead ensure that our public hospitals have the resources to shorten wait times and eliminate hallway health care once and for all?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I think it’s important to remind the member opposite that since our government was formed, we’ve actually increased health care funding to hospital partners by over 50%. We have been a partner with our hospital agencies to make sure that they have the funds necessary to ensure they can hire high-quality staff.

I am never going to talk down the health care system in the province of Ontario, because I look at SickKids hospital, which just got acknowledged as the number one pediatric hospital in the world; I look at UHN, the number two publicly funded hospital in the world. We have world-class health care in the province of Ontario.

We’re investing in our students, we’re investing in our people, and we’re investing in our hospitals, and I am proud to be a member of our government that is doing that work.

Special-needs students

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: My question is to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Through the government’s own actions, it has made one thing abundantly clear, and that’s that supporting children with special needs and autism is clearly not its priority. Instead, this government has chosen to pursue a political agenda in schools, while tens of thousands of children with autism are waiting for core clinical services.

Through you, Speaker: Is the minister willing to be the lone voice in the Conservative benches to stand with children with autism and the protesters on the front lawn right now, or will he continue to sit quietly and do nothing?

Hon. Michael Parsa: I thank the honourable member for the question.

I don’t know what he means by “sit quietly.” There hasn’t been a louder caucus in the history of this province than this Premier and this caucus, standing up for the parents and students in this province. And that’s what it takes, when you listen to families, right?

When we formed government—a total of 8,000 families across the province were receiving supports and services, under the previous Liberal government. It was this Premier, it was this caucus, that said, “That’s not enough.” That came as a result of listening to families, of working with service providers and doubling the investment of the Ontario Autism Program, from $300 million to $600 million. We weren’t done. We said we weren’t done.

There’s more to do, which is why, in last year’s budget, thanks to the Premier, thanks to the Minister of Finance, thanks to the President of the Treasury Board—an increase of an additional $175 million, bringing our total to $779 million. What has it done, as a result of 8,000 in total across the province receiving supports and services, to now nearly 45,000 families—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: Speaker, the minister mentioned listening. Well, if he listened closely to the voices outside on the front lawn of the Legislature right now, he would hear the truth.

What we’re seeing now is not an accident; this is a political choice. The Conservatives made promises to families of children with autism, and they broke them. Instead of delivering services, it has left over 67,000—listen to that number: 67,000—children on a wait-list while families are forced to fend for themselves. This is a choice. They had eight years. This government is choosing not to act.

So, through you, Speaker: Will the minister admit that this crisis is the result of this government’s broken promises and commit finally—yes or no—to clearing the wait-list?

Hon. Michael Parsa: Again, I thank the honourable colleague for the question.

When it comes to listening, he talks about 15 years they were in power—15 years. They never listened to families. That’s why there were only 8,000 families. They were only receiving support through one stream—one.

Today, families, upon registering with and being on the service registry, can access programs, supports and services immediately—accessing programs like urgent response, caregiver-mediated programs, entry to school, foundational family services and an expanded core service, which now includes occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, mental health supports that never existed before and, of course, IBI. That’s what it takes when you listen to the community—that’s what it takes to families.

The member knows I talk to five to 10 to 15 families every single day, because that’s what the Premier’s standard is—it’s serving the people as best as we can, and that requires us working with service providers and listening to parents, because they know what’s best for their families.

We’ll continue—

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

Small business

Mr. Anthony Leardi: My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

President Trump’s tariffs have disrupted the supply chains that businesses in my riding of Essex and across the province have relied on.

That is why our government is stepping up and providing $30 billion worth of tariff relief and support to protect Ontario workers and businesses.

I had the privilege of joining the minister and the member from Windsor–Tecumseh to announce companies that our government is supporting through the Ontario Together Trade Fund.

Our government is sending a clear message: We will not back down in the face of tariffs coming from south of the border.

Speaker, can the minister tell this House how the Ontario Together Trade Fund is protecting jobs and helping Ontario businesses during this time of global economic uncertainty?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: The $150-million Ontario Together Trade Fund is helping companies on the front lines of this trade war. This program is helping businesses on-shore products and make them here in Ontario instead of the US, and find new markets all around the world.

We announced the latest projects with the members from Essex and Windsor–Tecumseh. Eight Windsor-area companies invested $44 million, created 65 new jobs and protected the 692 jobs they already have. From auto parts suppliers to manufacturers of critical components, those eight firms are doubling down right here in Ontario.

With President Trump continuing his threats to our industries, our support for tariff-impacted businesses is unwavering.

Speaker, we’re not stopping here. We look forward to announcing more job-creating investments in the coming weeks.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Supplementary?

Mr. Anthony Leardi: Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for that answer.

The Ontario Together Trade Fund is supporting businesses in my riding of Essex and also across Ontario.

For example, Reko International—an automation and machining company manufacturing large, critical automation parts—is investing $6.4 million in the riding of Essex. Their investment is creating 41 new jobs and protecting 71 existing jobs. In nearby Windsor–Tecumseh, Kringer Industrial, who produce materials and packaging for the cargo and transport industry, is investing $1.4 million.

Supported by the Ontario Together Trade Fund, businesses in Essex and across the province of Ontario are strengthening domestic capacity, reducing our reliance on foreign inputs, and seizing new opportunities here at home.

Can the minister explain to the members opposite why the Ontario Together Trade Fund is essential for Ontario’s economy?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: The Ontario Together Trade Fund, to date, has supported 23 Ontario companies, and those 23 companies have invested $267 million of their money. They have protected and created 2,884 jobs.

Speaker, we are working to deliver real support for those tariff-impacted workers so they can emerge from this once-in-a-generation trouble stronger than ever before. We’re reducing our dependence on US goods and services. Every single day, companies are on-shoring and building products here in Ontario that we had not made. They’re diversifying. They’re making a resilient economy to help weather this economic uncertainty, and that means us helping them create those new customers in Europe, Asia and across Canada.

Highway safety

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: Ma question est pour le ministre des Transports. Yesterday, on my drive to catch my flight to Timmins, there were two collisions on Highway 11, which left the highway closed from Smooth Rock Falls to Kapuskasing, and also in Val Gagné. We know in 2024, Highway 11 closed 363 times. Can the minister tell us how many times Highway 11 closed in 2025?

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: We continue to make historic investments into northern highways, like the 11 and the 17 highway—which, by the way, that member has voted against every single time, including the investments into winter clearance. Whether it’s over $100 million that we invest, with deploying over 1,400 pieces of equipment on those roads—that member has stood up and voted against every single one of those investments that we have put forward.

We continue to work with authorities there, winter maintenance cleaners there, to ensure that we have safe highways.

We’ll continue to do better and ensure that we improve and invest in Highway 11 and Highway 17.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member from Mushkegowuk–James Bay.

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: Monsieur le Ministre, my question was about how many times the highway closed in 2025, and you spoke about us not supporting your bills. We brought bill after bill that would save people, that would keep our highways open, and you all voted against them, so we have no lesson to take from you, Minister.

I’m going to give you another opportunity to respond, Minister.

Sadly, we lost a lot of people on our highways.

Can the minister tell us how many people lost their lives on Highway 11 this year?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

I apologize to the minister—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Order.

I recognize the Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: Let’s look at the record of that member on voting for northern highways. Whether it’s Highway 11 or the 2+1 pilot, that member has voted against it.

Now let’s talk about enforcement on those highways. We’ve hired 99 additional transportation enforcement officers with a focus on the north.

Guess what? When that member had an opportunity to stand up and invest in more safety and more officers in the north, more transportation scales in the north, that member voted against it every single time.

When that member had an opportunity to vote to support the increases in winter maintenance funding, that member voted against it.

When it’s an opportunity to vote to support the expansion of Highway 11 and the 2+1 pilot—the studies, the reports and the investments; the shovels that are going to go into the ground—that member has voted against it every single time.

We’re going to continue to ensure that we invest in the north. We’re going to continue to ensure we build Highway 11, build Highway 17, and I hope that member steps—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Members, may I have your attention?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Members, it’s our first day back.

I have no problem naming members, and you will be asked to leave.

Manufacturing jobs

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: My question is for the Premier.

The Premier has had eight years to protect Ontario’s economy. Yet, we have the second-highest provincial unemployment rate. And in January, Ontario lost 67,000 jobs.

In Amherstburg, when the Crown Royal plant closed, the Premier made a big show out of it, pouring out Crown Royal live on TV, and talked tough. He said he was going to protect Ontario, those workers and their jobs. But he hung out those workers in Windsor-Essex and southwestern Ontario—he hung them out to dry.

There are companies that are ready to buy that Crown Royal plant, to create new jobs there. So why did the Premier not use his leverage and require the plant be sold as part of the province’s deal with Diageo?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: President Trump’s tariffs sparked unprecedented global economic uncertainty and have disrupted all of our supply chains.

Our government stepped up with $30 billion in supports to help businesses protect those jobs—measures that both the NDP and the Liberals voted against. We’re seeing that resilience, though—59,000 new jobs were created just in the fourth quarter of 2025—

Interjection.

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

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Speaker, I said 59,000 jobs were created just in the last quarter of 2025.

In fact, $44 million in investments were announced from eight manufacturing companies, as I mentioned, in the Windsor area just a couple of weeks ago. Their investments continue to reshore supply chains and create new jobs there.

We are protecting the businesses, the workers, and building a more resilient economy.

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

Mr. Rob Cerjanec: That’s a lot of talk. The province had an opportunity to protect jobs in Windsor-Essex. The province had an opportunity to require that that plant that Diageo had be sold to either one of the interested buyers or included as part of the deal; the province chose not to. So not only does the Premier not know how to pour out a bottle of whisky; he didn’t fight for those same very workers he promised to protect—but it’s not just there.

In Sault Ste. Marie, layoffs at Algoma Steel are starting today. That’s 1,000 families wondering what is going to be next. And while the federal government has been stepping up, Ontario once again is nowhere to be found and, frankly, riding on the coattails of the feds. This is an out-of-touch Ontario Conservative government hoping someone else will do the heavy lifting.

Speaker, is the Premier asleep at the switch, or is he going to say, “Call me on my cellphone?”

Hon. Victor Fedeli: It is rich to hear this member stand and talk about this, considering they campaigned on not hiring 4,000 jobs in Pickering-—losing those jobs, campaigning against the $41-billion refurbishment in nuclear in Pickering. So it’s very rich to hear him suggest that.

Meanwhile, we have created one million new jobs since getting elected, and we’re doing everything to protect and build on this progress. We’re providing immediate supports to help these businesses. That’s why we’re able to land companies from around the world, like Sandvik in Sudbury, Massilly—$85-million investment in Brantford.

Speaker, our goal has been very clear from the beginning: more investment, more jobs, more wins for Ontario workers.

Skills development

Mr. Billy Pang: My question is for the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

For over a year, US tariffs have disrupted key Canadian industries, including steel, automotive manufacturing and forestry. In Ontario, these pressures are affecting workers who build our roads, ships, hospitals and communities.

Unlike the Liberals and NDP, who continue to vote against measures that protect our province, our government is taking action. We are making bold, critical investments in Ontario, including a historic $220-billion commitment to protect Ontario’s workers.

Speaker, can the minister tell the House how our government is continuing to support workers and protect critical industries impacted by the US tariffs?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member for Mississauga–Erin Mills.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: I thank the member for the question.

Earlier this month, I joined the federal Minister of Jobs and Families in Ottawa to announce an over $228-million investment over the next three years through Skills Advance Ontario. This program will help up to 27,000 workers retrain, upgrade their skills and stay competitive in key sectors such as softwood lumber, steel and automotive manufacturing. This investment means a steelworker in Sault Ste. Marie can upgrade welding certifications to adapt to new technologies, or an auto-parts supplier in Oakville can upskill its workforce to spur innovation and to stay globally competitive.

Applications for Skills Advance Ontario are now open, and eligible workers, job-seekers and employers can learn more by contacting the ministry. We are ready to get to work and ensure Ontario remains competitive, resilient and self-reliant for years to come.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Markham–Unionville.

Mr. Billy Pang: Thank you to the parliamentary assistant to the minister for the update.

As we continue to navigate the economic uncertainty created by ongoing tariff pressures, many workers across Ontario are understandably looking for new opportunities, new skills and new pathways to stable employment. These workers are the backbone of our communities and deserve access to high-quality training, career support and resources that will help them recover quickly and confidently.

Our government has been clear that supporting workers is central to strengthening our economy, especially during these challenging times.

Through you, Speaker: Could the parliamentary assistant to the minister share how our government is continuing to support and protect Ontario’s workers?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: I thank the member again for that important question.

Skills Advance Ontario is just one of many tools our government is using to support and protect Ontario’s workers.

We launched major investments in POWER Centres to ensure affected workers can access help quickly and reconnect to employment faster, supporting thousands of people in communities across the province.

We strengthened Better Jobs Ontario with significant new funding to help more individuals retrain for in-demand, better-paying jobs, with substantial financial support available for eligible participants.

And through Working for Workers 7, we made history by passing into law Canada’s first job-seeking leave for employees impacted by mass layoffs, and ensuring workers are automatically referred to employment services when they need them most.

When workers need help, our government is right there beside them, making sure they receive the services, training and support required to get back on their feet and into meaningful work as quickly as possible.

Order of business

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice for the arrangement of proceedings for debate on concurrence in supply.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice for the arrangement of proceedings for debate on concurrence in supply. Agreed? Agreed.

I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Steve Clark: I move that, notwithstanding any standing order, the orders for concurrence in supply for the various ministries and offices, as represented by government orders 9 through 38, inclusive, shall be called concurrently; and

That when such orders are called, they shall be considered concurrently in a single debate.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The government House leader moves that, notwithstanding any standing order, the orders for concurrence in supply for the various ministries and offices, as represented by government orders 9 through 38, inclusive, shall be called concurrently; and

That when such orders are called, they shall be considered concurrently in a single debate.

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

Motion agreed to.

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

The House recessed from 1144 to 1300.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: I’m proud to welcome Zahra Erkul, who is a fantastic individual who has been doing a great job volunteering in the riding of Humber River–Black Creek.

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: I beg leave to present a report entitled Audit of Changes to the Greenbelt, 2023 special report of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and move the adoption of its recommendations.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Mr. Rakocevic presents the committee’s report and moves the adoption of its recommendations.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Yes, I do. As Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, I am pleased to table two reports today.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the permanent membership of the committee and substitute members who participated in the public hearings and report-writing process.

The committee extends its appreciation to officials from all the ministries and agencies who participated in the respective hearings.

The committee also acknowledges the assistance provided during the hearings and report-writing deliberations by the Office of the Auditor General, the Clerk of the Committee and legislative research.

With that, I move adjournment of the debate.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Mr. Rakocevic moves the adjournment of the debate. It is the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Debate adjourned.

Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: I beg leave to present a report entitled Value-for-Money Audit: Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre and Ottawa Convention Centre, 2023 Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and move the adoption of its recommendations.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Mr. Rakocevic presents the committee’s report and moves the adoption of its recommendations.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Yes. Once more I want to thank all those I’ve thanked before.

With that, I move adjournment of the debate.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Mr. Rakocevic moves the adjournment of the debate. It is the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Debate adjourned.

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: I beg leave to present a report on the pre-budget consultations, 2026, from the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs and move the adoption of its recommendations.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Mr. Hardeman presents the committee’s report and moves the adoption of its recommendations.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: I move adjournment of the debate.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Mr. Hardeman moves the adjournment of the debate. It is the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Debate adjourned.

Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

Mr. Ted Hsu: I beg leave to present the first report on regulations, 2026, of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Mr. Hsu presents the committee’s report.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement? He does not.

Report presented.

Introduction of Bills

Truck Driver Training Schools Accountability Act, 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur la responsabilité des écoles de formation de conducteurs de camions

Mr. Vanthof moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 93,

An Act to amend the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 and the Highway Traffic Act / Projet de loi 93, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2005 sur les collèges d’enseignement professionnel de l’Ontario et le Code de la route.

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?

Mr. John Vanthof: The bill’s working title is Truck Driver Training School Accountability Act. What it basically does is that all of Ontario’s truck driving schools will be inspected at least once a year by inspectors from the Ministry of Transportation as well as from the ministry of colleges, training and universities, and truck-driving schools that have under five years of history or service will be inspected semi-annually.

Putting Fans First Act (No Ticket Resales Above Face Value), 2026 / Loi de 2026 donnant la priorité aux fans (interdiction de revendre des billets au-delà de leur valeur nominale)

Mr. Rakocevic moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 94,

An Act to amend the Ticket Sales Act, 2017 to provide that tickets cannot be resold at an amount above face value / Projet de loi 94, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2017 sur la vente de billets pour prévoir que les billets ne peuvent être revendus pour un montant supérieur à leur valeur nominale.

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

First reading agreed to.

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

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: I do. I’m proud to introduce the Putting Fans First Act with my co-sponsors, the members from Toronto Centre, Kiiwetinoong and Spadina–Fort York.

This bill will make it illegal for anyone, including websites, to resell a ticket for anything above its face value—the price originally paid in the first place. Our Putting Fans First Act is about fairness. It’s about ending the unfair gouging on ticket resale sites so fans can actually watch the games and shows that they love.

338026 Ontario Limited Act, 2026

MPP West moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr37,

An Act to revive 338026 Ontario Limited

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

First reading agreed to.

Petitions

Student assistance

Mr. Peter Tabuns: I have a petition before me to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario asking that the Legislature take action to protect people in this province who are going face outrageous financial burdens because of the changes to OSAP.

The petition asks that the non-repayable grant funding for Ontario students be maintained and that future commitments to these students be made so that people have an opportunity to get the education they need for a prosperous life.

I agree with this petition. I sign it and give it to Jiyana.

Transportation infrastructure

Hon. Steve Clark: I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario—I think I tabled it in the last session. This time it’s signed by a number of people, including seven of my mayors.

It’s calling on the federal government to restore full navigation to the Rideau Canal by installing a structure that will enable marine traffic to pass through the LaSalle Causeway in Kingston for the 2026 boating season.

It’s actually the 200th anniversary of the start of construction of the Rideau Canal. The canal contributes about $309 million annually to the economy of eastern Ontario. The federal government installed a temporary fixed bridge, which restricts marine traffic through the causeway. They’ve not responded to any of the petitions that I or my federal colleague Michael Barrett have put forward.

On behalf of our riding, we feel it’s very critical that Public Services and Procurement Canada establish a time frame and demonstrate the sense of urgency that the mayors and all of our constituents have in terms of this bridge. I’ll affix my signature and I’ll send it to the table with page Eleanor.

Water supply

Ms. Catherine Fife: Today, I’ll be tabling for the first time a petition entitled “Invest in Ontario’s Infrastructure to Ensure Economic Growth.”

Waterloo region right now is in an unprecedented situation. All housing development has been paused, stalled and stopped—in a housing crisis, I might add. So this petition is calling on the provincial government to help with infrastructure, water, funding and resources to ensure that we can actually meet the housing needs of the people of Waterloo region.

It goes on to say that we need to:

“—strategically invest in water infrastructure;

“—immediately pause the relentless commercial water-taking permits.”

For those of you who don’t know, Waterloo region depends 80% on aquifer water. We should not be fast-tracking and streamlining aggregate water-taking permits when we don’t have enough water right now to grow. So this is a very reasonable petition, signed by the people of Waterloo region.

AMO has said there is a $60-billion infrastructure deficit in the province of Ontario. You need to get your house in order that we can keep growing, so every community can meet their housing needs.

Laboratory services

M me France Gélinas: The member from Sudbury and I have collected over 10,000 signatures. It weighs a ton, so I’m going to transfer this over. I’d also like to thank Lise and Denis Tranchemontagne from Levack in my riding for these petitions. They’re called “Keep Medical Lab Testing in the North.”

As you know, Speaker, Ontario has privatized their community lab services. The biggest lab provider in Ontario is LifeLabs, an American company. This American company has decided that they’re going to close the analysis that is done in Sudbury. The lab in Sudbury hired 40 people. All of those people are going to lose their jobs, and all of the samples collected from all over northern Ontario are going to be repackaged and shipped to Toronto.

Health care professionals, patients with vulnerable health, hospitals—everybody knows that this puts people’s health at risk. This puts people’s lives at risk and cannot continue to do so.

So they have signed our petition to make sure that we find solutions to keep testing in the north so that this expertise stays in the north. In a time of a pandemic or an environmental emergency, you need to have those highly trained medical lab technologists on-site to be able to help out. But all of this is at risk because the American company wants to make more money and does not care about the quality of services that they provide to northern Ontario.

The member from Sudbury and I both are trying to help. I will fully agree with the petition “to take immediate action to ensure medical laboratory testing continues to be done in Sudbury” and that the people that work at LifeLabs keep their jobs in the north.

I support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask page Avish to bring it to the Clerk.

Highway safety

Mr. John Vanthof: As many people know, we did an extensive consultation tour in northern Ontario. Many northerners—they’re still flooding in, the signatures—have signed this petition—northerners for a safer highway.

Cancer screening

Mr. Ted Hsu: I have a petition today from constituents in Kingston and the Islands as well as residents of Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston and Hastings–Lennox and Addington. They’re petitioning the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to expand the Ontario Breast Screening Program to allow women over the age of 74 to self-refer for mammogram screening, thereby improving early detection and health outcomes and reducing long-term health care costs.

Student assistance

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: It’s my honour to present the following petition on behalf of Jerry Peng, Amrithaa Logeswaran, Rachel Seaby, Zayah Samad and Sally Al-Dulaimi, part of London’s Save OSAP London group. It’s a powerful group, Speaker, and they’re incredibly angry. They’re angry because of Conservative attacks on the education system, which have led to larger class sizes, growing school violence, teacher shortages and a lack of student mental health.

This petition mentions that Ontario has the highest student tuition rates, the lowest post-secondary per-student funding in Canada, the highest debt load and also how these ongoing cuts have led to an overreliance on part-time contract faculty and an overreliance on international students. This petition calls upon the government to direct the Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security to reverse this wrong-headed decision to cut OSAP, to stop blocking students from succeeding and restore the grants portion of OSAP. Let’s get this done, Speaker.

Student assistance

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I’m pleased to be able to stand in my place on behalf of many young people in Oshawa, and not so young, but those who are pursuing their education in post-secondary pathways who are very concerned about the need to fund education, the need to save OSAP. The changes to OSAP that this government is bringing forward have really upset people’s paths to a bright future.

We’re in a position, because of the chronic underfunding by successive Conservative and Liberal governments—youth are experiencing the highest unemployment level in Canada. And you add to that sky-high rent, fewer opportunities, higher costs at every turn—these are insurmountable challenges. Cutting OSAP grants and increasing tuition fees is going to exacerbate the economic situation of young people and students.

Speaker, I attended the high school walkouts when they invited me. I met with elected student leaders at two of our local post-secondary institutions, hosted a town hall with concerned parents and students and have heard from hundreds of survey respondents. And so many petitions are coming in. I hope the government is listening.

Of course, I support this petition calling for the government to direct this minister to immediately reverse the cuts to OSAP grants, stop the tuition fee hikes and appropriately fund colleges and universities so that young people can get that quality education and plan for a bright future.

Student assistance

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Speaker, I have before me a petition called “Save OSAP—Fund Education Now,” and one of the signatures on this petition is from a young woman who is in her final year of undergrad. She planned to become a scientist but is now grieving her dream because the cost of a master’s and a PhD will be out of her reach. She is just one of the stories I heard when we were out on the streets. I want to thank Nils and Cynthia for gathering petitions when we were at our town hall in my riding, where hundreds of people came.

She is one of the thousands of voices of young people who are speaking about the injustice of how only the rich will be able to afford education now that we have cut these OSAP grants.

I am in agreement with these individuals, and it is my great honour to stand with them and sign this petition.

Student assistance

Ms. Catherine Fife: Again, we are fighting hard to stop the cuts to OSAP, which is the title of this petition. I was at a rally at the University of Waterloo campus. Over 2,000 students showed up to protest the reduction in grants, which will create barriers for students to access post-secondary education.

We’re in an uncharted, unprecedented place in the province of Ontario. Youth unemployment is at an all-time high. Congratulations, you have the best record for youth unemployment across the country. Putting up further barriers for students to reach their potential will only compromise the potential of this province. I don’t know how to get this message across to this government, Madam Speaker, but students are coming out in force. In fact, they will be here tomorrow on the front lawn of Queen’s Park.

It is my pleasure to affix my signature to this petition. Stop the cuts to OSAP. Let people reach their potential in the province of Ontario.

Highway safety

M me France Gélinas: I would like to thank Diane and Luc Gervais from Westree in my riding for this petition. The Gervais family live in Westree. They need to use Highway 144 to go anywhere. They were hit by a transport truck on January 26. Their truck is completely destroyed, and they are having a tough time. They are but one of many, many families in my riding that have had accidents because of the roads in the north.

My colleagues Sol Mamakwa, John Vanthof and Guy Bourgouin did a northern tour to let people know how dangerous the roads are in northern Ontario. Those people are signing the petitions because they want to be able to travel and feel safe on our highways. They want to prevent further accidents and fatalities.

These are many, many collisions on northern roads, including Highway 144, which is a highway that goes from Sudbury to Timmins. The whole 300-and-some kilometres is all in my riding. There is no bypass. There is no detour. Every time there’s an accident, all of the—there are at least nine mines that use this highway every single day. Every time it is shut down, it is lineup and lineup of trucks before it reopens.

They ask the government to listen to the people of the north. Organize a round table of representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, the police, the ambulances, the tow truck operators, the shipping companies, the mining companies, the school bus drivers, the road users. Listen to the work that the NDP has been doing. There are solutions that could be put into place right here, right now, that would make our roads safer.

What happened to Lise, Diane and Luc should not happen to anybody else. I fully support this petition and will affix my name to it and ask page Chen to bring it to the Clerk.

Affordable housing

MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam: I’m very proud to rise in this House to present this petition. It’s entitled “Affordable Housing now.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas for families throughout much of Ontario, owning a home” has now become a dream that slipped away, while renting has become “painfully expensive;

“Whereas consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments have sat idle,” letting the housing crisis deepen, the costs have now spiralled out of control, and speculators are making fortunes while families are left behind;

“Whereas” Ontarians “should have access to safe, affordable housing”—a family who wants to rent or own should be able to do that, and they should have the options available to them.

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

“—immediately prioritize the repair of Ontario’s social housing stock;

“—commit to building new affordable homes;

“—crack down on housing speculators;

“—make rentals more affordable through rent controls and” legislation updates.

I’m proud to sign this petition and send this back to the centre table with page Else.

Orders of the Day

Concurrence in supply / Adoption des crédits

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): Debate?

MPP Bill Rosenberg: It is my pleasure to rise today to introduce concurrence in supply. I should note, off the top, that I will be splitting the government’s allotted time today with parliamentary assistant George Darouze.

Madam Speaker, I consider it an honour give the House a brief refresher on the procedural process as it relates to the government’s expenditures and estimates for the 2025-26 fiscal year. While I trust this procedure is well-known to some members of the House, I believe it is always valuable to make sure that each and every member understands concurrence in supply and, further, to know how the entire estimate process works because I believe the public puts its trust in its elected members of this House to fully comprehend legislative processes.

My fellow members, it is our duty to understand the mechanisms of the province’s finances. The details of the process by which the government handles the public purse are important.

Madam Speaker, as you know, Ontario continues to navigate the impact of US tariffs and global economic uncertainty. It is even more important in times like these that the government fully commit to the concepts of fiscal transparency and responsibility. That is what concurrence in supply is all about. It is a key cog in the fiscal machinery of the province. As such, I am happy that I was given the opportunity to detail the process today for the record.

It will also be my pleasure, after detailing this process, to discuss the province’s current fiscal position. I believe it is important that at the beginning of this current legislative session, the House is refreshed on exactly where the province stands economically. Madam Speaker, volume 1 of the 2025-26 expenditure estimates was tabled on June 4, 2025. This portion of the expenditure estimates provides a complete public record of government offices’ and ministries’ budgets, in alignment with the spending plans outlined in the 2025 Ontario budget.

Madam Speaker, the government may also table supplementary estimates to ensure the government has sufficient resources. Supplementary estimates were tabled on December 9, 2025. They provided additional resources for the contingency fund and other required funding.

Volume 2 of the 2025-26 expenditure estimates was tabled also on December 9, 2025. The second set detailed the spending plan for the legislative offices. These legislative offices include the offices of the Assembly, the Auditor General, the Chief Electoral Officer and Ombudsman Ontario. Altogether, the expenditure estimates detail the operating and capital spending needs of the legislative offices and ministries for the fiscal year.

Once expenditure estimates are tabled, they are referred to the relevant standing committees for review. The standing committees then select ministries to appear and answer questions specific to the respective expenditure estimates.

Taken together, this constitutes the government’s formal request to the Legislature to approve spending requirement. This process is undertaken every year, and every Ontario government must complete it. The 2025-26 estimates support the initiatives and the investments outlined in Ontario’s 2025 budget.

Madam Speaker, as I have concluded the explanation of the legislative procedure related to concurrence in supply, I would like now to discuss the province’s current financial situation. We owe it to the people of this province to be fully transparent about the economic challenges facing this province. The shifting of the relationship between Ontario and the US is an inescapable fact, and it has led to trade tensions and tariffs that have adversely affected so many industries. Frankly, they have greatly contributed to economic uncertainty and a weaker global economic outlook.

However, in this new context, it can be correctly asserted that Ontario’s economy has been resilient. According to the third-quarter finances released by the province last month, Ontario’s real gross domestic product—GDP—increased 0.5% in the third quarter of 2025, following a 0.7% decline in the second quarter. The previous decline was a direct reaction to the implementation of US tariffs. However, despite these aggressive and harmful tactics, Ontario’s real GDP rose by an estimated 1.2% in 2025. That number is higher than projected at the time of the 2025 budget. It should also be noted that the private sector average projection for real GDP growth in 2026 has increased slightly to 1.1%.

There is always the possibility that a positive new trade deal between Canada and the US could greatly alter this projection. The government continues to support efforts to arrive at a mutually beneficial deal that will further boost Ontario’s outlook.

In the longer term, investments in new technology such as artificial intelligence could create opportunities for improved productivity and economic growth. We have already seen great growth in that sector in the province. and the government is doing what it can to attract further investment.

Madam Speaker, it bears repeating that our government continues to take a fiscally responsible and balanced approach to the province’s finances. This has been achieved through sustained investments in key public services. However, anyone who has crafted a budget knows balance is the key.

The government has made sure to maintain fiscal flexibility. It is this careful approach that has enabled the government to do what many have thought impossible: that is, to maintain a clear path to a balanced budget.

Madam Speaker, I would like members to consider the government’s most recent deficit projections. The province’s 2025-26 deficit is projected to be $13.4 billion. This represents an improvement of $0.81 billion compared to projections in the 2025 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. The 2025 budget projected a deficit of $14.6 billion for 2025-26. This is good news. We are trending towards a sizable reduction in debt over the next few years, and that means that future generations of Ontarians won’t be saddled with ballooning interest rate payments owing to the borrowing of those who came before them.

Madam Speaker, it has always been the government’s aim to responsibly manage debt load. I believe the projections for the next couple of years illustrate that the government is doing just that; however, I don’t want to bury the lede, and that is that the government’s latest projections indicate a surplus of $0.2 billion in 2027-28. It is certainly noteworthy that the word “surplus” is being entered into the record at this point, Madam Speaker.

Of course, these are projections, and the usual caveats do apply. However, it is certainly a credit to the government’s fiscal expertise and careful management that such an extraordinary debt management could be projected. It is now possible to imagine a future for this province that is deficit-free, a future where the previous generation’s debt doesn’t weigh down future Ontarians.

There are other numbers that clearly illustrate the success that the government is having in managing the province’s finances. According to the third quarter finances released, the net debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to be 36.9% in 2025-26, 0.8 percentage points lower than the 37.7% forecast in the fall economic statement. And Madam Speaker, the government plans to keep it below target levels over the medium-term outlook. This commitment is a clear indication of the government’s responsible stewardship and fiscal management.

Furthermore, another positive number for members to consider is the interest as a per cent of revenue ratio. For 2025-26, the government’s forecast for that indicator is 6.4%. That number is almost at the lowest level it has been since the 1980s.

Madam Speaker, these numbers speak for themselves; however, there is much more information about the province’s current financial picture that I would be happy to illustrate today. Firstly, it is important to remember that the government’s fiscal plan strictly adheres to the Fiscal Sustainability, Transparency and Accountability Act and its governing principles that guide Ontario’s fiscal policy.

The first pillar of this act is transparency. As I stated before, in a difficult economic context transparency becomes paramount. The government demonstrates its transparency through the regular release of fiscal updates such as the third quarter release I have already referenced.

This commitment to transparency is also bolstered by the fact that for the eighth year in a row, this government has received a clean audit opinion from Ontario’s Auditor General. This is far from a rubber stamp, Madam Speaker. The independent Auditor General has carefully reviewed the government’s financial statements and approved them with a clean audit opinion. The fact that this government has received this clean opinion for eight straight years truly speaks to its commitment to openness and transparency.

Another pillar of the government’s approach to the province’s purse strings is responsibility. The government is proud of the processes it has developed to create a measured and accountable approach to managing Ontario’s finances, a measured approach that also considers necessary investments in critical programs, services and capital projects.

And finally, the government has built-in flexibility to its fiscal plan. We all know that circumstances can turn on a dime. Any responsible financial plan will have contingencies for those things that simply cannot be predicted. That’s exactly why the government’s plan is imbued with practicality in the form of contingency funds. The contingency fund ensures the proper level of fiscal flexibility so that the government can respond to circumstances as they change, and change they do.

Equity is another foundational concept that is baked into the government’s fiscal approach. The government has shown that it will not overlook key public services such as health care, social services and education, no matter the economic context. Proper fiscal planning will ensure that these foundational services are not only readily available for the people of today, but they will also benefit future generations.

That brings me to the final pillar of the government’s fiscal management: sustainability. Madam Speaker, to manage the province’s finances with only this year in mind is nothing short of myopic. Any responsible government considers future generations, and that is exactly what the government has done. And it is why there has been an emphasis on reducing the deficit for future generations. The government believes that the next generation should not be burdened by the reckless spending of the previous generation. That is not the Ontario we want to leave to our children and their children after them.

And that is why we are here; we have taken the steps to achieve a balanced budget and reduce the province’s debt burden. The government has taken the long view, and we believe that the next generation will be the beneficiary of that vision.

I know I previously mentioned our efforts at reducing the deficit. Madam Speaker, it is clear to anyone who has looked at the many financial disclosures from the government over the last fiscal year that Ontario’s finances are in the strongest position they have been in for more than a decade. The numbers that I have presented here today are all publicly available and verifiable. And I would be remiss if I didn’t add that independent agencies have also reviewed these numbers and have given the government’s fiscal plan positive assessments.

In 2025, the four major credit agencies—Moody’s, Fitch, Morningstar DBRS and S&P Global—all affirmed Ontario’s credit rating, and the outlook is stable. This vote of confidence reflects Ontario’s commitment to maintaining its targets for debt sustainability measures despite the economic and geopolitical context. These are significant improvements that reversed the Liberals’s trend of credit downgrades.

I believe this clearly illustrates that Ontario’s transparent, responsible and prudent fiscal plan is working. And these ratings have real-world benefits. A higher credit rating means Ontario is seen as a lower-risk borrower. This will further reduce Ontario’s borrowing cost, and, perhaps most importantly, it sends a message to the global investment community that Ontario is a great place to do business. With further investments comes the job creation that will spur further financial success.

Madam Speaker, the immediate upshot of these good credit ratings is that the province has seen new international buyers of its bonds and continues to have the lowest interest rate of all provinces in the 30-year term.

To conclude, I will give a quick overview of some top-line numbers from the third-quarter release. Revenues in 2025-26 are projected to be $223.7 billion. That is $0.6 billion higher than the forecast in the fall economic statement. Madam Speaker, in 2025-26, program expense is projected to be $219.9 billion. That is $1.5 billion higher than the forecast in the fall economic statement. Importantly, Ontario’s cost of borrowing for 2025-26 remains unchanged at 4%.

Finally, Ontario’s real GDP rose by an estimated 1.2% in 2025, which is also higher than previously projected.

Madam Speaker, today’s discussion and subsequent vote are both important steps in approving the government’s spending for the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2026. I would like to thank you and all the members for taking time today to discuss the concurrence process. It has also been my pleasure to provide some perspective on the province’s current financial situation and to look at some of the financial indicators that are part of the recent third-quarter release.

I would now like to turn the floor over to my colleague parliamentary assistant George Darouze.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos): I recognize the member from London West.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I’m very pleased to rise today in this chamber after a long break that this government forced on MPPs because of their desire to stay away from accountability to answer the questions that Ontarians are asking about this government’s decision-making.

Before I get into my remarks, I did want to recognize two powerful women advocates who have joined us today from the Western University student council for the Women in House program. They are participating in the program, shadowing me at Queen’s Park. I’d like to welcome Mina and Sadi to this Legislature today.

The member gave the overview of this concurrence in supply debate, and, of course, we heard from the government side that there are multiple estimates from many different ministries that are being considered today in this debate. I would like to focus specifically on the estimates debate that occurred with the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security because it was an interesting conversation that took place at the committee when the estimates from that ministry were considered.

One of the questions that I asked the minister back in November about the ministry’s estimates was with regard to OSAP funding, and I think the minister’s comments should be put on the record once again. They were on the record at the committee meeting, but I think that everyone should hear what the minister had to say in November. He said, “here is what makes OSAP truly impactful: 85% of Ontario’s financial aid for full-time students in 2024-25 came in the form of grants—money that students do not have to repay. Let me repeat that: Students do not have to repay these grants.

By reducing the amount of student loans needed to take on—we’re supporting graduates to start their careers with less debt and more freedom to pursue their careers and their future lives. That means more young people can afford to buy homes, start their families and contribute to Ontario’s economy sooner.” He concluded, “This is how we’re protecting Ontario’s future by empowering the next generation to thrive.”

There are a lot of times that I don’t agree with what I hear from the other side, but when the minister made those comments at the estimates committee meeting about the importance of OSAP grants rather than loans and enabling young people to get a start in life and build the future that we all hope for in this province, it made me feel good, because I recognized—as the minister recognized just a few short months ago—that saddling young people with a massive debt burden is not the way that we are going to advance this province’s future.

I want to quote some more from the minister because he made some other comments that I think everybody should be aware of. He said, “Financial challenges should not keep the next great surgeon or teacher or welder from pursuing their dream career. Our government is proud to support our students with funding to cover their tuition, books and other educational costs every year, to set them on the path for success.”

Now, Speaker, this is not just something that that minister was proud of as early as November 2025. Even in the prior year’s estimates, in October 2024, the minister responded in a similar fashion to questions that I had asked about OSAP. Back then he said, “Something I am very proud of is the 400,000 students who are being helped with OSAP this year alone—82% of that is to full-time students in the form of grants, compared to 54% on the federal assistance. So we have a larger amount of grants than loans coming through OSAP.”

This is something that the government and the minister have touted for several years, because they said that this was important—

Ms. Catherine Fife: They were bragging about this.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: Yes—not to force students to have to carry this big burden of debt when they are contributing to our collective well-being by pursuing post-secondary education.

It really makes you wonder, Speaker: What changed? What changed between November 2025 and February 2026 when, all of a sudden, this minister and this Premier are saying that students who want to go into post-secondary education don’t need grants; we will just force them to borrow from the government, with interest, and potentially graduate with a significant debt burden?

We now have this announcement that where previously students could get a maximum of 85% of their student financial assistance in the form of grants, that is now going to be slashed to a maximum of just 15% in OSAP grants. Experts in the post-secondary sector have tried to quantify what this is going to mean for post-secondary students in Ontario. It is estimated that this government’s decisions to shift from OSAP grants to loans could add $3,500 in debt for students who are getting the maximum amount of aid.

This government’s decision to completely reverse the proportion of loans to grants is coming at a time when we know that the federal Liberal government is also making changes to rely even more on loans through the Canada student loan program. So students who rely on OSAP could see an additional $3,500 dollars in debt and then, added to that, their federal student loan will add $1,200 in additional borrowing to the cost of their post-secondary education.

This means that students who need financial assistance in order to attend post-secondary education, Speaker—that’s why they are applying to OSAP; that’s why they are applying to Canada’s student loans. They don’t have families who can just pay the full cost of tuition and residence and books and food and transportation and utilities and all of that. They need financial support in order to be able to pursue a post-secondary education. These are students from moderate and low-income families, and many of them may be independent students.

They may have either become estranged from their parents or their parents have simply said, “You know, now that you’ve turned 18, it’s up to you to fund your own pathway into the future.”

What we are looking at with the $3,500 extra from OSAP, with the $1,200 extra from Canada student loans, is that those moderate and low-income students will now be looking at a cost of $4,700 more per year in the coming academic session.

Of course, we all hear from post-secondary students. We’ve seen the data. Post-secondary students are among the fastest-growing group of food bank users. We are in the middle of an affordability crisis, and the affordability pressures are felt particularly keenly by young people right now.

This OSAP debt and the Canada student loan debt is not the only debt that many of these young people are carrying. They’re also having to rely on private borrowing. They’re accessing bank loans, getting family members to provide a loan or getting a student line of credit.

We are hearing about students who are graduating, tens of thousands of dollars owing the very day that they complete their education. And not only is that debt owing, but the Ontario government charges interest on that debt. That interest starts accumulating the minute that that student completes their program and graduates from their institution.

This government’s decision on the change, the cuts that they’re making to OSAP grants—because the burden is going to be carried by those moderate and low-income students, it effectively means a jump in net tuition. Alex Usher, who is a very well-known post-secondary education analyst, says that this is the largest single jump in net tuition ever seen in Canada. His comments are quite instructive, I think.

Richer students, those who don’t need student aid, are looking at tuition increases on the order of $160 next year because the government allowed a 2% tuition increase. However, poorer students, the ones who receive grants, are going to see an increase in their net tuition about 30 times larger.

What the government has done, effectively, is announce some operating funding increases for colleges and universities, but they are funding it almost entirely on the backs of low-income students. So they are forcing students to choose whether they want to take that risk of taking on this huge loan or give up their dreams of post-secondary education altogether.

I’ve talked to many high school students in London who have told me that they worry about whether they are going to be able to afford to go to college or university. I’ve talked to people mid-career who were looking at possibly upgrading their skills, maybe doing a career change to get into one of those in-demand jobs that employers are really crying for. But these are people who have mortgages. They have car payments. They have child care costs. They’re in no position to take on a huge loan in order to pursue this additional post-secondary education.

Speaker, we have to keep in mind that when individuals do this, when they upgrade their skills, when they look to go into careers that we know are needed in our labour market—when students do that, they are contributing to our collective well-being. They are contributing to the prosperity of our province and the health of our economy.

What this government is doing is discouraging. As I said, high school students are thinking, “Whoa, I’m not sure if I can go after all.” Mid-career people who are looking at a career change are saying, “Whoa, I can’t take on that kind of debt.” So they are disrupting a whole generation of Ontarians whose dreams will now be lost.

For young people, I’ve heard it described as “delayed adulthood,” because young people with this huge debt burden can’t even think about moving through those normal kinds of milestones of adult life, like moving out from their parents’ house, buying a car, maybe saving for their own home, starting a family. Instead, they are stuck trying to pay off their student loans, which can be tens of thousands of dollars. The debt burden is very, very high for students who are coming out of undergraduate degree programs and thinking about pursuing masters’ or professional degrees.

Law school tuition is in the neighbourhood of $22,000; medical school tuition, $25,000. When you already have a debt from your undergraduate degree, to take on that kind of borrowing to go to med school or to masters’ programs—it can be a huge deterrent. And so people are choosing not to go into those career pathways.

When we think about medical students, Speaker, we know that Ontario needs doctors desperately. ERs are closed, or they’re completely overwhelmed with patients. We have people being forced to wait months, if not over a year, to get a specialist appointment. We still have far too many Ontarians without access to a family doctor. We