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April 26, 2018

41st Parliament, 3rd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2018-Apr-26 (PDF)

L020 - Thu 26 Apr 2018 / Jeu 26 avr 2018

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 26 April 2018 Jeudi 26 avril 2018

Orders of the Day

Government Contract Wages Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur les salaires pour les marchés publics

Introduction of Visitors

National Day of Mourning

Oral Questions

Government accounting practices

Government accounting practices

Taxation

Hospital funding

Government accounting practices

Long-term care

Small business

Justices of the peace

Horse racing industry

Manufacturing jobs

Wind turbines

Executive compensation

Workplace safety

Assistance to farmers

French-language education

Visitors

Deferred Votes

Pay Transparency Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur la transparence salariale

Introduction of Visitors

Correction of record

Report, Office of the Integrity Commissioner

Members’ Statements

Services for the disabled

Riding of Kenora–Rainy River

Gene Domagala

Taxation

Nolan Caskanette

ErinoakKids

Government accounting practices

National Day of Mourning

TAIBU Community Health Centre

Introduction of Bills

Restoring Planning Powers to Municipalities Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur le rétablissement des pouvoirs des municipalités en matière d’aménagement du territoire

Motions

Private members’ public business

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

National Day of Mourning

Petitions

Health care funding

Long-term care

Water fluoridation

Doctor shortage

Long-term care

Water fluoridation

Hydro rates

Anti-smoking initiatives for youth

Injured workers

Ontario budget

Poet laureate

Private Members’ Public Business

Time to Care Act (Long-Term Care Homes Amendment, Minimum Standard of Daily Care), 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur le temps alloué aux soins (modifiant la

Loi sur les foyers de soins de longue durée et prévoyant une norme minimale en matière de soins quotidiens)

Ontario Forestry Revitalization Act (14 Storey Wood Frame Buildings), 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur la revitalisation de la foresterie en Ontario (bâtiments à ossature de bois de 14 étages)

Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur le Mois du patrimoine philippin

Time to Care Act (Long-Term Care Homes Amendment, Minimum Standard of Daily Care), 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur le temps alloué aux soins (modifiant la

Loi sur les foyers de soins de longue durée et prévoyant une norme minimale en matière de soins quotidiens)

Ontario Forestry Revitalization Act (14 Storey Wood Frame Buildings), 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur la revitalisation de la foresterie en Ontario (bâtiments à ossature de bois de 14 étages)

Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur le Mois du patrimoine philippin

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Good morning. Please join me in prayer.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Government Contract Wages Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur les salaires pour les marchés publics

Resuming the debate adjourned on April 25, 2018, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 53,

An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages / Projet de loi 53, Loi concernant la fixation de salaires minimums pour les marchés publics.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): When we last debated this issue, the member from Welland had the floor.

Ms. Cindy Forster: I’m going to be sharing the remaining nine minutes with the member from Windsor–Tecumseh.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): I’m pleased to recognize the member for Windsor–Tecumseh.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Thank you very much, Speaker.

Some 420 years ago, William Shakespeare wrote a play, Much Ado About Nothing. I reference this because this fair wage legislation hasn’t received the same reviews as Much Ado About Nothing. In fact, some of the players in this Liberal performance say this bill is much ado about nothing because the Liberals didn’t need legislation.

David Frame says the Liberals already hold the regulatory authority to bring wage schedules up to date. Speaker, just so you know, David Frame is the director of government relations at the Ontario General Contractors Association. He would star in one of the lead roles if this Liberal production of Much Ado About Nothing ever went on the road. I can just imagine the contrast he would provide to Pat Dillon.

Mr. Dillon, of course, would be a headliner in the Liberal play about Much Ado About Nothing. Pat’s the secretary treasurer of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, a long-time supporter and funder of the Liberal Party of Ontario. He has been quoted in the media as saying that not only will this proposed legislation help protect the wages of workers but will ensure safety on the job as well. I hope to have time to talk more about safety on the job later.

My question to the Liberals is, if, as David Frame claims, you already have the regulatory power and authority to adjust wage rates for those working on government projects, why did you see the need for this legislation just days before you call a provincial election?

There will be other players on the stage if this Liberal production ever hits the road. We can see Wayne Peterson out there. He’s the executive director of the Construction Employers Coordinating Council of Ontario. He’s been quoted by the Canadian Press as saying “the industry welcomes the new bill and would have liked to have seen it introduced earlier.”

Well, there you have it. We all may have liked to have seen it introduced earlier. After all, the Liberals have been in office with the power and authority to change the regulations on this bill at any time for the past 15 years. So we ask again, why now? Why, on the eve of a provincial election, are we hearing about this legislative change now? I think the answer is pretty obvious, Speaker.

David Frame, the director of government relations over at OGCA, the Ontario General Contractors Association, said he had discussions with the Liberals about a year ago, then nothing, not a word. He was taken off guard when word got out that the legislation was written up and ready to roll. You will recall, Speaker, that Mr. Frame is the guy who said the legislation isn’t needed as the Liberals hold the authority to make a wage adjustment in the regulations that govern the government contract workers act or its predecessor.

So, much ado about nothing, or a creation of those hordes of young Liberal staffers wearing red lab suits, slaving away late at night in corner offices dreaming up ways to grab a media headline which might cast the leader and the party in a new light, maybe even launch a favourable media story. I can see them now, Speaker. Shakespeare before Tim Hortons: “Double, double toil and trouble; / Fire burn and cauldron bubble”—a magic brew to help the leader and the party turn the channel, turn the page, after 15 years. The cry goes out, “We need a fresh idea.”

This is what they came up with and, yet, even their best friend in the construction business, Patrick Dillon, warned that this move may not be popular with all contractors in the province.

Speaker, I’m going to skip ahead a bit because I know I’m going to run into some time restrictions. One thing I wanted to point out, something that I see as an egregious oversight in this legislation, is that right now it deals with construction workers, it deals with the people who provide security and cleaning services. No one doubts they deserve a fair wage, but why has the proposed bill neglected to include the men and women who cook the meals, serve the food, and take your cash and credit card at breakfast and lunch? They all work downstairs.

I hope it’s just an oversight and it will be corrected. We all know them by name: Lucas, Vlad, Jackie, Alex, Leo, Andrea, Judy, Callie and the many others who work downstairs. They serve at our receptions. They prepare our meals. They wash our dishes. Don’t tell me the government is going to bite the hand that feeds them. Treat everyone else on a government contract with dignity and respect and ignore just one classification of workers? Everyone on a government contract in a government building should be treated the same. I know my leader agrees with that. I can’t speak for the Conservatives, nor would I want to.

But the Liberals could have amended this policy years ago; they could have fixed this. This is what leaves people so disappointed with Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals.

Getting back to health and safety, this weekend across Ontario, indeed across Canada, we’ll commemorate the National Day of Mourning. We’ll lower our flags in Ontario on all provincial buildings, and all municipal and federal buildings as well. Flags will be lowered at our schools, colleges, universities, fire halls, police stations, libraries and civic arenas. We will mourn the dead and renew our commitment to fight for the living.

Worker safety is important. Last year in Ontario, 54 workers were killed on the job. One is too many; we lost 54. Dozens more died from illnesses from unsafe workplaces. Hundreds of workers were injured on the job. We need to pay more respect to our injured workers. We need the WSIB to treat our injured workers with more respect. We need the WSIB to listen to the medical people treating our injured workers on a regular basis. We don’t need the WSIB dreaming up fictional job placements.

We don’t need them denying claims because they believe, without evidence, there may have been a pre-existing condition that contributed to an injury. It wasn’t evident until an injury occurred, so why make it an issue now?

Fair wages are one thing; fair treatment is another. To those who have lost loved ones who never came home from work, you are not alone. We share your grief. We also grieve with the families of at least 15 workers killed in Ontario so far this year—15—Speaker. Just recently we lost a construction worker in Windsor, 24-year-old Michael Gerald Cobb, killed in what has been called a freak accident at a plant where concrete girders are made. Another worker suffered serious injuries in that incident as well.

So, Speaker, when we see the flags lowered on all municipal, provincial and federal buildings this weekend, think of all the workers killed or injured or suffering from work-related illness. Tell your children and grandchildren to make sure they have the safety training they need and the supervision that’s required in their jobs so they don’t become part of the statistic for next year.

Just in closing, I’ll say once again to the Liberals, don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Think of the people working in the kitchen and the cafeteria downstairs. Right now, at this stage of the legislation, they’re being ignored. They have been shut out. They work on government contracts in a government building, just as construction workers work on government contracts and government projects. Security guards and cleaners are covered. Think of the people downstairs. Don’t ignore them. Improve your bill and we’ll support it.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments.

Hon. Daiene Vernile: I’m pleased to join the discussion this morning on Bill 53. Speaker, my colleague across the floor, the member for Windsor–Tecumseh, asked the question, “Why now?” The answer to that question is, because it’s always a good time to stand up for workers’ rights and to ensure that they are paid fairly. That’s why we’re doing this now. It’s why we have consistently, over the past four years, brought forward legislation that addresses pay equity.

If you work on a government project in the construction, building services and cleaning sector, you should be paid fairly. So to echo what our Premier said recently, every worker deserves to be paid a fair wage, and every business bidding on a government contract deserves a fair shot. We’re taking action so that employers aren’t going to be able to win a competition by unfairly lowering workers’ wages. It’s just one of the ways that we are standing up for workers in what is a changing economy.

Our economy is strong and growing; unemployment is at the lowest it has been in almost two decades, at around 5%. It’s even lower in my community of Kitchener-Waterloo and Waterloo region, where we have a very robust economy.

Hon. Jeff Leal: I think the local member said there was a depression or a recession going on there, but things are moving—

Hon. Daiene Vernile: Well, that member needs to look at the results that are being turned in by Stats Canada, unless, of course, she wishes to challenge that.

Ontario is also leading the G7 in growth. But, you know, while businesses are expanding and enjoying this growth, I will say that not everyone is benefitting from this wealth and from this growth. That’s why we brought forward Bill 148, landmark legislation to modernize our labour and employment laws; it’s why we introduced Bill 3, another very progressive piece of legislation; and it’s why we introduced Bill 53, legislation to enshrine the principle of fair wages.

I will be supporting this; I hope that members of the opposition will, too.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments.

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Thank you to the member for Windsor–Tecumseh for standing and, as always, bringing forward in the debate quotes from those who are part of the historic past of this great nation. I think of Shakespeare and also, of course, some more modern quotes from some people that I’m surprised to hear him quote but whose quotes are actually perhaps very concerning to this Liberal government.

When we hear Pat Dillon, a bagman for the Liberal Party, coming out and saying that there might be something negative to something that the Liberals have done, well, shocker—15 years of failing to stand up for workers and now the Liberal government wants to put through another piece of legislation just to sort of spread their own feathers and try to make themselves look better heading into an election. We know we’re only a couple of weeks away from an election, but quite frankly, Mr.

Speaker, it’s blatant how you can see this piece of legislation was written on the back of a napkin, that this government decided to come forward with this without any real interactions with those who are being affected, as we can see. The Ontario General Contractors Association felt that they had no idea this legislation was coming. They are very concerned about that. We heard a little bit of that from the member for Tecumseh’s speech this morning.

The reality is that we can’t trust the Liberals to get things right. They’ve had 15 years to stand up for workers and only now at the end of their tenure are they suddenly deciding to take this approach.

The reality is, the member opposite likes to talk about being progressive, likes to talk about looking forward. Well, there’s nothing progressive about weighing down future generations with hundreds of billions of dollars of debt. There’s nothing progressive about having every man, woman and child in the province of Ontario owing $26,000. Even the NDP understood that in Saskatchewan. The NDP understood that in Manitoba. There’s something progressive about this Liberal government’s actions.

Applause.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments?

Mr. Wayne Gates: I wouldn’t clap too loud for the PC Party right away, because do you know what? It’s 9 o’clock in the morning and the PCs are standing up, talking about unions. Do you know what? I have spent my entire 40 years—

Mr. Toby Barrett: This is a labour bill.

Mr. Wayne Gates: It is a labour bill. Let me finish. I’m the one talking. I don’t want to be heckled at this time of the morning, especially after the Leafs lost.

Let’s tell the truth here in this House for a change: I have spent my entire life standing up for workers in the province of Ontario. And, for 40 years, do you know what party I had to fight to make sure that minimum wage was taken care of, to make sure that my workers had health and safety regulations, to make sure that we didn’t have to have days of action in the province of Ontario? Do you know who it was? It was the Conservative Party. I understand why the member doesn’t know that, because, to his credit, he’s a young guy who got elected to this Legislature. I congratulate that.

He’s actually extremely intelligent. I love listening to him. But the history is the history, and that party has never once—never once—stood up for workers in the province of Ontario. I want to be very clear, and on this bill it’s even clearer.

In 1995 the NDP government brought in the fair wage act, and guess what happened the minute that the Conservatives took over Parliament? What happened? They suspended it. For eight years—eight years—the fair wage policy was never ever reviewed—never, for 8 years. Do you know why? Because they don’t believe in fair wages. They don’t believe in making sure that people within the province of Ontario have a standard of living that we can take care of our kids and our grandkids, send them to school, put them into hockey. They can say what they want, but I’ve done it my entire life. I’ve taken it on. So I wanted to say that.

Then what happened for eight years? Mr. Speaker, you’re smiling, but I want you to smile on this: Do you know what the minimum wage stayed at for eight years? $6.85. That’s how much it stayed at.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments?

Hon. Reza Moridi: Mr. Speaker, it’s a great pleasure to stand in this House and speak about Bill 53, the Government Contract Wages Act. As my colleague from Niagara Falls mentioned, when the Conservative Party was in office for eight years, they never increased the minimum wage. It remained the same for eight years. Since the Liberal government came into office in 2003, we increased that minimum wage every year, except in 2009 when we hit a very, very big recession.

We already brought legislation, Bill 148, where we increased minimum wage to $14, and it’s going to become $15 starting January 1 next year. Also, based on Bill 148, we introduced two paid sick days for all workers, increased vacation times and also introduced equal pay for equal work. This bill, Bill 53, is in fact a continuation of Bill 148.

Mr. Speaker, our economy is growing very fast. We are now one of the fastest-growing economies in the western world. In fact, we are leading the G7 countries, as well as Canadian provinces, in terms of economic growth. Our unemployment rate is the lowest in a few decades.

We are also investing $230 billion in infrastructure projects. This means that there will be an enormous amount of economic development, and lots of jobs are going to be created based on government contracts. We want to make sure that contractors and employers who are going to bid on government contracts are not going to reduce their wages in their proposals to be able to win the contracts.

That’s all about this bill. I’m supporting this bill, and I hope my colleagues in this House will support it as well.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): One of the New Democrats can now reply.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: I’d like to take this opportunity to thank those who have spoken on the subject this morning.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, when I asked the question, “Why now, on the eve of an election?”, said, “Because it’s never too late to stand up for workers on government contracts.” I fully agree. We should be standing up more for workers all the time in this House. This should be a non-partisan issue of supporting workers, supporting a $15 minimum wage; not going back to the days of $6.85, or whatever it was, for eight years.

Also I don’t think it’s too late to look at your legislation and see that one classification of government contract workers has been forgotten. We’re looking after construction, we’re looking after security and we’re looking after cleaners, but we completely forgot about the men and women who work in the kitchen and in the cafeteria, who serve our food and wash our dishes. When we go to receptions, they look after us. They’re on contracts.

I heard the Minister of Labour say that we should be treating our workers with dignity and respect. I fully agree. But we should be treating the people downstairs with the same dignity and respect that we’re going to be giving to the people who clean the floors in the offices in government buildings, the people who work on government projects, the security guards and the parking lot attendants looking after the security of government buildings. The people downstairs deserve our dignity and our respect just as much as any other worker.

Minister, I applaud you for saying that it’s never too late. I hope your caucus will see that it’s never too late to improve the bill and to include them in there. It’s a bill worthy of support if everyone is included, no one is excluded and no one is left behind. I applaud you for bringing that up this morning.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Further debate?

Hon. Jeff Leal: I’ll be sharing my time with the very distinguished Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

This is a real opportunity to chat about Bill 53, the Government Contract Wages Act, 2018. This is an important piece of legislation. As well you know, Mr. Speaker, I was a city councillor in Peterborough for 18 years, from 1985 until the fall of 2003. Then I got the great privilege and honour of representing the constituents of Peterborough here in the Ontario Legislature.

I recall, when I was a city councillor, that one of the things that we attempted to do in the city of Peterborough, as we were having contracts for a wide variety of things that a municipality contracts for, was make sure that those companies that we were doing business with were paying fair wages.

That was something that we certainly embraced as a municipality, to make sure that whether we were doing paving contracts, whether we were contracting for IT services and all those things that municipalities do each and every day—the folks that were doing the maintenance work at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, at Northcrest Arena or at the Kinsmen Club—that their wage levels were more reflective of what was earned by the employees of the city of Peterborough, who were represented so ably by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, CUPE; to make sure that we treated those employees with the same opportunity.

By and large, it worked very successfully in the city of Peterborough in those areas. That’s what, in many ways, Bill 53 is all about.

I want to commend my friend from Windsor–Tecumseh when he’s talking about the folks who work here, who provide excellent service each and every day. I often reflect on the late Senator Ted Kennedy. He wrote an autobiography called True Compass, which certainly was a great chronicle of his time in the United States Senate and his various legislative accomplishments.

One of the things he really emphasized with his family—he shared some anecdotal stories about people who would be working in hotels across the United States. When they got good service, whether it was in restaurants in the United States or hotels, the Kennedy family members made sure that was recognized by providing an extra few dollars to recognize that great service.

He was one of those individuals, a very distinguished American senator, who wanted to make sure that everybody had a chance in American society. He recognized, whether you were working in a restaurant in a five-star hotel in New York City or you were working in Houston or wherever, that everybody deserved a chance, with dignity, to have a level of wages to sustain his or her family going forward. In many ways, that’s a very important aspect of Bill 53 that we’re talking about today.

The member also emphasized that tomorrow is the National Day of Mourning. I will take the opportunity to be at city hall in Peterborough. This is an important issue because we, particularly in Peterborough, have been working with GE workers, those individuals who were exposed to a wide series of toxins between 1945 and 2000.

Mr. Speaker, it’s a bit of a personal issue for me. My late father had a career at GE for 40 years. He was a machinist. I was in the plant on numerous occasions over those 40 years during the various open houses. It is personal because my father retired in 1982, after working 40 straight years, and he was dead a year later due to lung cancer.

I share those stories with people. They’re coming to my constituency office and we’re trying to really get these things resolved. We have in many of the historic manufacturers across the province of Ontario men and women who worked hard for many, many years. Then, after they retire, they certainly develop all these cancer—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): The member for Haldimand–Norfolk.

Mr. Toby Barrett: Speaker, I’m just wondering if a quorum is present.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Ms. Valerie Quioc Lim): A quorum is not present, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker ordered the bells rung.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Ms. Valerie Quioc Lim): A quorum is now present, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has the floor.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Mr. Speaker, I will finish quickly because I want to leave some time for my colleague.

It was interesting. My father was—and my friends in the NDP would appreciate this—an organizer for the old UE, the united electrical workers union. It’s interesting that my father, when he retired, did not receive, after 40 years of work, one GE pension cheque, because in those days there was a provision in the Unemployment Insurance Act that after retiring, you drew EI for a year because you paid into it all that time. He was left in a position to never, ever draw, after 40 years, one pension cheque from General Electric. That’s just the way it was set up in those days.

More work needs to be done, there’s no question in my mind. But one of the fundamental principles, I believe, here in the province of Ontario is that men and women who put in a hard day’s work deserve compensation that reflects that effort each and every day. Whether it’s the minimum wage or Bill 53, this is an important way to build a basic floor for every citizen in the province of Ontario—very important to us all.

I’ll now turn it over to my colleague the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): I recognize the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

Hon. Chris Ballard: I thank my colleague who spoke before me. He’s talking about, obviously, Bill 53, but what is near and dear to his heart, quite evident to me, is the treatment of workers in Ontario, specifically in his riding around issues with the GE plant and in fact his own father. I think a number of us share those types of stories.

Speaker, I know my dad got his start at a GE plant here in Toronto, making water turbines. I had two uncles who worked there as well. All three of them worked together as young apprentices learning their trades. My two uncles spent most of their time working as electricians, up to their arms in PCBs. Now we know about PCBs; we know about the dangers. Neither of them lived a very lengthy life. They both died young, and I suspect it was because of the chemical exposure. My own father died of cancer that I suspect was related to industrial chemical exposures over a life spent building this province.

I heard stories throughout his career about how tough it was—and I know how tough it was—working with employers who would lock out their workers every year to negotiate as they began the negotiations.

So I certainly feel for that member and all workers at this time of year. It’s why I think Bill 53 is all about fairness and is all about trying to create a more level playing field. Our government is committed to building a strong workforce that’s fair and balanced, and progressive policies for Ontario workers and employees. We’re doing that, in part, through legislation like Bill 53, that ensures fairness when dealing with government procurement; that fairness is paramount. So I fully support this proposed legislation.

Our Premier said earlier that every worker deserves to be paid a fair wage and every business bidding for government contracts deserves a fair shot. We’re taking this action so that employers won’t be able to win a competition by unfairly lowering workers’ wages. That’s a story I’ve heard for many years and one that, frankly, has made me angry at the treatment of workers over the years, whether it be municipal, provincial or federal competitions.

This bill is just one of many ways that our government has been standing up for workers in a rapidly changing economy. We hear that phrase time and again, “the rapidly changing economy,” and we will continue to change. I know deep thinkers—a fellow by the name of Buckminster Fuller, for example, talked about accelerating acceleration. He talked about the totality of human nature and how it’s rapidly increasing and doubling, some say as fast as every 18 hours, in terms of the total data that’s being collected around the world.

So it does make one feel a bit tired with all of the new information, all of the new ways coming about. We have to protect workers in this era of a rapidly changing economy.

But I will say, Speaker, that I think it’s in large part because of legislation like the proposed Bill 53 and other legislation, other policies, this government has put in place that Ontario’s economy is strong and it is growing. We’re told by Statistics Canada, that organization that gathers such information, that Ontario’s GDP is expected to continue to outpace Canada. It’s expected to outpace the G7 by somewhere around 2% to 2.2% over the coming five years. That’s quite a phenomenal level of growth, Speaker.

I know that since the depths of the great recession of 2018 we have created 800,000-plus good jobs right here in Ontario. We’re continuing to add jobs day in and day out—good-paying, full-time jobs, I might add, according to Statistics Canada.

I know that in the business sector—I meet regularly with my two chambers of commerce. I’m lucky enough, fortunate enough, to have two chambers: one in Newmarket and one in Aurora. If I’m not meeting members at the local grocery store or at some other event in town, we’re sitting down and having discussions around government policy and what’s happening in the small business and medium-size business sector within my riding of Newmarket–Aurora—two great organizations, I might add. We talk about a number of very important things.

When we talk about growth here in Ontario, I’m always proud, as my colleague did yesterday, to talk about our clean-tech sector and the rapid growth we have seen—the rapid creation of jobs, the rapid creation of wealth—right here in Ontario. I am told by my local businesses involved in the clean-tech sector and I’m told by businesses from across Ontario involved in the clean-tech sector that they are investing in Ontario. They’re creating jobs here in Ontario, because we have a long-term commitment to solving climate change.

But back to Bill 53, Mr. Speaker, I said Ontario’s economy is strong and it’s growing. Unemployment is the lowest it’s been since, I believe, 2000, but there is a problem. While we are expanding, while our economy is growing, while we are adding jobs, not everyone is feeling the benefits of this growth. That’s one of the reasons why we brought forward Bill 148, that landmark legislation that is modernizing our labour and employment laws.

We know that, through Bill 148, we’ve raised the general minimum wage to $14 an hour now, soon going to $15 an hour. We’ve introduced two paid sick days for all workers. We’ve increased vacation time. We’ve introduced equal pay for equal work. And we’ve increased enforcement of these labour laws. That is so important.

It’s why we introduced Bill 3, which is another progressive piece of legislation that ensures we have pay transparency in the province of Ontario. All of these things, all of these pieces of legislation, are connected in order to build this fairer employment system. It’s why I’m so pleased that we introduced Bill 53, the Government Contract Wages Act, which would, if passed, protect workers’ wages on government contracts.

As I said earlier, the nature of our workplaces has changed and so, too, have governments’ procurement practices. We had the fair wage policy dating back to the 1930s, but it was last updated in 1995. Wages are out of date. The bodies that are written into the current policy are also out of date.

Therefore, we’re proposing to expand the scope of the original legislation through the Government Contract Wages Act. Through this legislation, if you work on a government project in the construction and building services and building cleaning sectors, you will be paid fairly. I do take note of my member opposite and his comments about those folks who are involved in food services.

The initial scope of Bill 53 would apply to all government ministries, as well as public bodies, as laid out under the public services of Ontario. I understand there are currently 152 public bodies prescribed under this act, including Metrolinx, Infrastructure Ontario and the LCBO.

It is important that we create a sustainable fair wage policy for the sectors before we expand to the broader public service, but the proposed legislation—and I want to emphasize this—does allow the government to add other entities that receive public funding in the future.

This legislation will enshrine the principle of a fair prevailing wage into law and provide the necessary support to enforce it, to make it work. It is what is fair, it is the right thing to do, and it is why I will be supporting this legislation as it goes forward.

I will be thinking about not only my relatives who have worked with their hands, who have worked in industry, who quite literally built this province and this country and who were too often treated unfairly in the workplace, whether it be through exposure to dangerous chemicals or through employers who treated their relationship with their employees in too cavalier a way—that has to stop. Bill 53, the Government Contract Wages Act, 2018, will go a long way, I think, to addressing some of the inequalities, some of the unfairness, in government contracts.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions or comments? The member for Whitby–Oshawa.

Mr. Lorne Coe: Good morning, Speaker, and thank you. It’s always good to see you in the chair, and today to have the opportunity to respond to the comments by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

Speaker, you and other members of the Legislature will know that I’ve had the privilege of working as a civil servant at Queen’s Park for a number of years in a number of ministries. One of the aspects of having that experience is understanding the policy framework that takes place in the development of legislation. In this particular bill, this is not about good public policy. These changes could have been done through regulation. Everyone here knows that. They could have been done through regulation rather than creating a whole separate piece of legislation.

When you read the actual bill, what’s clear is that most of the impact of this proposed legislation—yes, it could be done by regulation but, equally important, orders issued by the new director of government contract wages.

Troubling within that particular framework is that this would all be done outside of the legislative process and therefore not scrutinized by members in this Legislative Assembly today, or by the public. I find that particularly troubling in the context of transparency and moving forward with this particular piece of legislation.

I’m also troubled by the lack of consultation. Other members of the Legislative Assembly have talked about that consultation. We know that robust consultation always leads to a better piece of legislation going forward.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments?

Mr. Wayne Gates: I’m going to start off by talking about how I had a conversation yesterday, as a number of our caucus members did as well, and we spoke to the provincial trades and construction trades on this bill. They’ve raised concerns regarding this piece of legislation. I’d like to thank them for coming forward with some of that information.

Right now, the bill does not have an annual review for wage schedules. This is something that is clearly lacking, and I believe the government is aware of that. However, it’s certainly important to outline that.

Also, the building trades are telling us they need broader language—best-documented, most prevalent wage rate in each ICI sector, versus just reviewing collective agreements and government stats.

It’s a little surprising this late in the game that you haven’t had that kind of conversation and dialogue with the building trades.

We’re talking about fair wages, and what I’ve always found interesting at Queen’s Park is that the only party that has unionized staff, right here at Queen’s Park, is the NDP, which means that our staff have a collective agreement. They have health and safety regulations—as we were talking about the Day of Mourning this week, where people have lost their lives and continue to be injured on job sites. They have a grievance procedure. They have fair wages. They have language that covers their daily work. If they do have an issue, they can obviously put in a grievance, because they have a grievance procedure.

My question to the Liberals and to the Conservatives, as they all stand up and talk about workers: Why are they not unionized? Why do you not have, right here at Queen’s Park, every single worker working in your staff unionized?

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments.

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: I’m very pleased to rise today and talk about Bill 53. I’m also very pleased and proud that this government is bringing about fairness in labour and more fair legislation with respect to workers in this province, of many different sectors.

Bill 148 was a landmark piece of legislation that improved fairness in wages. Many other pieces of legislation were within that bill, with respect to vacation time, paid sick days etc. It’s also, as the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change brought us up to speed on, why we introduced Bill 3 as well.

I was pleased, as well, to hear the member from Windsor–Tecumseh bring up the National Day of Mourning, something that will be acknowledged as well in my riding of Kingston and the Islands this coming Saturday. I’m very pleased that they are once again bringing forward the awareness that is so absolutely necessary.

I was also heartened to hear the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs talk about his father and, regrettably, the cancer that he passed away from. My brother also has COPD, and it’s something that has come about as a result of unsafe workplaces.

But, at last, this bill is very important—

Ms. Sylvia Jones: Point of order.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): A point of order, the member for Dufferin–Caledon.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: I don’t believe we have a quorum in the House, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Do we have a quorum?

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. William Short): A quorum is not present, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker ordered the bells rung.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Mr. William Short): A quorum is now present, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Thank you. I will give the member for Kingston and the Islands a few more seconds to wind up.

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As we know, if passed, the legislation would create a new director of government contract wages who would oversee the fair wage office. I think that this is very important. Once it has been created, the fair wage office will establish fair wages for each sector. Contractors and subcontractors will be required to pay fair wages.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): One last question or comment.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: Before I add to the comments already made on Bill 53, I want to quote something from Building a Better Business Climate for Ontario: “Government does not create the good jobs that help families get ahead and make Ontario the economic engine of Canada. Businesses create those jobs.”

Now, I have no qualms with Bill 53. I question why we need it, because this is directly related to establishment of minimum government contract wages. You can write it in your contracts because you are doing the hiring. You are setting up those contracts. There is no need for Bill 53 because you can do it when you write the contracts and when you let the bids. So I don’t understand why we’re spending time on a bill that we don’t need.

As many of you know, I’m not a big fan of regulation. I get concerned about how many regulations get passed without proper debate. But this particular piece of legislation is exactly where regulation could be used and should be used. It’s government contracts. Write the contracts in such a way that the employees who work and the companies who get those contracts actually have to pay a fair wage. It’s very simple. It’s very easy.

I don’t know why we’re doing it and I don’t understand why we have to pass legislation to ensure it can happen because, frankly, you can already do it right now.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change to reply.

Hon. Chris Ballard: Thank you to my colleagues from around the House for speaking to the bill—from Niagara Falls, Kingston and the Islands, and Dufferin–Caledon. I certainly have been listening attentively to them. I go back to what both my colleague the Minister of Agriculture and small business and myself started off by talking about: This is about a commitment to build a strong workforce, one that is fair, one that is balanced and one that has progressive policies for Ontario workers and employers.

At the end of the day, this is a piece of legislation that builds on our other legislation: Bill 3 and Bill 148. This is a piece of legislation that builds on that foundation of fairness. It is, at the end of the day, all about fairness. We’re ensuring fairness when dealing with the government. It is paramount. It’s why, as I said earlier, I will fully support this legislation going forward.

I said it earlier and I’ll say it again: We’re taking action. We’re taking action through legislation and corresponding regulation. We’re updating a piece of legislation that was created in 1930, tweaked in 1995 and needs a serious refresh in 2018. We’re doing it because now is the second-best time. Twenty years ago would have been an even better time, but now is the second-best time. Through this bill, we will ensure that workers who are employed on government contracts are treated fairly by their employers.

Bill 53, the Government Contract Wages Act, 2018, I think we all—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Further debate.

Mr. Toby Barrett: As we know, certainly from debate this morning, Bill 53 will set minimum government contract wage rates for construction workers and building service workers—cleaners, security—those working under a government contract. We have legislation that would include provisions, certainly within regulation, for market standard rates.

I’m assuming there will be a mechanism to do the research, to really crunch the comparables between public sector and private sector wage rates. This government does recognize that government employees make significantly more money than private sector employees for doing exactly the same work. In my understanding, that’s one of the premises behind this particular piece of legislation.

This puts the onus on the contractors and the subcontractors. It’s essentially a market intervention by government to let those who are fortunate enough to get one of those government contracts know what they’re required to pay their own employees.

When government starts wading into labour economics and wading into the setting of salaries and wages—let alone perks. I don’t know how far regulation will go. Does it get involved in other perks: pensions, holiday time, lieu time, sick time? We’ve seen that with very recent minimum wage legislation, which is exactly what this is. This probably could have been amended or added to—when we talk about a minimum government contract wage, it may well have been better suited to be included in the previous legislation on minimum wage in the province of Ontario.

Obviously, this government supports contracting out. Maybe they have a plan to push additional contract work and additional outsourcing of government work to contractors and subcontractors. They very clearly recognize the public sector makes more money than the private sector for similar types of work. Contractors obviously bid on government contracts. They are now going to have to take these new wage rates—the minimum wage rates—into account.

We’ve got legislation. From what I can see, it updates the 1995 existing fair wage policy. Apparently, this may be the first update since 1995. Maybe I should know that. That’s when I was elected. That’s back when Elizabeth Witmer was the labour minister.

As with just about all of the legislation that this present government brings forward, we all realize the devil will be detailed in the regulations, and it will probably be specific to sector, to region. It would have to accommodate existing collective agreements in many cases, somewhat akin to any job-specific minimum pay rate or minimum wage. I mention that in this kind of legislation, we never talk about maximum wage. We think of the CEO of Hydro One; again, something that comes from a government that privatized that gigantic entity. It does raise a lot of questions.

In this kind of legislation, when you start setting minimum government contract wages, my first question is, how much does this cost? Very clearly, it would cost the employer. It will cost the contractor and the subcontractor. This will also cost the taxpayer. By and large, when you set a minimum government contract wage, it will probably be set at a higher level, not at a lower level, because government workers make more money than private sector workers for similar work in many, many cases.

When we debate legislation, we’re given little to go by on this particular legislation, beyond asking how much it is going to cost. Has there been a cost-benefit analysis? Has there been a cost-risk analysis? When I say “risk,” what impact will this have on employment? What impact would have this on employees with companies where much of their business relies on government contracts? Are they going to walk away?

Are they not going to bid on the next round of contracts in their sector, for example, given the expectation that when their men and women are working on a government job, they will be required to—I’m assuming—pay them more money, not less money? What is the impact going to be on jobs?

Has the research been done? Do we have the comparables? Does anyone do work on the comparables between the private sector and the public sector? I know the Fraser Institute does. When you take in not only wages and salaries, when you include benefits—I mentioned the perks: the pensions, sick time, lieu time, on and on. When you add it all up together, on average, in the province of Ontario, if you have a government job, you’re 30% better off than if you have a similar private sector job. You do better if you’re working in the kitchen trade in a correctional institution, for example; much better than if you’re doing similar work in the kitchen trade in a private sector restaurant.

The Toronto Star reported that Premier Wynne made an announcement at a union local, a training facility on Warden. She said, “Every worker deserves to be paid a fair wage.” I agree with that. I was brought up with another mantra, a saying: a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Work and pay obviously go together; should go together. Even in government programs, those two things should be linked: equal pay for equal work. I firmly believe in that, and it doesn’t matter if you have a government job or a private sector job.

I have never perceived it as being fair that you do the same job under government as you would in the private sector but you make more money and you get a pension. It doesn’t seem to be fair, and I do hear that from people in my riding, because they’re the ones who are paying the freight. Many of the people who are paying, through their taxes, for these kinds of salaries and wages and pensions and what have you don’t make that kind of money and they don’t have pensions.

At this announcement at the local, Premier Wynne talked about other things, of course: the government’s move to close the gender gap; to ensure part-time workers receive equal pay; improvements to sick days.

So in Bill 53 we’re debating the merit of a minimum government contract wage. We know that when you introduce any change to a system with respect to wage rates in the province of Ontario, there will be other impacts that flow throughout the system. Oftentimes you can label this collateral damage, as I mentioned. Contractors, subcontractors may be forced to not bid, to reduce staff; it may go as far as laying people off. Benefits can be taken off the table. We’ve seen this movie before.

It’s very bad for people in Ontario who want to go to work. It’s very bad, and this could have impact—and I don’t know whether the analysis has been done with respect to the minimum government contract wage. What impact will this have with respect to people with disabilities? There are services provided by government, and the employers go out of their way—and it always pays off—to provide employment for people with disabilities.

So that was an announcement. I think it was the association of plumbers and steamfitters. I get to talk to many fellows in the trades, people I know down my way, friends of mine. I don’t necessarily hear them complaining about the wage rates, the rates that they make, whether it’s a private sector job or a government job. They complain about lack of labour, lack of entrants coming in. I talk to The Iron Workers, for example. They complain about the fact that young people come in—they want to train young people; very high standards within the Iron Workers’ union.

The one question they always ask is, what’s seven times eight? Oftentimes, young people don’t know the answer. That’s dangerous. Seven times eight.

Hon. Reza Moridi: It’s 56.

Mr. Toby Barrett: Excellent. You would make a good ironworker. When you’re up there, up top, you’ve got to get the math right. Somebody has the math right. It could be downright dangerous.

A number of buddies of mine, electricians, industrial electricians—some of them have walked away from that trade. There are so many impacts; the College of Trades, for example. We just have to be cognizant of the negative impact that government can have on the workplace.

In the interests of time, I should change gear a little bit here. You know, when the other minimum wage came out—and there are several categories of minimum wages; this will add yet another category, the minimum government contract wage under Bill 53—CFIB, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, reported late last spring that their organization was blindsided by that 32% increase in the general minimum wage. I don’t know: Is this going to be a 32% increase? I would suggest that it could well be a 30% increase because in the public sector if you rolled in everything, it’s 30% to the good versus the private sector. CFIB was blindsided by this turn of events.

I will mention, just as LIUNA was blindsided by the

schedule 14 changes to the Labour Relations Act—it was in the media quite recently—which removes the bargaining rights of thousands of workers with the Laborers’ International Union—this was a system that had been in place since 1970. That’s before Bill Davis. Removing labourers who put up the forms for forming concrete—apparently that, by government edict, would be transferred to a carpenters’ union. I really question that.

I’ve done a bit of that work. I spent many, many summers as a labourer. I was a labourer with tinware. Our local, Can Workers’ Local 35, became Steelworkers later on, but that was all through mutual agreement. The Can Workers were kind of diminishing somewhat, and felt that there would be more heft or strength in numbers by voluntarily going over to the Steelworkers.

We’ve seen this film before with respect to the minimum wage. That has turned out to be a job killer.

It has been very tough on people with disabilities. Invariably, people with disabilities want to work; the remuneration is secondary. They don’t necessarily aspire to make big bucks. So many of these young people that I know want to work and want to be happy. That’s what it’s all about: that feeling of self-worth, that feeling of camaraderie, to be able to go to the lunchroom every day, to maybe grab the bus or get a ride with their parents or a friend, and to have that ritual and to do the same thing every day, and to be just like the rest of us: go to work every day.

When you bring in legislation like this—we saw this before with the minimum wage—setting wage rates in contracts, what kind of impact will this have on productivity? Has this been checked out—the impact on our competitiveness? And, of course, what kind of impact will this have on jobs? How will this stack up with some of our neighbouring competing jurisdictions just, say, around the Great Lakes? It’s something we think of with regard to agribusiness. We have to be competitive across the border. Do they have this kind of system to ensure that the required work is being done within government?

My time is running short, Speaker. I do want to stress that, as far as pay equity—I see this as pay equity, as far as contract work. How far do we take this? Is it just wages? Is it just salary?

As I said, do we look at the other perks, those perks that have created an inequity that’s something in the order of 30% if you count everything, if you count the total package? Does this generate any kind of resentment in the workplace? You’re on a contract. You get a bit more on your monetary paycheque. But the people you’re working side by side with have a fairly nice pension, and you don’t have that pension.

Again, how much will this cost? We know that it’s going to cost the contractors and subcontractors more money. This will cost government more money, and we have to think about this given, certainly, recent announcements. Thankfully, our Auditor General has made very public the fact that we’re apparently spending something like $158 billion this year. This legislation will go through; how much does that add?

I will say that we spent $158 billion through the Ontario government; half of that expenditure is for public sector compensation. That would include payment to contractors and subcontractors. So that $79 billion that is directed towards compensation, again, at that 30% premium over, say, other comparable private sector work—so there’s a wage and benefit bill. That 30% is something like $24 billion higher than if government workers were making comparable wages to the private sector.

By the same token, with Bill 53, it would conceivably increase the cost of government, and as I say, that figure we hear from the Fraser Institute, if you include everything, up to 30%. Any credible plan to attempt to balance the books must tackle this issue. It has to take a look at public sector compensation.

I’m not alone in saying this. I would quote a former Ontario Liberal finance minister, Dwight Duncan. As he had indicated a number of years ago, “We can’t manage the deficit without addressing what is the single biggest line item in our budget—public sector compensation.”

This is what we’re talking about here today, indirectly: public sector compensation as it flows to the contracts. The question is, to what extent will Bill 53 help to bring public sector and private sector wages and benefits in line? I guess it will on that particular cleaning contract, for example, but what kind of a broader impact will this proposed legislation have on Bill 53?

We know the bill proposes to appoint a director of government contract wages. I assume that office will grow to be a larger and larger office. It’s a lot of work for that person to be involved in because the wages aren’t going to be set perhaps by collective negotiation, for example. It looks like a government-appointed person is going to bring down an edict: “This is how much money you’re making on that job. End of story.” I just hope those kinds of decisions are backed up by research and by making the comparisons between the private sector and the public sector.

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

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): This House is in recess until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1013 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: It’s an honour to be able to introduce to the Legislature today Michelle Scobie, who is a lecturer in international law and global environmental governance at the University of the West Indies. She is here visiting today from Trinidad and Tobago.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Welcome.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Speaker, I want to introduce a very good friend of mine who is visiting Queen’s Park, equally a great constituent of mine. Please welcome Jackie Choquette to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Robert Bailey: I’d like to introduce a good friend of mine in the west members’ gallery: Lorne Given from Petrolia. Also joining him later are Stephanie Lobsinger, Annabelle Rayson, Eric Rayson and Cynthia Rayson. Annabelle was a page here in the last session.

Mr. Bob Delaney: I have been waiting to see whether or not my colleague from Cambridge would make it into the House, but on behalf of the member for Cambridge and page captain Madeline Buss, I’d like to welcome her parents, Charlotte and Stephen Buss, her brother, Graham Buss, and her grandfather Jack Ruttle. They will be in the members’ gallery this morning. Please give them a warm welcome.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: Please join me in welcoming, from the beautiful riding of Dufferin–Caledon, Cynthia Oudin.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: We have with us in the members’ gallery today a very good friend of mine from North Bay, via Ottawa: Stephanie Delorme.

Hon. David Zimmer: I’d like to introduce the father, Darrin Mulligan, and the grandmother, Jean Mulligan, of my legislative assistant, Sasha Boutilier.

National Day of Mourning

Mr. Mike Colle: Point of order, Mr. Speaker: I believe you will find that we have unanimous consent that members be permitted to wear pins to recognize the day of mourning and that we observe a moment’s silence in remembrance of those who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace-related hazards and incidents.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Eglinton–Lawrence is seeking unanimous consent to wear the pins to recognize the day of mourning and observe a moment of silence for those workers who have been killed, injured and suffered illness due to workplace-related hazards and incidents. Do we agree? Agreed. We may wear the pins now.

I would ask all members in the entire House to please rise to observe a moment of silence for those that have been killed or injured on the job.

The House observed a moment of silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): God rest their souls.

Oral Questions

Government accounting practices

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The response to yesterday’s shocking revelation from the Auditor General, that this government has deliberately understated Ontario’s deficit by $5 billion this year, has been swift. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce issued a statement yesterday after the auditor affirmed Ontario actually has an $11.7-billion deficit. They wrote, “If the province of Ontario were a publicly held company, we as shareholders would deserve and demand clarity and accountability from our board and auditors. That is similarly our right as Ontarians.”

Speaker, business confidence in this government is shaken. Is the Premier’s re-election bid worth destabilizing investment confidence in Ontario?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I know that the President of the Treasury Board is going to want to comment on this. In fact, the only reason that we are having this conversation is that this government introduced the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act, and therefore there is a pre-election report. That’s why we are having this conversation.

I think that, through the pre-election report—the Office of the Auditor General’s analysis—Ontarians are given the information that they need to make an informed decision.

The fact is that there is an ongoing dispute between professional accountants. That is a reality. It’s been going on for a couple of years. It is absolutely true that there is a disagreement between—

Mr. Todd Smith: No, it’s not.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I’m quite prepared to move immediately to warnings if I hear further outbursts.

Mr. Todd Smith: Outbursts?

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Yes, they are outbursts. You’re supposed to be quiet during question period, believe it or not. It’s in the standing orders, and I’m going to fulfill them.

Premier.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Just to say, Mr. Speaker, it is an ongoing dispute between professional accountants. We recognize that. We respect the perspective of the Auditor General, but that dispute has been going on for a couple of years.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: Well, no, Speaker. We’re having this conversation because the government continues to present an incorrect picture of the province’s finances. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce had even more to say. They wrote, “It is deeply concerning that the government of Ontario would be accused of not following the Canadian public sector accounting standards.”

When the Auditor General summed it up, she said, “When expenses are understated, the perception is created that government has more money available than it actually does”—just in time for a pre-election budget. How convenient.

The Premier needs to know the jig is up. Will she admit the government’s numbers are wrong?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: President of the Treasury Board.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: I thank the member opposite for his question, because it provides me with the opportunity to provide some much-needed context to this discussion.

First of all, again, I want to thank the Auditor General for her pre-election report. We appreciate her work to ensure that the public received an independent assessment of our province’s finances.

Let me remind the House and the member opposite of something critically important: We passed legislation to do this, so the notion that we aren’t being transparent is not only factually incorrect; it risks sending a negative and inappropriate message to the people of Ontario. And that is exactly what they’re doing. They’re not—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Nepean–Carleton is warned.

Carry on.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: If the members opposite want to continue to undermine confidence in our province and our provincial institutions, that’s up to them—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Leeds–Grenville is warned.

Carry on.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: —but here’s precisely what the auditor said, in case the member opposite missed it: “The pre-election report provides a reasonable and somewhat cautious underpinning for the medium-term” fiscal forecasts. She said we were reasonable and cautious—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Final supplementary.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: Actually, Speaker, we on this side of the House and the people of Ontario understand that it’s the government who put the government at risk, nobody else.

The Auditor General’s job is to state the true picture of Ontario’s finances. Now, based on the auditor’s shocking revelation, here’s more from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce: “The government of Ontario, and through them the people of Ontario, either respect our legislative officers or we do not.” That is exactly why Ontario PC leader Doug Ford has committed to a full audit of the government’s books to restore responsibility, accountability and trust in government.

Can the Premier tell us today, what is the government of Ontario—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Finance is warned.

Finish, please.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Can the Premier tell us today exactly what is the government of Ontario’s deficit for 2018-19?

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: Listening to the rhetoric from the opposite side, let me just respond to something very important that the member opposite just said. Implicitly, the leader of the PC party, Doug Ford, is now questioning the Auditor General’s competency. I’ll tell you why: He says that he’s going to provide independent audits. Guess what that discounts? Our professional and highly competent public servants, our professional deputy minister of the Treasury Board and the Deputy Minister of Finance, who not only sign off on our fiscal plan, but give us precisely the kind of advice and confidence in our books that we need.

By the way, when it comes to some of the issues that the Auditor General outlined in her report, we also had independent advice by some of the most credible accounting firms in the world. We stand by that. We respectfully remind the member opposite that we have a respectful disagreement with the Auditor General. Once again, we thank her for her work.

Government accounting practices

Mr. Victor Fedeli: My question is for the Premier. The Auditor General was clear: The government’s deficit numbers are off by $5 billion this year, $5.5 billion next year, and $6 billion off—almost 100% off—the following year. Those revealed deficits are projected to grow to a total of $16.6 billion over the next three years.

We now know that in their desperation, the Premier and this government have betrayed the public’s trust. That’s why our leader, Doug Ford, has today promised that, when elected, we will launch an independent commission of inquiry. This new commission will get to the bottom of the Liberals’ deficit scandal and propose timely solutions to solving the deficit problem.

Why does it always take the OPP, the Auditor General or an investigative commission to get to the truth with this Premier?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock, please. Be seated, please. Thank you.

Premier?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: President of the Treasury Board.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: It’s troubling, to say the least, that the member opposite would conflate a respected opinion of an independent officer of this Legislature with motive or intent. As the spouse of a former OPP officer, I can tell you clearly, Speaker, that this is not about that. What this is about, and we said it yesterday, is a couple of things: number one, reminding the public of the confidence that’s necessary in our public institutions and not undermining those, which is precisely what the member opposite is doing.

Second, we thank the Auditor General for her service and we respectfully remind this House and the Ontario public that we have a difference of opinion. That is a respectful difference of opinion, and it will remain so, because we are committed to seeking professional advice from professional accountants. We did that, but we also have a highly respected public service. The member opposite diminishes that when he talks about the credibility of our work as a provincial government.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: This is not about a difference of opinion. This is about desperation. We cannot trust anything this Liberal government ever estimates or projects again. Their budget is no longer worth the paper it was printed on. The people of this province are angry, and they want answers. Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs are going to get those answers. It took 15 years for the Liberals to create this mess, and it will not be resolved overnight. But we will restore Ontario to fiscal health in a responsible manner.

Speaker, I’ll ask the Premier one more time, why does it always take the OPP, the Auditor General or an investigative commission to get to the truth with this Premier and this government?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: The member opposite now wants to do an audit of the auditor. I’m not sure what independent auditing team they intend to use. Is it KPMG? Is it Deloitte? Is it EY? Or is it Dougie Ford who’s going to go out there and look at the books?

Interjections.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Let me be clear—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock.

Regardless if the member has status in the House or not, I would ask all members: This is not the time to be disrespectful in this House to anyone. I would ask your indulgence to use proper names and, in this House, titles or ridings.

Minister.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Auditor General does make clear that the pre-election report does provide a reasonable and cautious underpinning of those fiscal forecasts that we made. The Auditor General only reflects on two issues, and they have been the same two issues for the past number of years. It’s the reflection of pension assets, which the Auditor General feels we should actually discount but every other auditor, including herself in the past, has agreed with. The second one is the fair hydro plan, which these independent, world-renowned accounting firms have prepared. She says it’s not wrong to actually do this kind of rate regulation.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

Hon. Charles Sousa: She doesn’t like it, and that’s not her—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Final supplementary.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: The Auditor General told us yesterday in her news conference that when you get pushback from the government like she’s getting, that’s the time for Ontario to worry. Now, it’s obvious to everyone in Ontario how this election document the Liberals tabled was a 100% sham. None of the care promises were included in the budget legislation. Only the tax increases made it in.

This Premier can never be trusted again, but I tell the people of Ontario that help is on the way. Doug Ford and the Ontario PCs will deliver our commitments, clean up the scandals and the waste, and protect the services that people of Ontario deserve. We will not quit until we have restored responsibility, accountability and trust to the people of Ontario.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please. Thank you.

The Minister of Labour is warned.

Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is claiming that they are not going to help the people of Ontario. They’re going to cut programs for the people of Ontario. They’re going to cut the services, cut the investments and cut the ability for Ontario to be strong and continue to grow.

Mr. Speaker, dated April 24, a couple of days ago, by a rating agency, DBRS Ltd. says that the province of Ontario has, and respectively has confirmed, Ontario Electricity Financial Corp.’s long-term obligations, as well as the province’s rating, as AA. “The trends on all ratings are stable,” including OPG, IESO and the province of Ontario. They know what’s going on, and they are supporting Ontario all the way.

Taxation

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Premier. Can the Premier explain to Ontarians why it was more important for her to have the lowest corporate tax rate in Canada than it was to fund hospitals and end hallway medicine?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: We believe we have to be competitive and we have to provide services for people in this province. That’s actually the role of government. It’s extremely important that business wants to be here, that job creation can happen. In fact, since I’ve been Premier, 400,000 net new jobs have been created, mostly in the private sector.

It’s extremely important that those jobs are created. That is how the wealth of the province is created, and then we can make the investments in health care and education that are needed, and we have every year. Every budget, we have increased funding to health care, we have increased funding to education, and we will continue to do so.

One does not exist without the other. It’s not possible to have an economy that doesn’t include wealth creation and investment in its people.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It’s about sharing the wealth. That’s the issue, Speaker, which is what the Liberals never have been able to figure out.

The Premier’s tax cuts have put money in the pockets of the wealthiest Ontarians and into the bank accounts of Ontario’s most profitable corporations. Those dollars came out of hospitals and health care. The result is that we now have hallway medicine in Ontario. Does the Premier think that’s right?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I wonder, when the NDP—and they were on this tack yesterday—stand up and basically argue that we should not be a competitive jurisdiction and that we should find ways to be uncompetitive, I wonder where they believe the funds come from to invest in health care and to invest in education.

Mr. Speaker, there is an integral relationship between the ability of this province to create wealth, to create an environment where business can thrive, and to create jobs. In this province, we are at an unemployment low of 20 years. We have not had such low unemployment, and that’s because jobs have been created. It’s because people can find jobs. It’s because we’re competitive. At the same time, we are making record investments in health care. Those two things go together.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I do meet with chambers of commerce across Ontario. Over and over, they tell me that businesses count on our health care system. It is one of our best competitive advantages. Hurting our health care system is actually bad for business.

I have a plan to make our tax system fair. Corporate taxes will be below the national average, below states like California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Wisconsin, but it will ask the wealthiest people and the most profitable corporations to pay their fair share so that we can end hallway medicine, something that is in all of our interests, Speaker. Why doesn’t the Premier get that?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Economic Development and Growth.

Hon. Steven Del Duca: As the Premier has said on repeated occasions in response to these kinds of questions from the NDP, we know that we have prosperity here in the province of Ontario because our Premier and our government continue to invest in our people and continue to invest in the core public services that the people of this province depend upon, including public health care, including public education and also including making sure that we have a competitive tax regime in place so that the entire province can prosper.

That has been the focus of our work over the last number of years and it will continue to be as we go forward because we know that we have had economic success. But we need the entire province to share in that prosperity and success, and that’s what we are exclusively focused on.

Hospital funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Every dollar that the Premier hands to the wealthiest Ontarians comes from somewhere. Under this Premier, it came from hospitals—four years of frozen budgets. It’s no wonder that there’s a crisis in health care when the Premier refuses to have anyone pay for it. Why is the Premier more interested in tax cuts than fixing health care?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Again, I believe that our health care system is two things: the finest expression of our value system and our belief as a society that we have a responsibility to care for each other, and it is also, as the leader of the third party says, a competitive advantage. She is absolutely right about that. And the reason it’s a competitive advantage, Mr. Speaker, is that it is excellent.

When I talk to businesses in other countries that are looking at Ontario and considering investing here or expanding their businesses here, they do look at our health care system. It is excellent, and the reason it is excellent is that we have continued to invest in it. There are more nurses. Our wait times are among the best in the country.

We know that there is more to be done. We recognize that. There is $822 million in our budget, and there was $500 million last year, just for hospitals, to make sure that hospitals have the resources they need. But we have an excellent health care system. It is part of our competitive advantage, and it will continue to be.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, unlike this Premier, my value system does not include hallway medicine for the people of Ontario. My value system does not include that.

People are being treated in hospital hallways because the Premier would rather hand money to her rich friends than invest in our hospitals. And if people think that it is bad now, Doug Ford’s cuts and health care privatization will make things even worse. It’s time, I think, to end the crisis that this Premier has created, and Doug Ford certainly is not the answer. New Democrats will in fact end hallway medicine.

My question is, why did the Premier let things get so bad?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Well, let’s talk about what we know needs to happen at this point, Mr. Speaker. I completely reject the notion that the leader of the third party puts forward that I don’t believe that more investments are needed, or that it’s acceptable for people to get care that’s not adequate.

Mr. Speaker, we have made investments every single year in our health care system. What we are saying now is that there is more investment that is needed. We’ve been very clear. Earlier I said $822 million; we know that’s the number that we have, working with the Ontario Hospital Association. That investment is in our budget. But last year, there was a $500 million investment, because we recognize that as the population ages, and as there are growing parts of the province where there’s more population and more need, we make sure that those parts of the province and the hospitals across the province have what they need.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that there’s more that needs to be done, but we have an excellent health care system. It is a competitive advantage and it will continue to be.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: What’s very clear is this government has been in office for 15 years, and look what we have as a result: a hallway medicine crisis. That’s exactly what we have. They had 15 years to deal with it and they made things worse.

A health care system without hallway medicine is good for business. It’s good for people. Health care is a basic that people should be able to expect from their government, but for 15 years the Liberal government chose the wealthy and the most profitable corporations instead of health care. We didn’t have to end up here, Speaker, but there is hope. An NDP government will fix it.

Will this Premier finally admit that she has created this health care crisis?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: It’s been two months since I became the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. I have had the privilege of visiting health care facilities of all types across this province in those two months, and I can tell this House that Ontario should be proud of the health care system that we currently have. We know we have more to do. We are intent on improving the system, but we have built a system that is doing an incredible job of keeping our loved ones safe, healthy and well.

Our life expectancy for males and females at 65 is now higher than the national average. It’s one of the highest in the OECD. When we look at hospital deaths, cancer outcomes or avoidable deaths from health outcomes compared to other provinces and other developed countries, we are in the top level of health care systems. We have one of the lowest rates of potential years of life lost. I want to thank yet again all the health professionals across this province who are doing an amazing job to keep Ontarians healthy and well.

Government accounting practices

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is to the Minister of Finance. The Liberals were caught yesterday with a secret, hidden ledger of the government’s finances that proved that they have doubled their deficit overnight from $6.7 billion to $11.7 billion. The auditor was very clear that their sneaky way of budgeting is costing Ontario families over $100,000 if it’s a family of four. That’s $23,000 in debt now, and over $26,000 per person in 2021—and a reminder, Speaker, that this is up from the $11,000 when they took office.

Ontarians are telling us that they can’t afford this Liberal government anymore, with their waste and their mismanagement, and there’s massive distrust of this government, because they do not feel there is value for their tax dollar.

Will the Minister of Finance finally admit that the emperor has no clothes and that that government has run out of the people’s money?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Again, we thank the Auditor General for the report and we recognize that the Auditor General made very clear that all of the assumptions the government put forward were cautious and reasonable. Two items are in dispute between professional accountants, not with the government of Ontario, but with other accounting firms and professional accountants in the system. She’s arguing, and has for some time, that the pension assets should be amended, notwithstanding the fact that those very same principles have been adhered to for the past 20 years.

On the second point, we are taking $1.5 billion off the tax base to support reductions of electricity costs, especially for rural communities. Then, there’s another proportionate amount that is coming off the rate base to amortize that asset. The Auditor General feels that shouldn’t be done that way, yet every other rate-regulated system allows for it.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Prince Edward–Hastings is warned.

Supplementary.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: The fact is, there’s only one auditor and she said that your projections are not reasonable. She also said that the perception is created that the government has more money than it actually does. There’s only one auditor.

This is the government, let me remind you, that brought in the single largest sales tax increase in Ontario’s history with the HST. They brought in the single largest income tax in Ontario history with the health tax. They brought in the single largest environmental tax in the province with the eco tax, only to be eclipsed by their cap-and-trade program. All along, these revenues have gone into the general revenue, not to specific programs, and yet they still have an $11.7-billion dollar deficit using other people’s money.

Speaker, Ontarians cannot afford the Liberals anymore and they simply cannot trust them either. Will the finance minister stand in his place and tell us what else he is hiding in the books, or does Doug Ford have to come in and do it for him?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock, please. Be seated, please. Thank you.

Minister?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Now the member is questioning the auditor once again. The fact of the matter is, the auditor has reaffirmed all the principles are operating appropriately and all the accounting is in fact accurate. What she’s saying is she would prefer that the fair hydro plan come off the tax base, not the rate base. We made a policy decision, as government, to support the ratepayers, reduce the cost of electricity and amortize it over a longer period of time, which is allowed, Mr. Speaker. It is provided by Deloitte; it’s provided by KPMG and E&Y.

The auditor goes further. The books of OPG, which is carrying this debt—she acknowledges that it’s transparent, that it’s there to be seen. She acknowledges that the clean audit by E&Y is accurate and she affirms it.

What’s being hidden are the cuts that member and her party are about to do to the people of Ontario. We’re going to grow our economy and we’re going to continue on our fiscal track to balance and make sure—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

Long-term care

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: My question is to the Premier. Carol contacted my office. She told us her husband is forced to live in long-term care because he can’t get the care he needs. She’s concerned for his health; it is steadily deteriorating. But he is still not getting enough physiotherapy. His PSW can only help him with his exercises if there’s enough time left over after his basic care is completed. And with only six to eight minutes per session, that just never happens. Carol’s husband needs more hands-on care.

After 15 years in office, why has this Premier failed to legislate the minimum standard—four hours of hands-on care—that long-term-care residents and people like Carol’s husband desperately need?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Of course, we do require our long-term-care facilities to ensure that each individual patient in their care receives the appropriate level of support that they need. In particular, we have continued to invest in long-term care in our most recent budget. We are investing an additional $300 million over three years to increase staffing in long-term care.

This is driven by our analysis of the patients, the clientele, who are actually in long-term-care facilities. They are aging. They have complex conditions. It’s a good thing, of course, that people are living longer. Our life expectancy has increased. We need to obviously address those conditions that go with aging, and we’re doing this on an individual basis on the analysis done by our LHINs in a thoroughly appropriate way.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Carol and her husband tried to avoid long-term care, but they live in a rural area. Like so many rural Ontarians, they can’t get the home care they need. They looked into retirement homes and assisted living to meet his needs, but at the cost of $8,000 per month, it’s simply unaffordable. So he was forced to live in long-term care, and he could spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair because he’s not getting the physio that he needs. It is simply unacceptable. It shouldn’t have to be this way, and no one in Ontario should have to live like this.

Why has this Premier left people like Carol’s husband without the access to care that they need?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: No one is admitted to a long-term-care home unless they qualify for that degree of assistance, so I would question the member opposite’s premise for her question.

In addition to the $300 million over three years, what this actually means is that every long-term-care home in the province will benefit from an additional registered nurse. This is part of our commitment to increasing the hours of care each resident receives to a provincial average of four hours per resident per day. This is based on an individual need for each individual patient, carefully assessed by the long-term-care facility staff.

This is going to mean an additional 15 million hours of nursing, personal support and therapeutic care for our loved ones living in long-term care. We will continue to remain responsive to the residents’ individual needs for care.

Small business

Mrs. Cristina Martins: My question is for the minister responsible for small business.

Davenport is made up mostly of small businesses. Making sure that Ontario has a competitive business climate where businesses can grow and compete is important to me, and I know that it’s important for this government as well.

From reducing the small business tax rate by 22% to saving businesses millions by reducing red tape, the numbers don’t lie. Ontario has created over 821,000 jobs since the recession, and our unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in almost two decades. But the summer season is fast approaching, and we have heard from some small business owners that they face some challenges when trying to hire young people.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please tell us what this government is doing to help lower costs for small businesses when hiring and retaining youth?

Hon. Jeff Leal: I want to thank the member from Davenport for the question this morning. Exactly two weeks ago, I had the pleasure to announce the Employing Young Talent Incentive with Minister Hunter in my riding of Peterborough. This is an investment of $124 million over three years that not only helps businesses hire and retain youth aged 15 to 19, but also provides an opportunity for local businesses to provide good jobs for young people like Amanda Gurney, an employee of Morello’s in Peterborough, which I shop at every week.

Businesses that hire and retain young employees through the Employment Service or the Youth Job Connection programs can receive up to $2,000. Mr. Speaker, we know that’s a smart investment. In fact, since the incentive officially launched in January, nearly 70 young people in my riding have been hired at various local businesses.

Smart and strategic investments like these are what will ensure small businesses can continue to create local jobs in every corner of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mrs. Cristina Martins: Thank you, Minister, for your answer. It’s clear that this government is committed to delivering results for our businesses and communities and that we are choosing to make strategic investments in programs that boost economic growth and help Ontario families, because we know that cutting important programs and incentives would be the most irresponsible thing to do.

Small businesses play an important role in my riding of Davenport and really, Speaker, across all communities in Ontario. We’re delivering on our commitments like eliminating fees on government procurement opportunities and designating 33% of government procurement to small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, this is only a fraction of what this government is doing and has done. Will the minister please tell us more about other initiatives this government has taken to lower costs for small businesses?

Hon. Jeff Leal: I want to thank the member from Davenport for the supplementary.

There are those who believe that cutting corporate taxes will also save small businesses money. But we know the only ones benefiting from big corporate tax cuts are big corporations. We’re making smart investments that will actually save small business owners time and money.

The world of business is changing. We’re making sure that entrepreneurs and small business owners have the skills and tools to compete. We recently announced $12 million for our Main Street Digital Initiative to help small businesses across main streets in Ontario compete and grow. Businesses can receive up to $2,500 in grants to help them with their digital transformation as they embrace new technology.

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday I had the opportunity to visit St. Catharines, Ontario, with my good friend the member, to take a stroll down St. Paul Street, the main street in St. Catharines. I couldn’t believe it: Store to store, small business to small business, they actually told me things are booming in St. Catharines today. They couldn’t believe it. Then, as I was finishing my tour, they said they don’t understand the doom and gloom from the opposite side of the House, when businesses are booming in every part of Ontario.

Justices of the peace

Ms. Sylvia Jones: My question is to the Premier. Last night, the government posted a news release announcing 17 new justice of the peace appointments. Moments later, the news release was deleted and removed from the archives. Why the secrecy?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Attorney General.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: I appreciate the question. I will look into why the news release was removed.

We have appointed 17 new justices of the peace. As the member opposite knows, we have a very strong, independent process to appoint justices of the peace, through our Justices of the Peace Appointments Advisory Committee, also known as JPAAC, which does all the posting, interviews and recommendations, independent of the government. It may be that one or two people were not informed who had been appointed as justices of the peace, and that’s why the release was removed.

I’ll undertake to get back to the member and get the reason behind it.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: Or it may be that some of the people who were appointed have too close ties to the Liberal government. We know—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Come to order.

Finish, please.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: Will the Premier today table those 17 justice of the peace appointees, and let the people decide whether there is a connection that needs to be further explored?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: I’m not surprised that the member opposite would go in that direction. I’m really assuming there is a human error that’s involved.

I can assure the member, as the Attorney General, I take my responsibility very, very seriously in appointing the highest of the highest calibre of individuals to serve as our judges and justices of the peace. These people are a class act.

I’ve been, actually, at events with the judiciary, with our lawyers, in our great province. One of the compliments I continue to hear is the quality and the calibre of individuals who serve as our judges and justices of peace.

We have an extremely strong, independent process by which judges and justices of the peace are appointed. I can assure you I am absolutely confident that when you will see those 17 names, you will realize how competent they are.

I don’t know the technical reasons why the news release is down. I will make sure that news release is up as soon as possible.

Horse racing industry

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Premier. In 2012, the Liberal government suddenly and unilaterally decide to kill the highly successful Slots at Racetracks Program. Since then, we have seen the destruction of a once-vibrant horse racing and breeding industry that supplied 65,000 good, rural jobs in Ontario.

A couple of weeks ago, horse people and smaller tracks were blindsided again after the government announced that it had offered a long-term funding deal, negotiated between the OLG, Ontario Racing and the private, for-profit Woodbine Entertainment Group.

Speaker, why didn’t the Premier properly consult horse people and smaller tracks on this deal that will determine the future of horse racing in Ontario for generations to come?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Thank you for the question. It gives me great pleasure to reaffirm what it is that we are doing in regard to horse racing. We have now concluded a $105-million, 19-year contract to enable the horse racing industry to have funding. We’re enhancing what’s called the Enhanced Horse Improvement Program, extended for year over year by OMAFRA. We have a new Racetrack Sustainability Innovation Fund of $6 million over three years to support those smaller tracks and expand their sources of revenue. We have an additional funding arrangement supplement with the racetracks that may be experiencing financial shortfalls, which enables long-term decisions in the racing community.

Furthermore, we’re providing a new board, the Ontario Racing board, which actually will oversee the funding improvements and enable the service provider to be determined. On that board will be small tracks and horse people to ensure that everybody is properly represented.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Taras Natyshak: The Minister of Finance’s answer is exactly what we’re concerned about. This is what the problem is. When Greg Walling, the government’s special adviser on the horse racing industry, resigned last fall, he had a warning for the Premier: “Beware of” Woodbine’s “dominant position. In the proposed structures of administration not only are they a player, they are the scorekeeper and referee.”

The Premier ignored this warning and handed over near monopoly control of horse racing to this private, for-profit corporation. Not only that; she’s forcing horse people and tracks to decide by May 1 whether to sign off on this lopsided agreement.

Will the Premier withdraw this arbitrary, rushed deadline and take the time to listen to the concerns of horse people in smaller tracks in rural Ontario?

Hon. Charles Sousa: That’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re ensuring that they have representation on the board. We’re ensuring that their voices are heard. We’re ensuring that there is no oversight or monopoly on one racetrack over another. We’re giving them the opportunity so that they are enabling themselves to be heard and make the appropriate decisions to fund on an ongoing basis. That is the purpose of having that oversight prior to giving the service provider the ability to make those changes.

Furthermore, Woodbine has declining receipts over time as the industry gets stronger. We need to support the small horse tracks. We need to support the horse people and the horsemen, and we have met with all of the—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The reason why the minister didn’t know I was standing is because he was not addressing the Chair, as all members are supposed to do—both questions and answers.

Mr. Robert Bailey: He’s right.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I’m always right, Bob. My apologies.

New question.

Manufacturing jobs

Mr. Arthur Potts: My question is to the Minister of Economic Development and Growth. We’ve been hearing a great deal of late about jobs, specifically manufacturing jobs, and Ontario’s growing economy. We all know that during the last recession, many countries lost manufacturing jobs; for example, between 2007 and 2010, the United States lost 2.3 million manufacturing jobs. We also know that between 2007 and 2009, real manufacturing output in the US fell by 10.3%. In France, Britain and Australia—for many countries, including Canada—the story was similar.

With few exceptions, the global manufacturing sector was hit hard by the recession everywhere. Yet we know Ontario’s economy has been adding jobs steadily for the last years and that, in overall jobs, we’ve more than bounced back from the recession.

The Leader of the Opposition calls our target investments in Ontario businesses corporate welfare and he vows to cancel these programs. My question is simple: Will the minister please tell us how our strategic investments in manufacturing have helped that sector?

Hon. Steven Del Duca: I want to begin by thanking the member for Beaches–East York for being such an extraordinary champion for the people who I know he’s honoured to represent.

He is right, Speaker, he is 100% right: The province of Ontario, not unlike most other places around the world, was hit hard by the global economic recession about 10 years ago, in 2008. Unfortunately, the alternative version of events or facts that the opposition, particularly in recent weeks, has put forward to the people is simply not reflective of what took place. The opposition likes to pretend that, though millions of manufacturing jobs were lost south of the border and around the world, frankly, what happened here in Ontario was unique. Of course, it wasn’t.

But here is what is critically important for the people of this province to know and understand, and I can assure you that they do: Our province has created more than 820,000 net new jobs over the last 10 years since the depths of that recession. The fact is, also, that since that recession, in Ontario manufacturing specifically, employment has increased by 40,000. In the last year alone, we in this province have added more than 15,000 manufacturing jobs. That’s more than many of our—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Supplementary.

Mr. Arthur Potts: I want to thank the minister for that incredible answer and his unwavering support for the manufacturing sector in Ontario.

It’s important to hear about the successes of our workers and our initiatives that this government is taking in these sectors. The manufacturing sector is diverse, something that we on this side of the aisle know very well but I believe the opposition seems to forget. From the auto sector in Windsor, Oakville and beyond to advanced manufacturing in Welland, the steel sector in Sault Ste. Marie and food processing in my own riding of Beaches–East York, this government has ensured that the manufacturing sector continues to grow.

While instead the opposition is trying to trick Ontario workers, investors and our competitors into believing that our people are failing, we know that, as the minister has just explained, we are actually adding manufacturing jobs across the province. In fact, we are leaders in manufacturing employment.

Speaker, will the minister tell us more about what this government is doing to ensure that our manufacturing sector remains strong?

Hon. Steven Del Duca: I thank the member from the Beaches for the follow-up question. I want to continue with the story I was telling a second ago. Since that 2008 recession, manufacturing jobs here in Ontario have increased by almost 11%. We have delivered amongst the most competitive corporate income tax rates in Canada, which the United States is simply now catching up to. Because our government is a very strong partner for all manufacturers, since 2004, our government has announced over $2 billion in supports specifically for Ontario manufacturers, helping to create and retain over 100,000 jobs in every corner of Ontario.

The workers of this province and the employers of this province have been waiting to hear opposition parties that are prepared to stand up for them, fight for them and be on their side. So far, Speaker, they have not heard that from either opposition party, but they have confidence that we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

Wind turbines

Mr. Robert Bailey: It’s a pleasure to be here. My question is to the Premier. Premier, residents in Sarnia–Lambton are concerned that their drinking water is being put at risk by the development of 12 industrial turbines along the Chatham-Kent/St. Clair township border. St. Clair township council has determined that the Otter Creek wind turbine development just outside the township border is a potential threat to the area aquifer, which many residents in St. Clair township draw their water from.

St. Clair township is asking that the protection of the private water well system in the municipality be included in the mandate of the Thames-Sydenham regional source water protection committee. Premier, will you listen to the St. Clair township council and make sure these wells are protected from contamination?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

Hon. Chris Ballard: I understand the passion with which those who live in the area have their concerns around wind turbines, but I will say that as with all wind turbine projects, we take the concerns regarding the environment and human health exceptionally seriously.

Let me say at the beginning that my ministry adheres to a very strict renewable energy approvals process. I know that the members opposite in the PC Party have never approved a single renewable energy project ever, or ever spoken in support of any of those here in this House. Our government is committed to a cleaner, greener future, a reduction in the use of fossil fuels, but we do take these concerns very seriously.

I’ll have more in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Robert Bailey: My question is back to the Premier. Premier, the construction of the Otter Creek turbine project will involve deep pile-driving into the same black shale that left 20 water wells in the Chatham-Kent area producing nothing but murky brown liquid. I know that the minister knows about this. The residents of St. Clair township are understandably concerned.

Your government has the opportunity to do the right thing and cancel this project before the aquifer that supplies the residents of St. Clair township with water is put at risk of contamination. Premier, will your government do the right thing and cancel the Otter Creek turbine project today?

Hon. Chris Ballard: Speaker, I’ll start by reiterating what I said at the very outset: that our government takes these concerns, the concerns of residents in this area, very seriously, and we take the environment and the impacts on human health of these types of developments very seriously as well.

Again, any project, as it goes forward—any renewable energy project that moves forward—goes through a very rigorous evaluation process by my ministry to make sure that the health of the residents in the area—the health of the environment—is protected. This project as well will undergo and is undergoing those procedures.

Executive compensation

Mr. Wayne Gates: My question is to the Premier. Speaker, we both know outrageous hydro bills are the norm here in Ontario. To make matters worse, since the Liberals privatized hydro, the Hydro One CEO, Mayo Schmidt, is making over $6 million a year while people in this province struggle to pay their hydro bills, buy groceries, get prescription medicine and go to the dentist. This Liberal government continues to stand behind Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt. They think that his salary is reasonable. I think that is a disgrace, and so do the people of Ontario.

When will the Premier make the right decision and bring Hydro One back into public hands, where it belongs, and put a stop to those ridiculous executive salaries?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Attorney General.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: I’m glad to stand up and speak on behalf of the Minister of Energy on this important issue. I think the member opposite knows that we are taking every step possible to ensure that electricity rates are coming down. Our fair hydro plan has resulted in a 25% decrease on average for all residents and businesses and farms across the province. In fact, Speaker, in rural and remote areas, that reduction is, in some instances, around 50%.

These reductions are taking place because of the concerted effort that our government has made in making sure that we have an electricity system that is affordable but also is a system that is clean, that does not burn coal the way it used to under the previous Conservative and the NDP governments but is a clean, emission-free system which is available to Ontarians at an affordable price.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Back to the Premier: No CEO of Hydro One should be paid $6 million when people are struggling to pay their hydro bills.

The NDP has tried to put a cap on public sector CEO salaries in the past, many times, through legislation. Unfortunately, this government, along with the PCs, voted against several pieces of legislation to cap public sector CEO salaries.

Speaker, we know PCs are more interested in helping millionaires instead of the people who have to choose between paying their hydro bills and eating. When will the Premier start caring about the people struggling to pay their bills in this province, instead of supporting millionaires on Bay Street?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: The Premier is the only leader in this province who has actually taken concrete steps to reduce electricity bills by 25% for all Ontarians, small businesses and farmers.

The NDP’s hydro pamphlet is short on details but long on hollow promises. Many of their promises rely on a vague, yet-to-be-determined expert panel, to be convened sometime in the future. That is not going to save Ontarians a single penny on their bills, Speaker. They’re basing their calculations on pie-in-the-sky negotiations with the federal government.

The reality is that these vague proposals don’t make sense. Their biggest idea—buying more than $4 billion worth of Hydro One shares—will not take one cent off electricity bills. It will take zero cents off electricity bills, Speaker. All it does is send billions to the stock market, money that should be used for health care, education and infrastructure. We don’t agree with their plan.

Workplace safety

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Minister of Labour. Minister, we’re joined by people across this province, across Canada and around the world in recognizing the Day of Mourning. Together, we pause to remember those workers who have lost their lives or been injured on the job. They’re our families, our friends and our neighbours. We should honour their skill, dedication and commitment by making sure all those who follow have safer workplaces.

Minister, I believe everyone in this House agrees that safety should be the number one priority in every workplace and on every job site. One injury is one too many. Every Ontarian should be able to go to work confident they will return home safe and sound at the end of the day. Minister, can you please tell us what we are doing to improve workplace safety?

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Thank you to the member for this very important question. The Day of Mourning is one of the most important days of the year for me, as Minister of Labour, but I think for all members of this House. I hope members will take the opportunity to attend some of the services that will be held around the province.

As Minister of Labour—and anybody that’s been the Minister of Labour will know—the minister gets notified each and every time a worker is killed on the job in this province or is seriously injured. It’s the worst part of the job and it never gets easier. But each time, it reminds me of the most important part of our jobs here: making sure that, above all else, workers in this province are kept safe.

We’ve brought forward mandatory health and safety training for all workers, including young workers, those that are new to the workplace; strengthened protections for temporary health workers through Bill 148; and we’re improving the support we give to those who are injured by improving WSIB benefits. As a result of this, Ontario has become one of the safest places in the entire world in which you can work. We should be proud of that progress, but not satisfied for one minute.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. John Fraser: This morning, we all donned yellow and black ribbons to commemorate the Day of Mourning. I hope that we will all continue to wear them through the weekend. The black represents mourning and the yellow represents hope for a safer and brighter future—a future where there are no injuries and where everyone returns home safe at the end of every day.

This weekend, people across this province will gather at ceremonies in their communities. Flags will be lowered to honour loved ones, co-workers and friends we’ve lost. No job is worth a life. No job is worth an injury. When it comes to health and safety, we all have a role to play. We all have a responsibility.

Speaker, I’ll be joining the Ottawa and District Labour Council at Vincent Massey Park this weekend for their ceremony. Through you to the minister, can the minister tell us how he will be commemorating the Day of Mourning this weekend?

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Thank you to the member from Ottawa South. This weekend I’ll be joining Ontario families at local Day of Mourning ceremonies both in front of the WSIB and also at home in Oakville. I would urge all members to do the same thing. There are Day of Mourning ceremonies held around the provinces. You can go online to get the information, find where the ceremony is at, and join those in honouring all those who have been lost or injured on the job.

I know workplace safety is not an issue that should be divided along party lines. I think we can all in this House agree that workplace deaths and injuries are tragic. They’re unacceptable and they’re preventable. We should all work together to make workplace safety a personal priority—to speak to your constituents, your families and your friends. If we work together, we can ensure our loved ones and our communities know their rights and they understand how to protect themselves.

If we all work together to change society’s attitude—and we should not rest, Speaker, until safety is regarded as routine, the same as a seat belt in a car.

Assistance to farmers

Mr. Bill Walker: My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It has been almost five months since you said you would review and fix the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program. Yet today, farmers across Ontario continue to face huge livestock losses because the program you put in place isn’t working.

I’ve personally witnessed and written to you about the damage that predators have done to livestock of farmers like Wayne Caughill in my riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. You’ve heard from respected farm groups, municipalities and individuals, who wrote and spoke to you urging you to fix this mess. Minister, why are you holding up farmers’ compensation?

Hon. Jeff Leal: I want to thank my friend the honourable member for his question this morning. Indeed, when I had the opportunity to address the annual meeting of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, we made a commitment to look at the wildlife compensation program. I had the opportunity, as I do visiting the back concessions of Ontario—certainly, in my riding of Peterborough, I’ve been in the fields. I’ve seen the damage that’s been done: coyotes attacking calves and fishers attacking young lambs.

We put a process in place to do the review. We reached out significantly to the OFA, the Christian farmers of Ontario, and the National Farmers Union. We’ve developed a consensus on a path forward and we’re going to start the implementation process. Part of that will be to train the evaluators in municipalities right across the province of Ontario so they have a standard skill set when they’re going into the fields to ascertain damage from predators.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?. Mr. Bill Walker: Back to the minister: Minister, you have over a year’s worth of evidence and complaints about the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program. You know that the program is failing and not achieving its intended goal. One in five claims for predation kills is rejected by your staff—20%. They don’t visit the farm. They’re not doing groundwork. When farmers call the hotline to lodge a complaint, sadly, some of them have been hung up on.

Your inaction is inexcusable. Our party, and specifically our ag critic from Haldimand–Norfolk, pressed you for answers on this same question just last Christmas. Five months later, you’re still holding out on farmers’ compensation. It’s time for you, Minister, to get down to hard work and fix this mess, so I ask, when will you give farmers their entitled compensation?

Hon. Jeff Leal: Well, Mr. Speaker, contrary to the information that was just provided by the member there, we want to make sure that all our evaluators have a consistent, standard skill set right across the province of Ontario to go into the field, as I have, to look at the remains, the carcasses, from predator issues within rural Ontario. We’ve consulted widely with Keith Currie of OFA and with the National Farmers Union. It’s interesting. Their view is slightly different from the narrative that may be provided by the member here today, which is that they’re very pleased with the progress that is being made.

We’re looking at ways to actually increase compensation, particularly for those animals that have unique genetics, to make sure our farmers are compensated. There’s a consensus building, and they’ve indicated to us that we’re on the right path to get this resolved.

French-language education

What will you do, Minister, to ensure that a fully equivalent francophone high school, with dedicated green spaces for the students, is delivered to this community?

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

The government House leader on a point of order.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Point of order, Mr. Speaker: I want to inform the House that the announcement relating to justices of the peace will be posted later today. It went up by mistake, as opposed to just a news release, to announce the appointment of a regional senior justice.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): That’s actually not a point of order. I believe it was an answer to a question that could have been given later, but I appreciate the fact that the minister attempted to find an answer.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I’ve got somebody else I have to recognize here.

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Transportation on a point of order.

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: Today I’d like to welcome the family members of page Madeline Buss from Cambridge, who are sitting in the members’ gallery this morning: Charlotte Buss, Stephen Buss, Graham Buss and Jack Ruttle. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Deferred Votes

Pay Transparency Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur la transparence salariale

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

Bill 3,

An Act respecting transparency of pay in employment / Projet de loi 3, Loi portant sur la transparence salariale.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1139 to 1144.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All members please take your seats.

On April 25, 2018, Mr. Flynn moved third reading of Bill 3,

An Act respecting transparency of pay in employment.

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

Ayes

Albanese, Laura

Anderson, Granville

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Baker, Yvan

Ballard, Chris

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Campbell, Sarah

Chan, Michael

Chiarelli, Bob

Colle, Mike

Coteau, Michael

Crack, Grant

Damerla, Dipika

Del Duca, Steven

Delaney, Bob

Des Rosiers, Nathalie

Dickson, Joe

Dong, Han

Duguid, Brad

Fife, Catherine

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Forster, Cindy

Fraser, John

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gravelle, Michael

Hatfield, Percy

Hoggarth, Ann

Horw