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May 1, 2012

40th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2012-May-01 (PDF)

L045 - Tue 1 May 2012 / Mar 1er mai 2012

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 1 May 2012 Mardi 1 er mai 2012

ORDERS OF THE DAY

STRONG ACTION FOR ONTARIO ACT

(BUDGET MEASURES), 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 SUR UNE ACTION

ÉNERGIQUE POUR L’ONTARIO

(MESURES BUDGÉTAIRES)

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBER’S PRIVILEGES

ORAL QUESTIONS

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

HYDRO RATES

ELECTRICITY RESTRUCTURING

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS

ASTHMA

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM

HYDRO RATES

GENERIC DRUG INDUSTRY

ELDER ABUSE

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

ONTARIO NORTHLAND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

BUILDING CODE

MEMBER’S COMMENTS

VISITORS

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

ENERGY RATES

HORSE RACING INDUSTRY

NURSES

BARB KLAGES

MAY DAY

DOCTORS’ DAY IN ONTARIO

LABOUR LEGISLATION

JEWISH HERITAGE MONTH

ENERGY RATES

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

GENERAL GOVERNMENT

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

ESTIMATES

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

DEFENDING EMPLOYEES’ RIGHTS ACT (COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

BY TRADE UNIONS), 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 SUR LA DÉFENSE

DES DROITS DES EMPLOYÉS (NÉGOCIATION COLLECTIVE

ET DIVULGATION

DES RENSEIGNEMENTS FINANCIERS

PAR LES SYNDICATS)

LABOUR RELATIONS AMENDMENT ACT (EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EMPLOYEES IN ONTARIO), 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES RELATIONS DE TRAVAIL (ÉGALITÉ DES DROITS POUR

LES EMPLOYÉS DE L’ONTARIO)

EQUAL VOICE /

À VOIX ÉGALES

PETITIONS

WIND TURBINES

RADIATION SAFETY

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

TOURISM

RADIATION SAFETY

RENEWABLE ENERGY

ANTI-BULLYING INITIATIVES

ROAD SAFETY

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

WIND TURBINES

EDUCATION FUNDING

GO TRANSIT

RADIATION SAFETY

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ACCEPTING SCHOOLS ACT, 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 POUR

DES ÉCOLES TOLÉRANTES

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

STRONG ACTION FOR ONTARIO ACT

(BUDGET MEASURES), 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 SUR UNE ACTION

ÉNERGIQUE POUR L’ONTARIO

(MESURES BUDGÉTAIRES)

Mr. Duguid, on behalf of Mr. Duncan, moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 55,

An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various Acts / Projet de loi 55, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Debate?

Hon. Brad Duguid: Mr. Speaker, I’ll be sharing my time with the members for Etobicoke Centre and Thunder Bay–Atikokan. I’m just checking behind me to make sure they’re here, and they are.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important bill, of course. It’s the bill that follows the budget, a budget that indeed protects education and health care, while at the same time getting our deficit in balance by 2017-18. It’s the single most important thing we can do to create jobs in Ontario, to build a strong economy and to attract investment to our province.

Our economy is responding well to our economic plan. We’ve seen thousands of jobs created in the last number of months—in fact, 46,000 last month alone. One of four jobs in Canada and the US is created here in Ontario, which is good news for our economy. We’re confident with this budget, with the plan that we’ve put before the people of Ontario, that working together with all of our partners, we’ll be able to ensure that we get the books balanced, keep Ontario’s economy growing and become a global leader in this post-global-recession economy.

I don’t want to speak any further. My colleagues have a lot to say on this, so I’m going to pass it over to them, and I thank you for the time.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Further speakers?

Mrs. Donna H. Cansfield: I’m pleased to stand today in the House for second reading of Bill 55, the Strong Action for Ontario Act, 2012.

The McGuinty government recognizes that serious action is required for a very serious time. That’s why the Strong Action for Ontario Act, 2012, lays out a comprehensive five-year plan to keep Ontario on track to balance the budget by 2017-18. Let there be no mistake: When I say this bill is comprehensive, it’s actually 355 pages in length. It has 69 different schedules. It’s actually so comprehensive that it required special binding from the Queen’s Printer.

The fiscal challenges of this bill are why it’s so comprehensive, because today Ontario faces an enormous challenge. Before the recession, our government balanced three budgets in a row and eliminated the hidden deficit we inherited in 2003. We’re committed to getting Ontario back to balance, and we’re committed to continuing to build on our past successes. While we have a deficit because of the global recession, the stimulus our government injected into the economy during the recession to create and preserve jobs because of slow economic growth and global economic uncertainty was a necessary requirement.

Governments of all political stripes have run deficits, significant deficits, to respond to the global recession. The federal government, for example, in growth in spending over the last few years, has been very similar to Ontario.

The single most important step that we can take to grow the economy, to protect our jobs and to help keep education and health strong is to balance the budget. Balancing the budget means keeping teachers in our classrooms and keeping doctors and nurses in our emergency rooms. Today, the cost to service the debt is approximately $10 billion, our third-largest expenditure. In fact, we spend more on interest payments each year than we spend on colleges and universities. If we take no action, we will be spending almost as much to service the debt in 2017-18 as we spend today on education. So it’s absolutely paramount that we move forward.

If strong action is not taken, the deficit will increase. That would hurt Ontario’s ability to continue to focus on its priorities, and our priorities are health, education and smart investments to create jobs. If strong action is not taken, it would also mean unsuitable levels of debt. If strong action is not taken, Ontario’s ability to set and to control its own priorities, its own choices and actions, will be impaired. Strong action is required to ensure that this government achieves its goal of eliminating the deficit by 2017-18, a goal we remain on track to achieve.

For the third year in a row, we have beaten our deficit forecasts. As a result of the proposed changes to the budget, Ontario’s deficit in 2011-12 is now projected to be $15 billion, which is a $1.3-billion improvement from the deficit forecast in last year’s budget, and an improvement of $0.3 billion compared to the projection outlined in the 2012 budget.

In the medium term, the government is now projecting lower deficits than originally outlined in the 2012 budget, which did project those deficits of $14.8 billion in 2012-13, $12.8 billion in 2013-14, and $10.1 billion in 2014-15. And last, but certainly not least, the government is now projecting a $0.5-billion surplus in 2017-18.

I would like to add that the proposed changes to the 2012 budget include no new net spending. As a result, the province’s expense outlook remains unchanged for the 2012 budget. Yet there is so much more to do. We choose to ensure that everyone in Ontario plays their

part in returning the budget to balance. Shared sacrifice will ultimately mean shared prosperity for all Ontarians. That, of course, means leading by example. For those of us who are fortunate enough to serve in Ontario’s Legislature, we are proposing to extend the pay freeze to MPPs by a further two years. That would make for a total of five years. We are also continuing to take action to manage compensation costs by extending the pay freeze for executives at our hospitals, colleges, universities, school boards and agencies for another two years, for a total of four years.

We’re asking Ontario businesses to do their part as well. For example, we are proposing a freeze on further reductions of the general corporate income tax rate and education rates for businesses, until the budget is balanced.

The actions of the McGuinty government over the past eight years have turned Ontario into one of the most competitive places for business to invest and create jobs. In total, we have reduced taxes for Ontario businesses by more than $8 billion a year. Let me be clear: These measures would not increase tax rates for businesses.

Further, we are proposing that Ontario user fees recover more of the cost of providing a service. The Auditor General has told us that when Ontario charges a fee for a service, the fee should recover the full cost of providing the service, and that we are proposing as well. We are proposing to make modest fee increases in some of these areas, some of which have not seen an increase for more than 15 years, and we will also find savings in many other areas.

We’re proposing to cap the Ontario clean energy benefit at 3,000 kilowatt hours per month, which would allow almost all Ontario families to continue to receive the full 10% benefit on electricity, while creating more than $500 million in savings over four years.

We will change the Ontario Drug Benefit program so that about 5% of senior Ontario Drug Benefit recipients—those with the highest incomes—pay more of their prescription drug costs, while ensuring that these costs do not impose an unreasonable burden. These changes will not increase drug costs for seniors with incomes below $100,000 for single seniors or $160,000 for senior couples who already get the drug benefits.

We’re also proposing to delay and/or cancel some infrastructure projects to reduce our borrowing by more than $3 billion, but we will, however, focus infrastructure expenditures on the most critical areas, such as transportation networks, hospitals and post-secondary institutions, to maximize our return on investments. These are the best investments that will strengthen Ontario’s economy for future growth and prosperity and support the government’s priorities in health care and in education.

Madam Speaker, Ontarians want a strong and growing economy that creates well-paid jobs, yet the new global economic reality presents its challenges to Ontario. Increased competition from emerging economies has resulted in Ontario losing some of its share in its key export market, particularly the United States. Higher oil prices have driven up the costs of doing business in Ontario, and at the same time, the rise in oil prices has led to a higher Canadian dollar, which further diminishes the competitiveness of Ontario’s businesses in a global market.

Given these challenges, Ontario’s continued prosperity will—

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Excuse me a moment. I’d ask those who are carrying on side conversations to take them outside. It’s difficult to hear the speaker. Thank you.

Please continue.

Mrs. Donna H. Cansfield: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. It’s nice to have an attentive audience. I appreciate that.

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur: Yes, and I’m listening to every word.

Mrs. Donna H. Cansfield: Thank you.

Let me repeat, then: Given these challenges, Ontario’s continued prosperity will be strongly linked to its ability to achieve higher rates of productivity growth. Currently, the government delivers about $2 billion in business supports, including targeted business tax expenditures through more than 40 programs across at least seven ministries. Many of these programs will be consolidated into the jobs and prosperity fund.

To help build a strong and diversified Ontario that enables businesses to invest in innovation, improve productivity and become more globally competitive, we are proposing the following measures: consolidating those many business support programs into a jobs and prosperity fund, which will focus on productivity growth and job creation while creating an overall savings of $250 million by 2014-15.

Also by 2014-15, the government will have created an unprecedented fund of up to $1.2 billion for businesses. The businesses will also require a highly skilled workforce, and the government expects to expend approximately $1.3 billion on employment and training programs in 2014-15. Together, these two funds represent an investment of $2.5 billion in jobs and the economy.

Establishing a multi-stakeholder jobs and prosperity council to advise the government on a plan to boost Ontario’s productivity is one of our priorities. It will lead a research agenda on Ontario’s productivity and innovative challenges.

We will also diversify Ontario’s exports to emerging economies by streamlining and coordinating the trade promotion activities of all relevant ministries.

The jobs and prosperity fund will transform the way the government currently delivers supports to businesses. It will also encourage Ontario businesses to be more productive and innovative, creating long-term prosperity and sustainability. It will target at least 25% in administrative savings and the winding down of non-productivity-focused programs.

The government recognizes that regional economies have distinct requirements. As a result, the following funds will be maintained—of course, at the pleasure of the Legislature, as it is now before the House: the proposed new southwestern Ontario development fund, the eastern Ontario development fund and the program administered by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. in the north.

Keeping the regional funds outside of the jobs and prosperity fund will make it possible to address specific regional needs. For example, northern Ontario’s economic development needs are quite different from those in the GTA or eastern Ontario. These funds will benefit from the productivity focus and innovative approach to program design developed for the jobs and prosperity fund. It’s very important to recognize the diversity in our province and that the regions are unique unto themselves. We must be able to adapt their needs to what our needs are, so that we can provide the support for them.

Together, Madam Speaker, these actions will help Ontario companies make more efficient and innovative use of labour, capital, energy and raw materials to produce those goods and services that we need. Higher productivity growth leads to higher wages and helps businesses expand globally, resulting in the creation of new jobs and an improved standard of living for all Ontarians.

The McGuinty government has been and remains committed to increasing access to quality care for all Ontarians. In fact, between 2003-04 and 2011-12, health sector funding increased at an average rate of 6.1% annually, for a total increase of $17.9 billion. These investments reflect the government’s commitment to increased quality care for all Ontarians. As a result of the current fiscal challenge, funding for the health care system cannot continue to grow at these rates. Transforming Ontario’s health care system is essential to managing down the rate of health care spending growth to meet the government’s commitment to balance the budget.

Madam Speaker, the strategies in this budget will help maintain excellent health care for Ontarians while slowing overall growth in health spending in Ontario to an average of 2.1% annually over the next three years. We will maintain total physician compensation at current levels through the next physician services agreement with the Ontario Medical Association, and at the same time improve patient access to primary care providers, rather than going directly to hospital emergency rooms, by expanding same-day and next-day appointments and after-hours care.

These investments have improved health care in Ontario, after years of neglect, and produced meaningful improvements for families. But with the current fiscal challenge, we recognize that funding for the health care system, as I said, cannot continue to grow at past rates. Additionally, health care drivers, such as demographic factors, demands for service and technology changes continue to exert pressure on the fiscal plan. The delivery of health care has to be transformed to continue providing the high-quality health care services that Ontarians need and respect.

That is why the McGuinty government is working with its health care partners to bring about a transformation to a more sustainable and higher-quality health care system. We are focusing on better value for money and creating a system that delivers health care in a smarter and more efficient way that will lead to better outcomes for Ontarians.

The McGuinty government plan is based on three key strategies to realize better value for money: shifting investments to where they have the greatest value and health care benefit; preventing illness and helping Ontarians stay healthy and active by focusing on health promotion, including reducing childhood obesity and smoking rates; and providing better access to primary care, home care and community care, so patients can receive the care that they need where they need it and when they need it.

These strategies and the additional actions announced in the 2012 budget will help maintain excellent health care for Ontarians while slowing the overall growth in health spending.

Transforming Ontario’s health care system is essential to managing, as I said, the rate of health care spending growth to meet the government’s commitment to balance the budget. The health care system is being transformed through these strategies under way, but also including drug reform, Excellent Care for All legislation and primary care reform.

With these actions and more, our government’s plan includes $17.7 billion worth of spending over three years of savings and actions to contain cost increases compared to what it would have been otherwise.

The deficit for 2011-12 is projected to be $15 billion; $1.3 billion lower than forecasted in the 2011 budget. Without the measures we are proposing, Ontario’s deficit would approach $25 billion in 2014-15, but now it is expected and projected to be $10.1 billion that fiscal year.

Our government will continue to focus on its priorities to further strengthen the economy and to also spur job creation. We’ve made some very difficult choices, but they are the right choices. We choose to protect and we choose to build on Ontario’s achievements while returning to balance by 2017-18. We choose to transform the public and broader public service sectors and, in doing so, how they serve Ontarians. We choose to reshape public services to ensure that everything that is done is done more effectively and more efficiently.

In conclusion, the McGuinty government will continue to make the right choices and to build on its plan to have the world’s best-educated workforce to ensure future prosperity in the knowledge-based economy. We will do so by making the right choices, as I said, and by choosing to fully implement, for example, full-day kindergarten by September 2014; by choosing to keep a cap on class sizes in the early grades; by choosing to remain committed to the 30%-off Ontario tuition grant for eligible full-time undergraduate university and college students; and by choosing to integrate training programs across government to make them more responsive to today’s job market.

Ontario offers a range of employment and training supports through dozens of programs across 11 ministries, each targeting different client groups and using a variety of different delivery systems and networks. Integrating these supports into a single network with a single customer window will allow the government to improve client outcomes and to also better meet the needs of employers, thereby supporting a key government objective of increasing jobs and growth. Better coordination would also improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of programs, therefore enhancing the value of government investments.

Despite the challenging fiscal situation, the government is continuing to boost its support also for post-secondary education, as I indicated. That’s to support that knowledge-based economy that we know we need. The government’s investments have resulted in significant achievements in this sector, including Ontario’s post-secondary attainment rate being the highest in any OECD country. The budget reaffirms the continuation of the new 30%-off Ontario tuition grant which was introduced in January 2012 to help low- and middle-class families access post-secondary education. More than 300,000 students, Madam Speaker, are eligible for this new grant.

Most importantly, we are choosing to continue with our plan to balance this budget. Yet, with the return to balanced budgets as a key fiscal objective, it is not in itself an end—it’s a means to an end: ensuring that Ontario families will continue to receive the greatest value through the best education and health care system in the world and a strong economy that creates jobs. In fact, even before the budget achieves balance, the measures we’re proposing will help to support the province in improving fiscal health and sustainability, which will provide that strong foundation for the longer-term sustainability of core services, such as education and health care.

The Strong Action for Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2012, is a series of smart choices to ensure a strong economy while protecting the gains we have made together in our education, health care and public service. That’s why I’m asking for support in the House in passing this act.

I also would like to share with you that the demographics in my community are an aging demographic. One of the things that I’ve learned over the 24 years that I’ve been involved in politics in this particular riding is that they say to me, “You get our money through taxes. What we ask you to do is spend it wisely and spend it well, ensuring that we protect both the young—our children—through education, and also our health, as we’re an aging population.”

It’s very difficult for someone to think in billions of dollars, so when you talk about a $25-billion deficit or a $15-billion deficit, it’s not where the rubber hits the road for them. Where the rubber hits the road is in their community and involved with them on a day-to-day basis. Are we ensuring that the children are well educated, to be able to provide for the seniors as they get older? Are we ensuring that we have good, sound fiscal management of the dollars that they give us?

Are we ensuring that in fact there is health care for them when it’s needed, and that, as I said, in an aging society, we’re dealing with those diseases, such as with the bill I introduced on Alzheimer’s and dementia?

Those are the conversations that take place. They entrust us in this House to do the very best we can to ensure that their future is based on a solid foundation. This budget bill provides for that foundation. As I said earlier, it’s not the only thing; it’s the beginning of the things we’re able to do. But I also think it’s incumbent upon all of us working together in this House to find the most effective way to move forward, on behalf of the people we serve, so that they know and have a comfort level that their future is secure.

The crisis we all went through was the greatest since the recession back in the 1930s. It hit virtually every country in the world. We’re not immune to that, and we have to deal with it. That does mean making some very difficult choices, but they’re based on a solid priority of the things we need to ensure for that foundation to be continued to be built, so that in the future we can all share in the prosperity that comes as a result of it.

I think it’s particularly important for all of us to work together to ensure that as we move forward, we remember who we’re moving forward on behalf of, and that’s the people of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): The member for Thunder Bay–Atikokan.

Mr. Bill Mauro: Speaker, thank you very much. I’m pleased this morning to have an opportunity to provide some remarks on the budget bill today and follow up on the remarks from the member from Etobicoke Centre. I want to thank her for her time this morning as well.

It is Tuesday, May 1, today: relevant, I think, because we find ourselves fully one week since the budget motion vote last week. I think it’s important to note that the tone and the tenor of the place here this week, at least for me, seems to be a little quieter, a little softer and, I think it’s fair to say, perhaps lacking some of the drama that was dripping down the walls here last week. But that’s the nature of it when you are in a minority Parliament.

I think all of us on this side of the House want to thank the NDP for their support of our Liberal budget last week. We very much appreciated that. We think it was the right choice by the NDP to support our budget. I don’t think that there are many, if any, people in the province—certainly there are probably a few, but I don’t think very many—who would have felt it was appropriate for the Conservatives and the NDP to vote jointly and defeat the budget and send the electorate of Ontario into an election a short six months since the last one. So I want to thank them for the support.

I think there are people in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan who are a little unsure, to be fair, as to the strategy entertained by the official opposition, the members of the Conservatives, in terms of their approach to appearing unwilling to consult, given that it is a minority Parliament, with our Liberal government in terms of what amendments were possible to bring to the table to get them onside.

But they took the approach—and many say they hadn’t even read the budget, and it certainly was a quick announcement, I would say, so you’d have to believe there was not a lot of time, if any, spent going through the document before the decision was made by the Conservative caucus that they would not be voting for the budget. Such was the approach, and we all live with that. But again, I’ll thank the NDP for their support in us getting this particular budget through.

We’ll probably find ourselves, quite possibly, in a similar situation in six months or a year from now, which would only put us one year or a year and a half out from the October 6, 2011, election. I would suggest to people that the conversation will be very much the same. I’m not sure that people will be interested in an election one year from now or six months from now—putting us one year since the election—than they were just last week, but that is yet to be told.

I find the minority situation very interesting. I must say, there is a part of me that likes it. Obviously, we’d love the majority, but it’s interesting to watch the gymnastics that now need to go on on the opposition benches. Of course, when you have a majority, the opposition parties, Conservative or NDP, as it has been for the last two terms, can simply criticize with no consequence. They can, as is their role, hold the feet of the government to the fire. That’s their job, and we respect that and we understand that.

I would suggest, though, that it is much easier for them to do that when the government is in a majority position because, quite clearly and quite honestly, there is no consequence for the way they vote.

In a minority situation, of course, it’s different. There is a very significant consequence, because if the Conservatives and the NDP choose to vote together, then the government falls on a confidence vote and we would find ourselves in an election. That didn’t happen last week on the budget motion, which was a confidence vote. As I have said, they did not vote together, so the government still stands and we continue to do our work. But I think it is quite interesting, Speaker, that in a minority situation, there are suddenly consequences for the way you vote.

I would offer, before I move on to my remarks more specifically on the budget, two examples. We have seen in the Legislative Assembly, in the course of the last month or so, two private members’ bills introduced here in the chamber, both by Conservative members. What we found was that the NDP voted against the Conservatives and voted with the Liberals on items that—before those private members’ bills were introduced, the NDP would roundly and soundly criticize our Liberal government for those pieces of legislation.

The first one—and this is relevant to me, Speaker, as a northern member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan—was the Far North Act. We heard at length, over the last three years or so, criticism from the NDP caucus on the Far North Act. It was interesting to listen to the criticism, because I think, as a caucus, they were very conflicted on it. Truth be known, I firmly believe they are very supportive of it. In the past, however, they were able to criticize because there was no consequence.

There was no impact in terms of voting against us on the Far North Act because they knew that we had a majority and in all likelihood the bill would pass. And of course, that’s what transpired. But it was always my belief that the NDP caucus was very supportive of the Far North Act. In fact, when the private member’s bill was introduced by a member of the Conservative official opposition, it was no surprise to me that the NDP voted with the Liberals to maintain the Far North Act and to not repeal that piece of legislation.

I think it’s important to note that, Speaker, because when you want some power, when you want some juice around this place and then you get it, all of a sudden there are consequences.

The other one I would mention is the Green Energy Act. There was a private member’s bill introduced by a Conservative member. I think the intent of that was to repeal, as well, although I can’t recall for sure the detail of the Green Energy Act private member’s bill. Again, the NDP members voted in concert with the Liberals to maintain the Green Energy Act.

I just mention that in the context of the minority Parliament that we found ourselves in last week. The ground has now shifted a little bit, obviously, since the resignation of the member from Kitchener–Waterloo. Things are slightly different but still in a state of flux, I would suggest.

Speaker, the budget—I would like to just give a little bit of how we found ourselves here today. When we were elected in 2003, we listed, I think quite rightly, three different deficits that we felt we had inherited from the previous administration: an infrastructure deficit, a services deficit and a financial deficit. People will remember that when we arrived in 2003, we had a $5.5-billion deficit. Interestingly enough, it was actually hidden going into the election. Many will remember that there was a denial that there was any deficit at all.

Of course, it was later confirmed by the Auditor General and led us to invoke new legislation that will not allow that to happen again. It will require the Auditor General to review the books and the state of the finances in the province of Ontario and give a snapshot of those six months or so before any election, so that we will never again see that situation reoccur.

But we inherited a $5.5-billion deficit in 2003. We took, I think, two years to retire that deficit and bring us back into a balanced position, which took us to about 2005. Then we ran three consecutive balanced budgets. Speaker, that took us to 2007-08. Of course, we all know what occurred in 2008: the greatest recession since the Great Depression. Thirty million to 40 million jobs worldwide were lost. I think it’s important to mention that.

Sometimes here, and certainly in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, where the forestry situation was obvious to all of us, in terms of how it was directly affected by the global recession—but it was global. I think it’s important to remember that: 30 million to 40 million people, give or take, lost their jobs in 2008-09.

Ontario, of course, was affected on a scale, I would say, relative to most jurisdictions in Canada. At that time, Ontario represented about 40% of the economy, and a big chunk of that total of 100% of our economy was related to the manufacturing sector. Of course, the manufacturing sector was more impacted, I would say, by the recession than other sectors, for a variety of reasons, one being that the manufacturing sector exports most of its products into the United States.

With the rise in the Canadian dollar and with the recession and the collapse of the American economy, obviously the markets for those products were disappearing, and they were disappearing very quickly. So here in Ontario we had a very significant challenge—I would say perhaps more impactful here in Ontario than some other jurisdictions—given the largesse of our economy that was dedicated to the manufacturing sector.

In my neck of the woods in northern Ontario, the forestry sector was very much affected, as I’ve mentioned already. All forestry jurisdictions, however, in Canada, the major ones—and there are primarily three, those being BC, Quebec and Ontario—were affected almost in similar numbers. In fact, BC and Quebec lost jobs slightly higher than Ontario did in forestry, anywhere from 10,000 to 12,000 jobs, but the decimation of the industry was huge. It was not cyclical, as has been the past history; it was fundamental. We all know we’ve seen a shift in demand for products like newsprint.

It’s just not the same as it used to be, with the electronic age. We’re not sure if that particular product will ever see the days or the demand that it had in the past.

Nevertheless, the industry has survived, and on the sawmilling side I would suggest that the collapse of the housing industry in the United States was the single biggest factor, as well as the appreciation of the Canadian dollar. The sawmills up in my neck of the woods, 90% to 95% of their product was exported into the American market—90% to 95%. That market simply collapsed. There’s a really interesting statistic—and we all have too many statistics in our head—that there are more houses for sale in the United States still today than there are houses existing in all of Canada.

We all remember the subprime mortgage crisis, the collapse of the economy in the US. Obviously these factors directly impact the ability of a sawmill to have somebody who would buy their product. That’s a bit of the history. That’s a bit of how we got here. Of course, through 2008 and 2009 we began to invest heavily, especially through our infrastructure programs.

This is an austerity budget. The member who spoke before me mentioned, and I think it bears repeating, that as members of the Legislature we have tried to lead by example. I don’t know how many people are aware, but we had, as MPPs, frozen our wages for three years, going back three years from today, and we have extended that freeze for a further two years. By the time that wraps up, it will mean that the MPPs in the province of Ontario—and I’ve never heard one person complain about that; I think that’s a good sign. By the time this concludes, it will have been five years that the MPPs in the province of Ontario have taken a wage freeze. I think it’s something we should mention.

I would mention as well, Speaker, that one of the biggest misconceptions in Ontario—and I think all members can relate to this—is that MPPs in Ontario don’t have a pension plan. People seem to think we do, and that’s neither here nor there. But given the context that we’re in, I would just mention it. We always get mixed up; the feds have it, of course, I think after six years. Is it after six years that—

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: After six years.

Mr. Bill Mauro: You become eligible immediately after six years if you’re a federal member. In Ontario, we do not have a pension plan. But that’s just a small point.

Speaker, what I would like to talk a bit about today as well is this is an austerity budget. I think it’s important to highlight some of what we have protected.

Since 2003, health care and education have remained the two main priorities of our government, and I think if you polled Ontarians just at any point in time, health care and education would either be in the top two only, or you might see them in the top three from time to time. Obviously, the economy finds its way into that mix, but health care and education are always two of the highest priorities of most people in the province.

I want to just run down a few numbers. I won’t give too many numbers, but it really is remarkable. People wonder, “Where does your money go? What do you spend your money on?” These are big numbers. Here’s an example of where they go. I think some of these numbers are very relevant, given that we are in negotiations with the education sector and we are in negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association. These are difficult times. I think some of these numbers will put a little bit of context on where we’ve come from and where we’re trying to go in the future.

In health care today, there are 3,400 more doctors working in Ontario than when we came to government in 2003. That’s a lot of money; that’s a big investment. There are over 12,000 more nurses working today than there were in 2003, when we came to government. Some 2.1 million more people in Ontario have access to a primary care provider than was the case when we came to government in 2003. I want to speak just a bit about that one. For me, as a northern member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan, that’s important, and I want to underscore that point.

Northern communities like mine, rural communities, not just in Ontario but all across Canada, have chronically had an issue and a challenge maintaining a large enough complement of primary care providers in their communities. This is a decades-long challenge; this is not something that occurred just when we arrived in government in 2003. In my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, there were high numbers of what were described as orphan patients, those being people who did not have access to a primary care provider.

In 2003, when you used the words “primary care provider,” that meant simply a physician. Some 2.1 million people today have access to a primary care provider that they did not in 2003. This is a huge move forward. In my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, while there are still people who do not have that access, there are thousands and thousands more who do. We’ve accomplished that in a few ways.

The creation of nurse-practitioner-led clinics, a new model of care: We’ve revamped and expanded the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, and that model of care is providing access to a primary care provider for thousands of those orphan patients. About two blocks away from my constituency office in Thunder Bay, there exists a nurse practitioner clinic that has 3,200 people rostered at that particular clinic—3,200 people who, before that clinic opened, did not have access to a primary care provider.

Our family health team model: I have two or three of them in my riding alone. My colleague from Thunder Bay–Superior North has two or three in his, as well as a nurse practitioner clinic. The combination of that model with the NP clinics, with the addition of all of these additional doctors, has made a huge impact in terms of making sure we have access to primary care. And the physicians, I would say, and the health care professionals, love the family health team model.

Some 2.1 million people, 3,400 doctors, 12,000 nurses: That’s a lot of money. People wonder where your money goes. Well, that’s where it’s going, a lot of it, and that’s because we see, as a government, health care is certainly our number one priority.

A couple of small things in my riding, specific to my riding, of investments in health care: an angioplasty program in Thunder Bay that is seeing thousands of people now get that life-saving procedure done locally and not having to fly to southern Ontario; and a small piece that I’m very proud of is vans that we have funded to the NorWest Community Health Centre and the staffing that goes with those vans, allowing them to distribute and provide care and access in my rural communities like out in Shebandowan or Kakabeka, where the van actually now will make a monthly or bimonthly visit, out into the rural areas 30, 60, 80 miles away.

Many of those people would not have been able to or found the capacity to come into the city of Thunder Bay for that care—just small examples, those ones being smaller examples, of investments in health care that are providing better care for people.

On the education side, Speaker, I mentioned how we’ve maintained our investments in the education sector through this budget—13,700 more support staff working in our schools. Anywhere from 8,500 to 10,000, and I’m not sure about this number; some people tell me it’s even higher—but up to 10,000 more teachers working in the province of Ontario today than was the case when we came to government in 2003. This is a huge investment in education; and 200,000 more post-secondary spaces in our colleges and universities today than there was in 2003. I’m told that each of those spaces has a cost of about $10,000. You wonder where your money is going? In Thunder Bay, a new law school will be coming.

I want to go back to those teaching positions, though, and make one point, again, understanding that there are some sensitivities around this issue as the negotiations are going on with our education partners. Out of the 10,000 new teaching positions, I would suggest that many of those are very young, newly graduated teachers. They are people who’ve probably only been teaching for three to five years. Many of them are probably 24, 26 or 30 years of age. I would suggest that they are the people who are represented in this 10,000 number. Where do they come from?

Well, they came primarily from two places: one, our commitment to smaller class sizes. It is important to note that the Drummond report recommended that we eliminate the cap; we maintained the cap, which exhibits our continuing commitment to education. We maintained the cap, which maintains those teaching positions, and we maintained, as well, full-day kindergarten and the commitment to roll it out and fully implement it across the province of Ontario.

I would say to the younger teachers and to their parents, aunts, uncles and neighbours: Those younger teachers, many of them in that 10,000 number, are working today because of our commitment to education more broadly, but more specifically our commitment to smaller class sizes and to full-day kindergarten. I would say that it was interesting to note that some of the criticisms of the budget that were coming from members of the official opposition were around full-day kindergarten.

I say it was interesting because, only six months earlier, in the election of 2011, the Conservatives were very much committed, apparently, to maintaining and rolling out full-day kindergarten, and then just six months later, suddenly that commitment had vanished, the context being that in the election of 2011, their commitment was the same as ours in terms of the timeline to achieve a balanced budget position in the province of Ontario, that being 2017-18. So I’m not sure how that flows.

The last two pieces on our commitment to education that I would mention—30% off the tuition grant. Some 30,000 post-secondary students will be eligible for this. We just had a little announcement yesterday reminding those graduating from high school who are going directly into a college or university to ensure they’re aware of this program and make sure they do what’s necessary to make themselves eligible and receive this grant.

The second piece in education is something that I think is easy to forget about: our Second Career program that we brought forward after the recession hit. Some 55,000 people have accessed that particular program. I can think of a number of circumstances where I’ve been in the company of people who were laid-off workers, some of them who had not been in school for 20 or 30 years and who, through the capacity that was created with the Second Career program, were able to financially find their way back into school and come out of it on the other end with a job.

Many of them in my neck of the woods of Thunder Bay–Atikokan are finding themselves working, making good money in the mining sector, which is really getting ready to roll. In fact, I would suggest that it already has begun to really roll.

A few things that I would mention as well—an austerity budget that we have managed to maintain, specific to northern Ontario.

Right now, in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, I would say the lowest or one of the lowest unemployment rates in the province—5.2%, the last number announced. Our number has consistently been one of the lowest for the last three years. I have felt it. I’ve known it. I’ve been a little bit reluctant to talk about it because as a politician, you don’t want to sound too Pollyannaish—people dismiss you sometimes. But people in the community are now starting to feel that they’re getting it on their own—5.2%.

The northern Ontario heritage fund: When we came in 2003, I was tasked at that time by the minister of the day to travel across the province. We revamped that entire program; we made it more focused on private sector job creation. We’ve taken the fund from $60 million up to $100 million. That started in 2007. That represents an additional $100 million, not total dollars, from 2007 to 2011 that we invested in northern Ontario through that one program—100 million additional dollars by going from $60 million to $100 million.

That’s on top of the $240 million—$60 million per year times four years—plus an extra $100 million just through one program. That’s $340 million invested in northern Ontario, through the northern Ontario heritage fund—a commitment that we made as a Liberal government to the needs of northern Ontario. I thank all members of our northern caucus, who worked very hard to ask for and get those—not only maintaining the northern Ontario heritage fund, but increasing it, as I’ve said, from $60 million to $100 million through recessionary times.

It would have been very easy to take that money and stick it into the general revenue fund like occurred under the third party in the early 1990s.

Also, we have seen record investments through our Northern Highways Program over the course of the last number of years. Up to 2003, when we formed government, the single highest year of financial investment in northern highways was about $230 million or $250 million. That was the single highest year. In 2009 or 2010, our Northern Highways Program topped out at about $770 million. Last year, I believe we were somewhere in the $680-million range. That’s northern highways money only.

The people in the ridings of Thunder Bay–Atikokan and Thunder Bay–Superior North are very clear that they are seeing at least one project move forward that they’ve been asking for for about 30 years, and that’s the four-laning of the Trans-Canada Highway between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, made possible by these huge investments in our Northern Highways Program.

I was up at NOMA in Kenora last week, and I’ve since met and talked with a few people who have driven back from Kenora to Thunder Bay, and they remarked to me how surprised they were to see how many additional passing lanes there were and the condition of the highway that exists between Kenora and Thunder Bay. That speaks very directly and tangibly to the investments that we’ve been making in northern highways in Ontario since we came to government in 2003.

One of the other pieces that we protected in this budget was what I refer to as the NIER program, the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate program. That is providing huge subsidies for our largest energy users in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan. Resolute Forest Products, formerly AbitibiBowater, is receiving this particular program. As a northern Liberal caucus, we fought very hard for this particular program. This budget maintained the program. Again, it’s another example of a program that the Drummond report recommended should be removed. He did not think it was a good idea.

The Ontario clean energy benefit—another example of a recommendation by Mr. Drummond that it should be removed. Our northern Liberal caucus worked very hard to get that. That’s the 10% reduction off your energy bills on a monthly basis, right off the bottom line—again, maintained in this budget during difficult times, a commitment to northern Ontario.

As I mentioned just a second ago, last week I was in Kenora. I flew up on Friday. NOMA, the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, held their conference. It was a pleasure to be there. I hadn’t been to Kenora for a little while. We had three ministers there, as well as myself representing the Minister of Northern Development and Mines. It was a great day.

One of the things I want to talk about that is top of mind not only for those municipal reps, but all people in northern Ontario, certainly in my neck of the woods, is mining, and a bit more specifically, the Ring of Fire. We have come in for some criticism insofar as people are not seeing a public display or a public acknowledgement, at least not to their satisfaction, of the work that’s going on related to the Ring of Fire.

I’ve mentioned a number of times in the media, when I’ve spoken to the media about this, a concern that there wasn’t enough in the budget about it. I tell them, quite frankly, “Look, the budget is not the place where you are going to see details relative to negotiations that are going on with any company about any specific project.” I think it’s as simple as that. However, there is a great deal of anxiety and excitement about the potential for what exists, not only in the Ring of Fire area but in mining generally.

Now, you would have seen, and I reminded my friends at NOMA, that our budget spoke to a belief that we will see anywhere from eight to 10 new mines opened in northern Ontario over the course of the next 10 years, and when I had the opportunity to talk at NOMA, I referenced at least four of those. Of course, in the mining industry, nothing is ever guaranteed; I’m not standing here today saying for certain these mines are going to open. But all signs point very clearly to a strong possibility that this is going to happen. The people in northern Ontario are very aware of those.

The other point I made to people when it came to the mining sector is that there is a bit of an unfortunate assumption that the employment only comes when the mine opens, but I can tell you, Speaker, in my riding right now of Thunder Bay–Atikokan—I would say all of Thunder Bay and northern Ontario—there’s probably right now in our city anywhere from 300, 500, 700 more jobs today that weren’t there three and four years ago, related directly to the mining industry—that weren’t there three or four years ago—and that’s without any new mines having opened in the last three of four years, the point being that there’s a tremendous amount of work going on.

If you go to our engineering firms in Thunder Bay, they are bursting at the seams, and a lot of the work that they’re doing is related to the mining industry. If you talk to consultants, you will see there’s a lot of consulting work going on related to the mining industry. There are drilling companies that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting that have 50, 60, 70 people working for then, and these young people who are working on these drills are making a lot of money. They’re making a very good living. They’re adding to the total—the geologists, the prospectors. It’s all there, and so it is a very good thing indeed.

I’ll tell you, Speaker, one of the things that does come up from time to time specifically related to the Ring of Fire is a policy piece that was in the NDP platform in the last election. It raised the ire of a couple of them when I spoke to this last week, but it was there, and I’m looking for some clarity from them on this particular piece. In there, on a website of their environmental critic, there was a point that said there would be no development north of 51, which would effectively shut down the Ring of Fire or any development north of 51.

When my colleague from Thunder Bay–Superior North put out a press release related to that issue during the last election, for the first time in two or three years, within two or three days, that particular piece was removed from the website. So this comes up. People in northern Ontario are aware of that particular policy piece that at least existed then with the NDP, and they are very concerned about the official position of that today. I think it’s fair to ask for some clarification on it.

The other thing that I mentioned to the people at NOMA when we were talking specifically about the Ring of Fire—much of the conversation is about the cost of electricity in the province of Ontario. I’ve reminded them and used as an example what I spoke to earlier, the NIER program, the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate program. That’s still there. It speaks very clearly to our willingness to work with our large industrial partners to make sure that the work happens in Ontario, that the business investment comes to Ontario.

But I spoke to them further, and I said, “Please don’t view the Ring of Fire development only in the context of one policy piece.” I talked to them. Remember as well that when a company like Cliffs or other large industrial companies, whoever they may be, are looking about potential investment in the province of Ontario, they don’t just think about one thing. They’re also thinking about our corporate taxation rates. I remind people about our province, in Ontario, given what we have done over the course of the last three or four years bringing forward a very competitive corporate tax structure. Large industrials think about that.

I reminded them about the HST, which came in with some great difficulty, which the Conservatives used to support, but then they didn’t, and the NDP, in their platform, confirmed they would keep. I reminded people that in the mining sector, people like Cliffs are aware of the HST and they view corporate taxation, the HST policy, as pieces that also infuse their decision in terms of where they’re going to invest.

The third piece that I talked about with them when I talked about the Ring of Fire, and mining specifically, is infrastructure. I said right off the top, at the very beginning of my comments, that when we came into government in 2003, we talked at length about three deficits that we were facing, the infrastructure deficit being one of them.

I don’t think there’s a member in this place who hasn’t seen large infrastructure investments flow to their municipalities since 2003, and that’s because, after identifying infrastructure as a deficit in Ontario in 2003, we went forward and, over the course of seven, maybe eight years, we invested $60 billion in infrastructure in the province of Ontario. That money went a long way to significant job creation in all of the ridings represented here in this Legislative Assembly and, I would say, made many communities more ready to attract investment than previously was the case.

What did we do in 2011? We further built upon those investments by confirming a further commitment to infrastructure, going forward for three years, of $30 billion or $31 billion—I forget the number exactly—that we are further committing, that we will invest in infrastructure over the course of the next three years.

Now, again, given that this is an austerity budget, the $30 billion or $31 billion over the next three years is committed, maintained and conserved in this particular budget. I’m tying that back, of course, to what I’m discussing here, being the Ring of Fire. When Cliffs and others communities are looking at where they’re going to invest, they know very clearly that this is a government that is willing to come to the table with help on the infrastructure front.

When we talk about the Ring of Fire specifically, I remind my friends about our energy policies. I remind my friends about our corporate taxation policies. I remind my friends about the HST policy that large industrials find very attractive. I also remind them very much about our infrastructure investments over the last eight years and those investments that will still be coming forward over the course of the next three years, guaranteed, conserved in this budget.

Speaker, I see that my time is up. I want to thank you for your time this morning. I appreciate the opportunity.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Questions and comments?

Mr. John O’Toole: I listened carefully to the one hour on this, shared by the Minister of Economic Development and the members from Etobicoke Centre and Thunder Bay–Atikokan.

It’s important to note that the minister hasn’t actually responded to this, but this is the document here, a pretty onerous document here—it’s 327 pages. The devil usually is in the detail. Look, there are 69 different schedules here. All of the schedules provide a framework structure for creating more regulations and red tape. If you look at the language, it’s important to note that much of the language in the bill itself was not discussed by the members, who were talking about how they see the world.

Almost every

section in each

schedule starts with the provision “The minister may make regulations that apply” in specific cases, so there’s a lot of power that’s not actually in the bill; it’s in the regulations. That’s what happens when you have these omnibus bills that are putting in place things—and if you really want some detail here, look at

schedule 19. I’ve had complaints on that from my riding. These are people that specifically work in that sector.

Schedule 19 deals with the Endangered Species Act, and it gives exemptions. That whole

section is donated to giving Dalton McGuinty exemptions in dealing with endangered species. So the devil is in the detail, for sure.

Somebody that’s listening this morning would have gotten a lot of the prepared notes that were prepared for the three speakers—who read the notes very well, I might say; hardly a slip in the wording—sticking on the message of Dalton McGuinty that everything is okay; don’t worry, be happy. In fact, everything is quite the opposite to what he says. It’s almost like a contradiction. We are in serious trouble. This thing here is another kind of an open book on a new set of rules for the economy of Ontario. Just read it. There are 69 different schedules.

In fact, in my terse review of the thing—because I like to spend some detail—it amends 50 pieces of legislation. In other words, you can’t read this without having 50 statutes beside you that are being amended. This is a shell game, and I think it’s—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Thank you. The member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek.

Mr. Paul Miller: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was actually quite interested in the discussion from the government side about their austerity program. Actually, it’s almost laughable. We have Ornge and eHealth. If we did a forensic audit of every ministry in the government, we wouldn’t need an austerity program, with all the money they’ve wasted on consultants and all these scams that have gone on.

Then the member from Thunder Bay talks about how great it is up there. Why would you be closing a railway or attacking a railway that services the north, will service the Ring of Fire, will bring raw materials out of the Ring of Fire? Are they going to put them on a plane? I don’t think so.

Let’s talk about hydro. The member is well aware that the hydro costs in the north are three times that of Manitoba and three times that of Quebec.

They also attacked the forest industry. There are 11 communities that have shut down. He said he visited Kenora. I wonder if he went to the paper mills that used to be in Kenora until this government devastated it with their hydro costs. People in Kenora are sitting on their front porch watching logs roll by to be processed in Manitoba.

When he says everything’s great and this government does a great program, it is almost laughable, because it isn’t. It’s a disaster in the waiting, and it’s going to continue until they start lowering hydro costs, they stop attacking transportation in the north and they start putting people back to work.

He said something about the NDP, a little clause or something he’d read; he’d dug real deep and found something that was negative about the NDP going after the Ring of Fire. We are well aware that the Ring of Fire will provide jobs for northerners. We’re 100% behind that.

So when I have to sit here and listen to this “deflect, deflect” nonsense, it really is irritating, because they’re not being honest with the people of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Comments and questions?

Mr. Jeff Leal: I did listen very carefully to the introductory remarks of the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation and the members for Etobicoke Centre and Thunder Bay–Atikokan.

I always take the time, sometimes, above the partisan debate. I follow Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, very closely. He is beyond politics—a highly respected person here in Canada and, indeed, around the world. I recommend that all members of the House get a copy of his speech that he delivered April 2, 2012, to the 125th anniversary of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. In that speech, he provided a detailed analysis of Canada exporting in the post-crisis world.

One of the things that he talked about—and it was mentioned by the member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan. He said in his speech, “Between 2000 and 2007, Canada’s unit labour costs rose 80% relative to our trading partners” because of the rapid appreciation of our currency. He said that never before has any economy experienced such a rapid appreciation of their currency in such a short period of time. In his analysis, he said that that had put tremendous pressure on Canada and Ontario’s economy.

You don’t have to take my word for it. In his analysis, he said, “Our labour market has bounced back too. All of the 430,000 jobs lost through the recession had been recovered as of early last year, and a further 180,000 jobs have been added since then. Most of the jobs created have been in the private sector and in industries paying above-average wages.”

The wisdom of us delaying the next round of our corporate income tax cut: On page 9 of his speech, he said, “Canadian corporate balance sheets are extremely healthy, with record low leverage and very high levels of liquidity.”

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Further comments or questions?

Mr. Jim McDonell: It’s interesting to sit on this side and listen to some of the spin. I had the opportunity, being a new mayor in 2003, just after this government took over, and sitting at ROMA and seeing the amount of money that they went and spent that was unbudgeted that year: a total of about $3 billion. When they talk about the $4.5 billion that they inherited, they don’t talk about the $3 billion that they added to it.

I’m not sure what they added between the month of October and the month of March, but I imagine it was considerable if they added $3 billion in two weeks.

I remember our then member of Parliament saying that he was so busy making announcements, he was going to have to carry them over into April, but the money was flowing so it counted in last year’s budget. It was just an example of the truth that we don’t expect out of this government anymore.

We talk about hydro rates. We’re at a point where we have the highest in North America, but they’ve got a solution: They’re going to take the big companies and they’re going to reduce it for them, and the rest of the province will pay the difference. It’s like nobody has to pay these bills.

I mean, their own consultant came out and warned them about their spending. Our leader, Tim Hudak, met with them before the budget, with the Premier, and laid out what we needed to support this budget. Of course, they refuse to admit that he did meet, but he did meet and actually followed up with a letter saying that we needed a couple of things: control the spending and jobs. That’s all we asked for and we got a document that has nothing, none of these.

It’s a spin when you go through this. They take credit for some of the new mining jobs in Thunder Bay. Well, it’s great. The price of gold has gone up 10 times. I would hope there would be a lot more jobs in these areas. We’re not talking about $300 an ounce; we’re talking about something well over $1,000. This is the spin we get every day, and it’s time—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Thank you. The member for Thunder Bay–Atikokan has two minutes to respond.

Mr. Bill Mauro: Speaker, I’d like to thank the members from Durham, Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, Peterborough and Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

Mr. Harper, as I like to describe him, is probably—and this isn’t critical; this is just my view of him—the most right-wing ideologue in the history of Canada who we’ve ever had as a Prime Minister. I mean, he was from the Reform Party, and then they became the Conservative Party, and he became Prime Minister. I congratulate him for that. But we do know that as a Conservative and as a former Reformer, there has probably never been anybody who has been more ideologically predisposed against taking on deficits and debt than Mr. Harper and the federal Conservative government. Well, guess what happened to them during the recession, right? Just guess what happened to them.

Never mind Greece, never mind Spain, never mind France, never mind Ireland, never mind the United States, never mind all these other major democracies and capitalist countries around the planet who went into major deficit during the course of the recession; just compare yourself to the federal Conservative government with the most right-wing, ideologically opposed economist Prime Minister who we’ve ever had in our history, who took on a very, very large deficit. So if you need any information or education around the challenge that came to all governments during the course of the recession, I don’t think you have to look too far for comparisons. Thank you very much, Speaker.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): It being close to—this House stands recessed until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1013 to 1030.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mr. Rod Jackson: I’d like to introduce Jana Smith from Barrie, also a law student at the University of Windsor, and welcome her to the chamber this morning.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Introduction of guests? The member for—

Mr. Frank Klees: Newmarket–Aurora.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): No, no. I was looking behind you, and the gentleman now has sat, so I will recognize the member from Newmarket–Aurora.

Mr. Frank Klees: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to extend a welcome to Mr. Farid Wassef from Whitchurch-Stouffville. Farid, no doubt, is well known to the member from Oak Ridges–Markham as well. He is a very highly respected pharmacist from Whitchurch-Stouffville. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I am very pleased to welcome, from the Asthma Plan of Action’s work-related asthma committee, Dr. Gary Liss; the director of respiratory health programs at the Ontario Lung Association, Carole Madeley; the provincial manager of government relations at the Ontario Lung Association, Elizabeth Harvey; and Kait Wallace, public affairs coordinator at the Ontario Lung Association.

Speaker, I have other people I’d like to welcome. Can I keep going? I will, yes. I’m very pleased that SEIU’s, the Service Employees International Union’s, registered practical nurse day is today. And of course, today is the OMA thank-a-doctor day, and I know we all want to thank our doctors today.

Mr. Peter Shurman: I want to welcome to the west members’ gallery the family of Thornhill page Andrew Mohan: his sister Veronica is here; his brother Christopher; and his mother, Deborah. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MEMBER’S PRIVILEGES

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): On April 24, 2012, the member from Burlington, Mrs. McKenna, rose on a point of privilege concerning the impact of automated telephone calls on her ability to carry out her MPP duties. The government House leader, Mr. Milloy, the member for Parkdale–High Park, Ms DiNovo, the member for Simcoe–Grey, Mr. Wilson, the member for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke, Mr. Yakabuski, and the member for Cambridge, Mr. Leone, also spoke to this matter.

Having had an opportunity to review the Hansard for that day, the information provided to me in the notice and the relevant procedural authorities, I am now prepared to rule on the matter.

The member’s point of privilege relates to automated telephone calls sent to thousands of constituents in her riding. The calls, which she claims are sponsored by the Ontario Liberal Party, indicate that the member was, at the behest of her party, planning to vote against the forthcoming budget motion, thereby forcing an expensive, unwanted election and jeopardizing funding for a local hospital.

The calls, which indicated that the member needed to put families first, allowed constituents to share their concerns with her by pressing number 3 on their telephone keypad; this action would automatically connect them to the phone number of the member’s office. The member’s office was inundated with over 1,500 telephone calls that swamped its telephone line and voice mail system.

According to the member, this resulted in the following: Some constituents could not reach the member; the member had to deal with the telephone calls generated by the automated calls, instead of telephone calls from other constituents; and there were service complaints that unjustly damaged her reputation with her constituents.

The member was of the view that the automated calls obstructed and interfered with her parliamentary duties and therefore established a prima facie case of privilege.

Before determining whether there is a prima facie case on the basis of obstruction, let me first say that I will not assess the veracity or the tone of the allegations or the opinions made in the automated calls. It is not for the Speaker to say that they are misleading, inaccurate, false or inflammatory. Given the political nature of their workplace, members are often exposed to criticisms for their actions or, indeed, intended actions. Dealing with allegations, opinions and criticisms is part of the job of an MPP.

That being said, there can be no doubt that obstruction or interference with the member in respect of his or her parliamentary duties can be a matter of privilege. Many of the relevant authorities on the nature of obstruction were mentioned by the members who spoke to the matter on Tuesday last. I will not refer to them in this ruling. However, what needs to be said is that a member’s constituency casework and other constituency responsibilities, while important, are by their very nature distinct from the member’s parliamentary responsibilities.

As Speaker Carr indicated on page 30 of the Journals for April 26, 2001, “Speakers have consistently found—supported by the procedural authorities in a multitude of precedents—that privilege attaches only to a member’s parliamentary duties, and not subsidiary duties away from Parliament.”

Furthermore, citation 92 in the sixth edition of Beauchesne’s Parliamentary Rules and Forms states as follows: “A valid claim of privilege in respect to interference with a member must relate to the member’s parliamentary duties and not to the work the member does in relation to that member’s constituency.”

The privilege that protects the members in respect of what he or she says and does in this House and its committees is known as parliamentary privilege. A privilege known as constituency privilege does not exist in Ontario or any other jurisdiction that subscribes to the Westminster model of Parliament. To those who would claim that this demarcation relegates members’ constituency responsibilities to a courtesy or an inferior status, I would say that parliamentary privilege provides members with a set of legal rights and exemptions that more than 13 million other Ontarians do not have. The glass is half-full, not half-empty.

The member for Burlington states that her reputation has been damaged because of the numerous service-related complaints that were made after the automated calls interfered with her office’s usual routine. I would agree with the member that damage to a member’s reputation can amount to obstruction if the member is prevented from carrying out his or her parliamentary functions.

I would make the following observations about the application of this proposition to the facts in the case at hand: First, the member did not indicate how the remarks in and the unwelcome consequences of the automated calls prevented her from carrying out parliamentary duties. For example, the member did not claim that the automated calls prevented her from speaking in the House on the budget motion or from voting on the motion. The calls only appear to have affected her non-parliamentary duties, which, as I’ve already indicated, are not protected by parliamentary privilege.

The best that can be said is that the impact on the member’s parliamentary duties has been indirect or tangential, which is not enough to make a case for obstruction based on damage to the member’s reputation.

Second, many of the rulings mentioned in the House of Commons Procedure and Practice that are authority for the proposition that damage to a member’s reputation can amount to obstruction deal with MPs’ use of Commons mailing privileges to send misleading information to another MP’s constituents. In the case at hand, however, there is no indication that assembly resources were used to produce or disseminate the automated calls.

Third, the member for Burlington refers to a remark made in a 1985 ruling of Speaker Bosley of the Canadian House of Commons. That ruling is about an advertisement that identified a former MP as an MP. This is not the situation in the case at hand.

Fourth, I have reviewed the December 13, 2011, Canadian House of Commons ruling involving an incident where an MP’s constituents were the subject of an organized telephone campaign survey that, in the view of the MP, negatively affected his reputation. I have also reviewed the March 6, 2012, Canadian House of Commons ruling dealing with an incident in which an MP’s office was inundated with telephone calls, emails and faxes that, in the view of the MP, hindered him and his staff from serving his constituents and that prevented constituents from contacting him in a timely matter.

In both cases, Speaker Scheer ruled that a prima facie case of privilege was not established because the MP had been able to perform his parliamentary duties.

For these reasons, a prima facie case of privilege has not been established.

That being said, I have considerable sympathy for the difficult spot that the member for Burlington found herself in last week. Like other members, I have no doubt that she strives to serve her constituents to the best of her abilities, regardless of how they contact her.

Although I cannot prevent an outside organization from using automated technology to facilitate constituents’ contact with their member, I would encourage members and parties to disassociate themselves from any technologically based communication that is inspired by political calculus that detracts from civil discourse on public business, just as I would discourage any member from crossing into another member’s riding by any means, for the purpose expressly to discredit that member. In other words, take the high road. Reach for the top, not the bottom.

I thank the member for Burlington, the government House leader, the member from Parkdale–High Park, the member from Simcoe–Grey, the member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke and the member for Cambridge for speaking to this matter.

ORAL QUESTIONS

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Steve Clark: Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Last week’s credit rating action by S&P and credit rating downgrade by Moody’s were a scathing indictment of this government’s managerial competence. But sadly, your managerial incompetence reaches much further than that. Exhibit A: Ornge. Despite warning after warning after warning from this side of the House, stakeholders and whistle-blowers at Ornge, you let Ornge carry on, business as usual.

Premier, you’re either implicated or incompetent. Which is it?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: It’s always a pleasure to receive these uplifting questions, Speaker. It must take a lot of energy every day to get up and be in a bad mood and to wish for rain. I say to my honourable colleagues in the official opposition, to twist a phrase a little bit: Into every life a little sunshine must fall.

I say to my honourable colleague that they, of course, have a different

interpretation of the credit rating agencies. I thought they were very clear in saying that we have done a very good job in terms of the assumptions that we have made, in terms of the targets that we have set. They have expressed some concerns about our capacity as a minority government to deliver on our plan, which is again why I extend the hand of co-operation to the official opposition to work with us to ensure that together we can deliver on our plan.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Steve Clark: Premier, just like the scandals that happened on your watch at eHealth, OLG, Cancer Care Ontario, the Niagara Parks Commission and the LHINs, the Ornge scandal demonstrates that you’ve lost all ability to oversee government agencies.

The scandals at eHealth, OLG and the LHINs were blown out by freedom-of-information requests initiated by the Ontario PC caucus. We dragged the details of these scandals to light while you kicked, screamed and fought us at every step.

Is the reason your new air ambulance legislation blocks freedom-of-information requests because you know you don’t have the managerial competence to keep an eye on Ornge?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, my honourable colleague, on behalf of his party, claims that they have a genuine interest in enhancing oversight and transparency associated with Ornge. Yet we have a bill before this very Legislature, we would like to move forward with debate, but on both occasions that we’ve done that, they’ve chosen instead to ring the bells, to act in an obstructionist way and to prevent us from engaging in a positive, constructive debate and working together. Sadly, it’s not just on the matter of Ornge; it’s on so many other bills as well.

I say to my honourable colleagues that there is an additional responsibility that they bear in the context of a minority government, and it is to find a way to work with the government, to do the people’s business. Let’s move that particular bill forward, and let’s move the so many others forward that Ontarians want us to get forward.

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

Mr. Steve Clark: Back to the Premier: I’m glad, Premier, you mentioned ringing the bells, because for months, the PC and NDP caucuses have been calling for an all-party select committee to investigate Ornge, to find out what happened and to ensure it never happens again. At every step of the way, the Premier, the government House leader, the Minister of Health and the Liberal members on the public accounts committee have stood in the way.

Is the reason you won’t call an all-party select committee to investigate Ornge because you don’t want us to find out the true cost of your managerial incompetence?

Applause.

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

Premier?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: We witness yet another standing no, Speaker.

My honourable colleague will know that the committee has already held four days of hearings, they’ve heard from 22 witnesses, they’ve received so far 15 hours of testimony and I expect that that committee will continue its work for some time to come.

But on the matter of being obstructionist, I want again to draw to your attention the fact that on the Accepting Schools Act, the official opposition has decided to ring the bells 10 times. When it comes to a bill that would better manage the rent increases in Ontario to better protect millions of tenants, they’ve rung the bells 10 times. On the Family Caregiver Leave Act, something we’d like to move ahead with on behalf of all of our families, they have rung the bells six times.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Order. All members come to order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I will now identify individuals.

Premier?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Last, but hardly least, on the matter of our air ambulance act, those important amendments we’d like to introduce, they’ve rung the bells twice, Speaker. Again I say to my honourable colleagues, if you were a little less obstructionist and a little bit more constructive, we’d do a lot of work together.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Frank Klees: My question is to the Minister of Health. At its April 25 hearing into the Ornge scandal, the public accounts committee heard from Lynne Golding, a partner and director of the health law practice group with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. Ms. Golding testified under oath that she was one of a team of lawyers who provided advice to Ornge on a range of significant matters, including the 2005 performance agreement and its federal incorporation. Does the minister have any reason to believe that Ms. Golding would be anything but truthful in her sworn testimony?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Community and Social Services.

Hon. John Milloy: Mr. Speaker, as the Premier indicated, the public accounts committee proceeds—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Nepean–Carleton and the member from Leeds–Grenville, come to order.

Hon. John Milloy: —with the matter of Ornge. There are hearings going on; they’re hearing from witnesses. But if the honourable member wishes to conduct hearings on the floor of this Legislature during question period, if he wants to talk about what Lynne Golding spoke about at committee, then let’s talk about Lynne Golding and the work that she did with Guy Giorno—two of the most prominent Conservative lawyers in Canada. Here is the advice—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Peterborough, come to order.

Hon. John Milloy: —provided to Chris Mazza. They said that it was fine to refuse putting his $1.4-million salary on the sunshine list, and he followed that advice and hid that salary. They told him that he didn’t have to co-operate with the Auditor General, and he did not. They told him how to create the web of for-profit entities and he followed it.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Frank Klees: The government House leader fails to tell the total truth. The fact is—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member will withdraw.

Mr. Frank Klees: The fact of the matter is that Ms. Golding also advised Ornge—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): You must stand and withdraw.

Mr. Frank Klees: I withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Carry on.

Mr. Frank Klees: The fact of the matter is that Ms. Golding, if the House leader was willing to go just a bit further in reading those transcripts, also said that they advised Ornge to disclose those salaries.

I would like to know this: According to Ms. Golding, it was very clear that the federal incorporation in no way interfered with the Minister of Health intervening at Ornge. In fact, she told the committee that five public hospitals in Ontario did the identical federal incorporation. Why did the minister not act? Is it because she didn’t know the truth or that she was misled by her civil servants?

Hon. John Milloy: As I’ve indicated before, I will take the word of the Auditor General of Ontario, an officer of this Legislature, over that of a lawyer who told Chris Mazza how to hide his $1.4-million salary.

What did the Auditor General have to say at his March 21 press conference? He said, “The performance agreement was weak and it was not adequate, and it needed to be significantly strengthened. The ministry has stepped in and taken concrete action.”

In the Auditor General’s report itself, he says on page 12, “The performance agreement has only two specific and measurable response-time requirements relating to requests for air ambulance services.... The additional corporate entities that Ornge unilaterally created were not covered by the performance agreement....”

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General found significant weaknesses with the performance agreement, which have been addressed by the Minister of Health and are going to be addressed through Bill 50.

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

Mr. Frank Klees: I really wish the House leader would attend those meetings so that he would know precisely what’s going on there, because he doesn’t have the full context, and he’s letting people know partially what has happened there. That is not being forthright.

What we heard at that committee is that the ministry took some 10 months to negotiate that contract. It was headed up by Dennis Brown, the lead ministry negotiator. That agreement imposed some 15 pages of covenants on Ornge, on which the ministry could have acted at any time to intervene at Ornge. Those were the facts that were given to the committee.

I’d like to know from the minister: Was she aware of those 15 pages of covenants? Did she stand in this place and say that she had no authority because she really believed that, or was she misled by her own ministry?

Interjections.

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

Government House leader.

Hon. John Milloy: Again, page 16 of the Auditor General’s report: The performance agreement “does not allow the ministry to recover any unspent air ambulance funding....” The performance agreement “does not entitle the ministry to access the books and records of any of the entities that Ornge directly controls....”

Mr. Speaker, there were serious weaknesses in terms of the oversight of Ornge. The Minister of Health has taken action to fix it, but the final piece of the puzzle is Bill 50. And when we brought it up for debate yesterday, what did that member and his party do? They rang the bells in an irresponsible, childish manner.

It’s time they stood up and joined with us to pass Bill 50 and make sure that we bring forward the types of reforms that will address the problems that have been faced by Ornge.

HYDRO RATES

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Premier. Today, electricity prices will rise again for Ontario’s businesses and residents. Can the Premier tell us how the price of Ontario’s electricity compares to the prices in provinces to our east and to our west?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I say to my honourable colleague—and I welcome the question—in an ideal world, we would be as blessed as the provinces are to the east and the west of us when it comes to hydroelectric capacity. But we don’t live in that ideal world; we live in this one.

We got to work, busily, shortly after we formed the government. We’ve invested billions of dollars in new transmission and in new generation. We are shutting down our coal-fired generation. We are cleaning up our air—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, come to order.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: —that, in essence, is our plan, and I’m sure my honourable colleague supports it.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Yes, it’s true, Speaker: We used to be blessed with a public power system in the province of Ontario. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

Manitoba Hydro produced some of the price comparisons today, which tell a tough story for families and businesses in this province. A household in Winnipeg will pay $73 for electricity this month. The same household in Montreal will pay $68. But in Toronto, the same family will pay $119 a month, and in Englehart, Ontario, it’s $143—twice as much.

How does the Premier explain to families that they can save $800 a year for electricity simply by moving to another province?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I draw to my honourable colleague’s attention—you know those wooden hydro poles that we see? They don’t last forever. Every once in a while, you’ve got to invest in their repair and replacement. The same applies to our nuclear generators. It applies to the expansion that we’re making at Niagara Falls, the biggest project of its kind in the world.

There are considerable dollars that have to flow in order to make investments in generation and transmission. We’ve put together more new transmission, in terms of either replacing it or repairing it, that would take us from here to Alaska. We’re talking about thousands and thousands of kilometres of new transmission. There’s a cost associated with that in order to ensure that we have access to good-quality, reliable power. I’m sure my colleague understands that as well.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: For people worried about jobs and making ends meet, the record seems pretty clear: Ontario’s private power boondoggles are making life more expensive for people and for businesses. Large industrial users in Toronto are paying the highest rates in the country—literally, $3 million more a month than in other provinces. Isn’t it time for the Premier to consider a different approach?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I want to remind my honourable colleague that Hydro One and OPG are publicly owned utilities. They’re owned by the people of Ontario. The 5% of our electricity bills today that we are receiving as Ontarians is connected to our feed-in tariff program. The increases that we’ve been experiencing are to ensure that we invested in a lot more transmission and a lot more generation.

The fact of the matter is, it’s a little bit more expensive for us to move beyond coal, but we think, in speaking to our families, that that’s something that is a worthwhile investment on our part. At the same time, we’re creating thousands of new jobs and an exciting new clean energy sector, something that Ontarians are embracing.

ELECTRICITY RESTRUCTURING

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. This government intends to move forward with a comprehensive review of the electricity sector, and it’s clear that the McGuinty Liberals’ private power deals need to be part of that review. Can the Premier assure us that this is going to be the case?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Energy.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: We are taking a look at all aspects of the energy sector to make sure that families and businesses have the power they need, when they need it, at the least possible cost.

I just want to remind all members of the House that today is World Asthma Day, a day when those, and many in this province and this country, who have serious medical illnesses look for clean air. At the heart of the approach we’ve taken to energy from the time we got elected, we’re getting out of coal; we’re cleaning up the air; we’re making sure people can breathe clean air and build an exciting new economy along with it.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member for Nepean–Carleton, come to order.

Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: After nearly a decade of growing bureaucracy and a web of private power deals, the government is finally conceding that their plan isn’t working. They took a baby step towards reform by merging the IESO and the OPA, but families are still on the hook for private power boondoggles like the mess that happened in Mississauga, where we’re paying millions and millions of dollars not to build a power plant.

It’s time for a change, Speaker. Is this Premier ready to actually work on fixing the mess in Ontario’s electricity system, or are we just going to see more of the same?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: I know that the leader of the third party will support us as we look everywhere in the electricity sector to find ways to take costs out. She mentioned the two agencies that we’re consolidating, and that’s important. Take costs out of the system; make it work better.

The two public utilities that we have, OPG and Hydro One: We’ve already taken more than half a billion dollars of costs out of those, and we will continue to look for more. We have a panel looking at all of the local utilities in the province to see if they can work more effectively. We’re benchmarking all of our agencies by international standards to see if we can take costs out. And, of course, we take 10% off the bottom line of every utility bill. That benefits every single family in this province.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Let me take a moment to remind the government what families actually see. The cost of daily life keeps climbing in this province, and they’re feeling like they simply cannot keep up. The jobs that they need are being chased away by high hydro rates. The status quo is not working for them.

Is the Premier ready to actually look at change that makes their lives more affordable, or will this review just be another opportunity for the government to sell off more of our electricity assets and leave people paying the price?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: It’s all about families and businesses and making sure that they have what they need at a price that’s reasonable. The 10% clean energy benefit off the bottom line of the bill is something we proposed; the NDP was supportive of 8%. We have an energy and property tax credit, which the NDP voted against. We’re taking a look at all of our agencies to take costs out.

The fact of the matter is that job creation in this province, through a number of measures—energy, but also a reformed tax system—has been very robust; just last month, 46,000 jobs, more than any other province and the rest of the provinces in the country combined. We’re very focused on making sure that families have the job opportunities they need, and we’ll continue to pursue it through energy and all other means at our disposal.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Todd Smith: My question is for the Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, the minister owes this House an explanation. Throughout the investigation into the corruption at Ornge, the minister has defended her mismanagement and failure of leadership by repeatedly making claims that have been one by one refuted and rejected. We’ve learned that not a single one of the minister’s lame excuses has any legitimacy whatsoever. What’s worse is that the minister has allowed the Premier and members of her caucus to repeat these fabrications on several occasions, thereby discrediting—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member will withdraw that comment.

Mr. Todd Smith: I withdraw, Mr. Speaker.

So I ask the minister: Are you comfortable with having embarrassed the Premier and all of your colleagues on the Liberal side?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The action we’ve taken to address the problems at Ornge has been pretty significant: completely new leadership, a new performance agreement, and now we have introduced legislation that will put in law the oversight that we require. We’ll be able to put in a supervisor. I did not have that power; I will, if we can get Bill 50 passed.

Speaker, the members opposite are much more interested in playing childish political games. They’ve spent more time ringing bells than they have at public accounts. There’s something out of balance. We want to get to work for the people of Ontario.

Interjections.

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

Supplementary?

Mr. Todd Smith: Mr. Speaker, we’re tired of the excuses. They’re bogus.

Let me recap: The minister claims to have fired the board—not true.

Interjections: Not true.

Mr. Todd Smith: The minister claims to have been unaware of the corporate restructuring—not true.

Interjections: Not true.

Mr. Todd Smith: The minister claims to have seen—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I would ask that the question be put without the interventions, please.

Mr. Todd Smith: Thank you Mr. Speaker.

The minister claims she wasn’t responsible during the election—not true.

Interjections: Not true.

Mr. Todd Smith: The minister claims to have had no authority over Ornge—not true.

Interjections: Not true.

Mr. Todd Smith: The minister claims that since Ornge was federally incorporated, she couldn’t intervene—not true.

Interjections: Not true.

Mr. Todd Smith: The minister claims—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I am tempted to say “next question,” but the next time it happens, I will.

Mr. Todd Smith: Thank you Mr. Speaker. There’s just one more anyway: The minister claims her new legislation increases transparency at Ornge, and we know that’s not true.

So I ask her, given that she has zero credibility, that every single one of her lame excuses has been refuted, will she finally provide the House with a straight answer? If she won’t, will she resign?

Interjections.

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

Minister of Health.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The Auditor General, I think, is a highly regarded individual, and I’m relying on the Auditor General to give me advice on the changes we need to make. We are making the changes that the Auditor General recommended, and that includes Bill 50, legislation that you are blocking, that the members opposite are blocking, legislation that does enhance transparency and oversight.

Speaker, they can play games all they want, but I can tell you that we are trying to get the work done that the people of Ontario expect us to do. I wish they would just put the political games aside. Just let it pass and get to committee.

GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENTS

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the Premier recently called Elizabeth Witmer exceptionally qualified to be the chair of the WSIB, but in opposition, this government slammed her policies on injured workers.

In May 1997, the Minister of the Environment said, “If anyone were injured on the job, they’re going to find that under the provisions of Bill 99 they’re going to be much worse off.” The finance minister labelled those WSIB reforms as “an attack on working people” at the time.

How did this government go from calling Ms. Witmer’s policies “an attack on working people” to now saying that she’s exceptionally qualified for the job?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I want to remind my honourable colleague that it was only yesterday that we came together and in one voice celebrated the remarkable career of a dedicated public servant, Elizabeth Witmer.

I would also venture to say that the news of Ms. Witmer’s appointment as head of the WSIB has been well received by both employers and workers alike. There are some tremendous challenges there associated with the unfunded liability and making sure our workers are getting the benefits to which they are entitled as a result of being injured on the job.

It’s a big job, Speaker, and I can’t think of anyone better than Ms. Witmer. I encourage my honourable colleague to continue to lend support to her as she takes on this important job.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Taras Natyshak: There’s no doubt that Ms. Witmer has a lot of experience, but we don’t share her vision for the WSIB. When the government was sitting on this side of the House, they agreed with us. Here’s the member for Eglinton–Lawrence in April 1997: Witmer’s WSIB reform is “another attempt to download on to those who can’t afford it, another hit from this government which just cares about pleasing their rich friends.”

Is the Premier so desperate for a majority government that he’s ready to play politics with important positions?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I’m not sure why my honourable colleague is so eager to pick a fight with Ms. Witmer—he says he doesn’t share her vision—because she just got the job. She hasn’t even laid out some of the principles that are going to inform her actions. But I think she’s a great listener. I think she is very thoughtful. She’s always shown herself to be progressive and I think she’s going to be very open-minded.

I believe, Speaker, she’d be eager to meet with the honourable member and receive his concerns and listen to them well. I’m sure she’ll hear from employers and workers alike as she takes on her responsibility. I think what we owe her, in fairness, is at least a bit of time for her to begin her new responsibilities.

ASTHMA

Ms. Helena Jaczek: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Minister, as a physician, I know that in Ontario asthma effects almost one in five children aged zero to nine years. Approximately 8% of Ontario adults have been diagnosed with asthma. In fact, a person born in Ontario has a 34% risk of developing asthma before they reach 80 years of age, and it can be fatal.

Asthma is a significant cause of school and work absenteeism and it is also the most common reason for hospitalization of Ontario’s children and places a heavy burden on emergency departments.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, to the minister: Today being World Asthma Day, what is this government doing to help those in Ontario suffering from asthma?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Thank you to the member for her question. I would like to recognize the people from the Ontario Lung Association who are here with us today and thank them for their advocacy and thank them for the work that they are doing.

We do have an exciting project. We’re providing $4.25 million this year for the Asthma Plan of Action. It’s an integrated plan led by the Ontario Lung Association to improve health outcomes and reduce the burden on our health care system.

The results are nothing short of astounding. Of those served by the primary care asthma program, asthma attacks have been decreased by almost 40%. Emergency department visits have been cut in half, as has absenteeism from work and school. Speaker, this is an exciting research project and we’re very pleased with the way it’s going.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Helena Jaczek: Thank you, Minister. I know that my constituents are pleased that this government is taking such strong action to fight asthma.

Minister, one of the single biggest causes of asthma in the province is dirty coal-fired power generation. Coal pollutes the air and makes people sick. In 2003, this government made a commitment to get out of coal-fired power generation. This is the single largest climate change initiative in North America.

In addition, Ontario’s commitment to cleaner sources of energy, like wind, solar and hydro, is ensuring that our children and grandchildren have a brighter and healthier future. This is something my constituents are very proud of.

Minister, can you please share with this House the status of Ontario’s efforts to replace dirty coal-fired power generation with cleaner sources by 2014?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, to the Minister of Energy.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: A very important question by my colleague. On this World Asthma Day, all those suffering with asthma or with any breathing difficulty will be celebrating clean air. We’re cleaning up the air by getting out of coal, and I’m pleased to say we’ll be out of coal completely by 2014. One of the ways we’re doing that is to bring on new, clean, renewable energy. Whether it’s wind, solar, bio or hydro, it keeps the air clean.

What does this mean? It means hundreds of thousands fewer illnesses; it means many thousands fewer hospital admissions; it means billions of dollars saved from the health care system that can be spent on other things. But what it really means for all those suffering from asthma or any other breathing challenge is that they’ll be able to take a breath of clean air, and that’s what we want for all of our families.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Rick Nicholls: My question is to the Minister of Health. You have blocked repeated attempts to prevent the opposition from getting to the bottom of the Liberal scandal at Ornge. You neglected your duties to hold management at Ornge accountable, and patient safety was put at risk.

Your new bill does not provide for additional oversight at Ornge, nor does it enable the Ombudsman to investigate, nor does your bill make Ornge subject to freedom of information. Minister, what are you hiding?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, we have introduced Bill 50. Bill 50 takes important steps to increase oversight and transparency at Ornge. Some of the elements of Bill 50: It protects whistle-blowers. It allows us to change the performance agreement unilaterally; that was not a power we had. It also gives us the power to appoint a supervisor or an investigator, a power we have in our hospitals.

The people opposite are too busy ringing bells to actually get moving forward and pass this legislation. We welcome advice at committee. We look forward to getting this bill to committee, but we need to pass it on second reading before we can take that step.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Another end-around, Minister.

We know now, despite attempts to deflect, that the sordid Ornge story is connected to a long list of Liberal insiders: Liberal Party president Alf Apps; the Premier’s right-hand man, Don Guy; senior Liberal staffer Jennifer Tracey; Warren Kinsella’s squeeze, Lisa Kirbie; former chief of staff to the Minister of Health, Mary Lowe; the architect of eHealth, George Smitherman; Sandra Pupatello; and even the Minister of Finance.

Minister, is your new legislation just smoke and mirrors or an attempt to hide the true depths of the Liberal scandal at Ornge?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Community and Social Services.

Hon. John Milloy: Mr. Speaker, I think we all realize—

Interjection: It’s a drive-by smear.

Hon. John Milloy: —how inappropriate that drive-by smear was that we just heard. There is an opportunity to have a spirited debate in front of the committee and to talk about witnesses.

But if he wants to play that game, then fine. Let’s talk about Kelly Mitchell, who’s in front of the public accounts committee tomorrow, along with Kelly Long, another witness that we’re all interested in talking about.

Who is Kelly Mitchell? He is a prominent PC Party member. He was someone who raised thousands and thousands of dollars for the Progressive Conservative Party, and he was paid some $400,000 by Ornge for the sole purpose of schmoozing and lobbying Progressive Conservative MPPs. Mr. Speaker, we look forward to hearing what he has to say—

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

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour le premier ministre. The Premier has yet to answer my question about his former chief of staff and current campaign manager and confidante, Don Guy, who we learned billed Ornge $125,000 for “professional services.”

I’ll ask again: When did the Premier first learn that his campaign strategist, Mr. Don Guy, was working for Ornge?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I understand that Mr. Guy will be appearing before the committee shortly. I know he’s very much looking forward to that, and I’m sure that members opposite are looking forward to hearing from him.

But again, we have claims made on behalf of the opposition parties that they’re interested in introducing new oversight and new measures of transparency to ensure that we can do a better job through Ornge, looking out for the interests of Ontarians.

There is a bill before this Legislature. It is Bill 50. It does present us with the opportunity to engage in debate. It does present us with the opportunity to receive potential amendments on the part of the opposition. In short, it gives us the opportunity to work together on behalf of the people of Ontario, and I would urge my honourable colleagues opposite to do just that. Let’s debate the bill and let’s stop ringing those bells.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

M me France Gélinas: Maybe the Premier forgot that I asked the question. I never rang any bells. The NDP never rang any bells. So I would appreciate it if you could answer the NDP when the NDP asks a question.

You’re right, tomorrow Mr. Guy will appear in front of the committee examining Ornge. He will have to tell us under oath about the services he provided at Ornge, his relationship to you, Mr. Premier, and why he never cashed in on the last $17,000 bill to Ornge.

The Premier has a chance right here, right now, to talk to this House before Mr. Guy does it tomorrow. Will the Premier explain whether Mr. Guy used his influence with the Premier’s office in his work with Ornge?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Either it’s on the line or it crosses over it, in terms of interfering with the work of the committee that’s being done on behalf of all members, and I’d urge my honourable colleague to respect the work of that committee.

There is a committee. It has been sitting. I expect it will sit for several more weeks. A number of witnesses have appeared. I expect that many more will appear in the future. Again, I think we ought to respect the workings of that committee.

CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM

Mr. Michael Coteau: My question is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. I’m proud of the progress our government has made in child welfare since taking office. I know that fewer kids are coming into care and more kids are being placed into permanent homes.

As the MPP for Don Valley East, I find it of great importance that children and youth receiving protection and support from children’s aid societies in my community have every opportunity to reach their full potential.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, to the minister: Can you outline the steps this government is taking to continue to improve our child protection system?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I’d first like to thank the member from Don Valley East for the question. A lot of members of this Legislature might not be aware of his tremendous record of community service, and I want to acknowledge and commend that, first of all.

I’d also like to thank all the incredible staff across this province that work hard each and every day on behalf of our children, particularly the most vulnerable. Their dedication helps to improve outcomes for children and youth right across this wonderful province.

This government, a number of years back, established the independent Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, which further shows our commitment to supporting a stronger and more responsive child welfare system in Ontario.

We also know that permanent homes provide kids with the best opportunities to succeed. In 2010-11, there were approximately 1,000 adoptions in the public system, an increase of 20% over the previous year. New legislation, as well, by this government means more than 7,000 crown wards—

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

Mr. Michael Coteau: Thank you, Minister. I’m pleased that we’ve made significant achievements in child welfare here in Ontario. Many of the children and youth we’re talking about here today represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. We need to remain committed to ensuring that their well-being is a top priority.

I know that adoption is one of several ways that our government is helping children and youth find permanent, stable homes so they can reach their full potential. I ask the minister to describe how he and this government are working towards promoting a sustainable child welfare system more broadly.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I am pleased, of course, to respond to the question. In 2009, the Commission to Promote Sustainable Child Welfare was established to develop strategies that will strengthen service delivery and contribute to better outcomes for our children. We are already implementing some of the recommendations made by the commission to reduce the administrative burden on children’s aid societies and make them more efficient in supporting Ontario’s kids.

Together with the commission, my ministry is working towards the development of a new funding model, the establishment of new approaches to accountability and outcome management, and improvements in service delivery and financial management through implementation of the child protection information network.

Our reforms will result in a stronger, more effective system.

HYDRO RATES

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Energy. Minister, today the Ontario hydro rates increased yet again all across Ontario. When you pay ultra-rich fees for wind and solar, someone has to pay the difference, and that someone is every householder, every senior and every business.

Yesterday, Minister, you denied the increase was the result of your failed renewable energy approach. Then you added a quote: “That will come on more in the future.” So, Minister, if families are getting a shock today when they open their bills, just how much more can they expect, as you say, in the future?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: It does give me an opportunity, on World Asthma Day, to speak to the elimination of coal, to speak to cleaning up the air, to speak of making sure that we don’t burn coal to make hundreds of thousands of people sick, that we don’t burn coal so we can spend billions of dollars in health care for those sick people, but that we actually make sure we get the power we need from clean sources—some hydro, some wind, some solar, some bio.

We are dedicated to making sure that every Ontarian has the air, the clean air, that they need and want to breathe, that we save billions of dollars, and that we build a good, strong, clean green energy industry in the process.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: My supplementary to the minister is, we both know that your purchase of wind has actually replaced clean, green, renewable water power in Ontario. Coal, which you have never closed, has been replaced by nuclear and natural gas plants. So let’s please stick to the facts. Your failed energy program has sent families’ hydro bills skyrocketing yet again this morning. On TVO’s Agenda, Tony Keller called your energy plan “a power scheme that is as ecologically ineffective as it is economically incoherent.”

Minister, what are you going to do to keep Ontario from having the highest energy bills in North America?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: Speaker, a breath of fresh air is what the facts often bring. It’s said that action is eloquence. My friend referred to hydroelectric power, in the same day when the Premier referred to us bringing on the largest hard-rock tunnel in the world, in Niagara Falls, so we have more hydroelectric power. At the same time, we’re bringing on power through the lower Mattagami, south of James Bay, that will light up hundreds of thousands of homes, at the same time as the member himself is a secret green, having put solar panels on the roof of city hall.

We’re getting out of coal for all the reasons that people who have breathing difficulties respect. It’s time the member opposite admits that clean air does mean something to people in Ontario.

GENERIC DRUG INDUSTRY

Mr. Rosario Marchese: My question is to the Premier. Experts across the country are concerned that Canada’s trade agreement with Europe will delay more affordable generic drugs from coming on the market, costing the province a fortune. Even the Drummond commission expressed concern, noting that the agreement “could cost Ontario dearly” and recommended that the province prevent the trade agreement from undermining its use of generics. Why is the Premier not taking an active role in keeping this costly proposal off the table?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Finance.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: The member opposite is correct. Ontario is at a side table at the negotiations going on with the European Union on free trade. There are a variety of issues related to access to foreign markets of Canadian-produced generic drugs.

I remind the member opposite that most generics are produced here in Ontario. They are marketed around the world. We’re proud of our generic drug industry. I hope the third party are not trying to prevent the export of generic drugs and at the same time cost jobs in the generic job industry. That’s not much of a jobs policy, I say with respect to my colleagues.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Rosario Marchese: In February, researchers at the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto reported that if the pharmaceutical intellectual property proposals in CETA, the Canada-European trade agreement, are adopted, it could cost Ontario up to $1.2 billion annually. This would cancel out $550 million in savings estimated from generic drug price reductions and add $672 million to private sector and individual drug costs.

Minister of Finance, there is no empirical evidence that extending drug patents will have any benefits for Ontarians. Why is the Premier putting brand name drug companies’ profits ahead of the public good?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: We’ve reduced the cost of generic drugs some $600 million as a result of the good work of the Minister of Health and my colleagues on this side. Ontario obviously is striving for a fair as well as free trade deal with the European Union. That’s why we are at a side table in those negotiations, as was the request of the European Union.

I would urge the member great caution with respect to generic drugs. Ontario is one of the leading producers of generic drugs in the world. We export a good portion of those. They create good-paying jobs right here in Ontario. I would not want to jeopardize those jobs—

Interjection: Union jobs.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: Yes, they’re unionized jobs. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize those jobs because we have our head in the sand with respect to the importance of access to foreign markets. We will continue to negotiate in good faith to get the best deal possible for all Ontarians.

ELDER ABUSE

Mr. Shafiq Qaadri: Ma question est pour le ministre délégué aux Affaires des personnes âgées.

My question is for the minister responsible for seniors. Minister, as you’ll know, according to the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, unfortunately, something on the order of about 2% to 10% of older adults experience some form of elder abuse, even these days. I unfortunately see this in my dual capacity not only as a parliamentarian but also as a physician. I think this is a particularly alarming figure, given that it’s so contradictory to our values of respect for the environment, for ourselves and, of course, for our families.

People in my riding want to kno