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March 31, 2026

44th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2026-Mar-31 (PDF)

L057 - Tue 31 Mar 2026 / Mar 31 mar 2026

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 31 March 2026 Mardi 31 mars 2026

Orders of the Day

Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur le plan pour protéger l’Ontario (mesures budgétaires)

Members’ Statements

Housing

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Highway improvement

Arjanpal Hundal

Consumer protection

Ice storm

Ryan Benoit / Ryan Hutton

Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital Foundation

Lorien Smith

Affordable housing

Introduction of Visitors

Question Period

Ontario budget

Hospital funding

Unemployment

Ontario budget

Unemployment

Northern transportation

Autism treatment

University and college funding

Human rights

Housing

Unemployment

Cost of living

Small business

Correction of record

Introduction of Visitors

Petitions

Student assistance

Student assistance

GO Transit

Student assistance

Education funding

Student assistance

Mental health services

Student assistance

Ontario economy

Student assistance

Student assistance

Social assistance

Health care workers

Student assistance

Opposition Day

Student assistance / Aide financière pour les étudiants

Private Members’ Public Business

Rural Ontario

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026 / Loi de 2026 sur le plan pour protéger l’Ontario (mesures budgétaires)

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 30, 2026, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 97,

An Act to implement Budget measures, to enact, amend or repeal various statutes and to revoke various regulations / Projet de loi 97, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires, à édicter, à modifier ou à abroger diverses lois et à abroger divers règlements.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Questions?

Mr. Matthew Rae: Good morning, everyone. My question is to the minister from Peterborough–Kawartha.

Interjection.

Mr. Matthew Rae: Maybe I’ll give you a promotion this morning.

Basically, he talked at length about the importance of the small business tax cut. I was wondering if the member could elaborate on some of the additional cost-saving measures our government has brought in with this budget and previous budgets, building upon the affordability we’re providing Ontarians.

Mr. Dave Smith: What an excellent question. It gives an opportunity to talk about some of the great work that we’ve already accomplished here in Ontario.

What we are trying to do is ensure that people have more money in their pocket to decide how they want to use that. It really comes down to this: Does the government know more about how you should spend your money or do you know more about how you should use your money?

What we have done is a ton of measures to put money back into your pocket. We reversed the poor decision on tolls on the 412 and the 418, giving money back to people, and on things like One Fare, saving commuters more than $1,600 a year travelling back and forth between different communities into Toronto, making sure that if you get on the GO train and then leave the GO train for the Toronto subway, you’re not paying multiple fares. These are all things that are putting money back into people’s pockets.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Mr. Chris Glover: The member opposite just talked about people know how to use their money themselves. This is often used as a code by the right wing because they want to get rid of public education, they want to get rid of public health care. So you’ll be able to go to get the medical services that you can afford. You can go be able to get the education for your children that you can afford. But we’re not going to actually have a public education or public health care system. And we see this government eroding our public schools: $6.5 billion cut from an already strapped system since this government got into power.

So, my question to the member is, when you talk about people know how to use their money, are you talking about privatizing our public education and our public health care systems?

Mr. Dave Smith: This is the difference between NDP math and Progressive Conservative math. In 2018, the education budget was $28 billion. This year it will be over $40 billion. But according to that member, it is a $6-billion cut. Add $12 billion plus to the budget, but that’s a cut to them.

Our health care system: $61 billion in 2018, $101 billion this year—a $40-billion increase. But according to the member opposite, adding $40 billion is a cut.

The people of Ontario have the ability to read the budget. Perhaps the NDP should pick the budget up and read it as well.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: Thank you to my good colleague from Peterborough for that presentation.

The dream of home ownership is well and alive—the announcement of the initiative by Premier Ford, Minister Flack and Minister Bethlenfalvy through this budget. We achieve, by removing the full 13% HST on newly built homes in Markham—I know Markham residents can get a house, a townhome for under $1 million. They’re saving over $100,000. It’s almost like a 15% down payment.

Can the member please tell us the message this government has put into place to provide so much needed relief to Ontarians through this 2026 budget, especially removing the HST?

Mr. Dave Smith: Thank you to the member for that question; it’s an excellent question. Let’s take a look at the math on it. I know math is sometimes hard for the NDP; they just showed that in the last question that they asked.

If we take a million-dollar home and remove $130,000 from it, that brings it down to $870,000. What does that do? It changes your monthly mortgage payment from about $4,400 to about $3,600. If you take an $800,000 house and you remove the HST from that, now you’re down into just a shade under $700,000 for it. What does that do? It brings your mortgage payment down to about $2,200 a month.

It is real affordability issues for people. It means that first-time homebuyer, that young couple with two incomes, will qualify for the mortgage and will be able to carry the mortgage. It means that that senior who wants to downsize from a three bedroom or a four bedroom to a two bedroom has money left over after their sell their house and purchase a new one.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): A quick question.

Mr. John Vanthof: I often disagree with the member on the other side, and I don’t think there is such a thing as NDP math or Progressive Conservative math or, quite frankly, Liberal math—he gets really excited about it, but math is math.

If you look at the education system, if there is less money per student, that actually means a cut per student. Would the member agree that if there’s less money in the system per student and the number of students rises, the math says that is a cut for the education system?

Mr. Dave Smith: I’m going to turn that back to the member opposite and say that when we have less students next year than we had last year and the Grants for Student Needs increases per student, is that not an increase in it? The fact of the reality is, there is more money in the Grants for Student Needs this year per student than there was previously.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further debate?

M. Guy Bourgouin: C’est toujours un plaisir de me lever pour les gens de mon comté, mais surtout je veux parler des usines de sciage aussi, puis des routes, puis les feux de forêt qu’on a subis.

This government says this is a budget for uncertainty. The minister told this House that the world has changed—that we face global trade tension, supply chain disruption and shifting markets. He’s right: The world has changed. But this budget did not change with it.

At a record of $244 billion, this budget has every opportunity to make strategic investments to stabilize our economy, protect jobs and build long-term security for northern Ontario. Instead, this budget ignores what communities, municipalities, chambers of commerce, hospitals and industry asked for in their pre-budget submissions. Stakeholders came forward with practical recommendations, and this government ignored them—as usual.

Nowhere is that more clear than in forestry and northern highways. The Ontario forestry sector is facing one of the most difficult moments in decades. Forestry workers are dealing with a 45% tariff on lumber and there is no future trade agreement on the horizon. Workers, industry and communities need certainty, but there is no certainty in this budget.

For years, this government has underinvested in forestry. Instead of making the investments needed to keep mills operating and keep people working in the field that they have worked in for 10, 20, 30 years, this budget offers a $500,000 unemployment support centre for one sawmill in Ear Falls.

Workers do not want unemployment programs; workers want jobs. The government’s answer is not to protect employment in forestry. It is to help forestry workers leave the sector entirely. This is not a forestry strategy. It is not any strategy.

And this program does not even reflect reality on the ground. At the Ear Falls sawmill, many workers are employed under closed work permits. They are tied to their employer. They cannot simply move into another job in another sector. So this announcement doesn’t help them or their community. It shows that this government does not understand the workers it claims to support.

At the same time, it is not just Ear Falls but Gogama, Terrace Bay and Kap Paper. Unifor Local 89 appeared before the government’s own pre-budget consultations in January. They warned that the combination of a softwood lumber dispute and new tariffs was creating record job losses across the Ontario forest sector. They told this government that when one mill closes, it does not just affect one workplace; it causes a spinoff of job losses in the entire community, from trucking to the local business to downstream manufacturing.

Unifor called for a real industrial strategy for forestry, a plan that coordinates government, industry and labour—sorry, Speaker; I will split my time with the member for Niagara—to keep people working and keep mills operating. They called for support to transform the sector, not abandoning it.

Perhaps the clearest example of this government failing to understand forestry is biomass. Anyone who knows anything about forestry knows that biomass revenue is essential for modern lumber manufacturing. Biomass supports mills. It supports jobs. It supports clean, affordable energy. And it supports Ontario’s long-term economic competitiveness. The Ontario Forest Industries Association has been very clear: There is room for growth. Biomass is not a side issue. It supports the entire economy that manufactures the wood used to build homes and hospitals. It can provide combined heat and power.

As our NATO allies increasingly invest in biomass as a clear, renewable and affordable source of energy, Ontario should be leading. Two thirds of this province is a forest, and we are not even harvesting 50% of our sustainable cut. Instead, this budget contains no commitment to fund the Forest Biomass Action Plan beyond 2027.

This is not just my concern; the Ontario Forest Industries Association told this government exactly what it needs. OFIA called on this government to provide long-term bilateral power purchase agreements for biomass facilities so mills and communities would have certainty and could attract investment. They warned that without long-term agreements, biomass facilities cannot survive, and without biomass revenue, mills cannot stay open.

OFIA also called for the expanded funding for the Forest Biomass Action Plan, because biomass is not just an energy issue—it is a forestry issue, a manufacturing issue and a community issue. If there is no long-term funding, then there is no expansion and there is no certainty.

Think about this: There is a mill in Chapleau that has wood chips. The government did not mention in their budget that the wood chip program will continue. Chapleau has to bring their chips being trucked all the way to Trois-Rivières, Quebec, because there is nowhere left to process them in Ontario. Think about this: Ontario communities produce the fibre, Ontario workers are doing the work, but because this government has failed to support local processing, the economic benefits are leaving the province.

Ontario should be in a position of strength. Ontario is a forest province. Because of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, Ontario has stable and sustainable harvesting. While other jurisdictions are clear-cutting and overharvesting, Ontario has protected a long-term future for our forests. In a world where, increasingly, irresponsible harvesting has depleted supply in other countries, Ontario has a competitive advantage.

The government also claims that this budget supports home construction. The Associate Minister of Forestry celebrated the removal of the HST on homes under $1 million. But seriously, that is the government’s plan to support the lumber sector? Where is the plan for actually building the homes? The government promised 1.5 million homes, but the budget itself shows that Ontario is falling further behind. In fact, we’re the worst in Canada.

Wildfires: I’ll just say a couple of words on wildfires. We haven’t seen the investment. In fact, the government cut $121 million in their major firefighting funding, yet other provinces are investing, realizing that fires are getting more and more critical. We saw that last year in Ontario, but yet Ontario, in its wisdom, is cutting $121 million from the budget.

Let’s talk about roads. I’ve just got a couple of minutes to talk about roads—time flies. Time and time again, we’ve seen road closures. In 2024, Highway 11 closed 364 times and Highway 17 closed 886 times. I asked the minister: How many times did it close in 2025? Either he didn’t have the answer or he was ashamed of the answer, because we know the road closures are even worse in 2025. Northern MPPs on your side know that. I asked how many people died in this year alone. He knows the number, but he doesn’t want to share it because he’s ashamed, and you should be.

Just in February this year, we were up to 10 people who died on Highways 11 and 17—shame. That’s the reality we live in northern Ontario.

In conclusion, Speaker, this budget had a choice. It could have listened to workers, municipalities, hospitals and industry. It could have invested in forestry, biomass, wildfire protection and safer highways. It could have built certainty in uncertain times. Instead, this government ignored the people who know northern Ontario best, and northern Ontario will pay the price.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Niagara Falls.

MPP Wayne Gates: Thank you very much for allowing me to say a few words this morning. The budget last week was tabled on Thursday. What happened in the province of Ontario after the budget was done is very unique. It hasn’t happened, quite frankly, Speaker, since the Rae days—or, sorry, the Harris days and the Rae days.

But here’s what happened from everyone—and everybody on that side had better listen. I know you’re playing on your phones and doing what you do; I understand that, but this is important. For the first time in eight years, you had rallies in communities you represent, almost every one of you. And from that, there were tens of thousands of people there, and what’s interesting is, they’ve organized another rally on April 26. Why is that? Because your one member from Peterborough, to a question from—I’m not sure of his riding—a question was asked, and he said, “You know, people want to spend their money.

We’re giving them more money. They can spend it where they want. They can go and spend it where they want.”

You’re not listening out there. Do you know where people are going after they work 40 hours a week? Do you know where they’re going? Food banks. That’s where they’re going. They’re going to food banks in my community, and I’m sure they’re going to food banks in your community. So when you talk about a budget, you want to make sure that you’re taking care of all Ontarians. And if you were, you wouldn’t be having rallies in almost every community in the province of Ontario.

They had one in St. Catharines, just down from Niagara Falls—not far, 10, 12 miles. Most of you guys have been there. I know you’ve all been to Niagara Falls about 47 times. So I know you guys know where Niagara Falls is, but it was in Niagara. Thousands of people were there. And what are they upset about? They’re upset about affordability. And I understand that. I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got three daughters. I’ve got five grandkids. They’re struggling. They’re struggling to pay their rent. Quite frankly, they’re struggling to find a place to rent because rents are so high in the province of Ontario.

And how did that happen? It happened because in 2019 the Conservative government brought in that they took all the rent controls off new builds. What that did is it drove the rents through the roof.

As my kids—I’m sure your kids are looking for a place to rent to start out—you know what it costs them in Niagara? It’s $2,200 to $2,500 a month. How can you pay your rent when you’re working a minimum wage job? We have a lot of tourist jobs in Niagara where they pay minimum wage, they pay a little more than minimum wage. Some of the tourist jobs pay a lot more, but the entry level ones, how do they afford to rent? So they work 40 hours a week—and I’m not agreeing with the member from Peterborough—they’re going to food banks because they’ve got to feed their kids.

And it’s not just my kids. It’s not just my grandkids. My grandkids are going to school, going to college, and you cut down on the grants to college. You know who the first call I got was from when that came out when you guys decided that OSAP—when you attacked young people, our future? You know who the first call I got was from? My granddaughter Priscilla, who’s going to university. She says, “What are they doing? Why are they doing this? I won’t be able to continue my school because I won’t be able to get a loan.” Do you know what I had to tell her? “Don’t vote Conservative.” What am I going to say?

My granddaughter deserves an education—she’s smart, she gets 90%, 95%—but this government took that away from her—not just her. They took it away from other kids. It makes no sense to me. I wish you guys would look up and listen, honest to God. It makes no sense to me because your kids are going to go through the same thing. Some of you are maybe a little younger than me, maybe you don’t have kids who are going to university, maybe you don’t have grandkids yet. That just shows I’m a little older than most of you guys. I’ve been around a while. They’re going to need that hand up to go to university or to college.

In Niagara, we have Niagara College. You know that school—if it wasn’t for Niagara College, we wouldn’t haven’t a tourist sector in Niagara. That’s where they get all their workers from. They graduate. They go work in the wine industry. They go work in the tourist sector. They become winemakers. They open up small businesses. That’s what happens from Niagara College and Brock University. You attacked those young people. It makes no sense to me.

The affordability in this province: I would challenge anybody—anybody on that side, anybody on this side—eight years ago, when you came into office, I was already here for four years. It’s my fifth term here. I’ve been here for a while, though I have no grey hair. I know you guys are all surprised at that, but I don’t have any grey hair.

Hon. Steve Clark: I’m not going to say something you can use against me.

MPP Wayne Gates: Somebody who has no hair shouldn’t say anything. That’s just my thought on that one, I’m sorry.

There wasn’t an encampment in the province of Ontario—not one—when you guys came into office. I don’t know how hard it must be to live in an encampment when you have family because you can’t afford rent. You can’t afford to buy your groceries anymore in the province of Ontario. And nobody can argue with me. Even eight years ago, you’d go get groceries and you’d get two bags at the grocery store. Today, it’s one bag, if you’re lucky.

The affordability—I already talked on the rents. Hydro bills are going up. We know that. We know you’re subsidizing hydro bills. I just had a manufacturer come and see me last week saying that they’re struggling to pay their hydro bill now in the province of Ontario—300 employees. Affordability is a real challenge.

It’s tough for me to do only 10 minutes.

Health care: I can’t stand up here and talk about the budget without talking about health care. In Niagara, we’re in a crisis in health care. I’m sure it’s like that right across the province. I think one of my colleagues talked about, “What are budgets about? They’re about choices.” I’m not going to deny that the Progressive Conservatives are investing record numbers in health care. But you know what the problem is? You know where that money’s going? It’s not going to a publicly funded, publicly delivered system; it’s going to a private system because they want to take all the money out of the public system and give it to their buddies in the private system.

The day that they announced layoffs, you think about this, in the health care sector, where they’re having cuts in the health care sector in Niagara—in our hospitals in Niagara, which right now are short-staffed. Our wait times in our ERs are through the roof. Hallway medicine is worse than ever. The very day that they said they’re cutting a hundred people out of the health care system in Niagara, do you know what was announced, Speaker? I know you’re interested in this, because you’re looking right at me and I’m glad you are.

This government gave $150 million to a private surgery clinic—a private surgery clinic, as we’re laying off people in our publicly funded, publicly delivered system. Do you know what that means? That means that we’re moving down in the same way as the Americans do. They don’t have a publicly funded, publicly delivered system there.

Do you know what the number one reason is for bankruptcies in the United States? Does anybody know? Yell it out.

Interjections.

MPP Wayne Gates: What is it?

Interjections.

MPP Wayne Gates: I don’t hear any of you guys yelling it out. It’s health care. Because when you’ve got to pay for your health care, it’s got to come from your wallet or a credit card. It’s the number one reason.

Why would we—again, priorities—

Interjection.

MPP Wayne Gates: It is in the budget. It’s right in the budget. Health care is in the budget, just like education is in the budget. Just like when you attack schools, colleges and universities, it’s in the budget.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Through the Speaker, please.

MPP Wayne Gates: I was up all night last night doing this one page for the speech. I know what’s in the budget.

What I’m saying, you cannot continue to say that you’re investing in health care, and you’re stealing it from the public system. It makes no sense. You’ve got to invest in our publicly funded system.

In my area, I’ve got Fort Erie—driving me nuts; I’m glad you guys are all coming to Niagara, because, you know what, everybody’s coming to Niagara. Everybody has found out Niagara is a great place to live. It’s a great place to raise your kids. And what do we do? We’re shutting down our urgent care centres in Port Colborne and Fort Erie.

In Fort Erie, we used to have an urgent care centre that was 24 hours, seven days a week. This government decided, “No, we’re going to stop that.” So what they did is, they cut the urgent care centre down to 10 hours a day, seven days a week, and shut it down sometimes on weekends. You know, Fort Erie has got 40,000 people that now live in Fort Erie—because you’re coming to Niagara, and that’s a good thing. And then in the winter, you end up shutting down.

He talked about highways in the north. You don’t have to go up north to have bad highways. I hate to break it to my member from the north. We have terrible storms here. As a matter of fact, when they did their tour, we had the biggest storm we had in years here, just in Toronto. I remember you were doing that thing.

Fort Erie needs their urgent care centre open 24/7—seven days a week. We need to take the pressure off our ERs, because the ERs are 10- to 12- to 14-hour waits to get in. And then when you get in, it’s all hallway medicine.

The way to invest is you invest in the urgent care centre in Fort Erie. That takes the pressure off our hospitals in Niagara Falls and in St. Catharines—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions, please?

Mr. Lorne Coe: My question is for the member from Mushkegowuk–James Bay—interesting presentation, particularly when taken in contrast to the work we’ve done on critical minerals and the Ring of Fire. You will know, Speaker, that we’re accelerating approvals, advancing mine development and moving forward on infrastructure like the roads to the Ring of Fire. We’re doing that in collaboration with First Nations.

After decades of delay under the previous Liberal government supported by the NDP, this budget takes real steps to unleash the potential and bring prosperity to the north.

So through you, Speaker, will the member opposite support this budget and responsible critical mineral development, or will he once again vote no and keep northern Ontario and his riding waiting?

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: Thank you for the question.

I’ll tell you what my constituents talk about: It’s highways. How many people died? I lost three constituents between Hearst and Longlac in the new year. While we were doing the road tour, guess what, sir? We lost another constituent close to Smooth Rock Falls. So you want to know what my constituents feel? They’re disgusted. They’re tired of not being listened to. Their families are dying on our roads. They’re afraid of driving on Highways 11 and 17, sir. Wake up and smell the coffee. In 2026, people are dying on Highway 11, when we have the technology, we have the people that can do better.

We ran out of salt in the middle of the winter. How do you explain that, in the winter that we’ve had? Unacceptable—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: I have a question for the member from Mushkegowuk–James Bay. Again, it was on roads, because I followed the tour you did with some of your colleagues up on the roads up north. I was just wondering: What should be in this budget for roads, for road safety in the northern part of Ontario?

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: What should be in the budget? Anything that would help keep our roads safe. I tabled Bill 49. We debated it, keeping our scales open a minimum 12 hours. We said to bring back the licensing of truckers to the MTO because we know the fraudulent—what’s happening in the trucking industry. We know that the government knows that.

And also, bring back to the MTO for northern highways the managing of winter maintenance. That has to be brought back to the ministry, because we’re seeing too many times contractors talking to a subcontractor, with plow drivers telling us: “Beware, our hands are tied, because the general contractor said that we can’t do this, we can’t do that.” So that has to change. And more investments on our highway to keep them safe.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

MPP Lisa Gretzky: It’s interesting that the government side is dismissive of the fact of the conditions of northern roads, but also the number of people that are dying. I think that tells you all you need to know about this government, that they would be dismissive of something like that.

When my colleague from Niagara Falls was talking about health care in his community and the closures and the layoffs that are happening, and how that deeply impacts his community and the health care they receive, the member from Brantford–Brant yells over, “Not listening,” which also tells you everything you need to know about this government. It’s clearly reflected in the budget that this government is not listening.

We’re seeing this government paying for a luxury spa in downtown Toronto, buying up the waterfront with their fantasy island project, their fetish with the Toronto waterfront. Meanwhile, my colleague is talking about health care closures in his community.

I’m wondering if the member from Niagara Falls can tell me where in this budget does it reflect the health care needs in his community when it comes to reopening urgent care in his community?

MPP Wayne Gates: I appreciate that. I started my speech, going back a ways, saying that it’s about priorities, about what you think is important for the people of the province of Ontario. I do not think—and I may be wrong—that the majority of the people who live in the province of Ontario think it’s a great idea to spend $200 million on a spa and an underground garage, when we have health care—nurses, PSWs being laid off. That makes no sense to me.

You can’t say you don’t have the money for health care, you can’t say you can’t open up the urgent care centre 24/7 in Fort Erie if you’re spending $200 million—and the cost is going to be more than that for that entire project. Take that money and put it back into health care. Take that money, quite frankly, and put it back into our schools, where class sizes are through the roof.

There are lots of things we can do with the money that’s in this budget. It’s just being directed to the wrong place.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta: My question is for my wonderful critic sitting over there.

I’m wondering if he can tell us how much the health care budget was back in 2017 and how much is the health care budget today, because I think it’s in triple digits today? We have increased health care spending a lot, but I wonder if he knows by how much exactly we’ve increased health care spending.

Also, can the member tell us how many more OHIP-insured Ontarians we have today versus how many we had back in 2018? I can tell you, because you probably don’t know: We have 1.5 million more OHIP-insured Ontarians.

And so just a very simple question to the member: How much has the health care budget increased in the last eight years?

MPP Wayne Gates: I thank you for the question, because it falls into what I’ve been saying for the last 12 minutes. It’s not about the money that you have put in health care, it’s where you’re putting the money in health care. If you’re telling me that you’re proud that you put more money in health care—as in Niagara, where we’re laying off nurses, PSWs. They were announced Monday of this week, and we had some announced just a few weeks ago.

My point isn’t how much money you’re putting into health care, it’s where you’re putting it. What I’m saying is, and I think most of the people in Ontario are saying: Put it into a publicly funded, publicly delivered system so we don’t have to lay off our nurses, we don’t have to lay off our PSWs, who are also very, very important, as you know, in the long-term-care file.

It’s not about the money; it’s about where you’re directing the money. When you direct the money to a private system instead of to a publicly funded, publicly delivered system, that means that people aren’t getting the health care they need and it ends up hurting people in Fort Erie, who have their urgent care centre closed instead of running 24/7, seven days a week. They’re running—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Moi, j’ai une question pour mon collègue du Nord.

Vous avez des enfants. Vous avez une petite fille. Qu’est-ce que vous voulez avoir dans ce budget qui n’est pas là pour leur futur? Parce que moi, je trouve que le futur pour les enfants, avec les coupes—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Through the Chair, please.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: —à OSAP et les coupes partout, c’est vraiment, vraiment difficile.

Je suis très concerné pour ma petite fille, ma petite Livia, qui va avoir huit mois bientôt. Puis on voit qu’il y a des étudiants, comme c’est là, avec les coupures qu’on a eues dans l’OSAP, qui se disent : « Bien, où est-ce qu’on va aller? »

Puis il faut réaliser que, dans le Nord, ça nous coûte beaucoup plus cher. Parce qu’on est à distance, il faut voyager plus. Il faut se rendre, faut louer parce qu’on ne peut pas juste vivre—les étudiants qui vivent à Toronto, qui vivent dans les grands centres, ils demeurent à la maison, fait que ce sont des coûts qu’ils n’ont pas besoin. Mais pour nous, les gens du Nord, les étudiants du Nord, ce sont des coûts additionnels aux familles. Ça veut dire qu’il y a beaucoup d’enfants qui ne sont pas capables d’aller aux études.

C’est très concernant quand on voit qu’on attaque la nouvelle génération. Puis cette nouvelle génération, c’est la génération qui va nous remplacer. Ce ne sont pas les minéraux critiques qui sont important. Ce n’est pas notre plus grande richesse. La plus grande richesse, c’est notre avenir, ce sont nos enfants. Puis ça, le gouvernement ne le comprend pas. Parce que couper dans l’avenir des étudiants futurs, ce n’est pas la bonne direction à aller.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): With only 15 seconds left, I’ll move to further debate.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: I’m pleased to rise today as the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore to speak on Bill 97,

An Act to implement Budget measures, to enact, amend or repeal various statutes and to revoke various regulations.

After eight long years, life in Ontario has gotten harder for families and this budget is not focused on them. This is a spend more, get less budget that fails to deliver in every way that matters to Ontarians. It demonstrates just how out of touch the Conservatives are with everyday people out in our province.

The people of Ontario are facing a growing affordability crisis—the cost of housing, food, fuel prices are up over 40% in the last month. But there’s no acknowledgement of the precarity that people are feeling right now, and there are no measures that offer stability for the people of Ontario, at a time when the ground is shifting and no one knows what is next.

It is as if the Minister of Finance and the PC government are living in their own world, where tunnels under the 401 or a $400-million parking lot at Ontario Place and a convention centre on Lake Ontario—pet projects that benefit few but are paid for by the rest of us—are priorities over the world that the rest of us live in, where measures that make life more affordable, and basic education and health services that only the province can provide, are ignored.

As I’ve travelled across many of the corners of this province recently—Windsor and Sarnia, up north to Kapuskasing and Thunder Bay, Belleville, Kingston, Brockville, Ottawa—people are confused and frustrated. They need the province to provide the services that they are responsible for, to be a partner at the table. People are hearing “austerity” and “belt tightening” from the government and more than half of the ministries are seeing cuts. Meanwhile, the government’s executive offices have grown by 243% since 2018 and hundreds of millions of dollars for government’s propaganda, self-promotion advertising.

Issues important to people: We heard an impassioned plea to think about the roads in the north; access to health care and keeping emergency departments open; our kids’ schools, where class sizes are ballooning. These issues matter to people every day. The cost of a dozen eggs has gone up. We know it’s gone up, and it continues to go up, and people are facing that every day. I had hoped we’d see a budget that would be in touch with the everyday needs of people.

Let’s just talk about some of the ministry cuts that we have seen. Over 50% of ministries received cuts to their budget in this budget:

The agriculture, food and agribusiness budget—down $92.8 million; less money for farmers at a time, again, when they probably need our support.

The Attorney General budget—down by $118.9 million. How much discussion in this Legislature do we have about the backlog for trials, the courts, the need for more capacity? Our overburdened correction facilities—I know in the south detention centre in my riding, people are sleeping, I think, four to a cell now. The last update I gave this Legislature was three. But we’re going to cut that budget right now. Rather than dealing with the issue head on, we’re going to blame others for the issue they could solve.

There’s $33.5 million less for families in children, community and social services.

Colleges, universities, research excellence and security—down $69.2 million. This one I find really fascinating, given the discussion of OSAP that we’ve been having in this Legislature. Now that we have the budget, we know exactly how this has been managed. We took over $470 million out of the OSAP budget, we moved it across and we’ve given it to the universities—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I’m sorry to interrupt, but pursuant to standing order 50(c), I am now required to interrupt the proceedings and announce that there have been six and a half hours of debate on the motion for second reading of this bill. This debate will therefore be deemed adjourned unless the government House leader directs the debate to continue.

I recognize the Minister of Agriculture.

Hon. Trevor Jones: Please continue.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I return to the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Thank you very much, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue to comment on this because I care a lot about what we’re seeing in front of us right now as a province.

I was talking about OSAP and what we’re seeing in the overall cut in the investments that we’re making in Ontario colleges and universities. I think what’s important in that decision is that we’ve actually put the financial burden on young people and their families, right now, at a time when life is just so unaffordable, at a time when unemployment for that demographic is the highest it’s been since the 1970s. Now we’re just going to actually add more financial burden to them.

Education: The education budget is down $147.9 million. I don’t know about you; I’ve got teenage kids. I have seen them come through the system. I’ve seen their class sizes grow with the transition to this government in 2018, and it’s continued to grow—class sizes well over 30 now in high school to learn science, to learn all the issues that, actually, we sometimes hear from this government are important. But why are we not valuing it in our young people at this critical moment?

There are not enough EAs for students with special needs or disabilities. Teachers are having to manage these large class sizes in infrastructure that is also crumbling.

The government just seems seized on actually just centralizing power. We’re all waiting with bated breath to see where the Minister of Education plans to go on school boards. But could we not be actually focused on our kids and their classrooms? Could we not be focused on making sure that that money that we invest, that we see it as investing in the foundations of our future, of our kids?

There are so many other areas. I could name all the 50% of ministries that were cut, but I think that when I look overall at where we’re heading with this budget—I think my colleague the member for Don Valley West has produced some excellent analysis that shows that Ontario real-GDP growth has stagnated in per capita terms since the PCs were first elected. This is long before Trump, long before the tariffs or the war in Iran, and it is not the case across Canada, Speaker. Other provinces, including BC, PEI and Nova Scotia, have experienced GDP per capita growth of 3.5 to four times over that same time period.

We have to go back to the early-1990s recession to find an economy that grew GDP per capita as slowly as under this government.

The deficit has also almost doubled this year from the 2025 projections, while the debt is approaching half a trillion dollars. People are worried about putting food on the table. They’re worried about job loss. Unemployment, as I’ve said, is at a record high, with youth unemployment at 16%. New grads are struggling to find their first job to establish their careers.

The homelessness crisis is hitting every community: big cities, small towns. Working families are turning to food banks in record numbers. Last year, close to 25% who accessed the Daily Bread Food Bank here in Toronto were families with young kids—kids that are likely going to school hungry.

Liberals believe in using taxpayer funds to meet people’s needs, to ensure a strong economy. We believe public services, housing, education and health care are investments in our kids, in our communities and in our prosperity, and the government has a duty to get the very best value for those dollars and to be transparent about how it spends it.

And right here in this budget bill, of all things, the measures are reducing transparency. This bill includes legislation that will amend the 40-year-old freedom-of-information legislation, that will now exempt ministerial staff and make it harder and take longer to get any freedom-of-information requests answered. Let us never forget how the greenbelt scandal came to light—a scandal that is still under investigation by the RCMP, and it started through FOI requests.

It does really feel like the timing is just too perfect for the government to be able to ensure that these things are not going to be readily available to the public—a time when they’re under scrutiny for the decisions that are being made.

The legislation actually goes back in time as well. It’s retroactive, meaning that FOI requests by media and members of the public that have already been filed involving ministerial staff will never see the light of day. It does make one wonder: Who are they trying to protect? The bill is not about protecting the people of Ontario; it’s about protecting those in power and those close to them.

It’s been amazing to see the response on this issue in my own riding. The number of constituents that—it just feels that this move is the last straw. Really? At this time, this is going to be the moment when we’re going to actually try to hide more things from the public?

We can and we must do better. There’s no investment in the critical services people expect the government to protect; no investment in the people who hold health care and education together. It’s a critical moment in health care, but there is no new funding for mental health care. This decision will hurt so many people and families struggling to get real support for mental health and addictions.

There is some funding for hospitals—it’s better than nothing—but the investment falls well short of what the Ontario Hospital Association says hospitals actually need to cover true costs. We know that over 100 hospitals are in deficit—they’ve been squeezed and squeezed for years—and the budget is not enough to keep emergency departments from closing, not enough to reduce hospital overcrowding and not enough to bring down the growing wait times.

There is no plan here to ease the strain on front-line professionals, a strain that’s driving nurses and PSWs out of the professions that they love. The primary care action plan funding that was reannounced is needed, but it’s too little, too late on that one. They’ve had eight years to fix the situation in primary care, and they’re now playing catch-up on a crisis of the government’s own making.

If you go back to the data from 2018, we were doing okay on attachment to primary care, if you looked at the curve, and it just fell off after this government was elected. Boy, wasn’t it ironic that there was a big announcement of a plan that we planned to implement on the eve of the election? As I say, a little bit too little too late. Millions of people don’t have a family doctor or a nurse practitioner, and we need to make sure that that changes.

Under mental health, addictions and homelessness, I will say out of all of the schedules amended, there was nothing that new on mental health. What’s more is that instead of outlining its plan for HART hubs in the health care section, because that’s where addictions and mental health fits—it actually fits in the health care section—instead, it seems to be lumped into protecting public spaces, implying that people with addictions and mental health are the people to be afraid of as though they are a threat to those public spaces.

To me, this is very troubling. About one in four people in this province will need mental health care in their lifetime; one in two will need it before the time they turn 40. If we can address mental illness and support people’s mental health early, we will actually prevent further illness. When I read that, I just shuddered. I thought, this is this is how our Ministry of Health sees addressing mental health and addictions in this province?

Speaker, I went to Belleville last week to understand the reality of mental health and addictions and homelessness in that community. What I saw of this community to support its most vulnerable populations was incredible, but it was a painful reminder for myself of how much the Conservatives have neglected rural towns like Belleville. During my visit, it was clear that what this city needed most, it will not receive in this budget.

Community leaders shared the need for support on homelessness; mental health and addictions; post-secondary education; and real, tangible measures to make life in the province more affordable. That was not reflected in this budget.

I had the opportunity to meet with community leaders and those working on the front lines. They were looking for help. They were looking for support. They were looking for a partner. What struck me was, it was regular people filling in those gaps because government is failing to do their part.

There were a few good ideas—I’ve always said it’s important to mention things that were good ideas—in this budget; I will say many of them were ideas that the Liberals have proposed before. Certainly, cutting the HST on primary home purchases was good to see, but it is only for one year instead of until 2031, like the previous HST cut for first-time home buyers. There was the cut to small businesses down to 2.2%; I think that we had suggested going a little further than that.

We had also proposed that we needed to work with the federal government to reduce development charges instead of eliminating them—and ticket sales, of course. That was legislation that this government actually removed in 2018 and now is putting back to where we had done it.

These are good things. Again, I’m not sure they all get at the root of the most important issues to people, but it’s good to see that those things were in there for small businesses especially.

Perhaps this means too at some point they will accept other good ideas. We’ve been proposing a jobs program for young people that could be funded out of the $4-billion fund to protect the economy, or maybe we could even revisit what we had planned for in Bill 28, the Homelessness Ends with Housing Act.

I have to say, I find it hard to believe that my colleagues across the aisle in the government caucus are not getting the same messages that I’m getting in my inbox and witnessing some of the same hardships and deep and growing anxiety about the future in our own communities. These are very serious times that require serious leadership. The truth is that governing is a privilege, a great responsibility. We work for the people, and public funds are not the government’s money; they’re the people’s, earned through hard work.

When I was the leader of a hospital, I never lost sight of how hard-earned public funds were entrusted to us, and I invested those dollars as if they were my own, getting the very best value for dollar, focused on the health outcomes that were a public benefit and that would stand up to transparent public scrutiny. I’m not sure that this budget hits that mark.

That business plan was approved in 2018. In 2019, the government made the decision to ask private developers to build that public infrastructure. There’s no mention of it in this budget. There are no signs of any movement, and now the area is overcrowded. Kids are being bused out to schools, and the provincial government has failed to support the community in the way it promised. I’d hoped I might see mention in this budget, but, unfortunately, there really was no mention of that at all.

There are so many other areas I could spend time talking about. I do want to go back to the hospital situation again. We know the Ontario Hospital Association had already warned that the province’s hospital sector was facing a mounting financial crisis that included a $1-billion structural deficit, but what’s worse is that we know to actually meet the full operating needs of that sector we needed $2.7 billion.

The government is going to try to praise itself for increasing the health care budget by 3%, but we know from last year’s Financial Accountability Office report that the sector would need at least 4% per year just to keep up with last year’s service levels or inflation, population growth and an aging population. While the government will say, “We’re putting more money in”—sure, we are, but the truth is the population is growing and health needs are growing. All you have to do is visit hospitals. I’ve visited so many in all the ridings across this province recently, and people are being cared for in hallways.

The solution has been to just stop measuring and reporting publicly on that. It’s not good enough. We need to get serious about how supporting health, how supporting health care is actually enabling our province. It’s keeping people well so they can contribute as well.

Speaker, personally, I wake up every day thinking about how we can make life better for the people of Ontario. I wake up every day thinking maybe today there will be some breakthroughs for how we can ensure the success of our education system, ensure the success of our health care system, ensure that those who need jobs—including the 700,000 who are without a job today—are going to be able in find a job. I would have liked to have seen an expression from the government through this budget that they take the same approach every day as well.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Questions?

Mr. Will Bouma: I listened with interest to the member’s speech, and I was curious. At the Speaker’s reception last week, I saw a representative from the Ontario Home Builders’ Association. There were other people there too, and what Mike Collins-Williams said was that this is the most significant thing that’s happened in the housing industry ever by a government in the province of Ontario. I appreciated hearing that. Of course, that’s a partnership with the federal government that we’re doing to enable new construction of homes with the HST credits and new purpose-built apartments.

I was wondering if the member could tell us—because it sounds like she won’t be supporting the budget. Does she support her federal cousins and our government in this effort to reduce the HST on new construction of new homes?

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Thank you very much to the member opposite for the question.

You know, I highlighted in the debate actually that we’ve been asking for this change on removing HST for some time. I think we’d even encouraged that there be this collaboration with the federal government to make that happen. So thank you for doing that. I think I acknowledged that in my response.

But I guess it’s kind of on the theme of the whole budget to me: It’s all a little too late. It’s been eight long years, and life is harder for people in this province. You’ve had a target that you’ve been trying to reach on housing for years. I think that more could have been done prior.

Here’s another move—we’ll see if it actually plays out: I’m very keen to see, as well, the level of engagement with municipalities, and which municipalities are actually going to see—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

MPP Lisa Gretzky: Listening to the government side talk about how they’re bringing down the cost of housing and getting rid of the tax on buying homes—fantastic; not arguing that.

Interjections.

MPP Lisa Gretzky: You should probably stop applauding and listen to what I’m about to say.

We have record, historic numbers of people experiencing homelessness under eight years of this Conservative government—historic, because I know you like the word “historic.” Historic numbers of people are experiencing homelessness.

It’s historic numbers of people going to food banks. We’re talking from young children right through to seniors. Historic numbers of people are going to food banks. And this government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a private luxury spa on Toronto’s waterfront, and funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions, to private shareholders in health care.

I’m wondering if the member from the Liberal caucus can explain: What does this budget tell you—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Thank you to the member for that question.

You’re right: We’re seeing historic levels of homelessness—85,000 people in this province right now are homeless, up 5,000 from last year.

The most troubling thing is actually that the largest-growing number are seniors—seniors losing their homes after years. In fact, if I remember, I drew a parallel on this: I think in the budget, the word “alcohol” was mentioned 74 times, and “seniors” was mentioned three. So maybe if we actually focus our minds on how we can be supporting people, we could get a little bit further with this budget.

I also mentioned that affordability is really becoming an issue. Three in five people worry about losing their housing if their financial situation were to change tomorrow. We need to think about these issues and invest—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: To the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore: Thank you for your great speech. You have extensive experience in the hospital sector and the health care sector—more so, I think, than many people here.

We’re in a health care crisis. If the government was serious about helping people, especially when they’re most vulnerable, when they’re at their sickest, what should the government be doing to invest and improve and actually start genuinely tackling the health care crisis in Ontario?

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Thank you to my colleague for that question.

My first answer on it is to see it as a priority for the health care system to be successful. It was an afterthought in the budget speech last week. I think I heard the words “health care” mentioned very, very few times, and only in the context of being a health care worker—which is important. But boy, given the proportion of this budget that goes into health care, I was shocked at how little attention the government seems to want to pay to it.

The first thing I would do is say, shift the attitude. Let’s see this as an investment, and as an investment in people and keeping people well.

The next thing is that we have so much catch-up work to do on primary care, and it will make a difference. The way we can care for people in community needs to be our priority. The way we can care for people and keeping them at home needs to be a priority. But until then, the hospital system has been squeezed so far, there’s just insufficient funds for the overcrowding that we’re seeing.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Hon. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta: I was listening carefully to the member opposite, and she’s very passionate about health care, and so am I. That’s why this budget has $1.1 billion in dedicated funding for hospitals, which includes a 4% increase in base and targeted hospital funding.

I remember during the previous Liberal government’s rule, I was a young nurse working in the emergency room. I remember hospital budgets being frozen—frozen, Speaker—for years. When we came into office, we recognized the need to invest into hospital infrastructure and into our people. That is why today’s health care spending has increased by $37.2 billion. And we are also building hospitals across this province. We have spent $60 billion to build more hospital infrastructure.

So my question to the member opposite is, will she be supporting this budget and voting yes for—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): I recognize the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Thank you for the question from my colleague across the aisle. I do think we share the same passion for making sure that people have the health care that they need. It must be frustrating to you in the caucus, actually, because the challenge is—I think you know—what’s in here for hospitals is not sufficient for what they needed.

We know that there has been mounting structural deficits. I would say we know that that has been happening quite consciously, while we’ve been paying private providers a whole lot more money for some of the same work. And so, I would have liked to see a change in gears. I would have liked us to see how we could actually fill the gap.

This budget, although it is an increase, it’s not sufficient. And we know that the Ontario Hospital Association and those hospital leaders are still going to be squeezing. We’re still going to see layoffs issued.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further questions?

Mr. Chris Glover: I recognize the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore is a former hospital administrator. The budget does not provide hospital funding at the rate of inflation; it does not keep up with inflation. I’m wondering from your perspective as a hospital administrator, what is that going to mean for patients at hospitals across Ontario?

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Thank you for that question.

Certainly, what we see is that the increases aren’t keeping pace with inflation, nor the growth in the volume that we’re seeing and could have been predicted. What this will mean is that people will be waiting longer in emergency departments. They’ll be waiting in hallways.

Again, I’ll go back to my colleague from Kingston and the Islands’s question this week—I couldn’t believe it, walking around Kingston General Hospital recently, the number of patients waiting in hallways. It’s going to mean that we will have the lowest amount of staffing we possibly can have to still deliver safe care, but that means more on the backs of front-line workers to be able to do that. And my worry is, we are seeing people leave this profession because, at a certain point, people hit a breaking point.

I think that this is a start, but it is certainly insufficient to address the needs for care that people are experiencing right now.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): Further debate?

Ms. Bobbi Ann Brady: Good morning, everyone. I am pleased to rise on behalf of the people of Haldimand–Norfolk to speak to Bill 97 this morning.

In my travels around my rural riding, people consistently tell me they are experiencing significant anxiety and worry as it relates to the rising cost of living, food, housing, affordability and energy prices, just to name a few. Many families are struggling to cover monthly costs, and those who can cover those monthly costs tell me there is no money left over to save for a rainy day, to invest or, God forbid, take their family on a vacation.

And as my colleague from Etobicoke–Lakeshore said, we know the food bank demand in Ontario last year reached record highs, with over one million people—one in 16 Ontarians—relying on them. Food banks are becoming a primary source of food rather than a temporary helping hand. We also know that a significant number of families are using credit, including buy now, pay later services, so they can afford essentials like grocery and gas to get to work.

I will remind this government that not all of us live in Toronto or urban centres. Sometimes it seems the members opposite forget that we have to get people and the rural economy moving as well.

I sit on the finance committee and this is the second budget process that I’ve been through as a committee member. I find the pre-budget consultations fruitful in one sense because as policy-makers here at Queen’s Park, we are not the experts on very much. Having professionals, experts and passionate Ontarians come to the table is inspiring. However, when their concerns, when their ideas for a better Ontario are not heard or taken seriously, it’s embarrassing and it’s downright disheartening.

As a previous leader once said, we cannot be all things to all people all the time, and I wholeheartedly agree with that. However, there is not much in this budget that I heard around the committee table, and it certainly does not meet people during their time of need. As Ontarians continue to bust their hump to provide for their families, juggling all those costs that I spoke about earlier, working longer hours only to face a growing uncertainty, the only solace being offered by this government is that they’re standing on the sidelines with the first aid kit in hand, handing out bandages instead of real solutions.

Most concerning is the projected deficit for the coming year, which has nearly doubled to $13.8 billion. Just one year ago, Speaker, that figure was projected to be $7.8 billion. For a government that brands itself as fiscally conservative, this is a very, very hard pill to swallow.

Another wrote, “Well we found out ... we are heading for a $500-billion debt in the coming fiscal year ... the interest on this debt will be $16 billion. This is not sustainable—debts have to be paid off.”

Yet another comment: They govern on intent, not results. Until that changes, we’ll continue throwing money to the wind.

And perhaps the most telling: This makes Kathleen Wynne look like a fiscal Conservative.

Some advice from another taxpayer: Cut the flood of provincial ads promoting how good of a job they are doing.

I was looking for items in this budget that would translate into real affordability measures for my constituents. I was hoping for items that would genuinely ease the pressure on household finances, but I’m hard-pressed to find anything that will bring costs down for Ontario families.

Representing a riding built on the backs of hard-working farmers, this government must make investments in agri-food processing. They must make this a priority. This would shield us from tariffs, strengthen local supply chains and secure Ontario’s food sovereignty.

Any mentions of agriculture in this year’s budget were, as far as I can see, recycled announcements. I heard the same from a group of farmers at a meeting this weekend. They are truly disappointed. I remain perplexed as to why this government does not show respect to our farm industry, because they are the largest and most diverse in this country.

As for expanding the homebuyer tax break, I’m convinced this is the clearest example of a bandage being pulled from the provincial first aid kit, where this government is offering a quick fix instead of addressing the deeper, systemic issues that are driving housing costs through the roof. Without knowing the full details, I cannot help but be suspicious that this is just a bailout for developers struggling to off-load small, undesirable and expensive condominiums in the city. For homeowners thinking of putting a for sale sign on their existing property, I’m concerned they will now be competing in an even hotter, artificially propped-up market.

In speaking with a home builder, the fear is real that in one year’s time, this government will have decreased the equity in each of our houses by over $100,000. Red tape is an issue; land transfer taxes are issues. Until these are addressed, when that bandage is ripped off in a year’s time, the wounds may well be deeper than before that bandage was ever applied.

On the bandage note, let’s quickly go to health care, where our province’s nurse practitioners came to the pre-budget consultations. They made it clear that they need multiple funding models, flexibility across practice settings and a direct path to bill OHIP for medically necessary care. They were ignored once again.

On a positive note, I was heartened this government finally listened to those of us on the opposition benches calling for a reduction in the small business tax rate. Our small businesses need this boost, and they do so much more for our small communities than we ever give them credit for.

Ontarians are hard-working people, Speaker, yet the government we rely upon to support and reward them is missing opportunities, resting on its majority status and content to hand out bandages instead of real solutions. Thank you.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ric Bresee): It is now time for members’ statements.

Members’ Statements

Housing

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: The dream of home ownership is well and alive in Ontario. I am proud to highlight an important step our government has taken through this budget to make it more affordable for people and families in my riding of Markham–Thornhill and across Ontario.

Our government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, Minister Bethlenfalvy and Minister Flack, has expanded the HST rebate on new homes. This is achieved by removing the full 13% HST on newly built homes. Eligible buyers can now save up to $130,000—this is a game-changer. Through this historic initiative, we will be able to fulfill our promises to Ontarians and stimulate housing activity, benefiting buyers, builders and many other sectors.

Speaker, we are giving hope and helping first-time home buyers, young people, low-income families and others move ahead. Working closely with the federal government, this initiative is expected to stimulate housing construction and support thousands of jobs.

I am proud that we continue to strengthen housing, affordability, boost the economy by $2.7 billion and build a stronger future for people and families in our great province of Ontario.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Speaker, I rise to bring attention to a critical gap in Ontario’s health care system affecting patients living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or EDS, and craniocervical instability, known as CCI. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that affects collagen, the protein that provides stability to joints, ligaments and the spine. In some patients, this leads to CCI, a serious condition where instability at the base of the skull provides dangerous pressure on the brainstem and the spinal cord.

Without timely and appropriate treatment, patients can experience severe neurological symptoms, including chronic pain, loss of mobility, difficulty breathing and swallowing, and progressive and irreversible damage. Many become bedridden. Many lose the ability to work, study or live independently.

Patients are told that treatments exist in-province, but no specialist can be identified. At the same time, they are unable to access out-of-country care because the application process requires support from those very specialists who experts say do not exist in Ontario. The result is a system that leaves patients stuck, deteriorating while navigating a process that offers no real access to care. Some are now turning to MAID because they have given up on the government to provide the care they need.

Tomorrow, patients and advocates will be hosting a breakfast reception here at Queen’s Park to share their experiences. We’ll hear directly from individuals who are forced to pay out of pocket for treatment in the United States, and how that care allowed them to regain their independence and return to being active members of society. I encourage all members to attend and learn about how our government can help.

Highway improvement

Mr. Stephen Blais: Two years ago, the Premier came to Ottawa and made a promise to the residents of Orléans. He promised that the province would upload Highway 174. By taking responsibility for the highway, there would finally be resources to make it safer and fix the gridlock that families in the east end face every single day.

People believed him. The mayor believed him. City councillors believed him. In their foolishness, the city of Ottawa took Highway 174 out of their transportation planning, and two years later, nothing has happened.

Anyone who drives on Highway 174 knows the reality. Every morning and every evening, traffic backs up for kilometres. Parents miss time with their kids. Workers spend hours every week stuck behind the wheel. What should be a short drive home becomes an hour-long commute and, tragically, people continue to have accidents, suffer injuries and die on the unsafe stretches of Highway 174 to Cumberland, Rockland and beyond that need to be widened and divided. The highway has not been uploaded. There is no funding. There is no plan.

There was not one mention of Highway 174 in last week’s budget. After eight years in government, these problems are no longer someone else’s responsibility; they belong to this government. The people of Orléans are not asking for special treatment; they’re asking for the government to keep the promise it made to them.

Two years ago, the Premier promised to upload Highway 174. Today, the people of Orléans are still waiting.

Arjanpal Hundal

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: Today, I rise to recognize an outstanding young athlete from Brampton, Arjanpal Hundal, who has made our community proud on the national stage. Competing at the Canadian national championships in Calgary, Arjanpal secured a gold medal in the 55-kilogram under-19 division, earning the title of Canadian champion. This remarkable achievement is a testament to his discipline, perseverance and unwavering commitment to excellence. It is inspiring to see a young individual dedicate himself to sport at such a high level and succeed through hard work and determination.

Speaker, Arjanpal’s success also highlights the importance of investing in youth sports, which not only promotes physical well-being but also builds confidence, character and leadership skills that extend far beyond the ring. He serves as a role model for young people across Brampton, proving that with focus and dedication anything is possible.

On behalf of this Legislature, I congratulate Arjanpal on this incredible achievement and wish him continued success in his athletic journey.

Consumer protection

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Illegal building in Ontario is a big problem, and people are paying the price for a system that isn’t doing its job to protect them. Instead of fixing the problem, starting tomorrow, April 1, the government is burdening new home buyers with even more fine print. Now they’ll be required to register their purchase within 45 days with Tarion, just to get the deposit protection they used to receive automatically. Most people don’t even know what Tarion is, let alone that they now have to register to get the protection they deserve and expect.

This protection exists to ensure people get their deposit money back if a builder decides they can’t or won’t finish the home they promised to build.

Deposit protection should be automatic, reliable, and the government should be doing its job to go after bad builders who are defrauding people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So, today, I again call on this government to reverse this bad decision and restore the automatic deposit protection rights that they have now taken away.

Ice storm

Hon. Laurie Scott: I rise today to mark the one-year anniversary of the devastating ice storm of 2025, which profoundly impacted the communities in Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock and to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for its significant financial support in the aftermath. In response to this unprecedented event, more than $26 million in funding has been allocated to municipalities across my riding.

The storm caused widespread damage, downed power lines and put a significant strain on emergency services, leaving a lasting impact on residents and local infrastructure alike.

In the days and weeks that followed, our municipal partners demonstrated remarkable resilience, considering that we were all in the ice storm. The first responders, hydro crews and dedicated volunteers worked around the clock to protect public safety, restore essential services and support those in need. Their efforts exemplify the strength and unity of our communities in time of crisis.

You can imagine, Mr. Speaker, the recovery came at such a considerable cost and was very unplanned. Municipalities absorbed significant expenses related to debris, infrastructure, emergency response measures. It placed an added burden on our municipalities.

So I just want to state my appreciation again to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for recognizing the urgency of the situation and standing with our municipalities during the recovery.

Ryan Benoit / Ryan Hutton

MPP Jamie West: Speaker, I always say that Sudbury is a community that cares. I want to tell you about two Ryans who care about Sudbury.

The first is Ryan Benoit, who is the founder of Positive Inception. That’s a Sudbury-based clothing brand. They have a seed as their logo, and that seed is a reminder to always spread positivity and encourage self-confidence for growth. Ryan started Positive Inception as a student at Laurentian University. He was selling clothing out of his backpack at the library. Now he has a 1,200-square-foot store on Lasalle. Through Positive Inception, Ryan is able to support various organizations, like mine rescue, the northern cancer foundation and ALS. His positivity is contagious. Ryan has won a Community Builders Award, a young entrepreneurs award and, recently, a Paul Harris fellowship award.

I also want to tell you about another Ryan who cares in Sudbury: It’s Constable Ryan Hutton. He’s a veteran Sudbury police officer. He was recently nominated for a Police Association of Ontario award for being a community role model. For over 25 years, Ryan has gone above and beyond, supporting his fellow officers through peer support, raising awareness in the community and leading initiatives that remind people that it’s okay to ask for help.

Ryan Hutton is a local champion for the CMHA push for better challenge, the Ride for Mental Health, Wounded Warriors, World Suicide Prevention Day and PTSD awareness, and in January, Ryan was selected to join the Greater Sudbury Police Service’s mobile crisis rapid response team, and so he’s paired up now with a mental health professional, and together they respond to individuals in crisis.

I want to thank both Ryan Benoit and Constable Ryan Hutton for demonstrating that Sudbury is a community that cares and for being two Ryans that care about Sudbury.

Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital Foundation

Mr. Robert Bailey: I’m pleased to share with the House that, effective April 1, Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital Foundation in Petrolia will amalgamate to further strengthen the long-term fundraising capacity in support of Bluewater Health and its two campuses in Sarnia and, of course, Petrolia.

First opened in 1911, the Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital has a long and proud history of serving the residents of Petrolia and central Lambton. Recognizing the hospital’s significant local impact, the CEE Hospital Foundation was founded in 1985 by dedicated community members seeking to preserve and enhance health care access in rural Lambton county.

As an entirely volunteer board, the CEE Hospital Foundation has made a remarkable impact over the last four decades. Thanks to its community leadership and generosity, the foundation has raised and donated over $4 million in support of programs and services at the hospital.

Today, CEE Hospital is a key provider of health care services in rural and central Lambton, and is embarking on a major redevelopment program in the emergency department with the support of the government of Ontario.

None of this success would have would be possible without the vision and effort of the Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital Foundation. I want to share my sincere gratitude, on behalf of all the residents of Petrolia and rural Lambton county, to all the volunteers, past and present, of the foundation. Their dedication to our cherished hospital will continue to make an impact for generations to come.

Lorien Smith

Mr. Dave Smith: Today is March 31. If the members in the House will indulge me a bit, and with apologies to Adam Sandler, I want to take this opportunity to recite the lyrics from a song for someone very special to me:

I wanna make you smile whenever you’re sad

Carry you around when your arthritis is bad

All I wanna do is grow old with you.

I’ll get your medicine when your tummy aches

Build you a fire if the furnace breaks

Oh, it could be so nice, growing old with you.

I’ll miss you

Kiss you

Give you my coat when you are cold

Need you

Feed you

Even let you hold the remote control.

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink

Put you to bed when you’ve had too much to drink

Oh, I could be the man who grows old with you

I wanna grow old with you.

Happy birthday, Lorien. Thank you for growing old with me.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): That was lovely.

Affordable housing

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I rise today to offer a heartfelt thanks to non-profit housing and social service agencies who are working so hard to successfully build affordable homes in Guelph. I commend you for building partnerships with people and organizations, private and public, as well as all three levels of government.

Recently, we cut the ribbon on Stepping Stone’s 23 Gordon Street location. The long-time drop-in centre was renovated to build emergency shelter beds and transitional housing to help people experiencing homelessness to have access to services and begin their journey to stable housing.

Last week, I was pleased to welcome the MPP for Wellington–Halton Hills and the MPP for Perth–Wellington to Guelph for the groundbreaking of 18 affordable homes being built on Fife Road in Guelph.

I recently toured the construction of a supportive housing project for youth in Guelph, a vital project on our community’s path to ending youth homelessness. I look forward to an announcement on this next week.

I want to thank the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Minister of Health for your support for these projects. We need more money for housing and health care in Ontario, and Guelph demonstrates what we can accomplish together to improve people’s lives when we work across party lines and across jurisdictional lines.

Introduction of Visitors

Hon. Kevin Holland: Joining us today from the township of Ear Falls is Mayor Kevin Kahoot. Welcome to the Legislature.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I am pleased to introduce Mike Waddington from my riding of York–Simcoe. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. David Piccini: I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to representatives of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario, including executive vice-president Jeff Spitzig, who are joining us in the chamber together. They’re just on the south side.

MCAO plays such a vital role in supporting Ontario’s mechanical contracting industry. Colleagues, you have a little bit of information about the important work MCAO does on your desk today.

Welcome to Queen’s Park, your House.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I’d like to make a warm welcome to Joshua Smith, Andrew Macklin, Jason Stahl and Priyanka Anand. Thank you for the wonderful, informative meeting this morning. Welcome to your House.

MPP Lise Vaugeois: I’d like to offer a warm welcome to the CUPE Ontario Workers with Disabilities Committee, in particular the chair, Brenda Cervantes, and member Stacyann Williams. I’d also like to welcome CUPE president Fred Hahn.

Mrs. Karen McCrimmon: I’d like to welcome the members of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies here in Ontario. I look forward to meeting with Josh Smith, Stephanie Speroni, Andrew Macklin, Jason Stahl, Mike Collins, Olaf Kaminski and Priyanka Anand.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: Today we have Selena Ferreira, Emily Edwards and Kristine Galvan from Ignite at Humber College in my riding.

Also, from the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of Ontario and from my riding, we’ve got Peter Chackeris, Lisa Brown and Don Cleghorn.

Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your day at Queen’s Park.

Mr. Robert Bailey: Madam Speaker, I’d like to thank you for the use of the Speaker’s dining room this morning and recommend all members take advantage of it at some time. I had the mayors from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, Sarnia–Lambton and Huron county—the minister’s own mayors—here today. They enjoyed it very much. Again, thank you, Madam Speaker, for making that room available for us.

Ms.

Marit Stiles: I have a bunch of people to recognize that are here with us in the chamber: from the Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario, Cyrielle Ngeleka, Rawan Habib, Adaeze Mbalaja and Kayla Weiler; from the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association, Carter Peios; from McMaster Students Union, Steven DeCordova and Piper Plavins; from the University of Waterloo student union, Remington Aginskaya-Zhi, Damian Mikhail, Rory Norris and Samir Sharma; from the Ontario Medical Students Association, Olivia Kim and Trisha Chibber; from Ontario Student Voices, Arvin Baradaran-Rajabzadeh, Christian Dave Evangelista and Rajveer Singh; and from the Centennial College Student Association, Logan Routhier.

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin: I would like to introduce some very special visitors today: my oldest daughter, Vanessa Sarrazin, and her boyfriend Xavier Sauvé. Vanessa is a paramedic with Prescott-Russell paramedic services, and Xavier is an MTO transportation enforcement officer in our region. I want to tell them that I’m very proud of them, and I want to thank them for the service that they provide to the people of Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: It’s my pleasure to welcome the Canadian Propane Association to Queen’s Park today, and I want to welcome everybody to a luncheon in room 228.

As well, I’d like to invite people to the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies and invite them to room 228 for a reception this evening.

Ms. Mary-Margaret McMahon: Good morning, everyone. I’d like to welcome two high school students to the chamber: Arun Rajakumar and Asim Kandel. They’re here and they’re curious about what we do here, so let’s try to behave.

MPP Stephanie Smyth: I’d like to recognize Gerry Chaput, Hanna Hartenthaler and Richard Morales from Arcadis Professional Services, a company based in Toronto–St. Paul’s, here today as part of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies’ Ontario advocacy day. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Logan Kanapathi: I would like to welcome Professor Rajendra Surenthirakumaran, dean of the faculty of medicine, University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

MPP George Darouze: I’d like to welcome my former colleague, councillor Tim Tierney from the city of Ottawa. He’s here on FCM business visiting Queen’s Park and Good Roads. Welcome to your House.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): That’s all the time we have for introduction of visitors.

I recognize the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore on a point of order.

Ms. Lee Fairclough: I seek the unanimous consent of the House to immediately move private member’s notice of motion number 67, requiring the Ontario government to stop any plans or expenditures for building a new Toronto convention centre on Lake Ontario until the average length of a wait time in an Ontario emergency department is less than four hours.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to immediately move private member’s notice of motion number 67, requiring the Ontario government to stop any plans or expenditures for building a new Toronto convention centre on Lake Ontario until the average length of a wait time in an Ontario emergency department is less than four hours. Agreed?

Interjection: No.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): It is now time for oral questions.

Question Period

Ontario budget

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning, Speaker. The government tabled their budget last week. They are projecting nearly a half-trillion dollar debt. In fact, the interest on the debt alone is going to cost $16 billion this year. That is more than this government has budgeted to spend on post-secondary education all together. Young people are facing higher debt, fewer opportunities and an increasingly unaffordable province, Speaker, and that is the real cost of this government.

So can the Premier explain why they are choosing to make life more unaffordable for young people in this province?

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

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I know the member was just in Winnipeg this last weekend, and I’m sure she spoke to the leader in Manitoba about their grants-to-loan ratio, which we’re pretty well in line with. The BC NDP government as well—we’re actually at higher grants-to-loan ratios than them as well.

But that member doesn’t like to give the full picture of facts; she likes to just cherry-pick the ones that really suit her narrative. We are aligned with the federal government as well in their grants-to-loan ratio.

We’ll continue to be there for the students. We want to ensure we have sustainability for OSAP, not just for these students but for the next generation of students behind them as well.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, young people are being squeezed by all sides in this province. They are looking at higher student debt today, and they are looking at a growing provincial debt tomorrow. They are the ones who are going to shoulder the weight of this government’s irresponsible, wasteful decisions. Long after this government and this Premier are gone, it is going to be the young people of this province today—the next generation—who are going to be paying off their debt.

Why won’t the Premier give young people in Ontario a fair shot at their future?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: I know the Leader of the Opposition won’t tell young people this, but we just made a historic $6.4-billion investment, the largest investment in Canadian and Ontario history. Part of that investment is to ensure that high-priority programs that are needed to drive our economy are felt and they are funded properly; $3.3 billion is going to high-priority funding.

But I know that member will not share that story, Speaker, because on top of all of that, we’ve increased operating funding from $5 billion to $7 billion this fall, which is a 30% increase in operating funding, to ensure that we continue to have world-class institutions across Ontario.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, those are college and university programs that students in this province will no longer be able to afford because of your government’s choices. These are the same young people that had to suffer through class sizes growing out of control because of this government’s cuts to per-student funding. Now, they are facing cuts to OSAP grants. As they get older, they’re going to face the consequences of this government slashing programs and making choices that leave them out.

Budgets are a choice. So I’m asking the government, sacrifice the luxury spa in downtown Toronto, sacrifice this fantasy tunnel under the 401, sacrifice the island convention centre. But for goodness’ sake, invest in providing the grants and opportunities that students need. Will you do that?

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The changes we have made to OSAP and the grants-to-loan ratio are ensuring sustainability. If you don’t want to believe me, believe the Auditor General. In 2017, when a desperate Liberal government hiked the grants-to-loan ratio to try to stay in power, the Auditor General made it very clear it was unsustainable for the taxpayers and the people of Ontario.

But if that member wants to talk about affordability, let’s talk about affordability. We are the government that froze and cut tuition in 2018, Speaker. We are saving the average university student over $1,800 every year since we cut and froze tuition, but the sector has changed.

But I know she will not remind them of Rae days, and I know it gets them really upset when I talk about the Rae days. But if they were in power, Speaker, tuition would have gone up three times the rate of inflation.

Interjections.

Hon. Nolan Quinn: They really don’t like to hear that, but when the Bob Rae government was in power, tuition went up over 50%, which was three times the rate of inflation, Speaker.

If they were in power or the third party was in power, tuition would be over $14,000—

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Question?

Hospital funding

Ms. Marit Stiles: This government’s story is going to be one of irresponsible, wasteful spending on vanity projects for this Premier. It’s outrageous.

Now, Speaker, our hospitals are struggling. We are all feeling it. They’ve been very clear about what they need to improve services and deliver the care that Ontarians deserve. They asked for a 6% funding increase from this government. But that’s not what they got in this year’s budget. What they’re getting is more of the same—the same funding that has led to overcrowded emergency rooms, that has led to hallway health care and burned out health care workers. The status quo is not working. There are nearly 2,000 patients a day now being treated in hospital hallways, Speaker. This government was elected to end hallway health care.

To the Premier: Why have they let things get so much worse under their watch?

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

Hon. Sylvia Jones: A 50% increase in hospital base funding since Premier Ford came into government suggests to me that, in fact, we are actually a very willing partner to our hospitals.

With Thursday’s budget, of course, we have signalled another $1.1 billion to our hospital sector. We are also working very closely with them to make sure that that money is being spent directly on front-line patient care. That’s where the impact is, and that’s where we want our focus to be.

But are we funding hospitals? The $1.1 billion in the budget last Thursday would suggest we are.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Maybe the minister has missed this, but health care is about people. It is about people. And there are a thousand more people being treated in hallways now than when this government was elected.

So maybe the minister can answer this: Are there or are there not almost 2,000 people a day being treated in Ontario’s hospital hallways?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: We have programs in place now, Speaker, that didn’t exist before our government took into effect—dedicated offload nursing programs where individuals are stationed in emergency departments to specifically look after and triage patients in our communities.

We now have 911 models of care where paramedics working with patient consent are actually able to take individuals to different forms of treatment because that is the appropriate pathway.

Of course, $3.4 billion in primary care expansion—why does that make an impact in our hospitals? Because people are going to their primary care provider, to their multidisciplinary team, to talk to their nurse practitioner, their nurse, their dietitian, their mental health worker, instead of showing up in an emergency department.

Those are the concrete examples that we are doing to make sure that the people of Ontario are getting the services—

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: What kind of fantasy is this? I mean, in January 2024, nearly 2,000 patients per day on average were treated in hospital hallways across this province. In June 2018, when this government came into office, there were about a thousand. That was bad enough, right?

The minister can hide the numbers or stop tracking hallway health care as they’re about to do altogether, but we know the truth. The people of Ontario know the truth.

Why is this Premier and this Minister of Health denying that there are more people being treated in hallways now than when they came into office?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, we’re talking about some of the programs that we’ve put in place that impact our hospital partners in a positive way.

Of course, the other piece that we didn’t talk about yet is the capital investments. Whether it is in Niagara, whether it is in Mississauga, whether it is in Windsor, in London, we are investing in hospital capital projects—$60 billion. Because we know that as Ontario ages, as Ontario’s population increases, we also need the capital piece to be there.

I can look over at the investments that we made, whether it is the new hospital that we opened in Markdale, the new hospital that we opened in West Lincoln. Those are the investments that make a difference to people’s lives in their community, and we will keep doing that because we see the impact it makes.

Unemployment

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. We all know that life is harder in Ontario right now. There are 700,000 people out of work; 200,000 young people are out of work too. For all those people, the fact that they’re looking for a job and they can’t find one is soul destroying.

They’re looking for hope from their government. They can’t find it. They’re looking for hope in the form of a plan. Eight years later, eight budgets later, there’s no plan for the people who are out of work here in Ontario.

So, Speaker, I’ll ask this question: Why doesn’t the Premier do his job and help the 700,000 people in Ontario who need a job?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Peterborough–Kawartha.

Mr. Dave Smith: Thank you to the member opposite for the question, because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the measures that Ontario has taken.

When we were first elected back in 2018, we started focusing on the economy, ensuring that we were doing things that were raising that economy. We took our GDP from just over $700 billion to just over $1.1 trillion this past year. And we’ve done it by investing in jobs.

The member opposite wants to talk about some of the challenges that we face. We fully admit that there are challenges, and that’s why we’ve been working on it and there are more than a million people today working in Ontario that did not have jobs back in 2018.

There are other measures that we have been putting in place to bring those jobs to Ontario. And when we take a look at the budget, one of the things for our youth to take a look at is the work that we’ve been doing with the SBECs, the small business economic development groups, and starter plus is a perfect example. All of those young entrepreneurs who want to get ahead, who want to have a start with their own business—reach out to the SBECs because summer plus and starter plus are fantastic ways for those—

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

Mr. John Fraser: Speaker, there are 9,000 fewer manufacturing jobs in this province since when this tired, out-of-touch government took power.

Eight long years, Speaker, and all we’ve had from this Premier and this worn-out government is a lot of talk.

But I have to be fair. The Premier has created jobs. He’s had record job growth, just in the wrong places—his office. His office salary budget was $2 million in 2018. It’s now $8 million. That’s record job growth. But if you’re one of the 700,000 people out of work, that’s not the job growth you’re looking for.

The gravy train in this government, it just keeps on rolling.

So, Speaker, I’ll ask again: When is the Premier going to do his job and help the 700,000 people who need a job?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Bay of Quinte.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Thank you to the interim leader of the third party for that question.

Let’s talk about some of the programs that we’ve put in place to generate good-paying, durable jobs for the people of Ontario. Take a look at our OVIN program. We invested $56.4 million to support 770 small and medium-sized enterprises. The part suppliers are the lifeblood of our automotive industry. We created and retained 6,100 jobs through that program and leveraged $850 million from the private sector—a 16-to-1 return for the people of Ontario.

Because of the measures that we’ve put into place over the last two years, we’ve attracted $68 billion in foreign direct investment, creating over 80,711 jobs.

Take a look at our regional development programs. We’ve put forward $230 million to support companies across Ontario, created over 5,500 jobs and leveraged $2.6 billion from the private sector—an 11-to-1 return on investment for the people of Ontario.

That is how we’re growing this economy and we won’t be put off on it.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Perhaps they didn’t hear: 9,000 fewer manufacturing jobs than in 2018.

We heard the Premier say, “Stop the gravy train” again and again and again. Maybe we just misunderstood what he was trying to say. Maybe he was saying, “Stop the gravy train so my friends and I can get on.”

Speaker, here’s another example. Executive offices in the Ford government in 2018: $34 million. Anybody want to guess what it is now? It’s $82 million. If you’re one of the 700,000 people out of work in Windsor or Amherstburg or Sarnia or any city in this province, when you see that, you say that they’re not looking out for you. Where’s the hope?

One last time: Will the Premier do his job and help the 700,000 people in this province who need a job?

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Thank you to the interim leader of the Liberals for that question.

You know, it’s interesting, when you have a Premier that actually gets things done, you need some staff to do that. Your government was able to run with Kathleen Wynne, two interns and a fax machine. That’s the difference between getting things done and getting nothing done.

This government has continued to build Ontario. We have $210 billion in capital. We’re building roads, we’re building hospitals, we’re building bridges. We’re rebuilding all those schools that your government closed. We are continuing to attract investment in this province, continuing to grow our economy, and we’ll do that with no help from the Liberals or the NDP.

Ontario budget

Mr. John Fraser: He’s really getting things done: record unemployment, record youth unemployment, the cost of living through the roof. That’s really getting things done.

Speaker, back to the Premier. We all know life is harder these days. This is a tired, out-of-touch, out-of-gas Conservative government. We know that it’s harder to put food on the table. Rent is going up, energy prices are going up, and life is just so much harder for Ontario families.

All they’re asking for is just a bit of help, and this government, they’re not getting it. This government is out of touch, out of ideas, out of gas. They’re adrift. Speaker, why is there nothing in this budget to help families with their budgets?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Peterborough–Kawartha.

Mr. Dave Smith: Thank you to the member opposite for once again giving me an opportunity to talk about this, because we have been embarking on things to make life more affordable.

We reversed the Liberal policy on electricity and lowered the cost of electricity. We reversed the tolls that the Liberals put in on the 412 and the 418. We reversed increases in taxes by lowering the gas tax permanently by 5.7 cents per litre, saving families $435 a year, on average. We reversed the Liberal policy on transit. We put in One Fare to save families $1,600 a year.

When you take a look at what we’ve done, we have spent so much time reversing the poor policies of the previous Liberal government to get us to the position where we are, and we can move forward now as a result of that.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Well, if this side believes that electricity prices went down, I think we’re getting to the core of the problem. They’ve gone up. When I asked this question yesterday, a minister responded by saying—when I said, “What are you doing for families,” they said, “We fixed ticket resales.” It was like, “We fixed the thing we broke. Aren’t you happy?”

The government is so clearly out of touch, because they’re focused on nice-to-haves. They’re talking about nice-to-haves, when families are focused on need-to-haves: food, housing, energy costs. They want a little bit of help. No HST relief on home heating or even electricity—you could’ve done that in the budget. That would’ve been a little bit of help. They’re not getting help. This government is out of touch, out of ideas and they can’t see what’s happening in people’s everyday lives.

So, Speaker, again, one more time—

Interjection.

Mr. John Fraser: You get to do a shot; maybe another one after this.

Why, in this budget, is there nothing to help families with their budgets?

Mr. Dave Smith: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. I’m not sure what world he lives in, but I do know that when we gave a $200 rebate back to the taxpayers of Ontario, they objected to it—$200 going right back into the pockets of the average person in this province. Now, that is real relief for those individuals.

Interjections.

Mr. Dave Smith: And when you listen to them heckling me on this, you can tell that they’re bothered by the fact that we didn’t reach into people’s pockets to take the money out like they did. We enacted measures to make life more affordable for people.

And when we talk about things that have made life more affordable for individuals—let’s look at our seniors and the advantage that they’ve gotten because of the changes that we made to the Ontario Guaranteed Annual Income System, or GAINS: More than 100,000 seniors are receiving benefits now as a result of these changes. This is money that goes right back into the pocket of the average person in Ontario.

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

Mr. John Fraser: It’s so apparent that they just don’t get it. They don’t understand the reality of the everyday lives of Ontario families. They’ve lost touch. This government—this Conservative government—is adrift.

So what are the priorities of the budget? What are the Premier’s priorities? Buying Billy Bishop, a floating fantasy island convention centre in Lake Ontario, a luxury spa and, of course, I have to mention the tunnel that the Premier loves.

Speaker, this Conservative government isn’t taking care of those things that are important to families. They’re focused on the wrong things. They’re tired, they’re out of touch, they’re out of gas, they’re out of ideas and they’re only out for themselves and their rich friends.

So I will ask one last time: Why is there nothing in this budget to help families with their budgets?

Mr. Dave Smith: Again, this really does differentiate between Liberal philosophy and real-life philosophy. When you take a look at what the Liberals had done and the hardship that they put on the people of Ontario, we have changed that. There was not a single investment in Ontario. What we have been doing is investing in industry, investing in transportation, investing in infrastructure, and all of those things have raised our GDP from $700 billion to just over $1.1 trillion.

When we talk about relief for families, I know that I have three kids who are under the age of 30. I know all of them want the dream of home ownership and I know that all of them are happy that we’re reducing the cost of new homes by up to $130,000. The difference in your mortgage on that alone is $4,600 a month down to about $2,400 a month, just in savings there. That means that homes will be affordable. People will be able to qualify for mortgages and have that dream of home ownership.

So I ask: What will the government do to end this discrimination?

Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho: Under the leadership of Premier Ford, the AODA is driving change in Ontario every day. Our government has made more historic investments into accessible infrastructure, transportation, subways and GO stations than any other government.

This includes 2,200 accessible buses we’ve delivered to municipalities. And $275 million is being dedicated to making schools accessible this year alone. We built AODA standards into the Ontario building code. All new GO transit stations, train platforms, bus stations adhere to AODA. These investments are making Ontario more accessible every day.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): Back to the member for Thunder Bay–Superior North.

Will the Premier ensure that students with disabilities are not shut out and receive the supports they need to succeed?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): That is a stretch, but I will allow it.

In 2025, our government worked with more than 400,000 organizations across Ontario and has performed 1,349 attestation audits, 834 verification audits and 61 director’s orders issued. I’m sure the member’s happy to hear that 99% of audits conducted were resolved as compliant. With our work, Ontario is more accessible than ever before.

Unemployment

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: After eight years of this ineffective Conservative government, life is harder here in Ontario: 700,000 people can’t find a job, including 200,000 young people. This government isn’t protecting Ontario; it’s just pretending to. Today’s unemployment rate is 7.6%; when this government took office, it was 5.9%. It’s very clear: Workers in Ontario are worse off under this government.

Yet what is the flailing Conservative government doing to help? Putting billions more taxpayer dollars into their failed Skills Development Fund, which the Auditor General called not fair, not transparent and not accountable.

My question to the Premier: When will he stop giving taxpayer dollars to his friends and start doing something to help workers who can’t find a job?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the member from Bay of Quinte.

Mr. Tyler Allsopp: Thank you to the member for the question.

There are so many different ways that we are continuing to create jobs right here in Ontario. We just talked about the $68 billion that we’ve brought in over the last two years, creating over 80,711 jobs.

I seem to remember that that member had an interest in small business tax cuts. Well, guess what? We’ve got a 30% small business tax cut in this year’s budget. I hope to see you get out of your seat for that later on.

We have done incredible work with small businesses across Ontario, building more businesses. Just last year, 8,000 new businesses launched and 2,700 businesses expanded, creating over 15,800 jobs. Through our 17 regional innovation centres, we assisted 4,800 tech clients in creating over 49,000 jobs.

We continue to get it done for Ontario, continue to deliver high-paying, good-quality jobs, and we will continue to protect Ontario now and for generations to come.

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

Ms. Stephanie Bowman: Speaker, the reality is this government is wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on the Skills Development Fund. It’s not working. Just look at the numbers.

The government’s broken promise budget shows that unemployment is going to be worse in the years ahead, not better. This budget shows 16,000 fewer jobs in Ontario compared to the 2025 budget—hardly a plan that is working.

So, Speaker, let’s talk more about the Premier’s delusions of grandeur when he talks about Ontario versus countries in the G7. At the end of 2025, Ontario’s unemployment rate was only 0.2% better than the worst-performing economy in the G7.

My question to the Premier: When will he stand up, step up and admit his failing plan is failing the people of Ontario?

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

Hon. David Piccini: That member, Speaker, can explain it to the mechanical contractors who are here today, who are working at Northumberland Hills Hospital—my hospital in my riding—thanks to investments this government has made in infrastructure.

Explain it to those members and those workers that our plan isn’t working, because it is. It’s building new hospitals, it’s building new public transit—the largest investment in public transit in Ontario’s history that’s sending men and women to work each and every day, Speaker.

Their record is clear: It’s a record that saw the tail lights of manufacturing flee Ontario, that didn’t build anything. They had an abysmal record on long-term care. They never got Campbellford hospital done; we did in my own community, under this minister’s leadership. We’re going to build new long-term-care homes. We’re going to build new homes in partnership with the federal government, Speaker.

They have no record when it comes to building, because they oppose the very things that put men and women in the skilled trades to work.

We’re going to keep building a stronger Ontario.

Northern transportation

MPP Billy Denault: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. For over a decade, residents in northern Ontario have been without passenger rail. The previous Liberal government cancelled the Northlander in 2012, cutting off communities like Huntsville, North Bay and Timmins from affordable, reliable service. Since then, residents in the north have faced higher costs and fewer options. Indigenous and remote communities that depend on this corridor have been hit hardest of all.

Speaker, our government made a commitment to restore passenger rail to the north, and we have been making real progress to back it up.

Through you, Speaker, can the minister update this House on the progress and the economic opportunity it will create for northern Ontario?

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

Mr. Ric Bresee: Thank you to my friend the member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke for the question.

Speaker, unlike the previous government, who abandoned our north, our government is taking leadership and delivering for the residents of northern Ontario. The Northlander is on track for launch this summer—pun intended. The first train set has arrived, and it’s being prepared right now for service, with additional train sets on the way.

The Ontario Northlander has acquired the Newmarket subdivision. By owning that corridor, we mitigate delays and expedite construction. This is good for jobs. This is good for the local economies and good for communities all along that corridor, who have waited far too long.

Our government made a promise to Ontarians, and Speaker, we are keeping that promise.

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

MPP Billy Denault: Thank you to the parliamentary assistant for that response. Restoring the Northlander is about more than transportation; it is about economic opportunity for northern communities who rely on this corridor every day.

We know that a train is only as good as people’s ability to reach it. That’s why an integrated and efficient transportation network is vital, improving access for everyone, including rural and remote communities along the Northlander route.

Speaker, our government has spoken about a ride share pilot to address last-mile connectivity. Can the minister tell this House how that pilot will ensure communities can access this service and share in the economic benefits that it will bring to the north?

Mr. Ric Bresee: Thank you, again, to the member for letting me speak about this topic.

Speaker, the member is absolutely correct: Getting people to the Northlander is just as important as the train itself. Our rideshare pilot will establish standards for operators and drivers and improve passenger access for communities all along the Northlander corridor. We own the corridor, we own the train sets and we’re always learning and iterating to make better use of every tax dollar. This investment supports jobs and economic growth all across the north.

The Liberals cancelled this service with the stroke of a pen. Our government is restoring it with real investment and a real plan because northern Ontario deserves no less.

Autism treatment

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Speaker, kids like Nico have been waiting more than five years on the wait-list for the Ontario Autism Program. That’s more than half their lives—more than half their lives—waiting for support that could help them speak, learn and thrive. Parents like Nadine are still waiting to hear their child speak their first words and learn the social skills that they need in school.

Meanwhile, in schools without this early intervention, classrooms are under strain. We are seeing dysregulation escalate into crisis. We’re seeing evacuations and lost learning for everyone.

Today, 67,500 children are still waiting. Why didn’t this budget commit the funding needed to finally clear the wait-list and give children the services they need?

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): I recognize the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Michael Parsa: I want to thank the honourable member for the question. I guess maybe the NDP hasn’t gotten around to looking at the budget and, in particular, the record investment that was announced in the budget for the Ontario Autism Program. The funding of this program has increased by 232% since we formed government in 2018, including that recent investment of $186 million. I want to thank the President of the Treasury Board, I want to thank the Minister of Finance and I want to thank the Premier for continuing to support this important program in this incredibly important ministry so that we can improve outcomes for children and youth across the province.

Earlier today, the leader of the official opposition said budgets are about choices. I agree with her. I hope that after voting against the doubling of the budget in 2019, after voting against an increase of $60 million in 2024, after voting against $175 million last year, they come around and actually support this increase this year.

The Speaker (Hon. Donna Skelly): The member for Parkdale–High Park.

MPP Alexa Gilmour: Indeed, budgets are about choices, and this government is taking a spoon to empty a bathtub while the tub is still running and filling.

There are 67,500 children waiting for help—and families are not just waiting; they are navigating a system buried in red tape. They tell us the determination-of-needs process is time consuming, costly and delays access to the actual care their children need. Too much money is being spent on outsourced administration and not enough is reaching the children. The pillar programs are not solutions. They’re a bandage on a growing wound.

Speaker, will the minister commit to cutting the red tape so that every single dollar goes directly to core clinical services and every child gets help now, not years from now?

Hon. Michael Parsa: Again, I thank the honourable member for the question. Of course, with the NDP, they know best, not the families.

Madam Speaker, the program that the NDP is knocking was developed by the autism community. That’s the program that they’re knocking. This is a program that was developed by clinicians, experts, family members, those with lived experience. But of course, the NDP knows more than them. That’s the NDP, right? They always know more than them. This is a program that they developed. And if the member would like—she knows I do: I talk to families every single day. Why don’t you call some of the families and ask them about the impact of entry to school? Ask them about the impact of Urgent Response, a program that was developed by families, by experts.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: We’ll continue to support these important programs with or without the support of the NDP, Madam Speaker.

University and college funding

MPP Tyler Watt: My question is for the Premier. Last week, this government tabled their so-called Protect Ontario budget, but there is nothing protective about turning your backs on students and their futures. Over the weekend, George Brown College filed for massive layoffs: 51 employees laid off, all while student enrolment is down 30% and courses continue being cancelled across this province.

Let’s ask ourselves: Why is student enrolment down? Why are courses still being cancelled today? Perhaps it’s because this government has starved post-secondary for eight years and this last-minute funding is too little, too late. Perhaps it’s the cuts to OSAP that are forcing more debt burden onto students.

Speaker, my question for the Premier: After eight long years, how can this out-of-touch Conservative government continue pretending to protect Ontario, all while shutting the doors on students and making their lives more unaffordable?

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

Hon. Nolan Quinn: The member actually stated enrolment is down 30%, so I’m not sure if he wants us to keep empty classrooms that the students aren’t actually enrolling into.

But, Speaker, ultimately, they broke OSAP. The leader of the interim party—third time’s a charm—he said, “They broke OSAP,” but the reality is, we are fixing OSAP. In 2017, the Auditor General made it very clear: a desperate Liberal government trying to hang on to power increased our grants to an unsustainable level of 85%, which was not in line with any other jurisdiction across Canada. We have aligned our grants-to-loan ratio, right in line with every other jurisdiction across Canada, including the federal Liberal government.

I know sometimes on TikTok he meets with the Prime Minister. Maybe he should suggest to the Prime Minister all the unilateral decisions they made on international students have decimated post-secondary, not only in Ontario, but right across Canada.

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

MPP Tyler Watt: I’m so glad the minister follows me on TikTok. It’s a great way to talk to young people; I suggest that you do the same.

You talk about OSAP as unsustainable and that’s wh