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October 25, 2017

41st Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2017-Oct-25 (PDF)

L110 - Wed 25 Oct 2017 / Mer 25 oct 2017

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 25 October 2017 Mercredi 25 octobre 2017

Orders of the Day

Protecting a Woman’s Right to Access Abortion Services Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 protégeant le droit des femmes à recourir aux services d’interruption volontaire de grossesse

Introduction of Visitors

Gordon Carton

Oral Questions

Government accounting practices

Government accountability

Long-term care

Long-term care

Pharmaceutical industry

Government accounting practices

Energy policies

Natural gas wells

Child care

Green power generation

Child care

Cancer treatment

Cancer treatment

Health care / Soins de santé

Notice of dissatisfaction

Deferred Votes

Protecting a Woman’s Right to Access Abortion Services Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 protégeant le droit des femmes à recourir aux services d’interruption volontaire de grossesse

Introduction of Visitors

Members’ Statements

Broadband access

Physiotherapy services

Canadian Cancer Survivor Network

Lymphoma

Child and Youth Advocacy Centre

Rohingya Muslims

Susan Grange

Turkish Canadian community

Child care

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Estimates

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Baha’i community

Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day

Baha’i community

Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day

Baha’i community

Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day

Petitions

Cancer treatment

Long-term care

Dental care

Minimum wage

Pharmacare

Employment standards

Sexual violence and harassment

Services de santé mentale

Elevator maintenance

Hunting and fishing licences

Anti-smoking initiatives for youth

Elevator maintenance

Orders of the Day

Strengthening Protection for Ontario Consumers Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 sur le renforcement de la protection des consommateurs ontariens

Royal assent / Sanction royale

Strengthening Protection for Ontario Consumers Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 sur le renforcement de la protection des consommateurs ontariens

Adjournment Debate

Natural gas wells

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Protecting a Woman’s Right to Access Abortion Services Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 protégeant le droit des femmes à recourir aux services d’interruption volontaire de grossesse

Mr. Naqvi moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 163,

An Act to enact the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, 2017 and to amend the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in relation to abortion services / Projet de loi 163, Loi édictant la Loi de 2017 sur l’accès sécuritaire aux services d’interruption volontaire de grossesse et modifiant la

Loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection de la vie privée en ce qui a trait aux services d’interruption volontaire de grossesse.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Mr. Naqvi.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Thank you very much, Speaker. I really appreciate you acknowledging me to speak on this very important piece of legislation.

I rise in the House today to continue debate on a bill that would, if passed, send a very clear message that our government will always stand up for a woman’s right to choose and that we will not accept any kind of interference or harassment aimed at limiting this right. I want to be unequivocal in this House that when I mention “women” and “patients” throughout the course of this debate, I include trans men and non-binary and gender nonconforming individuals in that definition as well. They too, often more than most, need and deserve the protections we are talking about today through Bill 163.

The choice to access abortion services is a deeply personal one. Patients have the right to choose to access abortion services with their privacy maintained, free from outside intimidation or interference. Clinic staff and health care professionals who provide abortion services must also be protected.

As I have mentioned before, over the past several months we have heard reports of heightened security risks and privacy concerns around clinics and facilities that provide abortion services across Ontario. In my hometown of Ottawa—in fact, in my riding of Ottawa Centre—protestors at the Morgentaler Clinic have reportedly escalated. While I strongly support everyone’s right to freedom of expression, our laws must balance that right with the need to protect access to abortion services, and to protect the safety, security, health and privacy of patients and the providers, because activities that jeopardize this are simply not acceptable.

After I heard the reports from the Morgentaler Clinic in my community in Ottawa, I began to ask, “How can patients and providers be better protected from these activities under the current law?” After looking into this very important issue, I learned that we do not have consistent protections in place across the province. In fact, I was personally surprised, because I assumed—as I believe many across our province did—that there had been protections in place for some time across the province.

In fact, most clinics in Ontario are not currently protected by the injunctions that were issued back in the early 1990s. There are also numerous other facilities in Ontario that offer abortion services, including hospitals and pharmacies, where protest activities are not restricted by any injunction in our province.

After learning this, I announced that the government would introduce legislation to protect patients, clinic staff and abortion service providers across the province—an announcement which, I think you’ll all agree, was received with much welcome from advocates, activists, health care providers and women: that it is an appropriately right direction for us to go in.

We got to work right away. Over the summer, the Ministry of the Attorney General began looking at other jurisdictions like British Columbia, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador that have already enacted their own safe-access-zone laws in their own jurisdictions. All three of these jurisdictions introduced legislation in response to ongoing protests and concerns from clinics regarding patient safety.

I’m proud to say that our bill builds on these approaches and takes it a step further. Our bill would also cover medical abortions through the prescribing or dispensing of Mifegymiso. We recognize that the health care landscape is changing and the professionals that prescribe or dispense these drugs should be protected in the areas where they live and work.

The legislation we are proposing that is before this House would reflect the reality of how abortion services are provided in Ontario. I’m happy to say that Ontario will set a new standard, making us a leader in protecting access to abortion services. As I mentioned before, the laws in other parts of Canada provided a good starting point for the development of Bill 163, but we needed to make sure the changes we’re considering would be able to work in our province here in Ontario.

We asked a number of Ontario health advocates, legal experts and advocacy groups for their input and expertise. To strike the right balance between protecting freedom of expression and the need to protect the safety, security, health and privacy of women and providers, we needed to hear from a broad group of stakeholders. This included abortion clinics and anti-abortion advocacy groups, among many others.

We did not shy away from hearing and considering different views. Over the course of the consultations that we conducted in August, these groups provided information about the provision of abortion services in Ontario today and ideas about how this would look like in the future. We also heard about anti-abortion protest activity and its impact on women, staff and health care providers in our communities. I would like to once again thank them, because their input helped us to develop legislation that I think will make a significant difference in protecting women in our province.

While I know that some may not agree with these changes, I believe we have struck the right balance between protecting the safety, security, health and privacy of people accessing or providing abortion services with the right to freedom of expression.

We continued to seek input on this bill at the committee. At the public hearings held last week, we received input from 17 individuals representing 14 different organizations. These individuals held diverse viewpoints on abortion services, and I would like to thank them for their deputations.

It was important that we hear their experiences with protest activity and their perspectives on the proposed legislation. After hearing from them, we determined that substantive changes were not required to this bill. But we want to thank all those who came forward and confirmed for us that we struck the right balance, and for their additional input in the deliberation process. The additional details that came forward at committee will help as we move to draft regulations and develop the application process for other health care facilities.

Speaker, I would like to stress that this bill and the timing of it could not be more important. Women across Ontario deserve the assurance that should they choose to access abortion services, they will be able to do so privately, safely and securely. The bill that we are debating today would limit anti-abortion protest activities in designated areas. Our intention is to protect access to abortion services by putting distance between protesters and people seeking to access and provide these services.

In these designated areas, anti-abortion protest activities and interference and harassment of people accessing or providing abortion services would be prohibited. To start, there are eight abortion clinics in Ontario that would be automatically protected. They would have safe access zones of 50 metres, which could be increased up to 150 metres by regulation. The proposed safe access zones would include the property on which the clinic is located and will start at the boundaries of that property.

I want to be clear that we are not denying people’s right to protest. They are free to express themselves and engage in anti-abortion protests, but not in those designated areas around clinics, facilities and homes where doing so may prevent a woman from making a decision about her own health care out of fear for her safety, security, health or privacy, and where doing so intimidates clinic staff or health care providers coming into work in the morning or going home at the end of the day. The law would not prohibit anti-abortion protest activities that take place outside safe access zones.

We know that there are staff and patients who provide or seek abortion services outside of the eight abortion clinics in Ontario, such as hospitals, pharmacies and community health centres. To ensure that these facilities are adequately protected, we are proposing to make available a process that would allow these facilities to apply for safe access zones of up to 150 metres. This means that locations where Mifegymiso is prescribed or dispensed would be eligible to apply for safe access zones. It is now available at no cost to women who need it, thanks to the work that my colleagues the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and the Minister of the Status of Women have done.

Safe access zone protections would also be extended automatically to the homes of all clinic staff and health professionals who provide abortion services. They would automatically receive a safe access zone of 150 metres.

Finally, the proposed legislation includes a general anti-harassment provision to protect providers of these services, wherever they are, from harassing conduct directed at them. Under the proposed legislation, they would be protected, whether they are at home, at work or picking their kids up from school.

Speaker, I have often been asked, just by way of reference, what 50 metres is. I think the best analogy I can give that people understand is that an Olympic-size pool is 50 metres in length. That’s the distance one is looking at.

It is my steadfast belief that every woman, every patient in Ontario has the right to make decisions about her own health care and that she deserves to do so freely, without fear for her safety, security, health or privacy, without fear of being threatened with violence, harassment or intimidation. No woman should ever have to take such things into account, and neither should clinic staff and health care professionals, who are just trying to get to work in the morning like the rest of us.

The legislation before you today is about protecting women’s safety, security, privacy and health. It’s about protecting and defending the right to choose.

I thank all the members for their support. I look forward to the passage of this bill as early as this afternoon, hopefully with the support of all members,

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Further debate?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I rise today as women’s issues critic for the Ontario NDP caucus to express the strong support of our caucus for this bill, the Protecting a Woman’s Right to Access Abortion Services Act. It is our hope that it will be put into place as quickly as possible to enable Ontario women and non-binary and trans people to access abortion services without fear of harassment, bullying, intimidation or shame, whether at a clinic or a hospital, at a doctor’s office or a pharmacy, or at any other facility that offers this legal, OHIP-covered health care service.

Equally important, the bill will also protect the homes and offices of the health care professionals who provide abortion services, which was emphasized by many deputants who spoke to the committee about the bill as essential to expand the number of physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists who are involved in prescribing and dispensing the abortion pill Mifegymiso.

Despite the political hiccups of earlier this month, I want to express my thanks to the Attorney General for bringing in this legislation. I want to thank the official opposition for their support of this bill, which I suspect required a lot of behind-the-scenes discussion and negotiation. It is rare but encouraging to see such a swift and solid consensus across party lines.

Most of all, I want to thank the organizations and individuals who provided input to the bill while it was being drafted over the summer or during committee hearings this week, especially the Association of Ontario Midwives, the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics, Planned Parenthood Toronto, Planned Parenthood Ottawa, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, Ottawa city councillor Catherine McKenney, Unifor Ontario regional women’s committee, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, Defend Choice: Ottawa, the National Abortion Federation, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the SHORE Centre in Kitchener-Waterloo, and the Ontario Medical Association, all of whom strongly supported this bill.

In January 1988 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the abortion provisions of the Criminal Code were unconstitutional and the law was struck down. I remember the ruling well. I was working as a staffer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in the office of MP Marion Dewar, who was a former mayor of Ottawa and also women’s issues critic for the federal NDP.

As a young feminist, the struggle for abortion rights, for a woman’s right to autonomy over her own body, was one of the first issues that mobilized me politically. For me and for so many others, the Supreme Court’s decision was a vindication of what could be achieved through political advocacy. It signalled that change is possible if we push hard enough, and it was all I needed to remain committed to political action for the rest of my life.

Since 1988, despite efforts to bring in new abortion laws, abortion has been legal in Canada. It is a reproductive health care service that is guaranteed to every woman and every non-binary and trans person in our province and in our country. The bill that is before us today, Bill 163, does not change that basic right. What the bill does do is ensure that women can exercise that right without interference, without being judged and without having disturbing images and unwanted messages thrust upon them.

As Carolyn Egan of the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics said during public input, “The right to abortion is an illusion if we are not able to access the facilities that provide it without fear of intimidation and harassment. No one should be subject to this type of abuse. All Ontarians should be allowed to access any health service with their head held high, confident that their rights will be protected.”

The committee heard, during public input, about the phone line operated by Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, which receives more than 2,400 calls a year from across the country. Virtually all of these calls—97%—are about the barriers experienced by people in accessing safe abortion services. These include difficulty finding a nearby clinic or hospital and the requirement to travel out of their community—sometimes hundreds of kilometres to the nearest urban centre—because there is no local service or the local service is limited in the procedures that can be performed.

Barriers also include the costs of travel and accommodation when you have to go out of your community. You have to arrange for child care and take time off work. When you encounter anti-choice protesters at the clinic, you may be delayed in accessing your service. We heard about women who leave, who go home, who don’t make their appointment because they are intimidated.

Most often, people call Action Canada’s phone line asking about the protesters, asking if they could be hurt or harmed by picketers in front of the clinic. They want to know if there is a way to get an abortion without being harassed or shamed, without having their photograph taken, their licence plate recorded, or intimidation by picketers outside the facility.

What does the experience of violence or even the threat of violence do for a woman who is thinking about terminating an unwanted pregnancy? We know what it does to women after they have had their abortion. There is a growing body of research about the post-abortion impact of protesters on women’s physical health and the medical complications that can arise when women experience picketing as they arrive to access services.

Peer-reviewed research studies have shown that exposure to anti-choice protesters before an abortion causes distress, anger, fear, anxiety and guilt, and is a significant predictor of depression immediately following the abortion. An Australian study showed that women were distressed just by the mere presence of protesters. Even if they were just standing there silently, it is very intimidating for the woman who is going in to access the service, and it creates a shaming atmosphere.

The physiological risks and psychological harm to women that are associated with anti-choice activity outside an abortion clinic were part of the court’s reasoning when the 1994 injunctions were issued that limited protesters at three Toronto clinics and four hospitals in London, North Bay and Brantford. At the time, the court stated:

“A woman who is traumatized by protesters as she approaches an abortion clinic may, as the evidence indicates, remain in this emotional state after she enters the facility to receive medical care. This is particularly likely when the patient realizes she will encounter the protesters upon her departure. Medical staff at these clinics state that protesters leave patients crying and in great distress. This stress complicates counselling, increases the health risk and prolongs recovery times.”

When we heard the input into the bill, several presenters talked about the difference between these legal injunctions that were put in place in 1994 and the safe access zones that are available in Bill 163. First, Bill 163 will make safe access zones automatic for every clinic in Ontario, which removes the requirement for clinics to have to go through the cumbersome and costly legal process of obtaining a court injunction. Bill 163 protections will also cover the homes of the staff of the clinics, as well as other facilities where abortions are provided, such as family physicians and pharmacies that dispense Mifegymiso.

The bill also offers the flexibility to extend the legislative protections of the bill to other health care professionals who are not currently involved in the provision of abortion services but who plan to be in the future. This was very important to the Association of Ontario Midwives, given their expectations that midwives will be involved in abortion care within the next year or so, as well as Planned Parenthood Toronto, which plans to dispense Mifegymiso.

As the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada stated to the committee, “The legislation works better than court injunctions, which are very expensive and difficult to enforce and they don’t have much enforcement teeth in them.” Bill 163 ensures “that if the law is breached, there are penalties in place that will deter the protesters and ensure that that safe atmosphere is maintained.”

During the input to the committee, we heard a lot about what had happened in Ottawa. Ottawa city councillor Catherine McKenney told us about the stories she had heard from many women across the city about accessing health care services at the Morgentaler Clinic. She said they all told a very similar story of being verbally abused and harassed by some protesters as they approached the clinic; how they were routinely intimidated and followed into neighbouring businesses if they attempted to walk away, and often were yelled at in public.

She goes on to say, “The stories were all very, very similar,” and in more than one instance she heard from women that they were spat on as they attempted to enter the clinic. “So, in short,” she says, “women were being routinely and publicly assaulted and harassed on a downtown sidewalk in the capital city of Canada, in the shadow of Parliament.”

The representative of the Unifor women’s committee also lives in Ottawa and said that some protesters have gone so far as to write the home addresses and names of doctors and nurses on their protest signs. She said that it has gotten to the point where the clinic has started to pay for private security to be at the door and they are escorting women or anybody accessing the services, as well as staff, in and out of the doors of the clinic.

It’s important to remember or to recognize, Speaker, that even though this harassment and intimidation that was occurring in Ottawa was the impetus for this legislation, it was not an isolated occurrence. We heard very clearly that anti-choice protesting is on the rise across the province, particularly in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. The National Abortion Federation of Canada indicated that the number of picketers reported outside abortion clinics in Ontario has doubled since 2014, just over a two-year period. As a result, abortion clinics have been hiring security guards and even installing bulletproof glass in their offices.

Planned Parenthood Toronto told us about anti-choice picketers who have entered the clinic on multiple occasions, who have posted threatening signs on the building, and who have told staff they deserve to be hanged for the work that they do. This increase in anti-choice activity led Planned Parenthood Toronto to work with police on developing a security plan. They installed cameras, they have a new lock system, and they have regular safety drills for staff.

Certainly, we heard not just about the safety of women, but many of the deputants who spoke to the committee talked about the safety of staff. In this province, we have new legislation to protect workers from harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace, yet staff who work at Planned Parenthood agencies or staff who work at an abortion clinic often face harassment on a daily basis as they arrive to do their jobs.

Planned Parenthood Toronto says, “It’s imperative that the providers feel protected under this legislation, that they know that”—just think about this, Speaker: that staff know that if they’re dropping their child off at child care before they go to work, if they’re going out somewhere at night after they have completed their job or if they are with their co-workers at a work function after work hours—they need to know that they can be free of intimidation, of harassment, of any kind of public shaming for the work that they do, which is legal and safe and an approved medical procedure.

When I spoke to this bill at second reading, I talked in detail about the fact that although abortion is legal in Canada, it is far from accessible. In almost 30 years since the Morgentaler ruling, Ontario women and trans people continue to experience significant barriers to accessing this medically necessary service. These barriers are generally considered to fall into three categories: geography and socio-economic status; lack of abortion service providers; and, finally, the stigma, intimidation and harassment associated with obtaining an abortion.

With Health Canada’s approval of Mifegymiso, and with full OHIP coverage for the abortion pill, Bill 163 is the essential third element to help reduce, either directly or indirectly, all three of these main barriers.

Many of the presenters who talked to MPPs said that the bill would provide reassurance to physicians who were worried that prescribing Mifegymiso would jeopardize their practice if they became a target for protesters.

Carolyn Egan said that she was talking to physicians in Barrie who wanted to provide abortion services because there are no local services available, and yet hesitated because of what it could mean to them personally. She told us about a physician at a clinic in Toronto who was the subject of leaflets that were distributed in the neighbourhood around the clinic that identified the doctor as an abortion provider. She also told us about signs posted outside a clinic that stated, “Murderers inside.” Planned Parenthood Ottawa reinforced this point and said that in their discussions with doctors about the abortion pill, security was definitely one of the prime issues.

Speaker, I want to highlight one of the recommendations that was made by several presenters—even though there were no amendments brought forward to the bill. I urge the government to take note of this concern—and that is that the application process to expand the area of the bubble zone from 50 metres to 150 metres and the application process to become covered as a facility under the legislation have to be easy for people to engage in.

Planned Parenthood Toronto said that the ability to apply for a safe access zone without needing a legal team and needing a lot of money, without having to prove a certain level of protester activity before you’re considered eligible, without having to wait a long time for your application to be approved—all of these are going to be especially important for rural providers, in particular, who want to start prescribing Mifegymiso. Several of the other presenters who spoke to the committee emphasized the same concern.

There has been opposition to this bill, not surprisingly, and much of that is based on the view that Bill 163 represents an infringement on freedom of speech. As the Attorney General pointed out, however, similar legislation in BC has survived legal challenges three times since it was first put in place in 1995, and it was found to be constitutional by the BC Court of Appeal in 2008. At the time, the court ruled that the law infringes only minimally on freedom of expression and was justified to protect a women’s right to medical services.

Anti-choice protesters will still have the right to protest outside of the bubble zone. They will still be able to exercise their freedom of expression by protesting in other places, just not in front of the clinic. They will still have the right to express their views on abortion, but they do not have the right to prevent a woman from accessing abortion services, whether through so-called sidewalk counselling, whether through the display of gruesome and disturbing images, or even whether standing in silent judgment.

Before I close, I just wanted to reinforce a couple of the points I made during second reading debate. At that time, I framed my remarks within a reproductive justice framework. I talked about the need to have a broad range of supports in place to ensure that women are able to choose when and if to have a child and to be able to parent the children they have in safe and healthy environments.

I talked about the need to look at quality affordable child care, ending violence against women, closing the gender wage gap and providing the supports that families need in order to be able to raise their children.

I also talked about access to contraception, which is key to preventing unwanted pregnancies in the first place. This Liberal government’s OHIP+ plan, its so-called pharmacare plan, leaves out hundreds of thousands of Ontario women in their childbearing years who may not be able to afford birth control pills and will not be covered by OHIP+ because they are over the age of 25. We need a real pharmacare plan in this province that ensures that every person, every Ontarian, is able to afford the prescriptions they need.

With those comments, I want to close by reiterating our caucus’s strong and unequivocal support for this bill and our hopes for its very swift enactment.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Further debate?

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: I’d like to thank the Attorney General for sharing his time with me today for this very important initiative before the House. I also want to thank him for his tireless advocacy and work on Bill 163, the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, 2017.

Speaker, this is an important and urgent piece of legislation for Ontario. It’s important because, if passed, Ontario would protect a woman’s right to choose; because, if passed, it would protect a women’s right to choose abortion services without fear of interference, intimidation, bullying or harassment; and because, if passed, it would protect the safety, security, health and privacy of women and health care providers.

This bill would allow for safe access zones to be established around clinics and facilities that offer abortion services. These safe zones would also protect the homes of clinic staff and the homes and offices of regulated health professionals who provide these services. The bottom line is, providers of these important services for women would no longer feel like they are at risk because of their work. That’s important. And women in our province would no longer feel they are at risk because of their health care choices.

That’s why this proposed legislation is an important step forward and it is an urgent step forward, one of many our government is taking to strengthen the rights of all women in Ontario. Our government is committed to ensuring that women and girls in Ontario are strong and successful and that they enjoy equal opportunities. Our government is committed to ensuring that women and girls are safe in Ontario. Our government is committed to ensuring that women have the right to make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. This is a human right and one our government wants to protect.

The Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, 2017, if passed, would create safe spaces around clinics and facilities where activities such as advising a person to refrain from accessing abortion services or protesting or engaging in activities that intimidate or interfere with access to abortion services would be prohibited.

Safe access zones around homes would also prohibit activities directly targeted at clinic staff or health professionals around their homes. In fact, this legislation would also prohibit harassing conduct anywhere in Ontario directed at clinic staff and regulated health professionals who provide abortion services.

The proposed act would allow Ontario hospitals and doctors’ offices who prescribe or pharmacies that dispense the abortion pill Mifegymiso to apply to create safe access zones. This follows on our government’s important new decision to make Mifegymiso available across Ontario and help every women access abortion services. Providing Mifegymiso free of charge means more equitable access to abortion for women across Ontario.

Speaker, Ontario must take steps to protect women who are exercising their right to choose. They should not be harassed, bullied or intimidated for making that choice. I want you to know that our government is committed to removing the barriers to sexual and reproductive health. Our government is committed to protecting access to abortion services and protecting the safety, security, health and privacy of patients and providers. That’s why we introduced the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act. That’s why this legislation is urgent and we want to get it right.

Women should no longer have to fear accessing abortion services. That’s why we need to understand that denying women choices about their own bodies and their own lives denies women their equal place in our society.

While it’s important to protect everyone’s fundamental right to freedom of expression, our laws must balance that right with the basic right to keep people safe. Activities that jeopardize the health, safety, security and privacy of patients and providers are not acceptable. I believe we have found a balanced way forward. Freedom of expression is important, and so is the right to protest and voice your own opinions, but those rights must be balanced. They must be balanced with the need to protect access to abortion services and to protect the safety, security, health and privacy of patients and providers.

At a moment when a woman is making one of the most private decisions she will ever have to make, she needs to be able to do so without fear of being threatened, harassed or intimidated. I believe that policies like this are so important.

Ontario is playing a leading role in increasing empowerment for women. We’ve made key investments and worked hard to improve the security, equality and empowerment of women and girls, to overcome barriers on the path to greater economic security and personal fulfillment, and to end sexual violence and harassment against women and girls in our province. The women of this province and this country have fought long and hard—long and hard—for their reproductive rights and justice. I am proud that we are delivering on our vision for women and girls in this province. It’s the right thing to do.

I want to thank all of the members who spoke before me in support of this very important bill. And I want to say that the work on Bill 163 is important. It’s an urgent piece of legislation, and it is an honour for me to stand here and speak in support of it because, if passed, it would protect a woman’s right to choose abortion services without fear of interference, intimidation, bullying or harassment.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Further debate?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: It’s my pleasure to join the debate today on a very important public safety issue in the province of Ontario, and that’s Bill 163, the Protecting a Woman’s Right to Access Abortion Services Act. I want to thank all my colleagues, too, in the Progressive Conservative caucus for supporting this bill and supporting my public comments and also my desire to have expedited this piece of legislation.

I would just like to point out that a couple of Thursdays ago I rose in the House and said, “Let’s move this: first, second, third reading. Let’s expedite it,” just to make sure that by that Thursday afternoon, by lunch, all women in Ontario would have safety precautions put in place for them if they went to try to receive or were going to receive a legal medical procedure in the province of Ontario, which is funded.

That didn’t happen. The Liberals, I think, wanted to play a couple of little political games in order to create some divisions. But that was okay, because we said, “That’s fine. If you want to pursue this, we’ll still support it, and if you want to come forward after the break, we would be happy to engage in an expedited process.”

So I will note this before I continue my remarks: Despite extra debate and bringing folks to Queen’s Park, even by teleconference, there were no amendments to the bill. We’re all supporting the bill as it is and as it was laid here in first and second reading. I wanted to point that out: that, despite deciding to lengthen this process by an extra couple of weeks, nothing has changed in this bill whatsoever. That, I think, is very important.

The second thing I must say, and I’ll be very open about this: I have received a bit of criticism for supporting this piece of legislation from people who are pro-life. My colleague, I thought, made a really great point—my colleague Peggy Sattler, who said, “We respect their views,” and I certainly do, Speaker. I certainly respect their view of being pro-life. I happen to be pro-choice. I’m not overly enthused about abortion, but I do believe that a woman has a right to choose. I fundamentally believe that.

I fundamentally believe that if that is her choice, to choose an abortion, then she should be safe in doing so, that she should not fear for her security and that she should not fear harassment or intimidation.

I also don’t view this as a pro-choice or pro-life narrative. I believe it is a pro-women’s safety narrative to access something that is perfectly legal in the province of Ontario. I have received criticism and I have been called less than a Christian. I have been called less than a Conservative. But I can tell you fundamentally, good Christians respect other people and good Conservatives respect other people.

I will tell you, Speaker, I am proud to stand and speak on this bill as a Christian and a Conservative. I’ll have nobody ever challenge me on either of those points, and if they do, I suppose—just like one of the ladies who lives in Ottawa Centre said she was going to run a Conservative against me—good luck with that, really good luck with that. We’re standing here today on a fundamental issue of safety and security for women. The last time I checked, Conservatives stand for law and order. The last time I checked, I’ve always stood for law and order, and this is a law and order bill put forward by the Auditor General. I’m supporting law and order. I wanted to be very clear about that today.

The one other thing I wanted to point out today is that I had the opportunity on the weekend to, as many of us did, be part of a number of different events in our communities. I typically like to go to about 14 events on the weekend; no exception on Saturday, when I started my morning at about 8:30 and coached hockey. I left there and I went to an opening of a realtor’s office; there were about 100 people there. I then spent two hours canvassing in Half Moon Bay in my constituency of Nepean. After that, I went to—I’m going to list them all—a Diwali event. And then I went to the Amazing People Gala.

I went to the Barrhaven Scottish Rugby Football Club. There’s a point to all this, Speaker. I left there and I went to a food cupboard event. Then I finished my night off at a Diwali event. I ended up getting home at 11:30.

For anybody who wants to make this an issue and try to be polarizing, sending vitriol over this issue—you’re not really thinking about other people. You’re trying to intimidate them. So for all the people I saw from 8:30 in the morning until 11:30 at night on Saturday, which was probably several hundred people—all I had were people thanking me for taking a stand because they thought that this bill is about common decency. In fact, one would argue, if we were actually decent to one another, we wouldn’t need such a piece of legislation, but we do.

We know, for example, in the city of Ottawa, which I represent, there has been a common issue of continued harassment against women who are seeking a legal procedure which is funded by our government.

This is not up for debate. The safety of every person in our society is fundamentally why we are here, for law and order. If people or individuals want to challenge that law and order, then we must as a society and we must as a Legislature put parameters in place to protect people. That is why we are here today, and that’s why I’m pleased to support this piece of legislation. That’s why, when people want to challenge me on this, I remind them that being decent is something that I want to pursue.

I read on the weekend something that was very important to me when I was younger. I grew up as a young Progressive Conservative in the province of Nova Scotia. My dad was elected for 30 years and he was a campaign manager to many Conservatives over the years, including the former Premier John Hamm, and was a regional organizer for my cousin and his cousin, Donald Cameron, who was Premier of Nova Scotia. He ran campaigns for Peter and Elmer MacKay.

My mother is an elder in the Presbyterian Church. That’s something we’re quite proud of. In fact, she’s an elder with my cousin, Donald, who was the Premier, and now they go to this church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

Growing up, my father was a very proud Progressive Conservative. He reminded me, over the years—and he has passed now, for 10 years—that he was the youth chair for Robert Stanfield. His first convention ever was to support Joe Clark in the 1970s. Many years later, in Joe Clark’s second trip around the sun, I got to work for him from 1998 to 2000.

In any event, I want to digress for a moment because I was provided with a copy of what it means to be a Conservative. It was written by Robert Stanfield and it was comments to the Conservative caucus of the day. It was provided to me by a dear family friend, Senator Michael Forrestall, who has now passed and whom my husband worked for for over a decade. Michael, obviously, was from Nova Scotia and knew my family quite well. He was the executive director of the Progressive Conservative Party when Robert Stanfield was Premier. My great-uncle was also in that cabinet.

I read it. It talked about, as Conservatives—and I think this is really fundamental for anybody that’s watching this—it’s fundamental, as a Conservative, to build a party that doesn’t polarize or pit groups in society against one another. No, in fact, what Robert Stanfield effectively said in this memo is that a Conservative caucus must represent all facets of the country, all facets of a province, people from all walks of life. We do not polarize against and pit one another against each other.

I must say, and I think it’s important as we speak to this bill: For too long, I think there has been an eager desire on the part of the left to use abortion as a wedge issue for Conservatives, to divide us. I’m here to actually counter that and say that that is an old tactic that was used by Jean Chrétien in 1997. It was really perfected during the time of the Canadian Alliance with Stockwell Day. The Liberals were able to manipulate that. Here we are 25 years later, and I think that the current government’s motivation on this was to do just the same.

But I’m here to tell you that regardless of whether you are on the social conservative aspect or you’re on my side, which is the Progressive Conservative aspect, there’s a voice for everyone in this party. That’s why I’m very pleased that our leader, Patrick Brown, has adopted that mentality. That’s why we’re here today talking to people. It doesn’t matter who you love, where you’re from; it doesn’t matter where you worship: You have a home here.

This debate is very important because it allows for me, as a female Progressive Conservative who has been in the party since I was born, basically as a Progressive Conservative from the red Tory tradition of Atlantic Canada, to stand alongside those who may not share my views. We are Progressive Conservatives. None of us are less so because we share different ideas on some social issues. I think fundamentally we all agree on the issues of fiscal conservatism, law and order. We believe in accountability. The attempts to divide us, I think, were woefully inadequate in this particular regard, and I think my caucus colleagues would agree.

I think too, when we have this discussion, it’s important that we always are mindful of the people whom we’re trying to protect here. The people we’re trying to protect here and the person that I think of in my mind is the 18-year-old girl who may not have access to abortion in her community, may have to drive two hours, may have to use a circle of her friends in order to get access to this and is too ashamed to tell her family that she got pregnant. So she may have to travel by bus for two hours to get access, and she’s probably terrified.

She’s effectively a young child herself at 18 years old, and without the protection of her mum or her dad or perhaps even her partner. She is walking through to try to access something that is perfectly legal—not illegal; perfectly legal, government-funded—and trying to walk into a clinic only to be harassed by somebody who doesn’t know her, doesn’t understand her story, doesn’t understand where she came from or how she got there. They don’t understand a thing about her. They just want to harass her.

Their views are perfectly fine, but they’re not fine if you’re going to intimidate another person. They’re not fine if you’re harassing someone. They’re not fine if you’re scaring somebody who is already vulnerable.

That’s why I supported this bill, and without hesitation supported this bill, and spoke to our party. I’m just pleased that my caucus colleagues—in particular, my leader—took my position, took my view and believed that’s what we’re here to do. We’re not trying to encourage people to have abortions. We’re not trying to discourage people from having abortions. We’re simply saying that if you choose to have an abortion, you should be safe in trying to access that perfectly legal medical procedure. That’s what this bill is about.

I’m happy to stand on the floor of the assembly and have that conversation. I’m happy to join the debate. I’m a woman. I’m a mother. I have a daughter. I coach an all-female girls hockey team. I sit in the assembly with about 30% women, where we have female leaders, female deputy leaders and female heads of committee. If we can’t have this conversation without breaking into a fight, then—well, we shouldn’t be breaking into a fight. I think it’s common sense. It’s common decency. That’s the tradition that I have grown up in. It’s certainly the tradition I have been part of on the floor of this House.

I would urge, though, caution in the continued polarization and volatility in matters where we know there will be emotion-based responses. I’ve seen it twice in the last two weeks. I’ve had the privilege of being able to stand in the assembly on what shouldn’t be controversial issues, but they end up being controversial issues because the government believes that they can wedge my party and drag us—and then, of course, by speaking out and being somebody, then I get harassed.

But the thing is, the difference between me and the 18-year-old girl I’m talking about is that I don’t have to put up with the harassment. I’m strong enough to put people in their place. I’m not afraid of hitting the “delete” button or the “block” button. I don’t need to return phone calls from people who harass me. I have a good circle of people who can support me. I have a loud enough voice and a strong enough voice that I can fight back.

But there are girls and women in this province who don’t have the support that I do. So if they decide they want to do something that might be deemed controversial or something that they don’t necessarily want to talk about, then it’s all up to us, in bills like this, to say that we will stand firmly behind them and we will put the necessary precautions in place.

Now, I know that when I go up to my office, I’ll have a couple of emails. I’ll probably be nailed on Facebook and Twitter, too—just bring it, right? Seriously. I know that what we’re doing here is the right thing, for the right reasons. It’s unfortunate that the bill didn’t come from that place; it became a source for wedge politics, but that’s fine. We’re going to continue to make sure that we stand up for vulnerable people, whoever they are.

As Robert Stanfield once wrote, “We will stand up for people from all walks of life, regardless of where they come from, because a true political party”—I would urge the Liberals to listen to this too; they should also welcome the views of an entire spectrum of people.

So with that, I want to thank my colleagues who sat on committee, because I was unable to attend committee. I was pleased to have my leader in my community, so my colleague Lisa Thompson as well as my colleague Gila Martow carried the ball in committee, and I appreciate them doing that work because most people know that in the Legislative Assembly a lot of the work that gets done isn’t really necessarily on the floor of this assembly. It is done by the hard-working people who sit in the committees as MPPs, and, of course, the people on our staff.

I’d also like to say thank you to my constituents who told me unequivocally this weekend that it was the right thing to do. I can tell you, Speaker, it didn’t matter if they were a young rugby player; it didn’t matter if they were an elderly farmer; it didn’t matter if they were a mum on a hockey team. They really got this; they understood it. Maybe it’s because, in Ottawa, it’s very prevalent, so we were hearing about it on the news for over a year.

Maybe it’s because this issue has spoken to people. People don’t regularly walk around saying, “Oh, I had an abortion.” They don’t. If they did, they are holding that in. They might feel shame, they might feel remorse; I don’t know, but they don’t often just go up to you and say, “It was me.” So I don’t know, when the people came up to me this weekend, if there was personal experience. It’s not my place to ask. But I certainly can tell you that for those who are seeking to access these services, they should be able to do so, not only protecting their privacy but also protecting their personal safety.

With that, Speaker, my time is limited. I just wanted to say that of course we will be supporting this today. I’m pleased that I had the opportunity to have this conversation. Perhaps, now that we’ve had a reasonable discussion on this in the Legislative Assembly, we can all be better people with respect to these issues of social conscience and we can respect one another.

The final thing I want to say is when I was in university, one of my classmates, who I thought was always much more intelligent than I, much brighter, once said, “I was taught to respect, not necessarily accept, another person’s point of view.” Speaker, when it comes to these issues of social conscience, I think that we would all be better to understand we all come from different places and we must respect the other person, but we don’t have to accept their point of view.

In this debate, I hope that those who disagree with me and my colleagues who have spoken on this bill will respect that we have a different opinion than them, but they don’t have to accept our opinion of pro-choice or pro-life. I would just like to leave an olive branch for everybody on all the different sides of this just to understand that there is respect, not necessarily acceptance.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Pursuant to the order of the House dated October 16, 2017, I am now required to put the question.

Mr. Naqvi has moved third reading of Bill 163,

An Act to enact the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, 2017 and to amend the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in relation to abortion services.

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

All those in favour, please say “aye.”

All those opposed, please say “nay.”

I believe the ayes have it.

This will be dealt with after question period.

Third reading vote deferred.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Orders of the day. Minister?

Hon. Michael Coteau: No further business, Mr. Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Since there is no further business, this House stands recessed until 10:30 this morning.

The House recessed from 1003 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Today in the House, in the Speaker’s gallery, as part of a group that have come to pay tribute to a deceased member, are Mr. David Warner, the former Speaker of the House during the 35th Parliament, and Mr. Robert Alan Eagleson, MPP for Lakeshore in the 27th Parliament.

Welcome, gentlemen, to the tribute.

Mrs. Gila Martow: As part of the Lymphoma Canada Queen’s Park day today, I want to introduce Robin Markowitz from Lymphoma Canada; Kelly Gorman from the Canadian Cancer Society; Jilda Lazer from CanCertainty; and Sharon Dennis, who is a patient.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Today I’d like to introduce, on ECE appreciation day, Kim Gilbert, Christina Gilligan, Jessica Mustachi, Jennifer Miller, Yuchen Wang, Dayoung Kim, Feena Dougherty and Nancy Santos.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: It’s Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day, so I’d like to welcome the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario. Here with us today are Sheila Olan-MacLean, Laurel Rothman, Carolyn Ferns, Erin Filby, Lyndsay Macdonald, Suzanne Parker, Martha Friendly, Lori Huston and Janet Borowy. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Bill Walker: it’s my pleasure to introduce Robert Bick from CanCertainty; Joanne Di Nardo from the Canadian Cancer Society; Elizabeth Lye from Lymphoma Canada; and Daniel Glazerman, a patient.

Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Just before I move on, I would also like to introduce another former member, in the members’ gallery: Jane McKenna, the member for Burlington in the 40th Parliament.

Welcome, Jane. Thank you for being here.

Further introductions?

Hon. Jeff Leal: In the members’ west gallery, I’d like to introduce, from the riding of Peterborough, Sheila Olan-MacLean, president of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and executive director of Compass Early Learning and Care.

And a member of my staff, Ivana Spasovska, is celebrating her birthday today.

Mr. Toby Barrett: I wish to introduce two local residents from Silver Hill who are here, in the members’ gallery: Ian and Kim Grant.

Ms. Catherine Fife: I’d like to introduce Stephane Hamade. He’s the president of my riding association.

Welcome to Queen’s Park, Stephane.

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: I would like to welcome, from CAHO: Dr. Gianluigi Bisleri from the department of cardiac surgery at Queen’s; Dr. Ben Glover, assistant professor of cardiac electrophysiology at Queen’s; Roger Deeley, vice-dean of research at Queen’s; and all of the representatives who are here from Providence Care Hospital, from my riding of Kingston and the Islands. Welcome.

Mr. Michael Harris: I’d like to welcome all those here with Innovative Medicines Canada and their member companies. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Reza Moridi: Today the Baha’i community are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of their prophet, Baha’u’llah. They’re having a reception in room 228. I invite all colleagues to attend that reception at lunchtime.

Ms. Laurie Scott: I’d like to introduce Dorothy Sanderson in the gallery, coming down to observe Queen’s Park today from the riding of Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock.

Mrs. Amrit Mangat: It is my pleasure to welcome page captain Asma Siddiqi’s parents, Ruquaiyeh and Azfar Siddiqi; and sister, Eiliyah Siddiqi. They are in the public gallery. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Toby Barrett: We all welcome the Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario. I wish to welcome in particular CAMH, my former employer for 20 years.

Mrs. Gila Martow: I believe we have some students from Stephen Lewis Secondary School in my riding of Thornhill here today, and if it isn’t them, then they’ll be here soon.

Hon. Mitzie Hunter: I’m very pleased to rise to welcome all the ECEs who are here today and thank them for the great work they do in all of our schools and child care centres.

Mr. Todd Smith: I’d like to welcome Patrick Dalzell and Taylor McKenna from Bruce Power—providing 30% of Ontario’s emissions-free electricity.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: I’d like to address page captain Sheldon Kilroy today and his mother, Helene Boissonneault; father, Jim Kilroy—friends of mine from North Bay—and his aunt and uncle Christine and Christopher Hart, who are here today in the gallery.

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: I would also like to welcome, from my riding of Kingston and the Islands, Bill Bishop, who is a wonderful patient advocate with our CAHO hospitals.

Mr. Bill Walker: I’d like to introduce Jacqueline Dobson, a political enthusiast and a good friend.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): We also have some special guests in the Speaker’s gallery on my left-hand side. We have the consul general of Japan at Toronto, Takako Ito. Welcome. She is accompanied by the deputy consul general, Mr. Tetsuya Yoshimoto. Welcome.

Thank you for being with us.

Gordon Carton

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I would now entertain a point of order from the House leader.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Thank you very much, Speaker. I believe you will find that we have unanimous consent to recognize a former member of provincial Parliament from Armourdale, Mr. Gordon Robert Carton, with a representative from each caucus speaking for up to five minutes.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent to pay tribute. Do we agree? Agreed.

The member from Windsor West.

Mrs. Lisa Gretzky: As MPPs immersed in the cut and thrust of partisan politics, our focus on the now and the current demands of life as an MPP often doesn’t leave us with a lot of opportunities to focus on the history of this place and the tales it has to tell. If this chamber could talk, I can only imagine the things it would have to say about those who have gone on before us and gave of themselves in pursuit of a better Ontario.

When Gordon Carton passed away earlier this year, the memorials and articles written about his life wasted little time getting to the bold stand he took early in his political career, and rightfully so. It’s not often that government MPPs openly speak out against government initiatives, let alone first-term, rookie MPPs. Even for the most seasoned veterans, the usual play is a campaign of quiet diplomacy and backroom conversations designed to sway opinion.

Yet, with just about a year under his belt, Gordon took to his feet in this chamber and criticized the Robarts government’s plans for compensating property owners affected by the construction and expansion of provincial highways. Because the story had a happy ending—the Robarts government reversed course—the story became a legend instead of being a cautionary tale.

Gordon wasn’t afraid to take risks if it meant standing up for what he believed in. Whether as a backbencher or cabinet minister, he understood that being loyal sometimes meant speaking out, that giving voice to alternate perspectives is often the key to arriving at the best possible decision.

Ironically, many believe it was a disagreement over highways that led to the end of his political career. As Minister of Transportation and Communications, Gordon openly pushed for the installation of sound barriers along provincial highways to minimize traffic noise, a stance that put him out of step with his government. Despite his demotion from cabinet in 1974, the Davis government would adopt the sound barriers, which remain an element of Ontario highway construction to this day.

Gordon’s decision to retire in the lead-up to the 1975 election opened the door to a successful second act in the private sector. He also continued to serve on the boards of several charities and not-for-profits, including York University, Community Living and the Toronto YMCA, to name a few. And, as always, Gordon took risks for the things he believed in, most notably, at the age of 95, when he embarked on his last commercial venture, Happiness Is Inc., a casual clothing company inspired by his passion for Canada and a desire to inspire Canadians to celebrate our moments of happiness together.

To Gordon’s family and friends who are here with us today, we thank you for sharing this incredible man with the people of Ontario. Those of us who have the privilege of serving in this chamber realize the challenges that our public lives often present to those closest to us. We are grateful for the sacrifice and support that you provided in helping Gordon make our province a better place for all of us.

Thank you, Gordon, for a life well lived. Ontario is a better place because of your service.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Before we move to the next tribute, I apologize to the House: I missed one of my chores, which was to introduce the guests that are here to pay tribute, so I will do that now.

With us to celebrate Gordon Carton, MPP for Armourdale in the 27th, 28th and 29th Parliaments, are his wife, Sharon; daughter Jan Woods and her husband, Christopher; granddaughter Vikki Scaini and her husband, Richard; granddaughter Andrea Armstrong and her husband, David; grandson Gordon Woods; and many, many family and friends. We welcome you to the House for this tribute. Thank you for being here.

Further tribute?

Hon. David Zimmer: I did not know Gordon personally; however, I did some research about his life and his accomplishments so I could speak about a person who lived such a rich and meaningful life.

Gordon was passionate about politics from an early age. It eventually led to and culminated in his political career; he sat here in this Legislature for 12 years. But despite his passion for politics, I did hear that his jump into politics needed some convincing. It turns out that, while he liked to help people and candidates win political races, he preferred not to run himself. However, the Conservative Party eventually convinced him to run for the very new riding of Armourdale. He became its first MPP in 1963, and he represented that riding until 1975. Gordon was passionate about Armourdale.

Portions of the riding are now incorporated into the riding of Willowdale, and hence, I’m honoured to do the tribute.

Gordon listened to and supported his constituents all the time, especially, as the member from the third party has just referenced, during the contentious construction of the enormous, at the time, 12-lane highway which cut through his riding. That was to become Highway 401. In 1964, Gordon stood up for his constituents, bravely, against his own party and called for the protection of property rights for those impacted by the highway’s construction.

He was dubbed at the time “the rebel with a cause.” With that passion, he advocated for sound barriers to be installed along the highway, separating it from the properties of those who called the area their home. Those same barriers are still standing, between Yonge Street and Bathurst along the 401, and they have made life to this day better for all concerned.

While on the back benches at Queen’s Park, Gordon sat on numerous committees, including the Standing Committees on Procedural Affairs, Private Bills, as well as Education and University Affairs. In particular, he was Chair of the select committee that introduced and modernized Ontario’s Business Corporations Act. Under then-Premier Bill Davis, Gordon was appointed to various cabinet positions, including financial and commercial affairs, transportation and communications, and labour.

But, Speaker, Gordon was more than a politician. He was a navigator with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He practised law for many years before entering politics. And, humbly, he rode the subway back and forth to work every day.

While working in the private sector, he oversaw the introduction—and I was quite taken by this because I am a devotee of ice cream. He introduced the Baskin-Robbins ice cream franchise to Canada. That is one of the many reasons why I will remember him.

Gordon sat on multiple boards. He sat on many charities and non-profit organizations, such as Community Living and Participation House, two non-profits that work with people with physical and developmental disabilities. In 1971, he arranged for various people—a significant number—to pledge $30 a mile. That was a lot of money in 1971. And for that pledge, he ran 32 miles to raise funds for Cerebral Palsy Participation House.

Well into his nineties, his love of Canada led him to start Happiness Is Inc. It’s a Canadian-made clothing company that celebrates the happy moments of being a Canadian. About the starting of Happiness Is, Gordon said, “I believe we all have moments of happiness that we seek and appreciate and wish to share.”

These are just a few of his many accomplishments.

Speaker, there’s a very personal story that I want to share with the House. It was a story about his dedication to 95 of his classmates from his former high school, Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute. It’s now known as Vaughan Road Academy. Those 95 classmates of his died in World War II. On a visit to his high school, Gordon was shocked one day to see all 95 names on a memorial plaque in the school. It moved him, and he said, “I vowed they would never be forgotten.” He made that comment in a publication in 2016, a magazine called InFormer magazine. It’s published by the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians, in which he played an active role over the years.

Years later, a group of business associates wanted to establish a scholarship in his name at Vaughan Road Collegiate. Gordon said yes, he would do that; he would agree to that, on one condition. He insisted that, henceforward into perpetuity, the names of those 95 classmates had to be printed on every graduation ceremony pamphlet. And that remains in effect today. If you go to the graduation ceremonies this June, those 95 names will be there.

I did not know Gordon personally, but after reading about his passion and integrity, I wish that I personally would have had the chance to know him, to have a conversation with him, and to seek his advice also. Gordon served his country, his friends, his province and his constituents. His was an exemplary life.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Further tribute? The member from Vaughan.

Mrs. Gila Martow: Thornhill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thornhill.

Mrs. Gila Martow: I’m honoured to have the opportunity to speak about Mr. Gordon Carton, a man with many talents and many accomplishments, an inspiring Canadian who truly loved life, and, from what I’ve been told by some of the members here who knew him, a really nice guy.

Gordon Robert Carton was born in Toronto on July 14, 1921. He attended Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute and grew up as a sports enthusiast and physical fitness buff. In high school, Gord was the captain of the football team and played on the all-star team.

In a 1970s news

article about Mr. Carton, it mentions that back in school, Gord won the 100-yard, 200-yard and half-mile races; came in first for pole vault; and came in second in the mile—all in one day. The

article continues to discuss how Gord was probably the only minister in Premier William Davis’s cabinet who ran the mile in five and a half minutes.

Gord was a World War II veteran as a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force before he pursued his education in the field of law. We just heard from the minister that 95 of his classmates from Vaughan Road Collegiate lost their lives serving alongside him in the Second World War, and they should never be forgotten.

Gord received his bachelor of arts degree in 1946 at Victoria College. By 1949, he had obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall and began working as a lawyer. The firm was called Carton Richardson.

Gord got active in politics in his teen years, like many of the members here, I guess. His first political campaign was in 1942 on behalf of the first Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MP elected in Canada, Joe Noseworthy. I think you will all agree that the name “Noseworthy” is a pretty good name for a candidate.

He had worked in 11 elections in all roles, from poll canvasser to campaign manager, and even served two terms as president of the York Centre Progressive Conservative Association before he finally made his first bid for public office in 1963.

Mr. Carton was first elected to the Ontario Legislature as a Progressive Conservative member of provincial Parliament representing the riding of Armourdale. He served as an MPP for 12 years, during which time he sat on numerous committees and was appointed by then-Premier Bill Davis to various cabinet positions, including labour, financial and commercial affairs, and transportation and communications.

Mayor John Tory, who worked with Mr. Carton in the years when Bill Davis’s Progressive Conservative government ruled Ontario, said:

“Gordon Carton was part of a breed of politician that doesn’t exist anymore. A true gentleman. You can keep looking and you won’t find anybody that didn’t like him.”

“If he had a point of view, you knew about it. He had his opinion on things and stood up for his people.”

Davis assigned him to various cabinet positions, and I want to quote Bill Davis: “Gordon Carton has left a lasting legacy in Ontario in many areas. During the years Gordon and I worked together at Queen’s Park, I developed a very high regard for his intelligence, commitment and work ethic.”

Gord was famously known as “the rebel with a cause” for defying his government on behalf of his constituents, protecting the property rights of those affected by the construction of Highway 401 and spearheading the erection of sound barriers to separate property owners from the highway. These sound barriers still stand today, and recently we were discussing safety barriers on the 401 just west of the GTA.

Last week, I asked the member from York Simcoe, who we affectionately refer to as Lady Munro, if she remembers meeting Gord Carton. She told me she remembers him—and I quote—as being “very good-looking.” This was backed up in a news

article where Gord Carton was described as a tall, dark, handsome and affable Toronto lawyer.

After former Premier Davis won the PC leadership, he appointed him as Minister of Labour from 1971 to 1972, and then he moved on to some of the other adventures that I mentioned.

Just before he passed away in April 2017 at the age of 95, Gord founded a clothing line that we heard about, Happiness Is Inc., and it was to celebrate Canadian nationality and solidarity while also creating comfortable, easy-to-wear clothing. Imagine, Mr. Speaker, starting a new business venture at the age of 95.

On the website, Gord is described as a “hero and a passionate Canadian who believed that happiness is all around us.”

The website describes clothing with a supremely soft feel on the inside and outside, and I’m sure there’s also a little bit of softness from founder Gord Carton’s heart to bring a little extra happiness to all who wear these clothes.

Gord obviously believed that happiness is about giving back since he arranged for 10% of the net proceeds to go to Trans Canada Trail, a not-for-profit working with donors, partners and volunteers to create the Great Trail, an epic trail of trails and a sustainable gift from Canadians to Canadians that fosters unity, collaboration and connectedness.

He was obviously connected to fitness and the great outdoors and was also clearly connected to his family as his granddaughter is determined to continue the legacy of this new business venture.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon, his brother, Donald, and his daughters, Heather Carroll and Janice Woods, as well as his four grandchildren.

Thank you to all of you who are here today to celebrate the life of Gordon Carton, and for sharing your husband, your dad, your grandfather and your friend with all of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I apologize to the member from Thornhill. I’ve done that twice to you now, and I’ll resist the temptation to make it three.

I would like to thank all the members for their very kind, thoughtful and heartfelt comments. We’re at our best when we pay tribute to our former members, as a non-partisan tribute to all members.

To the family, we thank you for the gift of Gordon, and we’d also like to indicate to you that we’ll provide you with a DVD and Hansard copies for you to have as a keepsake, as a testimony of our affection for Gordon. Thank you very much for the gift of Gordon.

Oral Questions

Government accounting practices

Mr. Patrick Brown: Mr. Speaker, my question is for—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Since you decided you want to start, we’re starting with warnings, and I will immediately use them.

Please start.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. Yesterday, the government had an opportunity to apologize for their latest attack on the—

Hon. Charles Sousa: You should apologize.

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

Mr. Patrick Brown: Mr. Speaker, clearly the government doesn’t like to talk about the Auditor General’s report.

Instead of doing the right thing and supporting our motion yesterday, they voted it down. I want to give the Liberals another chance. To the Minister of Energy, will the government apologize to the Auditor General for what was a blatant attempt to discredit her office? It wasn’t right, they know it wasn’t right, and they should apologize.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: I’m pleased to rise today—

Applause.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Thank you.

Interjection: A belated happy birthday.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Thank you for the birthday wishes.

Mr. Speaker, I remember March 2 very well. That was the day on which our government announced the fair hydro plan, which has lowered electricity bills by an average of 25% for all residential customers and half a million small businesses and farms. That was 237 days—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Huron–Bruce is warned. Sorry; I’m thinking “Bruce.” I’m a little backwards today. The member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound is warned.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: That was 237 days ago, Mr. Speaker. Shortly after that, the leader of the official opposition promised to release his own energy plan sometime in the coming weeks.

But here we are, Mr. Speaker, over half a year later, almost halfway through the fall session, and in those 237 days, a lot has happened, but nothing has happened on that side. That’s the party that should be apologizing for—

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

Interjections.

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

Supplementary?

Mr. Patrick Brown: Again to the minister: The question was about the way this government has discredited the Auditor General. The Auditor General said that the way they’re doing this hydro scheme will cost Ontarians $4 billion more than necessary.

I get that it’s the Liberal talking points today to applaud the Minister of Energy, but what we’re talking about is $4 billion that Ontario families are going to have to pay because of this government, and rather than acknowledging the Auditor General’s report and saying, “We’re going to try to fix this,” they discredit the Auditor General.

Mr. Speaker, 10 times out of 10, if I am to choose who to believe, the Auditor General or this Liberal government, I’m going to choose the Auditor General. So I will ask the question again: Will the Minister of Energy apologize to the Auditor General for the way his office, his ministry, has discredited her office?

Interjections.

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

Minister?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: We continue to work with the Auditor General. As the President of the Treasury Board says, 99.9% of the time we always agree with the Auditor General and implement her recommendations.

In this instance, Mr. Speaker, we agree that this is an accounting dispute. We have KPMG, we have EY and we have Deloitte. All of these peers of the Auditor General agree: What we have brought forward is a plan that is going to actually reduce rates by 25% and meet the Canadian public sector accounting standards.

But I know the point is that the Conservatives are refusing or even unable to come up with any ideas or a plan of their own, Mr. Speaker. We’ve helped families by lowering their rates by 25%. We’ve helped families by raising the minimum wage to $15. We protect tenants from unfair rent increases. What do they have on that side? Zero.

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

Mr. Patrick Brown: Again to the Minister of Energy: I’m glad that the minister is now saying he agrees with the Auditor General, because the Auditor General has said that their energy policy is a house of cards; that after the election, energy rates are going to skyrocket. The Auditor General has said that they make up their own rules. The Auditor General has said that they’re going to blow $4 billion unnecessarily. So if you all of a sudden agree with the Auditor General, how are you going to fix that problem and not simply discredit her?

Mr. Speaker, it was written in an

article yesterday that the Ministry of Energy went so far as to personally contact journalists the day before her report was released to say that the Auditor General’s

interpretation was flawed. Calling the day before the report to discredit the Auditor General is not working with the Auditor General; that’s attacking the Auditor General. So, once again, will the government do the right thing and apologize to the Auditor General?

Interjections.

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

Minister?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Again, Mr. Speaker, we continue to work with the Auditor General on an ongoing basis. We will continue, as a government, to be open and transparent with the Auditor General and with all independent officers of the House. It is important for us to continue to have that working dialogue. As the President of the Treasury Board has said over and over again, we will continue to do so.

This is an accounting dispute. We believe, and so do her peers and so do all of the bureaucracy accountants, all believe that the way that we have done this—by keeping the assets of the electricity system in that sector—meets with the Canadian public sector accounting standards.

We’ll continue to work forward, Mr. Speaker. We’ll continue to advocate for the people of this province, unlike the opposition, which has nothing on offer and never will.

Government accountability

Mr. Patrick Brown: Again to the Minister of Energy: The Liberals, according to the Auditor General, have been accused of making up their own accounting rules. Let me repeat: making up their own accounting rules. What worries me is what else they may be hiding, Mr. Speaker. They seem to be making up their own record retention rules on the fly. They certainly don’t seem to be keen on releasing emails to the Auditor General. We are still waiting on those.

Here is another chance. Since they don’t want to apologize to the Auditor General for this blatant attempt to discredit the independent legislative officer, at the very least will they do what they said they would do: be transparent, release the emails, stop hiding 99% of those emails? Will they do the right thing and release the emails requested?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: It is our government’s commitment to continue to work with the Auditor General, to continue to be open and transparent, and we’re going to continue to co-operate with her office.

It’s important for me to say, Mr. Speaker, that I’ve just been informed by my ministry that as of Monday, October 23, the ministry has provided 30,126 records to the Auditor General. That’s in addition to the 1,200 from the IESO, the hundreds from OPG and the over 3,000 from the Ontario Financing Authority. I know that the President of the Treasury Board and the Treasury Board have provided thousands of records. Additionally, the ministry has told me that we’re continuing to release additional information to the Auditor General.

We’re doing this because we understand the importance of providing the auditor with everything that she has asked for. The ministry will continue to regularly provide the Auditor General with additional responsive documents each week until this process is finished.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Patrick Brown: Again to the Minister of Energy: Yesterday, the Minister of Energy said “he doesn’t expect a ‘ticker tape parade’ for how the Liberals have handled the hydro file.” That’s a stretch. That’s certainly no surprise. They can’t line up for a parade because they’re lining up for food banks right now in Ontario, and unemployment insurance. People can’t afford to pay their hydro bills. People are living in energy poverty, and right now the Liberals—

Interjections.

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

Finish, please.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Right now the Liberals laugh when I say people are living in energy poverty, but the more I travel in this province, the more I hear examples of people who are struggling—beyond struggling—to pay their hydro bills. It’s not a laughing matter. This latest $4 billion is just the cherry on top of their hydro crisis—a crisis you created, a crisis this government created.

My question is, when are we going to get meaningful hydro relief, not more spin? When are we actually going to get meaningful hydro relief for the families you’re laughing at right now?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: It’s obvious they’ll never get any relief under that party, which has no idea what to do and no plan. It’s ridiculous that they continue to come up, shake their fists and talk about doing something for the people of Ontario, but instead, they vote against real relief. Real relief is 25% off every single household in this province. They voted against it.

Yesterday we announced the $100-million Affordability Fund. This is going to help tens of thousands of people in this province. Do you know who voted against that, Mr. Speaker? That member and that party. You know what, Mr. Speaker? We know that the only people who are lining up to see something are their members, to find out what they’re going to do. They have no idea.

We have talked about things we have been doing in the 237 days that they’ve offered nothing. We are introducing a minimum wage increase which they voted against. All prescriptions for people 25 and under, they voted against. The only people who are waiting in line are people—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. When I stand, you sit, Minister.

Final supplementary.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Again to the Minister of Energy: Deleting emails is not a plan. Borrowing is not a plan. Hiding debt is not a plan. The relief that Ontario families want, they are not getting, and the government’s spin about this latest $4 billion they’re wasting doesn’t add up. The government continues to tout that accounting firms support this Liberal scheme.

What they fail to mention is that the government hired those firms. They contract out to get the answers they want. They are beholden to the government. The Auditor General is not. She isn’t in the pocket of the Liberals. We get the truth from the Auditor General, while the taxpayers foot the bills for millions for Liberal spin.

Mr. Speaker, my question is very specific, and hopefully I can get an answer. How much did the Liberals spend to fight the Auditor General’s report? How many dollars did you put into this fake spin?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: What’s appalling is that the Leader of the Opposition will sully the names of world-class organizations like KPMG, Deloitte and EY. I know all Conservatives from the past are rolling over in their graves, hearing that coming from that party.

At the end of the day, we’ve ensured that we’ve talked with world-class organizations that have looked at our accounting standards. Government standards are prepared in accordance with the public sector accounting standards and will continue to follow these standards for the transactions resulting from the fair hydro plan in 2017, 2018 and future years.

In relation to rate-regulated accounting, PSAB is silent and does not prohibit the use of rate-regulated accounting. Maybe that party should actually do a little research and talk with some of these firms before they accuse them of what he just did. That is shameful.

Long-term care

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: My question is to the Acting Premier. Every day, we hear horror stories from vulnerable seniors and their families about what they are going through in long-term-care homes across the province. Conditions are putting our seniors at risk, and we have a wait-list in Ontario that tops 32,000 people.

Now we hear that there are as many as 14 homes in Toronto looking to pick up and move. Since the Minister of Health has to personally approve any proposal for a home to relocate, will the Acting Premier promise right now that none of these homes will be allowed to leave the city?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: We appreciate the hard work that the operators of our long-term-care homes across this province do. The not-for-profit homes, municipal homes and for-profit homes, collectively, are absolutely committed to providing the highest quality of care for their residents, and that includes here in Toronto.

I can say categorically that we have not received any applications from the 20 long-term-care homes that were referenced in the media over the past couple of days. We have not received, the ministry has not received, and I have not received any applications or proposals that entertain or suggest or would even imply that beds and homes in Toronto would be anywhere else but in Toronto.

We have very good examples of how successful redevelopment is happening in the city of Toronto. I’m happy to speak to that in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: The well-being of 1,800 seniors is up in the air right now. Families are worried they may not be able to visit their parents or grandparents as often as they need. Seniors have loved ones, friends, doctors and many other ties to the cities.

They need the Premier’s word that no home in Toronto will be allowed to relocate away from their neighbourhoods under her watch. Will the Acting Premier give residents of long-term care and their families that comfort?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: As I said yesterday, not only have I received no applications, but I personally, in writing, have to approve every new redevelopment. Whether that is even within the same community, in the same location, I need to approve it in writing. Certainly when it comes to moving or any proposals to moving beds from a location, the first step that I take upon review and with the advice of the ministry is to send it back to the community to have a fulsome community conversation and consultation overseen by the ministry and by the LHIN, so we can have a clear understanding of the importance of those beds, of that home in that community.

I have worked tirelessly across the province, not just in Toronto, to ensure that those beds and those homes do remain in the communities where they are, and I will continue to do that.

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

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: The fact that relocation is even a consideration for these homes just goes to show how much the government is willing to ignore the problems that face our long-term-care-home system. I’m sure the Premier and her Minister of Health have had many, many meetings with home directors, staff, long-term-care associations and families with loved ones in care. They must have heard many times, by many different people—and not just the opposition members like myself—about the state of our long-term-care system.

Has the Premier just chosen to ignore these concerns, or is she that out of touch with the needs of our vulnerable seniors in the province of Ontario?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Well, here’s who’s out of touch. It’s that party, because here they go again. I was absolutely categorical yesterday in saying no applications whatsoever have come forward to the ministry or to me that suggest anything of what they are doing. They are fearmongering once again. They are instilling fear in the residents and the families of those long-term-care homes. I certainly hope that they are not suggesting that those homes should not be redeveloped, because those homes need to be redeveloped to provide that highest quality of care.

I have to approve every single bed, transfer and home redevelopment. I am working tirelessly across the province, including Toronto, but I am not fearmongering and I’m not suggesting, as they are, that these individuals, these residents should be afraid, because they can be assured that I will work to maintain those beds here.

Interjections.

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

New question.

Long-term care

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: My question is back to the Acting Premier. When the health minister gets that defensive, you know you’ve hit a nerve. Long-term-care homes—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop. No, no, no.

The member will identify who the question is for, please.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I did, Speaker, but I’ll speak up.

To the Acting Premier: Long-term-care homes in Toronto and across the province are struggling partly because of the Liberal government’s failure to keep its promise to redevelop 35,000 long-term-care beds. Ten years ago, the Liberals promised to update these beds, but by 2014, they had only completed 5,000. The Minister of Health confirmed yesterday that 13,500 beds have now been redeveloped.

Does the Premier plan to keep her Liberal government’s promise and complete the other 21,500 by December 31, or were the 35,000 beds just another stretch goal?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: We are absolutely committed to redeveloping 30,000 beds across this province. We have already redeveloped 13,500 of those beds. We’re working with organizations such as Rekai here in Toronto, to give that example, where they are redeveloping a long-term-care home in downtown Toronto; in fact, in the West Don Lands—

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Get busy.

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

Hon. Eric Hoskins: —a not-for-profit in downtown Toronto, a new redevelopment, 220 beds, a specialized unit for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, a whole host of supportive care surrounding that, right across the road from the “Y”. It is a fantastic example of what can be done when proponents and operators work together with the LHIN and the Ministry of Health for redevelopment, including in downtown Toronto.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: The Premier’s stubborn refusal to even consider expanding the scope of the Wettlaufer inquiry into long-term care means that broken promises like this one can be swept under the rug. I guess that’s convenient for the Premier when an election is on the horizon, but seniors in the province deserve better. Seniors deserve a government committed to finding and fixing each and every issue that threatens their well-being.

When will the Premier show Ontario seniors and their loved ones the respect they deserve and agree to expand the scope of the Wettlaufer inquiry?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Mr. Speaker, let me do this. Redeveloped beds: 13,500 in Ontario already, including 63 at Chateau Gardens in London; 170 at Extendicare in London; 60 at Versa-Care Elmwood Place in London; 243 at Dearness Home in London; 141 at McCormick Home in London—in fact, an additional 19 at McCormick Home in London; 157 at McGarell Place in London; 32 at Kensington Village in London, an additional 80 at Kensington in London, and an additional 16 and 32 at Kensington—different phases—in London.

There is a long list here of 13,500, but I hope the member would agree—I don’t think she’s suggesting we shouldn’t redevelop or that we’re not redeveloping in her city, because we are.

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

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: In the long list of numbers, the minister forgot to add 32,000 people on the wait-list for long-term care; 21,500 beds have yet to be redeveloped by this government. There is a severe shortage of front-line staff. We’ve heard horror stories of neglect and abuse regularly from every corner of this province, and there are 14 homes in Toronto that may leave the city.

If a broad inquiry that will find and fix the systemic issues in our long-term-care homes isn’t what the Premier thinks we need, what is her plan to make sure our parents and our grandparents are able to live their golden years with dignity?

Interjections.

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

Minister?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Toronto: 192 redeveloped beds at Kipling Acres; 98 redeveloped beds at True Davidson Acres; 108 redeveloped beds at Copernicus Lodge; 89 redeveloped beds, again, at True Davidson Acres; 88 redeveloped beds at Vermont Square; 174 redeveloped beds at Chester Village; and 29 additional beds at Chester Village in Toronto.

What the NDP is doing here is they’re fearmongering; they’re inciting fear among residents of our long-term-care homes. That’s not to say we don’t have specific instances where improvements need to be made. We are addressing those through inspections, restrictions on admission and other important punitive measures. But to suggest that the situation is anything close to what they are saying is reprehensible, Mr. Speaker.

Pharmaceutical industry

Mr. Patrick Brown: My question is for the Minister of Health. According to Life Sciences Ontario, the innovative pharma sector invests over $1 billion in research and development each year. They contribute over $3.8 billion to the Canadian economy each year, and approximately 45% of that investment is directed within Ontario. Life Sciences Ontario’s sector report from 2015 noted the pharmaceutical sector contributes 12,800 indirect jobs and 7,700 direct jobs in Ontario.

We understand that these investments are currently at risk. There are impacts from the proposed federal changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board that could directly impact the research investment and associated jobs in Ontario.

My question is, what is the province doing to ensure these investments and jobs stay in Ontario? Have they contacted their federal counterparts, and what assurances do we have for these jobs?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister of Economic Development and Growth will want to take the supplementary, but on this issue of pharma, I want to say that we had, last week, our federal-provincial-territorial Ministers of Health meeting. Due to the leadership of our Premier and the leadership of Ontario, we were able to have fulsome discussions on the Thursday and on the Friday—in fact, breakfast as well on the Friday morning—that were wholly about the issue of pharma and about creating a strong pharmaceutical industry, but most importantly, steps to take for national pharmacare.

All health ministers—every province, every territory and the federal health minister—agreed now to get down to the work, to scope out what a national pharmacare program would look like in terms of timelines, costs and the framework. I’m very proud of that work.

Interjections.

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

Supplementary?

Mr. Patrick Brown: Mr. Speaker, my hope was that the question I asked could be answered. A different question was clearly—maybe someone misheard what I said.

What I was asking about is the proposed federal changes to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. Some 7,700 direct jobs in Ontario: This is a significant investment. These are important, well-paying jobs we want to protect in the province.

Again to the minister: During these discussions they had with the health ministers and the federal government, did you get assurances that these proposals—what accommodation is there going to be for Ontario? How do we protect the jobs here? And if you’re not concerned about the new federal regulations, explain to this House why these changes aren’t going to affect the province of Ontario. These are jobs we have to protect here.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: To the Minister of Economic Development and Growth.

Hon. Brad Duguid: We agree that we need to protect those jobs here. We agree that we need to stand up for jobs in our innovation economy.

That’s why this government worked so hard, when MaRS was having challenges, to invest in MaRS. Guess what, Mr. Speaker? What kind of help did we have from the other side? They tried to shoot down every effort we ever made to build up our innovation economy in this province at MaRS.

Just last week, we announced something that’s very, very important to this sector. The most important thing we can do for our innovation sector is to build that pipeline of young talent that we’re providing in this province. We’re providing those companies with the best talent anywhere in North America today. Last week, we announced that we’re going to be extending by 25% the talent available to this sector in the STEM area. What have we heard from the party opposite?

Hon. Michael Chan: Nothing.

Hon. Brad Duguid: Absolutely nothing, Mr. Speaker. They’re nowhere on energy, they’re nowhere on the minimum wage and they’re nowhere when it comes to the new—

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

New question.

Government accounting practices

Mr. Peter Tabuns: My question is to the Acting Premier. This government keeps insisting that it must spend an extra $4 billion on a complicated alternative financing scheme because it is the only way to keep ratepayer and taxpayer costs separate. But nearly 20 years ago, the government established the Ontario Electricity Financial Corp. as a way to separate taxpayer and ratepayer funds.

The problem for this government is that the OEFC debt stays on the government’s books, and this government wants to keep deficits and debt off the books to make the Liberal Party look better. Will the government admit that it is wasting $4 billion in ratepayer money for no other purpose than to help the Liberal Party?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The Minister of Energy.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: I’m very pleased to rise and talk about the policy decision that we made as a government. We all know that the fair hydro plan is actually reducing the rates by 25% for every single household in this province and for 500,000 small businesses and farms. That policy decision made sure that we actually looked at where the borrowing was coming from, and then made sure that the borrowing stayed within the electricity system.

We actually did pull costs from the rate base and put them onto the tax base. Those were the social programs. The Affordability Fund, which we announced yesterday, is a $100-million fund which is going to help tens of thousands more people in this province with their electricity bills. We’re going to continue to work for the people of Ontario and continue to provide the relief that we know they wanted and asked for.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Again to the Acting Premier: The government could have used normal public sector accounting to achieve exactly the same policy goals, and it would have cost ratepayers $4 billion less. They could have used the OEFC to administer the program and keep ratepayer and taxpayer funds separate.

The only reason to use this $4-billion alternative financing trick is to hide the true cost of the government’s hydro borrowing scheme from the public. Will the government help ratepayers instead of the Liberal Party and stop this needless waste of $4 billion today?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: In regard to the OEFC, it is still involved. As the member may or may not know, during our recent transaction to broaden the ownership of Hydro One, it paid down OEFC debt, in order to accommodate our work.

Furthermore, we inherited a stranded debt of almost $28 billion from the opposition, which was not a marketable opportunity, unlike what is happening here in this instance.

As we proceed forward, we are taking a proportionate amount off the tax base and we have taken a proportionate amount off the rate base, as is normal under these circumstances. OEFC is engaged, and it’s doing its part.

Energy policies

Ms. Ann Hoggarth: My question is for the Minister of Energy. This spring, our government took a big step forward in ensuring that our clean and reliable electricity is affordable to everyone in Ontario. The cost of electricity had become a concern for many communities, and I know that people in Ontario were eager to see the government take action.

The fair hydro plan passed last session is a 25% reduction on average for all households in this province—no loopholes, no exceptions; just a significant relief for this important household expense. But that wasn’t all. The government also included new and expanded support programs for low-income Ontarians, as well as a program to help those with the highest delivery charges in Ontario.

Additionally, we introduced a new program called the Affordability Fund. Could the minister please update us on what this program does and when it will begin to support Ontario families?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: I want to thank the member from Barrie for that question and, of course, for her tireless work for her constituents in that area.

I’m delighted to update the members on the launch of the Affordability Fund. Yesterday, I was in Hamilton to announce this exciting new program. The Affordability Fund is designed to help people improve the energy efficiency of their homes while reducing their bills and their carbon footprint. The new $100-million fund will support the free installation of energy-saving LED light bulbs, power bars, improved insulation, energy-efficient air conditioners, refrigerators and many more pieces of equipment. The Affordability Fund is designed to help people who do not qualify for low-income conservation programs and who are unable to undertake energy efficiency improvements without support.

This fund, managed by an independent trust, is being supported by Hydro One, and I want to thank that leadership team for their vision. We’re going to continue to focus on helping the people of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Ann Hoggarth: Thank you, Minister, for the answer. This program is welcome news for the families in my riding who need extra help with their electricity bills. I’m pleased our government is taking action to support those that don’t have the means to pay for household upgrades.

In addition to cutting residential hydro bills by 25% on average through the fair hydro plan, we are delivering even more savings to Ontario families through the Affordability Fund. I heard you say many times in this House that for every dollar spent on conservation programs, we save two dollars. That’s a very wise investment. By providing electricity customers with the tools to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, we’re helping reduce pressure on their pocketbooks and protecting the environment.

Minister, can you please explain how electricity consumers can sign up for this program?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: I thank the member for the good question. Electricity consumers can find out if they are eligible for the program by going to the program’s website: affordabilityfund.org. On this website, electricity consumers can see what support they may be eligible for and sign up for this program.

Whether you rent or own, live in a house or an apartment, you may qualify for more savings on your electricity bill. Electricity bill savings for households participating in the program will obviously depend on the types of measures installed, but a home energy kit with two LED light bulbs and a power bar can help save about 10 bucks. An energy-efficient refrigerator can help save about $90 in annual electricity costs. I encourage all members’ constituents who are looking to make energy efficiency upgrades at home, who might not have the disposable income to afford these upgrades, to check out the website and see if they’re eligible.

Our government has a plan to make sure everybody in Ontario has the opportunity to share in the growth of our economy, and measures like this plan and the fair hydro plan make it fairer.

Natural gas wells

Mr. Toby Barrett: To the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry: Two years ago, I contacted your office and the petroleum division regarding a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry natural gas relief well along Big Creek. Ian and Kim Grant from Silver Hill, here in the gallery today, were notified that this relief well was releasing hydrogen sulphide and toxic water into Big Creek and had to be capped.

Apparently, the well was capped in the 1960s, so the ramifications of this go back five decades. Now, pressure built up over two years, with another well erupting this June on the Grants’ property, plus another well down the road after MNRF assured the Grants and my office that they would be monitoring the problem.

The Grants have suffered damage to their business, their property, possibly their health. Minister, why has it taken so long to act?

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: Thank you to the member for the question. I want to start off by saying that public health and public safety are really our government’s and our ministry’s sole focus in this area. We know that there are abandoned wells along the shores of Lake Erie, for instance, and in the other areas, that need recapping.

I know the place that the member is talking about; we were notified early on. We expedited the process to ensure that ministry officials were there to provide advice to the municipality and ensure that the well was being capped. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry always can provide technical advice to support any municipality. We’ll be continuing to work with the municipal control group to assess the situation and determine the next steps. We, again, want to assure the public that public safety is my ministry’s top priority.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Toby Barrett: Back to the minister: That was two years—going on five decades, really—with little action.

In August, Norfolk county and the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit stepped in. They closed roads. They evacuated the Grants. They evacuated five other families in the area.

Finally, the wells have been capped.

But the question is, what is the minister doing to ensure that history does not repeat itself again? What about these environmental impacts, possible health effects?

Will you compensate Norfolk county, importantly, for loss of business and damage to plant and equipment, health. Why won’t you compensate Kim and Ian Grant?

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: Again, thank you for the question.

We continue to work with the municipality and the local health units.

I understand how distressing it is for individuals to have to be either evacuated from their home or have impacts to their businesses or their homes because of that.

Recently, we continued to look at areas where there are potential wells that will need to be capped. In the coming months, my ministry will be reaching out to municipalities to discuss the planning and the emergency management scenarios related to petroleum hazards and risks. This is a multi-government approach, and we continue to provide technical advice in these situations. The education and outreach work will help to clarify roles and responsibilities to allow municipalities to plan ahead by better understanding the risks. So we will continue to provide that advice.

Child care

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Acting Premier.

The government talks a lot about investing in child care. However, current policy and promises are not backed up by action. Case in point: Organizations like Owl Child Care Services in Waterloo region are left asking, “Where’s the money?” Owl is opening a new child care centre, and the government of Ontario promised to pay for the capital costs, including furniture and equipment. Owl has now been told by this government that there isn’t enough money for the furniture or the equipment.

Child care spaces in my community are at risk because of chronic underfunding, and families are left to pay the price through higher child care fees.

Will the Acting Premier commit to providing the promised funding to Owl Child Care Services in Waterloo region?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The minister responsible for early years and child care.

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: Thank you to the member opposite for this important question.

Speaker, I want to you know that, absolutely, we are doing everything we can to make sure that we are transforming the way we deliver child care, and part of that promise and that pledge is to make sure we’re moving funding forward.

Right now, we have increased funding. We are now moving funding forward to $1.4 billion when it comes to operating costs. In addition, we’ve moved forward with an extra $200 million. We have also moved forward and are taking applications right now for $1.6 billion in capital expenditures and costs. So we’re building actual spaces.

What I’m trying to say is that the money is moving forward.

We don’t directly fund child care centres. What we do is fund municipalities, and we leave those decisions to the local district service managers, to decide where that money goes and where the allocations go.

I would be more than happy to look into this instance of what is going on, but I think it would be advisable for the group to loop in with the local district manager.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Again to the Acting Premier. People in this province, whether they are college faculty or early childhood educators, deserve equal pay for equal work. In Ontario, two ECEs with the same education and the same qualifications can receive vastly different wages. If they work for a school board they can make up to $30 an hour, but if they choose to work in a licensed community child care they may make as little as $11.25 an hour. Many ECEs don’t even make enough money in the system to put their own children into the child care centres they work in.

In Ontario, we need good jobs and we need fair wages for everyone, including ECEs—which is, I must point out, a predominantly female-oriented field.

Why won’t the government commit to providing early childhood educators with equal pay for equal work in the province of Ontario?

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: I’m proud to rise today and speak about this issue, especially since it is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. I want to thank the workers who are here today for being right here with us at Queen’s Park.

Child care workers and ECEs play a critical role in our child care system. They provide children across Ontario with a strong foundation in learning to help them get the best possible start in life. Absolutely, the need for better wages and compensation for this early years and child care workforce is something that we heard throughout our consultations and is a priority for this government. That’s why we’re doing so many things, Speaker, on so many different levels.

So, absolutely, we’ve raised the minimum wage from $11, going to $14 an hour starting in January. Many of the child care workers out there are making minimum wage. We are also bringing in a workforce strategy which is looking to do a deeper dive. We also have a wage enhancement of $188 million to take up the—

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

New question.

Green power generation

Mr. Jack MacLaren: My question is for the Minister of Energy. Minister, Ontario electricity costs are the highest in almost all of North America. The unfair Green Energy Act provides massive subsidy payments from Ontario ratepayers to out-of-province wind and solar electricity producers for electricity that we do not even need. We do this while we shut down Ontario water- and nuclear-produced electricity that costs six cents per kilowatt hour. The Green Energy Act is impoverishing Ontario homeowners. It is driving businesses and jobs out of Ontario. The Green Energy Act has reduced a once-prosperous Ontario to a have-not province.

Minister, it is time to show respect for the people of Ontario. Will you do the right thing and repeal the Green Energy Act?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: I want to thank the member for the question. When it comes to the first part of his question, Mr. Speaker, we have dropped rates by 25%. I know the honourable member knows that, because the constituents in his riding will have seen a reduction of 25% on their bills.

When it comes to renewable energy, this sector has created tens of thousands of jobs in our province, creating economic benefits for communities from Windsor to Ottawa to Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie, all the way up into the northern part of our province, into Thunder Bay and right across up there into Kenora and elsewhere.

The Green Energy Act has brought forward about 18,000 megawatts of renewable power to our province, Mr. Speaker. These megawatts are actually making sure that we have a diverse supply mix, a supply mix that has made sure we no longer have to worry about smog days in this province, which is a savings, again, to our health care system and to the benefit of all people in this province.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Jack MacLaren: Again to the Minister of Energy: The Green Energy Act has cost Ontario people billions of dollars, first with the sole-sourced contract for $7 billion with Samsung, and then with countless out-of-province subsidized wind and solar contracts. You could have chosen to buy water-powered electricity from Quebec. It would have been cheap. It would have been as required instead of as produced. It would have been Canadian. It would have been a good deal.

If your objective was to redistribute Ontario wealth to other nations and to lower our standard of living in order to reduce consumption of resources, as preached by Maurice Strong and his Agenda 21, then I applaud you; you have been successful. Why did you choose the most expensive plan possible?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Again, I’m pleased to rise and talk about the system that we’ve built in Ontario. It now benefits from a 90% emissions-free electricity system. It is clean and it is green, Mr. Speaker. It will allow the trillium flowers to grow in this province, from the honourable member on that side.

Since 2003, Ontario’s clean energy initiatives have attracted billions of dollars in private sector investment, generating over 42,000 jobs at over 30 solar and wind manufacturers operating in communities across the province. Ontario ranks first for installed wind capacity in this country, and renewables were an important element of our government’s plan to close all of Ontario’s coal plants by 2014. That year, Ontario became the first jurisdiction in North America to fully eliminate coal-fired electricity generation.

Child care

Mrs. Cristina Martins: My question is to the minister responsible for early years and child care. As the members of this House know, today marks the 17th annual Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. I want to welcome all the ECE workers that have joined us here today.

It is important that we recognize the hard work and value of those who are shaping and caring for our youngest learners. As a mother of two young boys, I know how important this is. It’s equally important to make sure we retain the hard-working professionals who are already doing this crucial job.

Speaker, let me give a shout-out to all the great ECE workers in Davenport.

They are the front lines of our children’s path through education. Can the minister tell me more about what she is doing to help recruit and retain early childhood educators in Ontario?

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: Thank you to the hard-working member from Davenport for this very important question. We are creating a strong foundation for our young children so they can thrive. We’re investing in the people who work hard every day to provide high-quality, licensed child care programs for Ontario kids.

Included in our framework to build quality, affordable, accessible child care is our commitment to develop a workforce strategy to support Ontario’s early years and child care professionals. It’s so important, Speaker. Support in key areas like compensation, professional development, hiring, retention, and education—that work is under way.

We also announced that the government is going to host two professional development events a year starting in 2018, and we’re creating regional centres of excellence for early years and child care educators. With our five-year expansion plan, it’s estimated that we’re going to need 20,000 more ECEs. The work is under way, and we’re doing everything we can to recruit.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mrs. Cristina Martins: Thank you to the minister for that answer. I have heard from many ECEs that they are concerned about the low wages in the field and worry that they may not be able to pay for their expenses, including their own family’s child care needs. It is true that average salaries for ECEs have increased over the past five years, but they are still lower than the average salary, making recruitment and retention of ECEs difficult for child care operators. For someone who is pursuing their passion of being an ECE, this can be discouraging.

As we just heard from the minister, we plan to increase the number of ECEs here in Ontario. Can the minister tell me what is being done to address wage concerns and ensure we retain those who are pursuing this important career choice?

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: I’m pleased to answer the member’s question. I’ve