role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" id="main-content">

March 3, 2021

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

< Previous sitting day

Next sitting day >

Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2021-Mar-03 (PDF)

L230 - Wed 3 Mar 2021 / Mer 3 mar 2021

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 3 March 2021 Mercredi 3 mars 2021

Orders of the Day

Protecting Ontario Elections Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la protection des élections en Ontario

Members’ Statements

Land use planning

COVID-19 immunization

Protection for workers

Stratford Festival

COVID-19 immunization

Mental health and addiction services

Laboratory services

Radon

Pipeline

Seniors and Kids Intergenerational Programs

Question Period

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 response

Services for children and youth

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 response

Assistance to flood victims

Land use planning

COVID-19 immunization / Immunisation contre la COVID-19

Small business

Election finances

Children’s mental health services

Retirement homes

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 immunization

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills

Petitions

Conservation authorities

Caregivers

Driver examination centres

Public sector compensation

Northern Health Travel Grant

Orders of the Day

Protecting Ontario Elections Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la protection des élections en Ontario

Private Members’ Public Business

Safer School Buses Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 pour des autobus scolaires plus sécuritaires

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Protecting Ontario Elections Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la protection des élections en Ontario

Mr. Downey moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 254,

An Act to amend various Acts with respect to elections and members of the Assembly / Projet de loi 254, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne les élections et les députés à l’Assemblée.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll look to the minister to lead off the debate. Again, the Attorney General.

Hon. Doug Downey: I’m pleased to stand in the House today to open debate on a bill that would, if passed, take steps to make it easier to cast a vote safely in an advance poll or on election day. It includes responsible changes that would protect Ontarians’ essential voice in elections and ensure the province’s electoral process is equipped for urgent and evolving challenges, including COVID-19.

Each and every Ontarian is a driving force of our democracy. From casting their votes to volunteering on campaigns or putting one’s name on a ballot, this proposed legislation reflects that reality and reasserts the central role of individuals in Ontario’s elections. As this Legislature has often done in the past, this bill proposes to update elections to better respond to the challenges of the day, the needs of voters and the ways Ontarians interact with their institutions.

We want to ensure that the electoral system continues to evolve to protect Ontarians’ central role in elections and promote fairness in the electoral process for everyone. Never has it been more important to take steps to make our elections safer, more accessible and efficient for individuals. If passed, the Protecting Ontario Elections Act, 2021, would help strengthen our preparedness for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, add additional guardrails on the influence of third-party advertising and add new protections against irregular campaign spending inclusion.

Before I begin to discuss the bill we’re introducing today, I would like to acknowledge and thank the Integrity Commissioner for his continued engagement. We will continue to work with him and his office with respect to the Members’ Integrity Act and some reforms I will discuss a little later this morning. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Elections Ontario for its continued leadership in ensuring Ontario’s elections are fair, accessible and responsive to Ontarians.

As a result of that persistent commitment and the contributions of successive governments over the years that have made efforts to ensure legislation continues to evolve with the times, Ontario has continued to be seen as a leader in promoting and protecting the democratic process.

I would especially like to recognize the due diligence of the Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Ontario for bringing forward a special report on election administration that was released in November of last year. It responded to the risks that surround COVID-19. That report provided the groundwork for key amendments, including making it easier for people to get to the polls earlier, in advance of the general election, to avoid lineups.

I would also like to thank the diligent and dedicated teams at the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs and my own ministry, the Ministry of the Attorney General, and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for their tremendous work on this proposed legislation. I am so grateful for all of your detailed attention and commitment.

And I’m grateful to the many partners in the justice system who are working with my ministry to respond and adapt with remarkable swiftness in order to address the challenges brought on by COVID-19 in other areas, including the courts and victim services.

Fair, accessible and safe elections are the cornerstone of a free, democratic society, and we need to do what we can to protect the electoral process as life in Ontario continues to evolve and grow. We know these are unprecedented times. COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of safety and health in all aspects of our lives. Its impact has been remarkable—remarkable and unforgettable. In fact, it’s almost incomprehensible to think just how much the world changed over the past year, how we as a society have changed and evolved over the past 12 months.

In responding to these extraordinary circumstances, our government has taken bold and significant steps. My ministry has worked with justice partners to build a more accessible, responsive and resilient justice system. This is a system that we know will continue to develop, improve and better serve our communities as we work together to get our province back on track.

In response to the emergence of COVID-19, we took decisive action to keep Ontarians safe and maintain the administration of justice. Through persistent innovation and collaboration, we achieved a number of breakthroughs to move Ontario’s justice system forward by decades in a matter of months. Acknowledging the risks of having large numbers of people congregate in courtrooms and judicial settings, we immediately set to work to move to remote hearings and help the courts with suspension of in-person proceedings.

Many justice modernization projects had to be accelerated or changed in scope to meet the new needs of Ontarians. This included supporting new ways of conducting matters, offering more remote proceedings and providing online methods for filing and interacting with the court to reduce the number of people who must visit a courthouse in person.

Although we had to make rapid changes in order to keep the justice system functioning during COVID-19, we also saw this as an opportunity to strengthen the system, to be more responsive to Ontarians’ expectations and more resilient to the challenges of the future. In doing so, we’ve changed the culture of the system. We have created muscle memory around how we promptly identify barriers and collaborate on solutions to benefit all Ontarians.

The Protecting Ontario Elections Act includes changes aimed at strengthening and safeguarding another pillar of our democratic life: Ontario’s electoral system. As we move forward in these uncertain times, we are dedicated to making sure Ontario’s election process is safe and accessible to all, whether you’re voting or running for office or volunteering in your local riding or working with Elections Ontario to keep our elections safe, fair and efficient. Now is the time to ensure this is one of the flagships of our democratic system, to make sure it is protected and updated to meet urgent challenges, including COVID-19.

The legislative action we are proposing would protect Ontarians’ essential voice in campaigns and strengthen the integrity of the elections process. This is vitally important to all of us and to the province, and we intend to leave a better province to the future generations. We strongly believe that Ontario voters should determine the outcome of elections, and not pop-up organizations, big-money conglomerates or faceless political action groups.

This bill would provide responsible guardrails that would ensure the growth and scale of third-party organizations—make sure they don’t drone out the voices of individuals who are willing to stand behind their convictions openly and transparently. The essential voice of individuals should be maintained as part of the debates and dialogue that take place around elections, and the legislation that we’re proposing seeks to protect individuals as the driving force at election time.

People are at the centre of the political process and of democracy in Ontario. It is the people who form the backbone of our communities, whose spirit and energy drive our economy. They are the essence of Ontario and they set the course for our province at the ballot box. I’m talking about everyone from the parents who are working so hard to protect and nurture their children through this global pandemic, to the front-line workers who put their safety on the line every single day to provide us with the essential services, to the health care workers who are working tirelessly 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

With our proposed changes, we would reassert the central role of these individuals and put them back at the heart of the electoral process.

We all observed the recent electoral turmoil experienced by our neighbours to the south; we don’t need to go on too much about that. Here in Ontario, we want to ensure that guardrails are in place to ensure that American-style political action groups do not disproportionately overshadow a dialogue that must continue to make room for individuals. In fact, the reforms we are proposing build on the Ontario Legislature’s 2016 decision to ban corporate and union donations to political parties and help ensure individuals remain at the centre of the electoral process.

I’ve said it before, but I won’t ever grow tired of stating that it is the people of Ontario who are the driving force of our democracy—from casting their votes, to volunteering on campaigns, putting up signs and putting their name on a ballot. We want people to feel that they have a voice in our election, and that’s why we’ve put forward a comprehensive suite of legislative amendments for consideration. These proposed changes are crucial to ensuring our electoral system continues to evolve and that fairness is promoted for everyone. Our proposed Protecting Ontario Elections Act is about putting people first.

Speaker, we’ve felt the effects of COVID-19 across Canada, around the world and, of course, right here at home. One thing it has driven home is the importance of ensuring elections are accessible and safe for all Ontarians, including people in the north and rural communities.

When we think about election day, our first thought is about polling stations. We know they can be crowded, with lengthy lineups, especially in peak times like after work. In today’s environment of required physical distancing, we know many added measures will need to be in place, and we’re proposing action now to ensure Ontario is prepared.

We know that the idea of lining up and gathering at polling stations can be a source of anxiety and concern that could deter some voters from participating as they normally would on election day. Being able to maintain a safe, healthy distance while exercising your civic duty has never been more important. That’s why we are proposing to make it more convenient and safe to vote in a COVID-19 environment.

We want to increase the number of flexible advance polling days from five to 10, based on need. We want them doubled based on need. Increasing the number of advance polling days would reduce the number of people in a polling station at any given time so they could stay a safe distance apart and minimize risk. That added flexibility would allow people to exercise their civic duties without fear, apprehension or even anxiety of going to the polls in the first place. Ontarians who face obstacles in making their way to a polling station, such as people living in northern or remote communities, would have more options on when to vote.

We have to remember that for many Ontarians voting, it’s not just a matter of walking a few city blocks or driving a couple of kilometres in their car. For some Ontarians, casting their vote is a time and travel commitment and it often means juggling an already busy schedule, whether it be dealing with children’s needs or work needs or anything else. The change would also make it easier for shift workers and others on a strict work clock to cast their vote safely.

Even before the pandemic, we knew advance voting has been a beneficial and increasingly convenient option. According to the Chief Electoral Officer’s 2018 post-election report, more Ontarians voted during advance voting in the last provincial election than ever before. In fact, almost 700,000 people chose advance voting, which is more than a 22% increase from the 570,000 people who voted in 2014. The Chief Electoral Officer said then that expanding the advance voting period to 10 days would let more electors take advantage of voting in advance.

Speaker, almost all these voters benefited from new technology-enabled polling stations. The success of the technology during this period provided Elections Ontario with some excellent insights about what to expect on election day. But in addition to the advance voting, mail-in ballots are also a popular option, and they were in the 2018 election.

Mail-in ballot kits, if you’ve seen them, include the write-in ballot, so you have to write in the name; a secrecy envelope and an elector confirmation envelope, so you put your ballot into the secret envelope and it goes into another envelope; and a pre-addressed return envelope; and with voting instructions. Elections Ontario reported sending out more than 15,000 mail-in ballot kits for the 2018 election, which is up more than 50% from the 10,000 ballot kits sent out in 2014.

Speaker, we can clearly see that Ontarians have shown a growing interest in taking advantage of the more convenient voting options that are available. That was the case even before the pandemic. We can see that, for many people, voting in advance on election day can be a better fit for their individual circumstances and their routine.

I would hope that every member of this Legislature can agree that it is never a bad time—or a bad idea—to make our elections more relevant and convenient for the people they intend to serve. By increasing advance voting days, we would expand the opportunity for more Ontarians to vote safely and with more convenience, and help to ensure more individuals can make their voices heard. That is the experience that has been measured recently here in Ontario.

I want to draw some comparisons with other provinces on each side of our country where elections have been run during this COVID-19 pandemic, with specific public health directives in place. Speaker, provincial elections were held in British Columbia and New Brunswick last year, as I am sure you are aware and you followed. Just last month, a severe COVID-19 outbreak in Newfoundland and Labrador created chaos for election officials and voters. As a result of the outbreak, election officials cancelled in-person voting on the eve of election day and extended the time voters had to cast ballots until March 12—extraordinary measures.

We want to ensure we take responsible measures to mitigate risks related to COVID-19 while providing more options for Ontarians to feel safe voting in advance of election day. Newfoundland and Labrador’s experience shows how unpredictable elections can be in a COVID-19 environment and how quickly circumstances can change. I think we’ve seen that with COVID-19, things do develop quickly, things do need to change quickly, and we need to pivot quickly. We want to arm Elections Ontario with the tools that they need and the processes they need to allow people to vote safely.

Like Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick was home to a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases when the writ was dropped last summer. Fortunately, that election was not marred by a serious outbreak of COVID-19 as was the case with Newfoundland and Labrador. The New Brunswick election saw voters turn out for advance voting in record numbers. In fact, more than 133,000 people voted in the two days of advance polls, the most ever in that province. This was up from 88,000 voters in 2018, which represents a marked increase in the COVID-19 context. Just the numbers to contrast again: 88,000 to 133,000; that’s a marked increase.

British Columbia also had its own unique voting experience during the pandemic. Voting was able to occur as originally scheduled. British Columbia also saw a rise in votes cast in advance polls. According to elections officials, in 2020 the advance votes cast as a percentage of total votes increased to 35%, compared to 30% in 2017. This demonstrates that there has been a greater uptake of advance polling in these provinces where elections have been run safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Provisions have also been proposed to ensure election day and advance polls do not occur on weekends or on major religious holidays, as determined by Elections Ontario.

As I mentioned before, 10-day advance polling was most recently proposed by Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer in a special report released last November on election administration and response to the risks that surround COVID-19. As a matter of fact, we’re putting forward several reforms that were recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer, including a proposed change to introducing guidelines on voting technology.

Just as Ontario’s justice system needs to keep up with the times, so does Ontario’s voting system. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, we’re taking great strides in moving from an outdated, outmoded, paper-based system to one that embraces technology. We need to apply the same principles to our electoral processes. Voting equipment used to count and submit ballots needs to keep pace with the new advances in technology.

But in moving our electoral system firmly into the future, we can’t sacrifice accuracy and accountability. That’s why we are proposing to create an advisory committee appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Ontario to advise on guidelines and make recommendations for Ontario’s voting equipment. This would be based on election best practices across the country. Speaker, members of the Legislature will be heartened to know that, alongside experts, this committee would feature representatives of every registered party in this Legislature.

We want to get it balanced, we want to get it right and we want to move into the future. It would be structured similarly to the existing political advisory committee to the Chief Electoral Officer, with the addition of experts in election technology, and it would advise on non-binding guidelines for equipment based on best practices in provincial elections. The advice of this committee would help modernize Ontario’s voting process and ensure it is updated to meet urgent challenges, including COVID-19.

Another recommendation from the Chief Electoral Officer has to do with enforcement. Currently, the Chief Electoral Officer reports election infractions to the independent prosecution services in the criminal law division of the Ministry of the Attorney General for possible prosecution. Once that has been done, the Chief Electoral Officer must wait and see whether the independent prosecution services will proceed with the prosecution.

To help strengthen the suite of the enforcement tools that are available to Elections Ontario, to help drive compliance, we are proposing to provide the Chief Electoral Officer with new powers to impose administrative monetary penalties for what are classified as minor offences.

Speaker, I believe this is a vital element of this proposed legislation, and so I am going to take some time to explain some of the circumstances in which an administrative monetary penalty could be applied by the Chief Electoral Officer if the bill is passed. We’ll call them AMPs, administrative monetary penalties; I’m just going to refer to them as AMPs, if everybody doesn’t mind.

The AMPs could be applied for third-party advertising with no authorization. The AMPs could be applied for failing to register as a third party. The AMPs could be applied for exceeding spending limits. For nomination contestants and leadership contestants, they can be applied for failure to register. For all political actors—and political actors is what we call a term of art; it’s for people participating in the process and people running for office in particular—if they fail to submit financial reports, they exceed spending limits or if someone releases election surveys on polling day, AMPs could apply, and there’s failure to submit a variety of other reports.

The offences are subject to administrative monetary penalties. Most would be subject to a maximum of $1,500 for individuals and $5,000 for other entities, with the following exceptions:

—in the event that a contribution in excess of the limits imposed by the act is made, the maximum amount of the AMP is an amount equal to twice the amount that was contributed in contravention of that section—so there’s some proportionality to it—plus the $1,500 in the case of an individual who contravenes the act, and $5,000 in the case of a corporation or entity that contravenes the act;

—for any political or third-party advertising appearing during a blackout period and any third-party advertising that does not disclose the source or that lacks authorization, the penalty could be up to $10,000 if the third party is a person, or up to $100,000 if the third party is a trade union, employee organization, corporation or other organization; and

—failure to register as a third party would lead to a maximum penalty of $10,000.

Speaker, we believe the introduction of the penalties will reduce red tape, align with federal practices and, I think you will agree, improve the capacity of the Chief Electoral Officer to drive compliance. In fact, the Commissioner of Canada Elections within the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer is authorized to use AMPs in this manner, and election officials at the federal level, in British Columbia and Alberta can also apply similar penalties. Ontario would then be following the precedent of these jurisdictions.

With respect to penalties for third parties, Ontario is proposing to follow the Alberta model, with higher maximum penalties of up to $10,000 for individuals and $100,000 for organizations.

Mr. Speaker, currently I just want to recap that a little bit. What happens now, if an individual or any organization breaches part of the act or isn’t following the rules, the only recourse the Chief Electoral Officer has is to refer it to the criminal law division of the Ministry of the Attorney General. Then it’s up to a prosecutor to decide whether to go forward or not. It’s a very blunt way to deal with a whole variety of infractions. I don’t have history on how often a prosecution has happened, but if you did something like donated over a limit by a hundred bucks, are you going to get prosecuted for that?

That’s up to the prosecutor, to decide what we’re going to do. We think that we should bring in the tools for the Chief Electoral Officer to be able to drive compliance in all areas, so that it’s not so blunt and so that mistakes and intentional behaviour don’t go without consequences. We think consequences should come to bear, and that’s part of the reason that we’re doing the AMPs.

Speaker, I’m also very proud of this bill’s responsible reforms to put safeguards in place to address under-regulated third-party advertising Ontario. Let’s start with what third-party advertising actually is. Third-party advertising is a way for organizations that are not part of a candidate’s or party’s campaign to try to persuade voters to vote in a certain way, to vote either for or against a certain party or candidate. Some people refer to these kind of pop-up organizations as a product of the influence of American-style politics in our system.

What we do know is that north of the border, this kind of campaigning takes on unique dimensions in our province compared with the rest of the country, even the federal context. In fact, Ontario is the only province in Canada where third-party spending is counted in the millions of dollars rather than in the thousands. In 2016, the Chief Electoral Officer stated that the scale of third-party advertising in Ontario was greater than at the federal level, and suggested that third-party election ads need to be monitored between elections—not just in the immediate lead-up or during the writ. That says a lot.

It is astounding to think that in 2018, in Ontario, third parties spent over $5 million during the election period and in the six months prior to the election—over $5 million. This is not spending by actual political parties. It is not spending by actual candidates who raised funds from transparent and accountable donations made by individuals. This is spending by outside organizations that can be funded by a wider variety of sources, including corporations and unions. Some Ontarians may be surprised to know, and some may not, that concerning that third parties can spend unlimited funds on advertising for an extended period of time between elections.

In this proposed legislation, the Protecting Ontario Elections Act, we are proposing to build on the Ontario Legislature’s 2016 decision to ban corporate and union donations by requiring third-party advertising spending limits to begin 12 months before an election instead of six months before. This means that the advertising spending limit for third parties will be in place an entire year before the writ is dropped.

However, the spending limit is not changing and will remain at $637,000. That’s in addition to the $106,000 each third-party group is permitted to spend during the official writ period. For clarity, I will note that these amounts are indexed annually and will be updated by Elections Ontario with the new amounts in January 2022.

The proposed time-limit increase would help to responsibly regulate third-party advertising between elections. It would also protect the essential voice of individuals and ensure they remain a driving force of our elections. This will ensure our democratic institutions, such as elections, are sustainable during a time of economic recovery.

I just want to go back to the numbers for a second: $637,000. That allows a pop-up organization to receive money from a corporation or a union and spend over $50,000 a month, every month for 12 months, and then another $106,000 during the election, and there can be multiple pop-up organizations that do this. That’s why we are in the millions of dollars in Ontario, unique in our Confederation.

We strongly agree believe that Ontario voters should determine the outcome of elections, not pop-up organizations. We can all agree that we don’t want our politics to become as adversarial as what we witness in the United States. Much of the disenchantment that many people feel about politics stems from attack ads funded by faceless political action groups, pop-up orgs and big-money conglomerates. We want individuals to make decisions based on what each party stands for, based on their record.

The longer outside organizations are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money on political advertising, the more risks we see. It is important that we strike a balance to ensure that under-regulated third-party spending is addressed.

In our proposed legislation, we’re also proposing to strengthen enforcement around collusion. So what does collusion mean in the context of Ontario’s elections? We are proposing rules to address collusion that focus on sharing of resources and not merely sharing a message. Currently, collusion can only be established where it can be proven that a third party’s advertising has been done with the knowledge and consent of a candidate or party. Our proposed amendment would clearly outline what would entail collusion to help guard against these risks.

We looked at the federal definition and we strengthened our own definition accordingly. We would like to add more clarity around sharing information, common vendors, common contributors, use of funds obtained from foreign sources. We are also proposing that the Chief Electoral Officer would investigate complaints or allegations of collusion. Our suggested changes would strengthen safeguards against collusion, and most importantly, protect our elections from outside influence and interference. We will have the strongest framework in Canada.

Now, I would like to turn to and elaborate for a minute on the 2016 Ontario Legislature decision to ban corporate and union donations. That decision also helped to protect Ontarians’ essential voice in campaigns and strengthen the integrity of the elections process. The Chief Electoral Officer has supported the ban of union and corporate contributions, and we agree with this action taken by the Legislature. In fact, we believe it is imperative to ensure individuals, not big corporations or organizations, remain at the centre of the electoral process.

So we took a fresh look at personal contribution limits. We looked at Ontario’s situation vis-à-vis other provinces and as Canada’s largest province to see where we stood compared with some of our counterparts across the country. By increasing these annual limits from $1,650 to $3,300 this year, as this bill is proposing to do, we would be putting Ontario in the middle of the pack for individual donations in the Canadian context. This would still be an amount 23% lower than Alberta, where the limit is $4,243. It’s 34% lower than Manitoba and Nova Scotia.

The annual contribution limits in both of those provinces is $5,000. I would also note that Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador don’t limit personal contributions at all.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost every aspect of our life and how we interact with our communities. The last time this Legislature debated per-vote subsidies for political parties, before the pandemic, the relationship between parties and candidates and their communities was very different. The reality then was that the parties and candidates could freely engage with the public, conducting outreach and engagement with voters.

The circumstances are very different now. Parties are facing unprecedented obstacles. As we all know, COVID-19 has created significant and unexpected barriers to increasing this personal engagement, or even maintaining previous levels of engagement. Any organized event requiring personal contact was no longer safe. Party and riding associations have not been able to engage with the constituents in the way they could before COVID-19, and that impacts their financial viability and ability to effectively connect with and represent their constituents and supporters.

In recognition of the current circumstances, we are proposing to extend the per-vote subsidies each party typically receives during an election at the 2018 rate of 63 cents per vote. These subsidies were scheduled to be phased out by 2022. In order to protect the essential political dialogue that Ontarians expect to engage in with political parties across the spectrum, we are proposing that the per-vote subsidy each party typically receives stay in place until December 31, 2024. This will give all parties a chance to find some financial balance and move forward with their plans.

We feel this is a responsible approach in COVID times that protects the essential and vigorous dialogue that Ontarians expect in their elections. In terms of other jurisdictions, I would like to point out that Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia also provide parties with per-vote subsidies.

We are proposing a balanced approach which ensures that we won’t be in a situation where parties aren’t part of the discussion because they can’t afford to be there. We believe that this change would help our democratic institutions be a part of the province-wide COVID-19 recovery that our government is leading. We know that good, vigorous debate and a level playing field in that regard is healthy for a democracy. It’s important that other parties not be excluded from that healthy debate.

In practice, this is saying that members of the House and individual candidates don’t have to have campaign-specific accounts. They’ve had their account from before and they connected with individuals in their support base, whether it be elected or not, and it is critical that we ensure the legislation governing the conduct of members of the Legislature is clear and relevant to the world that we live in today.

Speaking of all members of provincial Parliament, I want to talk about independent members for a moment. Currently, independent members of provincial Parliament do not have the same ability or resources as registered political party candidates to fundraise outside of election periods or keep surpluses from their campaigns. As I look around, everybody here has a riding association, has a constituency association that is able to raise money between elections. Independent members do not have that. Their financial resources are limited, and we would like to change this. We are proposing to level the playing field and provide all sitting independent MPPs with access to constituency associations.

They would also receive the related benefits of being able to fundraise outside of election periods, qualify for constituency association voter subsidies, and keep surpluses.

In terms of other jurisdictions, it should be noted that British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan also allow incumbent independent MLAs to form constituency associations.

These changes, if passed, would make it easier for independent members to participate in elections. This proposal is about fairness and addressing an area of our elections that has been neglected. However, it should not come as a surprise to see our government putting forth changes that support independents and their ability to participate in our democratic processes. For a moment, before I move on, I would like to discuss a few other examples of how our government has worked to support independent members. The government House leader has worked to ensure fairness for all members in this chamber.

A few recent examples that come to mind: In 2019, the standing orders were amended to provide equal time for independent members to respond to opposition day motions. And in 2020, the standing orders were amended to reallocate two government question period questions each day to the independent members. So that’s two that we lost as a government, and we gave them to the independent members. Now, in 2021, I am glad to build on this work to support the independent members of this Legislature, and the next.

Proposed changes in this legislation will go a long way to ensuring that independent members are on an equal footing. The proposed changes will allow Ontario to catch up to our provincial counterparts and ensure that independent members have a fair shot in future elections. I am glad to be bringing forth this proposal, and I believe it’s good for democracy.

Speaker, we know that Ontario’s financial rules for candidates and parties in an election are inefficient and, in fact, serve as barriers. These outdated rules may discourage people from running for elected office. We feel it’s time to do something about that too. We are proposing to streamline processes so that people vying for party nominations would only need to submit candidate registration papers and not the additional financial reports introduced in 2017.

This proposed amendment would still require contestants to register, but would remove all requirements for financial reporting, as recommended by the Chief Electoral Officer. This would simplify procedures and reduce bureaucratic red tape that could negatively affect interested candidates, to the point that the actual candidate pool is reduced—and I believe that to be happening.

I also want to talk about spot audits for a moment. The term “spot audit” refers to financial audits of candidates, leadership contestants and parties that happen after an audit has already been submitted and found sufficient. Speaker, political parties and campaigns are already subject to financial reporting requirements that include many checks and balances. That’s one point. The other point is that political parties in Ontario are incorporated, and like any other business in this province, they need to follow audit rules and requirements.

For political parties and candidates, this means that political parties hire firms like PwC or KPMG and others to audit the party’s financial statements, which then must be submitted annually and after each election. When I talk about these companies—CPAs, chartered professional accountants around Ontario—they’re professionals, Mr. Speaker. They do the audit, it gets submitted, and these reports are then reviewed by Elections Ontario to confirm accuracy.

What spot audits do is they reopen and reinvestigate the financial statements that have already been audited, reviewed, closed and approved. It places a large administrative burden on political parties and candidates. It’s an unnecessary duplication of work. We’re relying on third-party professionals who are paid to do the work, Mr. Speaker, and they do it for companies large and small all across Ontario. There is no reason we can’t rely on them for this as well.

We are therefore proposing an amendment that would limit the Chief Electoral Officer’s authority to reopen previously approved audited financial statements. This change would help make the elections process more efficient while maintaining regular audits of finances and strong, effective oversight in provincial elections.

But as an additional balancing measure to ensure and drive compliance, we are providing the Chief Electoral Officer with a stronger suite of enforcement tools. This will be the most complete tool box of penalties and enforcement measures available to an election officer anywhere in Canada. As I mentioned earlier, if passed, this bill would empower the Chief Electoral Officer to impose penalties for offences such as exceeding spending limits, releasing election surveys on polling day and failure to submit several reports. This is a good counterbalance. It reduces red tape and maintains the integrity of the system.

We’re also proposing a number of administrative changes to help simplify the electoral process and make it more efficient. As part of this bill, constituency associations will be required to submit financial statements to their registered party quarterly or as requested. This will help to increase the transparency of election finances between parties and their constituency associations.

We’re also proposing to reduce the requirement to post events to a party website, from seven days in advance of the event to three days. This would align posting requirements during writ and non-writ periods and maintain the same level of transparency. This proposed amendment also builds on previous reforms voted into law by Ontario’s Legislature to strengthen the integrity of elections and encourage fair participation by Ontarians.

Speaker, we are suggesting a new minimum threshold of contributions to trigger an audit. This would ensure that audit subsidies are paid only to organizations with significant financial activity. The contribution threshold we are proposing is $10,000 of any financial activity. Previously, there was no threshold, so organizations that received significantly fewer donations, like $100—if all they did was receive $100, they would still be audited. With our proposed change, we would not be spending public money doing audits of financial statements where there has been little or no financial activity.

By setting an audit threshold, we would also only need to give audit subsidies to those organizations that have more than $10,000 worth of financial activity.

Speaking of audit subsidies, we have addressed that as well. We’re also proposing to increase audit subsidies to a consistent level of $2,000 across the board.

Another administrative change we are bringing forward is increasing the deadline for reporting total contributions over $200—which is up from the current $100 limit—to political parties and leadership contestants from a single donor. We are proposing to increase this deadline from 10 days to 15 days from the date of deposit. So again, to recap, right now, the rule is that anything over $100 has to be reported within 10 days. We have upped the limit to say we want quick reporting on anything over the $200 limit, but they have 15 days to make that after the date of deposit.

This administrative change makes it easier for political parties to record and report on donations received and increases efficiencies. It makes things a little less bureaucratic, which is a theme that you will see in all the changes that we’re making, Mr. Speaker.

We would also like to provide candidates who register early with certificates up to six months before the writ. Now, this is really inside baseball. All the people who are in the chamber today know what I’m talking about. People who have run campaigns know what I’m talking about. It’s an inside baseball kind of thing, but it’s administratively smoother. It makes things more efficient.

This means prospective candidates can do things like open a bank account to be ready well in advance of the writ period, so you don’t have that writ period scramble. Currently, you don’t get your certificate until the writ is dropped. This will allow people to prepare. If members in particular regions know that they have been nominated by the party or they’re an independent and they want to run, they can get organized. That gives them the chance to spend the time with the voters as opposed to doing administrative tasks.

This will be a welcome change for many potential candidates and enable them to feel more prepared for the election period. It also serves as another incentive for people to become a candidate. We think that’s good for democracy, and we want to encourage that.

Another proposed amendment would allow the chief financial officers of registered political parties to issue tax receipts sooner for political contributions to fundraising functions with direct costs of $30 or less per person. This would make it easier for political parties and others who hold fundraising events to record and report on the donations they’ve received.

Ontario’s financial reporting rules for candidates and parties are cumbersome and difficult. They’re inefficient, and they make people think twice about running for elected office. We’re proposing to make these financial reporting requirements more efficient. Currently, registered political parties must record political contributions in an electronic database and issue tax receipts for those donations from the same database. They are then required to disclose the contributions they’ve received to Elections Ontario in real-time disclosure reports.

When political parties merge records in real-time disclosure reporting, the new donation that is created may be labelled as a late submission and then subjected to an offence under the Election Finances Act. We’re proposing to make it easier for political parties to obey the law by no longer considering merged records in real-time disclosure reporting as new submissions or fined as late submissions. This is just a practical matter.

Again, I’m talking inside baseball stuff. These are the practical matters that all parties run into just because the rules are created in a way that’s a little bit cumbersome and have unintended consequences. We’re creating transparency. We’re making sure that it’s working more efficiently. Again, that means we can spend more time talking to voters and less time doing administration, and the Chief Electoral Officer has more tools and it’s a smoother ride for him as well.

We’re also proposing to reduce the financial reporting burden for constituency associations. With this proposed procedural change, we would no longer need the CR-3 form that’s currently used at the end of a campaign. We’re proposing to eliminate that form. What that form is: In an election year, the campaign itself has to report. Anybody who has been a CFO—and I’ve worn all hats in this kind of thing—you have to file your campaign ins-and-outs and your accounting, which will remain. But the constituency association isn’t active during a campaign; the campaign itself is the body that’s working through the writ.

So sometimes money is lent or moved over from a constituency association, but then that constituency association is no longer active during a campaign. Nonetheless, the CR-3, which is talking about any financial activity during that period, has to be filed. The riding association, the CA, has to file at the end of the year anyway, so they’re going to capture that period of the writ. It really doesn’t make sense to make them file for the 29-day period and file for the year. We don’t lose any transparency. We don’t lose anything, except for red tape and inefficiency.

A final administrative amendment we’re proposing is to provide the Chief Electoral Officer with the authority to share data extracts from what’s called the “single register of electors,” with the district social services administration boards—the DSSABs—for electoral purposes. This is having different parts of government talk to each other to be able to share a list. This is the Chief Electoral Officer sharing data extracts with the DSSABs for electoral purposes. This proposed amendment will help DSSABs have accurate data to reach out to electors in territories without municipal organizations attached.

Work is currently under way to build a single register, which will be in place to support the 2026 general election and regular municipal elections and any municipal by-elections initiated after January 1, 2024.

We’ve also received requests from municipalities to modernize election services and make them more efficient. In response to these requests, Ontario is proposing changes to make the election process more efficient for local staff, potential candidates and third-party advertisers. The proposed amendments to the Municipal Elections Act would enable clerks to allow candidates and third-party advertisers to submit their nomination and registration forms electronically, to reduce red tape and increase efficiencies.

Another proposed change would allow registered third-party advertisers to end their advertising campaigns before voting day. The proposed changes provide that if a third-party advertiser files a nomination to run for office, their advertising campaign would automatically end. These proposed changes would apply to municipal by-elections initiated during the current term, and all future municipal elections. This is one more way that Ontario is responding to the municipal sector’s request to modernize election services.

Last year, in response to a long-standing request from municipalities, we made changes to eliminate duplication and combine the provincial and municipal voters lists into a single list managed by Elections Ontario. For the last several elections, we have heard concerns about the accuracy of voter information that municipalities receive. Our changes will help make voting easier by reducing duplication and improving the accuracy of the municipal voters list, resulting in fewer corrections at polling stations, shorter lines on election day and reduced costs for municipalities.

Beginning on January 1, 2024, the Chief Electoral Officer and Elections Ontario would be responsible for establishing and managing the single list. This action could cut red tape, help municipalities save money and make voting day easier for candidates, voters and our beloved municipal clerks.

We know that our municipal partners have been working hard to continue to deliver the critical service the people in their communities rely on, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are making it more important than ever for municipalities to deliver modern, efficient services that are financially sustainable. Our government is proud to support initiatives that will strengthen local service delivery, modernize municipal processes and better respect taxpayers’ dollars. We’ll keep working in partnership with municipalities to better meet local needs.

Mr. Speaker, these electoral reforms are aimed at making our elections work better for everyone. We have introduced the bill to make it easier for people to vote, to make it easier for people to run, to effectively represent their constituents’ best interests. The role of an elected representative is an honour. There is no doubt about that. I believe when we got elected—there are several new members in the House in this current Parliament—what we were told by the Clerks was that we are among the honoured few, 2,000 people, who have ever sat in this Legislature. It really is a privilege. It’s an honour to be of service to hard-working Ontarians.

We want to make it easier, not harder, for anyone who wants to make a positive difference in their communities and our province. We want to make it easier for them to become a candidate. We want people to feel that they have a voice in our elections, and we want everyone in this brave new COVID-19 environment to feel safe in exercising their right to vote, their ability to run, or even their ability to participate, whether it’s putting up signs or knocking on doors—if that’s a thing, depending on where we are in COVID-19—but certainly phone calls. Lots of phone calls happening these days.

Our proposed Protecting Ontario Elections Act is about putting people first. We’re putting them at the centre of our electoral process, and as the Attorney General and minister responsible for bringing these amendments forward, I’m proud of the work that went into this legislation. I look forward to seeing an election process that keeps up with the challenges of the day and continues to respond to the needs of voters.

It’s also important to acknowledge that the challenges we have faced in responding to COVID-19 are by no means behind us. In fact, some of the biggest hurdles remain ahead as we plan for a strong and sustainable recovery and get to the other side of a crisis that has been felt by every sector and every person in this province. But what we have learned during the COVID-19 era is that when there’s something to improve or fix, it does not help to put it off. These are responsible changes that we know are needed to make it easier and safer to vote during COVID-19 and beyond. They’re the essential changes that will protect the voice of each and every individual who votes in our elections.

I think, Mr. Speaker, that we all have moments in time during elections or the lead-up to elections, or individuals who you have conversations with who want to participate in our system, and they’re intimidated by the system. They’re intimidated by all these rules and red tape and inefficiencies, whether they want to put their name forward or whether they just want to do the simplest thing like vote.

I remember I was knocking on one door on a very busy highway. I went up to the door, and there’s a guy. He was, I’m going to say, 6’4”, a great big guy, probably mid- to late-thirties. I knocked on his door and I told him what I was doing and why I was doing it, and that I wanted his support. He said, “I don’t vote.” I said, “You’ve never voted.” “Nope, I don’t vote.” I said, “Not municipal, school board, nothing?” “Nope, I don’t vote.” I said, “Why don’t you vote?” He said, “Because nobody wants to hear what I have to say.” I said, “I’m standing in your doorway.”

I’ll tell you, Mr. Speaker, he voted. That individual voted. He made a point of telling me—the first time in his life he voted—because people do want to participate. They want to be asked to participate. They want the barriers to come down. It’s not a partisan thing, as some members of the opposition would like to think. I have no idea how he voted; he may not have voted for me. I have no idea, because we have a secret ballot, which is another beautiful thing about our democratic society and our system. But the fact is that he did vote and that, for me, is success.

If we can take down barriers, if more independents come to the table to voice their piece and we don’t get drowned out by third parties and we have individuals who are putting forward what they believe in, that’s good for our democracy, Mr. Speaker.

As a practising lawyer, I used to do corporate deals and real estate deals. I had a client one time. We had a lawyer who was not very good on the other side, very, very—anyway, it was not good. My client said, “Well, that’s great.” I said, “No, it’s not great. I want a strong person on the other side. I want somebody with whom we can actually get down to the nub of it and we can have a conversation. I want a strong lawyer on the other side so that when we are negotiating, we’re negotiating with the things that we both know matter the most.”

We want to open doors to people. We don’t want to put barriers up. Nobody wants to take advantage of anybody based on that kind of thing.

That’s why we are supporting the other parties. We’re bringing balance in everything that we’re doing. The Chief Electoral Officer will have powers that no other Chief Electoral Officer in any province has. The administrative penalties are important tools. They apply equally across all party lines. It’s not a partisan issue; it’s good governance. That’s what our government does. We don’t always get credit for that—coming forward with balance and good governance and good rules because it’s good for democracy.

Let’s have those healthy debates. Let’s make sure that all parties—when I say “parties,” I mean people who are running for office, whether they’re with a party or not—have the opportunity to have their voice heard, and let’s have the best idea win. That’s what happened in the last election, when we brought forward our positions on a variety of things. The public spoke and the public said, “This is what we want to see happen.” Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, I think that’s healthy.

In terms of independents, we know that independents—particularly in this Legislature but in all Legislatures—can be very vocal, can put forward bold ideas, can advance things. It offends a sense of fairness that they shouldn’t have the same tools that the rest of us here have when it comes to fundraising between elections or getting their voice out.

We want to open doors. The advance voting—I expect everybody here has worked in a campaign before as a volunteer, probably. They’re remarkably similar across the country, in terms of how you connect with voters, but they’re very different in urban versus rural. The campaigning is very different. I’ve campaigned all over the country for different friends doing things. In parts of Halifax and Dartmouth in Nova Scotia, you go to a house and you’ve got these stairs and, boy, you were in good shape by the time you were done all of that.

Then I started knocking on doors in my own riding, in Horseshoe Valley, and I can tell you there are some beautiful, beautiful homes up some very tall hills, and lots of stairs. It’s very different than campaigning in a condo building down in Toronto or even in downtown Barrie, where there are several condo buildings.

Campaigns have to adapt. But at the end of the day what we need to do is make sure that we’re taking down barriers, make sure that individuals have a chance to participate. That’s why the advance voting. People have busy lives. There is no advantage to trying to put up barriers to people getting out to exercise their franchise.

I’m thrilled that we’re changing the system to fit the needs of the individual voter who wants to participate in our system and we’re changing the rules to allow greater access. Again, I expect the other parties will support that.

In terms of donations, we’ve had some commentary on that. The largest province in Canada moving to the middle of the pack: I don’t know how much more balanced you can get than that, Mr. Speaker. There’s no magic to the existing number, the $1,650, so we looked at our colleagues across the country and moved to the middle of the pack. Some people knock on doors. Some people put up signs. Some people have a sign on their lawn. Some people vote. Some people donate. We want to make it possible for people to participate in our system in whatever way they choose to participate, with transparency and all the things that go with that, Mr. Speaker. So again, I think we found a balance there.

I think that in all of these areas, the theme running through all of this is that we’re putting Ontarians back at the centre of voting in our democratic system. Again, back to the third-party advertising: I could literally—I can’t, but somebody could—create an organization, funded by a company, and spend over $50,000 every month for the 12 months leading up to the writ, and then another $100,000 during the campaign. You could have 10 companies do 10 separate organizations spending that kind of money. I think that’s pretty—you know, we want to keep balance.

We want to make sure that the parties are getting their message out and the individual candidates are able to not be droned out by the third parties.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your time, and thank you for listening. I’m really excited about this bill. I think this moves us forward again, like I’ve been trying to do with the justice system, moving us forward decades in months. I think this moves forward our democratic institutions, and arms the Chief Electoral Officer to be even more effective and build on the excellent work that they do.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to questions.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Time for questions.

Mr. Joel Harden: I listened with interest to what the Attorney General was saying this morning about the need to be mindful of the role of third-party advertising in elections. I’m wondering if the Attorney General, with that in mind, has any reflections on the role of Ontario Proud in the last provincial election.

I ask the question to the Attorney General because in Ottawa Centre I have a lot of good friends who drive taxis, and they would tell me, “Joel, there’s a group called Ontario Proud saying you’re going to raise the price of gas by 30%—you, on your own—and I see that Conservatives are saying the exact same thing in their campaigning. What’s going on? Who is this group, Ontario Proud?” Do you know what I found out, Speaker? I found out that Mattamy Homes, one of the biggest funders of the Conservative Party, was the biggest funder to Ontario Proud.

So I’m asking the Attorney General, through you, Speaker: Does he believe there was a relationship between Ontario Proud and the Conservative Party, and does he feel that that was a problematic relationship for voters getting accurate information in the last election?

Hon. Doug Downey: I’m absolutely thrilled that we’re aligned on this, that we want to make sure that the individual candidate has the ability to have the conversation and not have conversations by third parties drone that out. That is the entire point of this: to make sure that if they think that there’s an organization that has disproportionate influence, we bring some balance to that. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do.

I’m thrilled to hear that they’re supportive of that idea, that we come to balance and that we make sure that the individual candidates have a chance to get their message out, without what I’ll call special interests being able to drone them out. I’m thrilled about that.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further questions?

Mr. Will Bouma: Protecting Ontario’s elections and ensuring that it is easy and safe to vote is not a partisan issue. It is the responsibility of the government to protect our elections and ensure that they are equipped to meet the challenges of the day, whether that be simply preparing for the challenges that COVID-19 might pose or in-person voting or addressing the unchecked third-party spending that we were just talking about.

Will the Attorney General please explain to this House why he has introduced this legislation and how it will protect elections in Ontario?

Hon. Doug Downey: It will help protect elections—not just during COVID times, but the advance voting, I think, is a key part, where we’re doubling the number of days from five to 10. I think that’s an important feature. I think it’s good practice in any event, but COVID-19 has certainly been a catalyst for that, and the Chief Electoral Officer has noted that. Again, we received his report last November, which was very helpful in moving us forward, in terms of getting these pieces in place. It will have long-term impacts beyond COVID-19, those extra voting days.

We talked about third-party advertising. I think I’ve been pretty clear on that. I think that this moves forward a responsible balance. But also, the irregular campaign spending and collusion: The collusion piece I’m actually quite proud of. A lot of work went into that. We looked at the federal model and we strengthened it to make sure that it’s operating the way that it can best operate. It moves forward a number of items, and I’m really proud of that as well.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further questions?

Ms. Suze Morrison: I listened quite intently to the Attorney General’s remarks, but as he was speaking, I was also flipping through a couple of news articles over here. I found an interesting one this morning, an op-ed in the Star, entitled, the Premier’s “New Elections Act Bill Moves to Silence Critics.” One of the interesting things that I read in this

article this morning:

“Even more outrageous is that this bill limits individuals or organizations from sharing information, appealing to donors who share a similar point of view and using a common vendor.

“For example, an environmental organization promoting clean water could be limited to appealing for funds from supporters if there is a different environmental group seeking support for a species of fish residing in that water system. They could not use the same vendor for sending out direct mail or use consultants who have experience in the same area.” That’s from the Star this morning.

Would the Attorney General clarify, would you elaborate on where your bill draws the line here? Our common organizing tools that we all use and that community groups and organizers and activists use, like CallHub, like NationBuilder, placing Facebook ads: These are all common vendors. Where does your bill draw the line on what appears to be a truly draconian measure that will ultimately silence critics of this government?

Hon. Doug Downey: I have no idea how it’s silencing a critic when they can spend over $50,000 a month every month for 12 months up to a writ, and another $100,000.

To suggest that we should allow organizations to pop up beside each other to skirt around the limits doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not entirely sure how the sharing of information from the member’s NationBuilder to a fish habitat organization—I’m not sure where the lines are on that. I won’t get too far into where those lines are.

Data matters these days; data matters. People’s privacy matters. There are rules around all of that. But what we’re focused on is not so much—I mean, those rules do matter in their own way, but we’re focused on two organizations, which are really one, skirting around the rules. We can talk more about that in further questions.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further questions?

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: I want to thank my MPP colleague and neighbour from Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte and, of course, the Attorney General. He’s been working tirelessly on bill after bill, and here’s another one.

It’s understandable why we are speaking about this today, because we have all experienced the unpredictability that COVID has brought upon us. When we talk about administrating elections, that could also bring an additional unpredictability. We’ve seen other provinces that have had to pivot because of that unpredictability with COVID. The Attorney General was talking about Newfoundland, but there are other provinces.

I just wanted to ask him how he’s preparing for the Ontario elections to deal with certain uncertainties, like COVID-19.

Hon. Doug Downey: I guess I’ll start with one that really resonated with me, in Newfoundland and Labrador. I was out there a few years ago during an election, knocking on doors for my friend in Mount Pearl. Speaking of stairs and hills, my goodness.

Mr. Speaker, we’re using the experience that we see from those jurisdictions in BC and New Brunswick to be best in class, to make sure that our Chief Electoral Officer has all the tools, has extra advance voting days, if needed, has all of the pieces that we need to run the most democratic, best kind of election in Canada. We’re trying to embed that in the legislation and the rules that surround it.

Again, I’m very proud of what we’re doing here. We’re pivoting because of COVID-19 in many respects, but for good democracy in others.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further questions?

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: I listened quite carefully to the member from Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte’s presentation, but I’m left wondering. At a time when people have been struggling to pay their bills, and small businesses have been left behind and left hanging by this government for almost a year after the pandemic began, regular Ontarians are not sitting at home just waiting to donate thousands and thousands of dollars to political candidates. This bill is so very clearly for the elites.

There’s a saying with species in nature that there’s a survival of the fittest, but I would posit that this bill is the survival of the richest. When we consider third-party ads, constructive criticism is necessary to the functioning of our democracy. Muzzling critics, like the Liberals before this government, is an appalling lack of transparency and a dearth of accountability.

My question is: how does this bill help regular Ontarians and not just insider Conservative elites?

Hon. Doug Downey: It helps regular Ontarians—again, we’ve taken the donation limits to the Canadian average. It puts us in the middle of the pack. Again, it’s balanced.

We’re extending the per-vote subsidy so that others can be in a position to articulate their positions. We’re advancing the number of advance vote days: We’re doubling that to make sure the average person can participate. We’re supporting independence by allowing them to set up constituency associations, and we’re getting rid of red tape so that other groups and other people will run, who may not be connected to a party, or otherwise, or a small party.

Mr. Speaker, we’re doing a ton of things to open the door for the average Ontarian to be able to donate the average amount.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further questions?

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: My follow-up question to the Attorney General is: In 2016, we saw that the Ontario Legislature here—I wasn’t around for that—decided to ban corporate and union donations to political parties. Again, talking about that influence, my question to the Attorney General is if he can explain how the change in the bill addresses the influence of other third parties.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Back to the Attorney General for final response.

Hon. Doug Downey: We’re finding a balance to make sure that third parties have an ability to articulate their position, but not drown out the important work that candidates of all stripes need to do.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Thank you very much. The opportunity for members here in the Legislature to contribute to debate and questions—

Interjection.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Is this a point of order? It’s not a point of order. All right. Listen, there isn’t enough time to move further into debate. So, unfortunately, the time has ended for debate.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): However, we do have an opportunity now to listen to members and their specific member’s statement. And because I noticed the member from the official opposition, the member from Beaches–East York, the floor is yours for your member’s statement.

Members’ Statements

Land use planning

Ms. Rima Berns-McGown: In Beaches–East York, Metrolinx is about to begin a project in the beloved Small’s Creek ravine to widen a culvert and prepare the tracks for expansion with a fourth rail and electrification. But if the preparatory project goes ahead as planned, it will result in the clear-cutting of half the ravine, the removal of 268 trees and the destruction of a much-used community walkway.

The Small’s Creek community group, made up of neighbours who are homeowners and renters and who include architects, engineers, lawyers, landscape engineers, hydrologists and planners, is asking Metrolinx to make sure they get it right before they destroy the ravine’s ecosystem. Everyone in the Small’s Creek group wants transit to move ahead quickly, they want the fourth rail, they want electrification; but they have serious concerns with Metrolinx’s current approach.

They have done their research and found alternative engineering and ecological solutions. They believe it’s possible to prepare for the necessary transit without clear-cutting half the ravine. They’re asking Metrolinx to pause the clear-cutting, take the Small’s Creek group’s alternative solutions seriously and make sure the project is done right. None of this will affect the timing of the construction of transit.

I stand with the Small’s Creek group in asking Metrolinx for the pause, and I am asking the Minister of Transportation to stand with us in asking Metrolinx to pause to make sure they get it right. The future of eco-friendly transit will thank you.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Jane McKenna: As Canadians woke up this morning, 57 countries were ahead of us in the vaccine race. To date, Canada has administered just over 2 million doses, with 3.86% of Canadians receiving at least one dose. Ontario has given 727,021 doses, with 264,896 people fully vaccinated. On both these measures Ontario is leading the country.

In Halton, 28,622 people have received a shot; that’s 4.85% of our population. In January and February, despite Canada-wide supply shortages, Halton region continued to receive our fair share. The last thing we want is freezers in Halton region or anywhere else full of unused vaccines. We need shots in people’s arms.

I know how thrilled Sheri Levy-Abrahams was at Bethany Residence when seniors received their first dose January 26 and their second dose on Valentine’s Day. They even created a video to celebrate.

Medical experts, not MPPs, determine how Ontario’s vaccine supply is distributed across the province, and that’s how it should be. This week, Halton region will receive 7,070 Pfizer doses and another 7,020 the week of March15. This is great news.

We all have the same goal: to put COVID-19 behind us.

Protection for workers

Mr. Joel Harden: Next Monday is International Women’s Day, and one of the events that we’re very proud to organize back home from the MPP office in Ottawa Centre is a round table on safe workplaces for political staff. Back in November, I put forward a motion in this chamber asking the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Attorney General to empower municipalities with the tools to remove councillors who were proving to engage in serious acts of misconduct.

The whole country knows about the saga of Councillor Rick Chiarelli back home, and our round table is going to feature survivors of Councillor Chiarelli’s office. It will also feature experts who will tell us what legislative changes need to be made to keep people safe in political office.

I’ve heard friends in government and I’ve heard others say that politicians need to be held to a higher standard. I totally agree. Unfortunately, what has happened today is that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has written the mayor of Ottawa, who has asked for these powers, and said, “I’m sorry. I’m uncomfortable with giving myself the power to remove a city councillor.” Speaker, through you, the minister was never asked for that.

The city right now wants the power to take action against a councillor who is known to be a predator to women in his office. It is 2021. We need to make sure this never happens again. We need to make sure political offices are safe. I invite all folks watching this to tune into our round table to participate and share your thoughts with us. We must do better in Ontario.

Stratford Festival

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: Speaker, last spring, many were devastated when the Stratford Festival announced it would postpone its season because of the pandemic. Scores of constituents wrote me supporting the festival. In June, I hand-delivered their letters and petitions to the Premier and Minister MacLeod. It was an uncertain time, but we spoke up because the future of this Canadian cultural icon was at stake; we spoke up for those who work at the festival and those who depend on it. Many suddenly found themselves out of a job.

Our local small businesses, especially those in tourism and hospitality, are still struggling. Some had to close shop. After all, the Stratford Festival is responsible for generating about $135 million in economic activity every year—except last year.

This year will be different, because this year the show will go on. The festival recently announced it will return to the stage with live performances in an outdoor setting. It’s wonderful news. Then, just yesterday, our government announced we’re supporting the festival to the tune of $1.8 million. We’re also supporting Stratford Summer Music with over $42,000. This will go a long way to help them survive COVID-19 and it will help people whose livelihoods depend on their success.

I want to thank Premier Ford and Minister MacLeod for recognizing the value of these institutions. I also want to recognize the festival’s executive director, Anita Gaffney, artistic director Antoni Cimolino and their team. I also want to mention Kendra Fry, the new general manager of Stratford Summer Music and her predecessor, Judy Matheson. All of us can be proud of your organizations, and we can be proud of your contributions to artistic excellence right here in Ontario.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I rise today on behalf of the people of London West to share some of the emails I have received about this government’s sluggish and sloppy vaccine rollout.

“I still find this entire rollout extremely frustrating and inequitable. It is, without a doubt, those seniors who do not have an advocate to assist them who will fall through the cracks and be left alone.”

Here is another: “We need vaccines soon so we can visit our disabled daughter in her home. When will we ever get the vaccine so our daughter stays COVID-19-free? We are both over 80 years.”

And this one: “I am an over-80-year-old woman, who has daily home care. There has been no communication about my receiving the vaccine. Nor have my caregivers received any confirmation about when they will receive the vaccine.”

And this one: “My mother is extremely high risk as she has diabetes and high blood pressure.... At 89 it is even difficult for her to access this booking system.... Are we getting seniors’ hopes up when the reality is there is no vaccine but for a lucky few who ‘win’ the telephone lottery?”

Speaker, the Middlesex-London Health Unit is doing its best, but Londoners are rightly frustrated by the lack of provincial leadership. Yesterday, there were over 200,000 calls in London for 5,000 appointments. As one constituent put it, “Being eligible for a vaccine does not equal having access to a vaccine.”

Mental health and addiction services

Mr. Robert Bailey: It is my privilege to rise today and share more good news with the people of Sarnia–Lambton and with this House.

Over the years, we know there has been an increase in student mental health issues at our colleges and universities in Ontario. Even at the best of times, post-secondary education can be difficult for students. Recently, the added stress and uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the strain on student mental health.

That is why today I am pleased to announce that the Ontario government is investing $315,000 in Lambton College to help increase access to mental health and addiction services for its students. This is a critical, timely investment for the students of Lambton College. Having mental health supports in place for when students need those most is key to helping students succeed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is a piece of the province’s total investment of over $26 million in mental health supports for post-secondary students in 2020 and 2021.

Providing mental health supports for post-secondary students is part of Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness, the government’s plan to build a connected and comprehensive mental health and addictions system that ensures children, youth and adults in Ontario receive appropriate services where and when they need them. Mr. Speaker, this is truly important news for the students and the families of Lambton College.

Laboratory services

Mr. Gilles Bisson: In the city of Timmins, our office has been receiving a number of calls in regard to the wait times in order to get into LifeLabs. You’re having to wait three weeks in order to get bloodwork and various tests done. And once you do end up at the LifeLabs office, it’s a fairly long wait. That has been really difficult on seniors, specifically, and those who are not doing so well and are frail.

The good news is, I’ve had conversations with LifeLabs. I want to thank them that we’ve managed to come to some sort of a way forward that might be able to speed things up. They have agreed and will allow blood tests and various tests to be done at doctors’ offices, to be done at health clinics, to be done at family health teams, and to be done by home care workers, provided that all of these people are qualified to do so, and any other type of clinic that is equipped for being able to draw blood.

All they need to do is to get a hold of LifeLabs. LifeLabs will make the arrangements to get the paraphernalia that you need in order to do the various tests at the doctor’s office or wherever it is, and that will greatly assist to lower the demand that we have currently in our labs in order to get blood tests.

We all know that COVID has brought a new reality to the world. I was glad to be able to work with LifeLabs, and hopefully we can make this happen. It will be a way of being able to reduce the wait times for the citizens that we all represent.

Radon

Mr. Stephen Blais: Today I rise to bring awareness to an important contaminant that has become a problem in Orléans and communities across Ontario. Radon is a cancer-causing gas that naturally occurs in our environment, but when trapped indoors and at high levels, it can be incredibly dangerous and cause innumerable health issues. Radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and is responsible for approximately 16% of lung cancer deaths in Canada.

Some level of radon can be found in most homes, and as more people are staying home due to COVID-19, this problem has only grown. Preliminary research indicates a 35% jump in a residential radon exposure from March 2020.

Radon is a colourless and odourless gas, so testing is the only way to know if radon levels are elevated and if remediation is required. In Orléans, there are neighbourhoods where dozens of new homes have high levels of radon, putting residents at risk.

Radon control measures and radon rough-in systems have been included in the national building code. Unfortunately, in Ontario, the current provincial code only contains limited provisions. Moreover, the province doesn’t require radon testing in schools, daycares, hospitals or other public buildings.

Mr. Speaker, the government must do more to address radon in new home construction and in public buildings. They can begin by making radon mitigation mandatory as part of new home construction, doing mandatory testing in public buildings and raising awareness of the dangers of radon with Ontarians. I encourage all Ontarians to visit takeactiononradon.ca for more information.

Pipeline

Mr. Toby Barrett: Imperial Oil’s refinery at the Nanticoke industrial park, formerly Texaco, is a key anchor in our Haldimand–Norfolk industrial economy. Since the early 1980s, our area’s refinery has provided around 300 full-time jobs, in addition to a daily average of 200 contractor positions. About 25% of the petroleum products used in Ontario go through a supply chain including Imperial Nanticoke by rail, water and, of course, pipeline—products including diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel, asphalt, heavy oil and home heating oil.

The line 5 pipeline running through the Straits of Mackinac, coming in from the west, is crucial for our refinery’s operation and crucial for the operation of the economy in Ontario and Quebec, as well as Ohio, Pennsylvania and certainly Michigan itself. If the governor of Michigan were successful in shutting down line 5, it would jeopardize 65% of the propane going to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and 55% of the propane requirements across the state. The shutdown would put at risk half the jet fuel supply to Detroit metro airport.

The governor would know that Michigan is Ontario’s largest export market and the largest source of imports into our province, totalling $82.3 billion in two-way trade. We’re friends, we’re neighbours, we’re allies: We have a great and close working relationship, and we hope that continues, as well as the flow of product through this pipeline.

Seniors and Kids Intergenerational Programs

Mr. Will Bouma: It’s my pleasure to rise in the House today to speak about an amazing program in my riding of Brantford–Brant. SKIP, or Seniors and Kids Intergenerational Programs, first began in 2004 by sending a classroom of students to visit seniors at a local retirement home. In September 2005, they had 22 classes signed up to visit seniors in nine seniors’ facilities.

Now, seeing the new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and realizing that there is a need for all seniors, not just those who are living in retirement homes, SKIP has worked tirelessly to keep all seniors connected to our community.

Recently, SKIP was a recipient of the Ontario Trillium fund communities grant. With this new funding, they have shifted their focus to a new initiative called Buzz Me. Buzz Me connects seniors with a live volunteer between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. In an effort to combat social isolation, seniors can stay up to date about what’s happening in the community or simply enjoy a pleasant conversation with one of our dedicated volunteers. This line of communication is not a crisis line, but a friendly, kind and welcoming voice on the other end of the phone.

I would like to thank Liz Martorano, co-founder of SKIP, and her team of volunteers for working so hard to connect the seniors of Brantford and Brant with a friendly voice to reach out to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That’s it for our members’ statements this morning.

The member for Brampton Centre has a point of order, I believe.

Ms. Sara Singh: Good morning, Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to immediately pass private member’s motion 141, calling on the Ford government to mandate paid sick days to better help protect the workers of Brampton in the fight against COVID-19.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Brampton Centre is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to immediately pass private member’s motion 141, calling on the government to mandate paid sick days to better help protect the workers of Brampton in the fight against COVID-19. Agreed? I heard a no.

It is now time for oral questions.

Question Period

COVID-19 response

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, we know that the long-term-care commission has been hearing testimony. In fact, we’ve had testimony from the Minister of Health and we’ve had testimony from the Minister of Long-Term Care, and it’s really apparent from that testimony and others that the Premier was ignoring advice that ended up costing lives.

My question is, when is the Premier going to start answering questions? When is he going to go to the commission?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond, the government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: As you know and as we’ve said on a number of occasions, both the Minister of Health and the Minister of Long-Term Care have appeared before the commission. We’re very grateful for the work that the commission has been doing. I know also that Dr. Williams appeared. There have been a number of recommendations that we have already enacted and we are very much looking forward to a final report from the commission.

It’s really to help build upon the things that we started when we took government. As I said in an earlier answer to this question, we inherited a system that was woefully inadequate. We immediately set out to improve the system. We’ve learned a lot through the pandemic and are in a much better place. The recommendations that come out of this will help not only improve the system, should there be another pandemic, but will also help build on the really great work that both the Ministers of Health and Long-Term Care have done to rebuild the system that was so woefully underfunded for many years.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The Minister of Health’s testimony made it pretty clear that the Premier was ignoring expert advice when he decided to open the province up back in May to asymptomatic testing. As we know, that caused some significant problems with our antiquated lab system. It caused a backup in testing results coming into long-term care, which cost lives.

It’s really troubling when, at the commission, the Minister of Health, in response to some of these queries, in terms of the Premier’s decisions, would only say, “You would really need to speak to him about that”—meaning the Premier.

Why is the Premier refusing to attend the commission and take responsibility for the decisions that he made?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Actually, Mr. Speaker, the Premier has been very clear right from the beginning of this pandemic that he accepts responsibility for all the decisions that have flown out of the pandemic. He has said that both in his daily news conferences and in the House.

One of the reasons we sped up this commission, and we started it earlier—in fact, earlier than any other jurisdiction in the country—was because we wanted to help build on some of the things that we started in the pre-pandemic. As you know, we inherited a system that was woefully underfunded. There were not enough spaces. The Minister of Long-Term Care immediately set out to help build capacity in the system. The Minister of Health, with the onset of the Ontario health teams, started to create an umbrella of care that included our long-term-care system.

We are using the evidence that we’ve heard from—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Response?

Hon. Paul Calandra: —and the suggestions that we’ve gotten in the first series of recommendations to help build on that. But the Premier has been very clear and will continue to be clear: He accepts all responsibility—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: What’s really clear is that the Premier said that he would leave no stone unturned in trying to get answers for families who were losing their loved ones in long-term care, but apparently there are lots of stones that are being hidden here. There is a problem when the Premier is hiding the issues around, for example, PPE, staffing and lack of infection control. All of these things led to the problems when it came to long-term care and COVID-19. There was no iron ring at all around long-term care, as the Premier was suggesting.

Now the Premier is not showing any accountability whatsoever. In fact, he exempted his government from any accountability with legislation. He’s exempted himself from the commission. He’s not even answering questions in the House.

When will the Premier stand up and take responsibility and be accountable for the actions and the decisions that he made?

Hon. Paul Calandra: As I just said, the Premier has said right from the beginning in this House on a number of occasions that the buck stops with him. We have all been working, on both sides of this House, to help deal with this pandemic.

In long-term care, we inherited a system that was woefully inadequate. Six hundred beds was the legacy of the previous Liberal government. We knew right away—and this Premier campaigned on a promise to expand long-term care. We have done that, building more beds, removing roadblocks to building capacity in the system.

This Premier is the one who brought in a commission to take a look at what had happened in the initial phases of this pandemic, before any other province or jurisdiction had done that. We acted on the recommendations that we saw coming out of the commission. And need I remind you, Mr. Speaker, it was this member, the Leader of the Opposition, who so fought against the commission, said that it would be a waste of time and it would provide no results for the people of the province of Ontario. The opposite has happened. They’ve done good work and the better part of it is that we’re acting on the work that they have done.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is for the Premier, but I think the government House leader should correct his record. In fact, what we said is the government would control the commission, and of course, they’re shutting the commission down and not giving them the time to do their work. So we were right, in fact.

The question I’m asking is about those front-line workers and COVID heroes who have been there for us all the way through, folks in Brampton, folks in Scarborough, folks in Weston, folks in Jane and Finch. These folks are the ones that actually did all the heavy lifting during COVID-19.

The science table that the Premier has advising on vaccinations suggested, recommended that these very folks be prioritized when it comes to getting the vaccines, not only because it’s the right thing to do but because it will stop the spread of COVID-19, in fact suggesting that 3,767 COVID-19 cases would be prevented and an estimated 168 lives would be saved.

It’s been almost a week. When is the government going to commit to vaccinating these workers and these neighbourhoods?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: As we have said right from the beginning, that as more vaccines became available, of course we were going to be expanding the vaccine rollout, and we have seen that.

I’m actually proud to say, if I can, that my father-in-law was one of the first people to receive a vaccination in York region yesterday, after getting on—

Interjection.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I hear a comment from the opposition. He went online, booked his test all on his own, drove there and got his vaccination.

We are starting to see, as vaccines come in, ramping up of vaccinations and getting them into people’s arms quicker. The results have been very, very, very encouraging.

As more vaccines come in, as the minister has said, as the Premier has said, we will get them into people’s arms, including all of those people as we said in the framework, first in the long-term care and congregate care settings, and then working our way down from 80 and up. I’m very confident in the work of the vaccine team and encourage that—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. And the supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, this is about the COVID heroes in specific neighbourhoods, like Scarborough, like Weston, like Jane and Finch, like Brampton. These are the folks that the government’s own science table has recommended get prioritized. These are the folks whose neighbourhoods have death rates 27 times higher than the rest of the province.

Dr. Peter Jüni said this: “We need to ... avoid ... the (scenario) where those who suffered the burden are not among those who get the vaccine”. That’s what we need to do. That’s the right thing to do. The recommendation is almost a week old. Will the government commit to these COVID heroes and ensure that they get vaccinations as soon as possible and are prioritized in the government’s plan?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond, the Solicitor General.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member opposite is highlighting exactly why we are making sure that local public health units can make decisions based on their local circumstances. The city of Toronto has already done that by ensuring that high-risk neighbourhoods and communities that have congregate settings, like homeless shelters, have access to the vaccine quickly.

So many of these challenges go away as we get more vaccines from the federal government. Last week’s news about the approval of AstraZeneca is wonderful for the people of Ontario and Canada. We will make sure that as those vaccine supplies come into Ontario, we will get them to the public health units and they will do the job that they have done historically, which is vaccinate the people of Ontario who want to do it. They’re doing an excellent job, and all we need to do is make sure they have sufficient supply.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, we’ve seen how this Premier has not taken advice from the experts. We don’t want that to happen again.

The hardest-hit workers, the essential workers in these neighbourhoods are the ones that deserve to get those vaccines as quickly as possible. They’re the ones that worked every single day in hospitals, in long-term-care settings, in manufacturing, taxi drivers. These workers were working while the rest of us could stay home and stay safe. They should not be left behind.

And we know the science table has clearly indicated that this kind of commitment will mean lives saved and the spread stopped. So when will this government listen to their science table and make the commitment to get vaccines prioritized for those very neighbourhoods and those COVID heroes?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: As the Solicitor General just mentioned, there’s the flexibility within the 34 health units to focus on the areas that they feel most important, going by the guidelines that the chief medical officer and the health table have laid out; and that’s exactly what’s happening, here in Toronto, for example, with Chief Pegg doing a great job taking care of the homeless people, making sure there’s a priority, because the priorities of Toronto aren’t the same priorities up in Kenora.

But the good news is, rather than the opposition party of doom and gloom and the world’s coming to an end, the facts are we vaccinated more people than anyone in the entire country, with 754,000 vaccines. We set another country-wide record yesterday at 27,398 and, totally, 266,000 have been fully vaccinated.

Do you know there’s one problem here? We need more vaccines. We have the infrastructure. We need the vaccines from the federal government. That’s what’s holding everything up.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Sara Singh: My question is to the Minister of Long-Term Care. Yesterday, the Minister of Health was crystal clear in her testimony to the long-term-care commission that only the Premier can answer for this government’s biggest failures. But the Premier still won’t show up and testify at the commission. He won’t even extend their deadline so that they can carry out their work.

Speaker, through you to the Minister of Long-Term Care: Do you agree with the Minister of Health that the Premier needs to appear before the commission and provide these answers to grieving families and seniors, or are you okay with taking the blame for him?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to remind the members to make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor.

Minister of Long-Term Care to respond.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: I reject the premise of that question. I’m just astonished how the members opposite go on. Let me be clear: The government that is addressing the systemic issues that have faced long-term care for decades is this Conservative government. We have a government that has been committed to long-term care since day one, addressing the staffing issues, addressing the capacity issues that had been left to languish, which set the stage for the damage that we saw from COVID-19 in our long-term-care homes.

The foundational pieces that should have been done were not done. We are spending $1.9 billion to train 27,000 people for this sector, and from the pandemic pay alone, we were able to achieve hires of over 8,600 people—8,600—to address a massive gap. It is our government that will repair, rebuild and advance long-term care, so sorely neglected.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Sara Singh: Speaker, the Premier has said that the buck stops with him, yet he refuses to answer any questions, take any responsibility or literally do anything meaningful to help ensure that these tragedies in long-term care never happen again.

It’s clear that the minister didn’t agree with the decisions of Dr. Williams. It’s clear that she didn’t agree with some of the decisions made by the Premier and her colleagues around the cabinet table. Then why, Speaker, why won’t the Minister of Long-Term Care do the right thing and call on this Premier to appear before the long-term-care commission?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Premier to respond.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: I’m going to just tell you the facts here. There’s no elected official in the entire country who has answered more questions about this pandemic than myself—no one.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll ask the Premier to take his seat. Order. Allow the Premier to respond.

Premier?

Hon. Doug Ford: The opposition has been hiding out in I don’t know where, but anyways. As the Minister of Long-Term Care mentioned, our government approved $1.38 billion in surge funding for the sector, because of the failures of the NDP and Liberals for 15 years, just to dismantle and destroy long-term care. We’re in there. We’re fixing it.

Our government put forward $1.9 billion in staffing plans, again, to hire 27,000 new staff. This all happened under the leadership of the Minister of Long-Term Care, who is fixing the problems. We hired 8,200 PSWs. We’re the first jurisdiction in Canada to focus on four hours of care. We’re fixing the problems that were destroyed by the two previous governments. The NDP and Liberals have been in bed for 15 years destroying long-term care.

Services for children and youth

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: There are thousands of youth on track to age out of the supports of the child welfare system across Ontario in the next year. In my riding of Carleton, constituents have raised concerns about how our government is prepared to support children aging out of care during these unprecedented times.

During normal circumstances, the transition for young people leaving care has proven difficult. There are many obstacles and factors that can create barriers for their success. With the added stressors caused by COVID-19, our youth require additional supports in order to thrive. They’re aging out of care into an ever-changing society that has been greatly impacted by the pandemic. Our youth deserve stability and support.

I know our government has made a commitment to help keep our young people safe and secure. Can the Minister of Children and Women’s Issues explain to the members of the Legislature how the government is prepared to support youth in Ontario aging out of care during these difficult times?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you the member from Carleton for that question. COVID-19 has put immense pressure on all Ontarians, and youth in care are no different. As soon as we saw the impacts of COVID-19 last year, we started working with our partners and officials to ensure youth who were expected to age out of service got the supports they needed. I am proud to say we have further extended the moratorium, so no youth will age out of care until September 30, 2022.

We wanted to provide more certainty, and believe that 18 months will help with that. Our hope is that additional time will allow these youths to have the supports post-pandemic and then move into a system that provides an opportunity to thrive. This decision will benefit thousands of young people previously on track to age out of care, by providing them the additional time they require to flourish in our communities.

The pandemic has created many uncertainties, but one thing our youth can be certain of is that they will not lose the supports and services they have right now. We want to make sure all youth leaving care feel prepared and confident for the next

chapter in their lives.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: Thank you to the minister for that great news. It’s reassuring to know that these youth will not be left behind or left on their own. There have been countless stories of youth not having proper support around them. Data shows that many former youths in care don’t graduate high school, and some end up homeless and struggle when they leave care. We cannot let that continue. There needs to be a better option for them.

The minister also mentioned that our government took swift action last year and put the moratorium in place for youth in care, but the extensions were all short-term. Today, she is saying that the extension is for a full 18 months. The minister has spoken about redesigning our broken child welfare system, and I couldn’t agree more. I believe that helping children and youth throughout their entire time in care is essential.

Speaker, through you: Can the minister tell this House how the decision to extend the moratorium was made and whether more is going to be done to help youth as they transition out of care?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to the member for the question. The decision to extend the moratorium was made based on consultations with our incredible front-line workers, sector partners and youth advocates from across the province who tirelessly work for our youth. As the member mentioned, right now, young people leaving care are not set up for success. As a mother with daughters right in this age range, I cannot imagine leaving them to support themselves and become adults.

Our government wants all children and youth, no matter whether they are in care or not, to have positive experiences growing up. That means ensuring they are hitting milestones such as graduating high school, having a safe place to stay and having friends and mentors. We want to work with those who have lived experience to create a better model so all youth leaving care feel supported as they transition to adulthood, and I thank Cheyanne and Conner for all the work they’ve been doing.

I believe this extension gives us time to have constructive conversations and develop a new model that’s responsive to the needs of young people currently in care and those who are preparing to leave.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Marit Stiles: My question is for the Minister of Education. Yesterday, I asked the Minister of Education why so few asymptomatic tests have been conducted to date, and he suggested, “Check the ministry website.” So we did that again, went back to the ministry website and, as of February 26, only 6,659 tests have been completed since the minister’s announcement way back when that the government would test 50,000 students, school staff and their families per week.

Experts have made it clear that we don’t just want to wait for symptomatic cases to appear in schools, like the 160 new cases we have today. We need to identify asymptomatic cases early so we can prevent their spread. It is absolutely essential to keeping schools open.

Speaker, I’m looking for a clear answer today from the minister: Why aren’t you testing more students and education workers?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I should note the last week in the province of Ontario, working under the leadership of the Minister of Health, there have been 17,000 tests provided for children under the age of 18 in Ontario—much more than the member opposite suggested.

But in addition to the Ontario Health capacity deployed in every region of the province, yes, we have a surge testing capacity in the Ministry of Education alone, deployed where it is needed, working in conjunction with public health units and school boards. Of course, as the member would understand and appreciate, it is a voluntary test. Unlike perhaps the members opposite, New Democrats and Liberals, who would impose a requirement on testing on parents, we believe in that choice being critical to our program. We want to encourage participation. We have more capacity than demand.

That’s why I’ve spent the past weeks, as have other members of caucus, encouraging parents to take advantage of the easy local, seamless testing capacity. We’ve deployed another layer of prevention to keep students safe and to keep schools open in the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And the supplementary question?

Ms. Marit Stiles: This government has gone out of its way to make testing inconvenient, and now they’re blaming parents and kids? There are 24 schools closed right now in the province; 672 schools in this province have cases; hundreds more kids are getting sick with COVID-19 every single day, including some who are catching and then spreading the variant.

I’m hearing from parents who can’t find information about where to get this testing, and we know education workers are being turned away from pharmacies, being told they’re ineligible. Speaker, this is not the time to let our guard down or hold back on actions that could keep our kids and our families safe just to save a few bucks.

Why isn’t this government testing the tens of thousands of kids, teachers and education workers per week that it promised?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I think the member opposite has gone out of her way to instill fear in the people of Ontario because, honestly, when you have 99.5% of schools in the province that are open—let’s just reverse the facts: She mentioned 24 schools of roughly 5,000—99.5% are open. As I understand it, there’s 11 million tests—we lead the nation in testing in the province of Ontario, in this country; 99.9% of students have no active case; 86% of schools have no cases at all.

What we have done when it comes to deploying testing: There’s 18 schools identified in York for this coming week, 31 in Hamilton, 75 in Toronto, 24 in Ottawa, 11 in Waterloo and 15 in Durham, and of course the list continues.

Our plan has been fully supported by the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Our plan has been fully funded by this province. We are working hard to keep schools open and schools safe. That is our number one priority, and we’ll continue to follow public health advice to achieve that.

COVID-19 response

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. Last week, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health testified in front of the long-term care commission. Specifically, she said that the Premier overruled the chief medical officer and expanded COVID-19 testing criteria to everyone. Then, she suggested that the commission speak to the Premier as to why.

That decision had consequences in long-term care. It inhibited our ability to do testing quickly in long-term care because of a rapid expansion of the group that could be tested, and it had serious consequences for residents and their families.

The Premier is always saying that he’s taking the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Through you, Mr. Speaker: Can the Premier explain why he overruled the Chief Medical Officer of Health and expanded COVID-19 testing to everyone in Ontario?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for the question. When I appeared before the long-term-care commission, I did indicate that the Premier was concerned about transmission in the community and that asymptomatic testing was necessary in order to prevent community spread and prevent the transmission of COVID-19 into our long-term-care homes. It was done in order to protect the residents of long-term-care homes from COVID coming into them. It was necessary to do it.

It did not overwhelm our lab system. We had already built our lab system up so that we were able to handle that capacity. We created, as you may remember, a lab system from Public Health Ontario, an interconnected lab system that was able to handle increasing volumes of tests. That’s what we did: We increased our testing, but at the same time, we increased the lab capacity so that it could manage the level and the number of tests coming in.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Mr. John Fraser: Thank you, Minister, but respectfully, the commission asked you the question specifically because it affected long-term care. That’s not a good answer, and I would have preferred to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

Throughout this pandemic, there’s a—

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

Mr. John Fraser: I withdraw.

Throughout this pandemic, there’s a clear record of delayed decision-making and failure to act in long-term care. The vaccine “strollout” in long-term care is just the latest example of that.

We know that the government withheld critical documents from the commission and then, weeks before it is to report, dumped 217,000 pages on them. Then, actually, the Minister of Long-Term Care gave her notes at 11 o’clock the night before the testimony—the night before.

The Premier has denied this commission’s reasonable request for an extension. All that says to me is that they want it to go away; they want their own commission to go away. They’re not interested in what it has to say.

Will the Premier grant the commission the extension they have asked for so that families can get some answers and some justice?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader to respond.

Hon. Paul Calandra: As we’ve said right from the beginning, it is certainly strange now hearing the opposition, both the NDP and the Liberals, supportive of a commission that neither one wanted to do. Now they’re very supportive of it—as are we. The commission has done some good work. That’s why we started it earlier: so that we could get some of the recommendations, valuable recommendations.

But let’s be clear, Speaker: Many of the problems that we’re seeing in long-term care today stem from the inadequacy of the previous Liberal administration, of which this member was a parliamentary assistant, during that period of time. They underfunded long-term care. They did not build it. They did not have capacity. It was this Premier, this Minister of Long-Term Care and this Minister of Health who started to rebuild the system.

Every step of the way, whether it was more capacity, whether it was better care, whether it was the blanket of care that the Ontario health teams were bringing in, that side of the House has voted against it, Mr. Speaker. We’ll get the job done that those two parties were unable to do over 15 years of sharing power together.

Assistance to flood victims

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. As we enter the month of March, we will hopefully begin to see some relief from winter with some warmer temperatures. Of course, those warmer temperatures bring melting snow, which can result in flooding risks for communities across the province. As the minister and I can attest to as representatives from the Ottawa Valley, flooding is a major concern to our constituents.

I recall joining Premier Ford in April 2019 as he visited and met with Ottawa first responders during the state of emergency caused by the Constance Bay floods. These flooding events across the province led the government to take action by commissioning a flooding strategy led by special adviser Doug McNeil.

Speaker, we are now in 2021 and on the verge of another potential season of flooding across the province. Can the minister please tell this House what actions from the government he has implemented from the 2019 Ontario flooding strategy?

Hon. John Yakabuski: I want to thank the member for Carleton for that question. Absolutely, we are now at that time of year that comes along every year, and it’s called spring. Spring is coming, and with it comes the spring melt and the spring freshet.

After the 2019 flooding, which the Premier was very involved in—I was involved myself as the minister, and I know the member for Carleton was very involved in her area as well. It was massive flooding across the province in many areas, and we did something that has never been done before: hired a special adviser from outside, a third party from outside to evaluate the system here in Ontario and what could be done to mitigate the effects of flooding, and just a flooding report in general.

Mr. McNeil came up with the most comprehensive report that we’ve ever seen in the province of Ontario or anywhere else. Out of his report came 66 recommendations—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Response?

Hon. John Yakabuski: Speaker, my gosh. Time goes by quickly. I’ll have more to say in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Supplementary question.

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: Thank you to the minister for that response. It will come as good news to people in my riding of Carleton that the government has learned from past events so that we can avoid some of the most devastating effects that flooding can bring. However, each year is different when it comes to flooding. Right now, we are only a few weeks away from the start of a potential flooding season.

I know that this government has taken steps to implement best practices when it comes to flooding preparedness and prevention. Speaker, can the minister please tell this House how this government is preparing for the spring thaw and ensuring that the province is prepared for flooding events, not only in my riding of Carleton, but also in Ottawa and across the province?

Hon. John Yakabuski: Thank you again to the member for the question. As a result of that report, we brought out Ontario’s first-ever flooding strategy last year at about this time, so that we had a plan to deal with the spring freshet, the spring flooding.

What happens, Speaker, is that we have significantly increased our ability to monitor the potential for flooding across the province. We work with our municipal partners. We work with conservation authorities so that we have a better understanding of what could be the potential for flooding down the road, as they say. The municipalities right now—we’re working with them to look at this year’s potential, and we’re going to make sure that we are able to deal with that.

In the past we’ve had, through other ministries as well, substantial support programs to deal with the effects of flooding if and when it happens. We’re going to continue to have those. We have a plan to deal with flooding in the province of Ontario. It is a matter of nature, but we’re prepared to deal with it.

Land use planning

Ms. Sandy Shaw: My question this morning is for the Premier. Yesterday, Vaughan council’s committee of the whole voted to withdraw its previous support for the GTA West highway, also known as Highway 413. This follows votes by the councils of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon to oppose or reconsider this unneeded $6-billion highway through valuable agricultural lands and the greenbelt. Will the Premier cancel this wasteful and environmentally destructive highway?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I think we’ve had a number of questions on this from the leader of the Green Party. As I said, look, the greenbelt, of course, always envisioned and does allow for important provincial infrastructure to be built through it. This is, of course, a highway that still requires a number of consultations to be carried out, both with local officials in the area and it requires an environmental assessment.

But there obviously can be no denying the fact that this is a region of the province that has had tremendous population growth. It continues to be forecasted that there will be tremendous population growth. It’s obviously something that we need to look into if we’re to get people moving around.

Having said that, we will continue our consultations within the community. We’ll continue the environmental assessment. If it makes sense to build this piece of infrastructure, we will. If it doesn’t, we won’t.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And the supplementary.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Mr. Speaker, almost every municipality that would be impacted by Highway 413 has now voted against the Premier’s plan to fast-track this unneeded highway through the greenbelt. The special interests who still support the highway are well-connected donors and land speculators who own property along the highway corridor and stand to make big, big profits. It is a matter of fact that many of these developers and speculators are friends and donors to the Premier and the PC Party.

Will the Premier bulldoze ahead with an unneeded $6-billion gift for his friends and donors, or will he put the public and the environment first and cancel this wasteful and destructive highway scheme?

Hon. Paul Calandra: As I said, there is an envir