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November 19, 2018

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2018-Nov-19 (PDF)

L050 - Mon 19 Nov 2018 / Lun 19 nov 2018

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 19 November 2018 Lundi 19 novembre 2018

Introduction of Visitors

Oral Questions

Children’s services

Children’s services

Affaires francophones

Taxation

Child advocate

Tourism

Ethical standards

Child advocate

Government fiscal policies

Gender identity

Government fiscal policies

Executive compensation

Affordable housing

Employment standards

Northern economy

Senior citizens’ housing

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Visitors

Notice of reasoned amendment

Introduction of Visitors

Members’ Statements

Transgender rights

Eczema Society of Canada

Poet laureate

Hospice palliative care

Transgender rights

Anti-Racism Directorate

Polish Independence Day

Airports in northern Ontario

Hatch

Employment standards

Notice of dissatisfaction

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Woman Abuse Prevention Month / Mois de la prévention de la violence faite aux femmes

Petitions

Injured workers

Employment standards

Mental health services

Northern health services

Indigenous affairs

Public safety

Employment standards

Veterans memorial

Employment standards

Orders of the Day

Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 pour des écoles sûres et axées sur le soutien

The House met at 1030.

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

Prayers.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): We have some special guests in the Speaker’s gallery who I would like to introduce now: Sarah Crosby from Prince Edward Island; Eleanor Davidson and Nicholas Doiron from Nova Scotia; Delphine Ducasse and Gregoire Saint-Martin-Audet from Quebec; Fregine Sheehey, Guillermo Renna, Laura Fernz and Andrew Walker from Ontario; and Emma Lodge from British Columbia. This group is visiting from the parliamentary internship program in Ottawa to learn about Ontario’s provincial Parliament. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature.

Mr. John Vanthof: I would like to welcome members from the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition here representing the livestock industry in Ontario.

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: I would like to introduce members of the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition who are in the members’ gallery today: Joe Hill, Judy Dirksen and Eric Schwindt. I look forward to meeting with them later today, and I would encourage all members to attend their luncheon reception in room 228, right after question period, from 11:30 till 1:30.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: I met today with two members of the association working with palliative care and hospice. I’d like to welcome Pam Blackwood and Cheryl Moore to the Legislature today.

Hon. John Yakabuski: I’d like to welcome to Queen’s Park, in the members’ east gallery this morning, my chief of staff at natural resources, Luca Bucci. Thank you for joining us.

Ms. Suze Morrison: Good morning. I’d like to welcome to the Legislature today Mary Chant and Marilyn Pickford, who are the family of a young page from my riding, Isabel Chant. Welcome to the Legislature.

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: I have the pleasure of introducing to the Legislature today a constituent from McNally House, Pamela Blackwood, as well as her friend Clare Freeman. They are here today from Hospice Palliative Care Ontario. I thank you very much for coming to the Legislature.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I’d like to welcome my good friend from Windsor Keith “Tracker” Traquair, who is the president of the Windsor Professional Firefighters Association. Welcome to Queen’s Park, Tracker.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Speaker, It’s my pleasure to introduce to you today, from Pathways to Education, a wonderful team who are true advocates at heart: Sal Sabila, Sue Gillespie, Roshaan Hajira and Marsha Josephs. They also met with the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Mr. John Fraser: I’d like to welcome Rick Firth, Jennifer Mossop and Megan Wright, who are here from Roger Neilson House and here with Hospice Palliative Care Ontario. They have a reception tonight. I hope everybody can make it. It’s important that you’re there.

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: I’d like to introduce today dear friends of mine: Samantha Scobey, Ryan Vandespyker and Raquel Franco. Thank you for coming. Two people are missing: Tristan Davies and Kenzi Donnelly. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, I want to introduce to you and through you to members of the assembly guests from Mexico who are here as guests of my issues manager and MPP liaison, Chris Crawford. I want to welcome Daniel Montoya and Monica Garza to Queen’s Park. Thank you for being here.

Mrs. Daisy Wai: Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and all members of this House. I’m happy to make some introductions this morning. I would like to welcome one of my constituents to the Legislature today, Mr. Ali Montazeri. Ali is a young professional and a master of information student in my riding of Richmond Hill. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I would like to welcome my husband, my better half, Mr. Albert Wai, who is serving at Tyndale University College and Seminary. Albert, I thank you for standing by me and supporting me as I serve in the House.

We’re happy that he’s joined by our good friends, my great mentors and supporters. First is Rev. C.Y. Yan. He is the director of Connections East Asia at OMF, Overseas Missionary Fellowship, founded by world-famous missionary Dr. Hudson Taylor 150 years ago. Then we have Rev. Peter Mah. He has just recently retired but has been serving in churches in Canada as well as as a director in local and international Christian organizations. He is my mentor, and he is one who has my highest respect. Thank you very much for coming, and welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: I’d like to welcome to the Legislature this morning Belinda Marchese and Renata Rizzardi, the executive director and president of the board of Hospice Vaughan; and Terry Mundell, the president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association. Welcome to the Legislature.

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: I just wanted to introduce my legislative assistant, Rory Taylor. He’s down with me here today from Manotick. I also wanted to recognize my OLIP intern, Hudson Manning. As well, I would be remiss if I did not mention Ryan Vandespyker, because he was a big help in Carleton before the member for Cambridge stole him away from me. Welcome.

Mr. Will Bouma: I’d just like to take a moment to welcome Miss Jennifer Haley to the House this morning. Of course, in St. George, we don’t call her “Jennifer Haley.” We call her “Guider Jen” because she has been involved for years in teaching our next future female leaders in our community.

Oral Questions

Children’s services

Mr. John Vanthof: My question is to the Acting Premier. The government’s fall economic statement shows a $1-billion reduction in children, youth and social services compared to the 2018 budget. Can the Acting Premier explain what children’s services this government plans to cut to realize this reduction?

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Thank you very much to my colleague for the question and for the referral. Last week, the Minister of Finance indicated that this province has a $15-billion deficit.

That said, let’s not talk about money; let’s talk about real action. We have decided as a government to ensure that the ombudsman has more power to have investigative relationships within the children’s aid societies. I had an excellent conversation today with the ombudsman and was interested to learn that for last year alone, 367 complaints were received by his office that had to be referred to the independent child advocate. We feel very strongly that this is a great opportunity for greater child protection in the province of Ontario.

I’ll have more to say tomorrow in a statement, but I’m going to be perfectly clear with you: The independent ombudsman has done great work in the past, he’ll continue to do great work in the future and we’re looking forward to making sure that children in this province are safe with the aid of him.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. John Vanthof: A billion dollars in cuts, Speaker. Removing $1 billion from children’s services will have an impact, even if this government doesn’t want to admit it or talk about it. The independent child advocate was a watchdog who ensured that vulnerable children had a voice when they were hurt by government policy. Did the government scrap this position to make it easier to cut the services that vulnerable children rely on?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: I would have expected a lot better of the member opposite than a question like that. The independent Ombudsman of the province of Ontario has been robust and has been moving forward with a lot of different investigations over the past. If what the member opposite is saying is that he does not have confidence in Paul Dubé, the independent ombudsman, then he should come straight out and say that.

I can tell you, having visited the youth detention centres which are underneath my ministry, that the ombudsman is well represented in those facilities. He will also be well represented within children’s aid societies. But as I said to you on Thursday, I am an activist minister and I will be the fiercest advocate of curing this province, as I have been every single day on the floor of this Legislature for the past 13 years. So I turn back to the member opposite and ask him why he doesn’t support the ombudsman.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock.

Start the clock. Final supplementary.

Mr. John Vanthof: For years, parents have watched as waits grow longer for vital supports, like those that support parents of children with autism. But now we learn there are $1 billion in cuts coming; not just a switch from one to the other, but $1 billion in cuts which the minister isn’t responding to. And the one watchdog who could be a resource and a voice for children as these cuts hit has been fired by the Premier and the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. What cuts is the government planning and what will their impact be on Ontario’s most vulnerable children?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: I have remained steadfast in my support of my ministry and my officials since being appointed to this cabinet on June the 29th. I want to continue to support the excellent work of the ombudsman as well as the Chief Coroner.

We had children die in the care of the province between 2014 and 2017, and I took immediate and extensive action the minute that coroner’s report came out, and I was decisive. I said to the children’s aid societies and I said to the group homes that although the buck stops with me, they have to have more responsibility. If that’s not what the members opposite want, if they don’t want action and they just want more talk, they can go for it. But I’m going to tell you something: the ombudsman and the Chief Coroner will continue to inform my office. I was pleased to have a strong and solid discussion with them today.

We are going to make sure that we work with them, unlike the previous Liberal government who fought with the previous ombudsman and who fought with the Auditor General.

Children’s services

Ms. Sara Singh: My question is for the Acting Premier. The government says that vulnerable children in Ontario will not be spared from this government’s cuts. However, they did find hundreds of millions of dollars for one group of Ontarians. It appears that the wealthiest in our province will be getting relief on high-income surtaxes, a change that will cost the treasury $275 million.

Can the Acting Premier explain why Ontario can’t afford support for vulnerable children but can afford tax cuts for the wealthiest in our province?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: We’re very, very pleased to announce that in the few short weeks that our government has been in office we have found $3.2 billion in savings and have turned over $2.7 billion back to the people of Ontario.

The single biggest program we have, affecting 1.1 million people, is our LIFT program, our Low-income Individuals and Families Tax Credit. Speaker, this tax credit is for people earning $30,000 a year or less, people earning minimum wage. This means they pay no provincial income tax—none, zero, nada. This is what we’re doing with our $2.7 billion that we’ve turned back to the people of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Sara Singh: Speaker, the Premier is just one of the lucky few Ontarians who will be enjoying this tax break. He’ll actually be getting around $200 back this year. So will his friend and former campaign tour director Ian Todd, as he enjoys his new patronage post in Washington. And one can only imagine what Alykhan Velshi will be receiving.

But Ontario’s children will be getting cuts, and their watchdog will be getting a layoff notice. Can the Acting Premier explain to us how that’s even fair for children in this province?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: The reality is that we inherited a $15-billion deficit from the previous Liberal government. Through careful management, we were able to go through line by line and find $3.2 billion in savings already, in only a few short weeks. We were able to turn that money back to the people of Ontario—$2.7 billion given back to the people of Ontario. That is our plan for the people.

By the way, Speaker, we were also able to take the $15-billion deficit inherited from the Liberals and remove $500 million from that, lowering the deficit to $14.5 billion. We have a long way to go and there is more work ahead.

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

Ms. Sara Singh: Speaker, we owe it to children in this province to give them the best start in life, especially vulnerable children like those living in residential care or those with multiple disabilities.

Our former Premier Bill Davis created the position of the child advocate for the very reason of keeping our children safe and to ensure that uncaring, unthinking governments didn’t leave vulnerable children falling behind. Now Premier Ford is rolling out $1 billion in cuts and firing the watchdog Premier Davis once put in place. And the government is even spending millions of dollars on his friends and giving his wealthy friends tax breaks.

Can this government justify how they have these warped priorities? Can you justify the decisions that you’re making?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Thank you to my colleague for referring it.

I take issue with the premise of that question. Premier Bill Davis was a visionary, and we’re very proud that he was a Premier of this province and was with our party. But he did not create the independent child advocate. It was created under the previous Liberal administration. It was born through government, Speaker.

I have a question for the member opposite: Why does she not have confidence in the Ombudsman of Ontario? As I stated in a previous question, over 367 complaints were logged from children’s aid societies into his office that he had to refer out.

We are cutting red tape with this move and creating greater child protection for the people of this province. We have complete faith in the Ombudsman, who already has oversight over Ontario’s school boards and Ontario’s children’s lawyer. Why don’t they?

Affaires francophones

Ma question est simple : Quelle explication raisonnable la ministre déléguée peut-elle fournir aux Franco-Ontariens et Franco-Ontariennes à propos de votre décision de ne pas respecter nos droits constitutionnels d’être éduqués et d’être servis dans notre langue?

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Je remercie le député opposé pour sa question, mais je lui demanderais de corriger ses propos et d’arrêter de diffuser des informations erronées. Nous n’avons pas aboli le commissariat; nous avons transféré toutes ses responsabilités, y compris son mandat, au sein du Bureau de l’Ombudsman. Donc, tout le travail qu’il fait, y compris les enquêtes sur les plaintes et le travail de recommandations, va continuer d’être fait par l’ombudsman. Nous avons confiance, complètement, dans l’ombudsman. Même le commissaire sera transféré s’il le choisit.

Je lui demanderais donc, dans sa question supplémentaire, de corriger ses propos, parce qu’il essaie de semer la politique de la division, et je ne supporterai—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Order.

Start the clock. Supplementary.

M. Guy Bourgouin: En tant que fier Franco-Ontarien et porte-parole du NPD en affaires francophones, je suis absolument horrifié par cette annonce. Mais cette décision n’est pas nouvelle. Les conservateurs ont toujours cherché à diminuer l’importance historique des francophones en Ontario, par exemple, en prononçant le discours du trône uniquement en anglais.

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Comme je viens de le dire, le travail du commissariat va continuer et la surveillance indépendante des droits linguistiques va continuer au sein du Bureau de l’Ombudsman.

Moi, j’aimerais demander aux libéraux, aux membres indépendants du caucus—de 2003 à 2017, ils auraient pu financer cette université, construire cette université, qui est très importante. Nous—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Monsieur le Président, ils n’ont pas construit cette université, ils n’ont pas mis le financement nécessaire derrière ce projet important pour les Franco-Ontariens. Nous, on est honnêtes.

Taxation

Mr. Will Bouma: My question is for the Minister of Finance. Last week’s fall economic statement sent a message to the people of Ontario: The days of Liberal waste and mismanagement are over. It is clear that our government is truly working for the people. It is so important that our government is taking immediate action to clean up the fiscal mess that the Liberals left behind, but at the same time, it is equally important that our government provides relief for those who need it most. We are proud that our government’s first fall economic statement does exactly this.

Could the minister please inform the House what our government is doing to give relief to the most vulnerable in our society?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Thank you to the member from Brantford–Brant. We’re proud to put forward legislation that includes the Low-income Individuals and Families Tax Credit, or LIFT for short. If passed, the LIFT Credit will result in one of the most generous tax cuts for low-income earners in a generation. We are proposing that anyone earning less than $30,000 a year pay no personal income tax. This change, if passed, would provide tax relief to 1.1 million people. That’s 1.1 million people with more money in their pockets to spend how they choose.

This is the right thing to do. The people of Ontario finally have a government that’s working for them, not the other way around. We will continue to do whatever it takes to bring relief to Ontario’s hard-working individuals and families.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Will Bouma: Thank you to the minister for his response. It is so encouraging to see the action our government is taking to bring relief to people across Ontario. The LIFT Credit is an excellent way to put money back into the pockets of those who need it most.

The 1.1 million people who stand to benefit from the LIFT Credit, if passed, will see their lives become more affordable. These individuals and families will be able to keep more of their hard-earned money—and they’ve earned it.

Our government committed to respecting taxpayers by putting more money into people’s pockets, and this is exactly what we are doing. Could the minister please further explain how people will benefit from our proposed LIFT Credit?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: If passed, those eligible for the LIFT Credit will receive up to $850 per year in tax relief, or up to $1,700 for couples. Our proposed LIFT Credit would also be provided to individuals with incomes greater than $30,000 and families with incomes greater than $60,000 on a graduated basis. The LIFT Credit is all about providing relief to those who need it the most.

We remain committed to putting more money in the people’s pockets. Our fall economic statement highlights the $2.7 billion we are returning to individuals, families and businesses in Ontario. For too long, people have waited for relief from their government. Finally, we can say that help is here.

Child advocate

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Speaker, it’s despicable that the Ford government has taken a huge step back by axing the child advocate’s office, whose mandate was to amplify the voices of children and youth in Ontario. Simply put, the Conservative government has declared a war on vulnerable children and youth. It is completely unacceptable that this government is eliminating this very crucial, safe and supportive mechanism for children and youth to speak about being hurt, abused or taken advantage of.

This government has clearly demonstrated where its priorities are. Does the minister believe that children in care are no longer the responsibility of the province?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Obviously, children in care and children in the justice system are the responsibility of the province. I made that very clear after the coroner’s report when I was the first Minister of Children in years to actually condemn those who were turning a blind eye to the protection of children and sent an immediate directive down through children’s aid societies and group homes. I’m going to continue to do that as the minister responsible for children. That is why we are comfortable in expanding the powers of the Ombudsman of Ontario, who previously had those roles and responsibilities, and who has received over 367 requests in the last year alone that he had to refer.

We’re cutting red tape. We’re investing in children. We’re going to make sure that there are greater protections.

Let me be perfectly clear: While the advocate has made a contribution, it is the ministry that needs to take action and accountability, while holding our service providers to higher standards through robust legislation, and I’ll continue to do that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Miss Monique Taylor: Speaker, I believe that this is the same minister, when she was a critic, who blamed the Liberals for not going far enough with the child advocate’s office, and now she’s cutting it. Remember that, Lisa?

Speaker, far too often we hear about children and youth who die in care. That is why the Ontario child advocate was and will always be necessary. Abuse, neglect, trauma and even death are very real issues that children and youth face, as heard in the case of Katelynn Sampson. Too often, their voices are not heard. Vulnerable children and youth need a strong, independent advocate who can hear and amplify their voices to the government. Why is this government turning its back on our most vulnerable children and youth?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: It’s important for me to remind the member opposite that there is a strong, independent advocate for children in this province. It is the ombudsman, who is an independent Legislative Assembly officer of this House. I have been perfectly clear that I am a strong, fierce advocate, as she well knows.

I want to really point out that we need to be advocating and demonstrating that the child is the centre of all decision-making, and the minister and the ministry are the best possible places for this to have a positive impact against the outcomes that desperately need to be improved. I’ll be the fiercest advocate for children in this province, as I demonstrated immediately after the coroner’s inquest, ensuring that there was going to be action and that those children in group homes would be protected. Our—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Order. The member for Hamilton Mountain, come to order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Start the clock. Next question.

Tourism

Mrs. Nina Tangri: My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Ontario’s tourism industry accounts for over 4% of the province’s GDP, making it a significant economic driver for Ontario. The greater Toronto area alone hosted almost 44 million tourists in 2017, with a total of $8.8 billion in visitor spending.

Mr. Speaker, the importance of the hotel industry to tourism in the GTA and across Ontario is also hard to ignore. Our government for the people promised Ontario will be open for business. That’s exactly what we’re doing with our tourism partners. Can the minister update the House to our plan to drive growth in our tourism sector in Mississauga and all across Ontario?

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Thank you to the member from Mississauga–Streetsville for that very important question. Our hotel industry is a key player when it comes to getting this province back on track. That’s why we launched consultations to develop a new tourism strategy and unlock the potential of our $34-billion industry. We’re going to be listening to the concerns of hotel and motel operators during this important process.

Last week, I visited Sault Ste. Marie to consult with our operators in the north. Tonight, I’ll be speaking with the Greater Toronto Hotel Association to offer our support for their growing industry. They’re here in the gallery with us today. The GTHA have been working tirelessly to make Toronto and Ontario a destination of choice, and I look forward to continuing this important work together.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Through you, Mr. Speaker, thank you to the minister for his response. I am thrilled to hear about all the good work the Greater Toronto Hotel Association is doing to create a positive business environment for the GTA and for all of Ontario.

We’re working hard as the government for the people to make life easier for Ontarians so that the tourism sector can flourish and create good jobs. It’s an exciting time for the tourism sector across Ontario. Not only have we launched consultations for a new tourism strategy, but we have also committed to creating opportunity for the economy to flourish.

Would the minister please inform the House what steps the government is taking to support the tourism and hotel industries’ continued success?

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Thank you to the member for that very important question. Our government has taken swift action to create the positive business environment that the hotel sector deserves. We know that a strong hotel industry plays a crucial

part in making our entire tourism sector more dynamic. From taking a sensible approach to minimum wage to addressing unreasonable regulations, we are here to assist the tourism industry to flourish throughout the province.

That’s why we’re working on Ontario’s new tourism strategy. We want to hear from the experts, the associations like the GTHA, whose leadership and expertise have contributed immensely to our economy. Today, I rise in the House to say to all hotel and motel operators, we value your hard work and we will continue supporting your efforts to make Ontario open for business.

Ethical standards

Ms. Sara Singh: Speaker, my question is for the Acting Premier. Last week, the Premier repeatedly refused to answer some basic questions about his standards for cabinet ministers. According to multiple reports, a female staffer working for the then opposition Conservatives came forward with a complaint of sexual misconduct concerning the Minister of Finance. On Thursday, the Premier said that he would not be taking any action on these allegations because an investigation had already occurred.

Can the Acting Premier please tell us who conducted this investigation, whether it was independent, and when it was actually conducted?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you for the question, but this has been answered by the Premier. The Premier has indicated that this was already dealt with, that it was dissolved, there was nothing there to be investigated, and that he completely stands behind our Minister of Finance, which all of us do as well. We stand behind him. We know he is a man of integrity; we know he is a man of commitment. There is nothing more that needs to be said.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Sara Singh: Last week, the Premier stated that he has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct and that he will always act decisively to deal with it, yet over the last month he has hidden key facts from the public when dealing with these very issues.

If an independent investigation has happened, the government should be able to tell us who conducted it and when it was conducted, and confirm that it was done independently. Can the Acting Premier confirm if and when an investigation occurred?

Hon. Christine Elliott: The Premier does have a zero-tolerance policy for issues of this nature, as do all of us. We want to make sure that, if someone comes forward with a complaint, it is going to be investigated and it is going to be investigated independently, as it was with respect to the Minister of Finance, who we stand behind. There was nothing there. That was disposed of. We do have a rigorous process in place.

The reason why specific issues were not coming forward with respect to issues that happened several weeks ago—allegedly—is because we need to protect the confidentiality of the persons bringing forward the complaint. That is absolutely important. They need to be able to come forward knowing that their complaints are going to be dealt with and that their confidentiality is going to be protected. That is the most important thing that we have to deal with, to protect those people and make sure that those investigations are conducted independently, which is being done.

Child advocate

Mr. Michael Coteau: My question today is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Minister, last week, your government decided to eliminate the provincial advocate’s position. I was a bit surprised because I know the member personally has worked with the advocate’s office. I think that the member opposite has done a lot of good work to support children here in the province of Ontario, without a question. I had the opportunity to work with her on Rowan’s Law, and she is an advocate for children. I wish her well in the position.

So I was a bit surprised last week when that announcement came out. I would just like to know, because I know the member opposite has been very supportive of that office in the past, why the sudden change? I would like to know if the recommendation to eliminate this important office actually came from the minister and, if not, who actually made the recommendation.

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Thank you very much to the member opposite, a previous minister of this portfolio. I’ll be perfectly clear: This was a decision by the government that I fully support. I fully support it because 367 requests went in to the ombudsman last year alone from children’s aid societies and he was not able to investigate. He is the appropriate person to make sure we have the protections in place for our youth, whether they’re in care or in custody. I’ve had the opportunity, as the minister responsible for children and youth, to travel throughout the province and visit some of our detention centres, where the ombudsman actually had a greater presence than the child advocate.

While I thank the independent child advocate for his work, we are going to ensure his office moves over with the ombudsman, and we can make sure that the investigations that he undertakes are robust and that we will act immediately on them. We are also very pleased that he has the oversight of our school boards as well as our family court system.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Michael Coteau: I would like to thank the minister for the answer. The ombudsman, obviously, is a very important position, but the advocate had another function: to amplify the voice of young people here in the province.

There are many programs that the office has worked on over the last year by supporting young people and creating a forum, like Feathers of Hope, which provided 41 recommendations to address youth suicide in Indigenous communities; You Are Not Alone, which is an important initiative supporting LGBTQ youth here in Ontario; and HairStory, which was established in 2012 to help better position young Black people in this province for success.

So there is that amplifying-of-the-voice piece that was very important. There are many young people here in the House, and if the government doesn’t believe they owe us in this House an explanation on why they decided to kill this position, please explain to the young people in this House today how their voice is going to be amplified here in Ontario without this important position.

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: Not a single oversight provision will be lost in these changes. In fact, because they are going to the ombudsman, they will be strengthened.

But the difference between this government and the previous Liberal government is that we act, and we act decisively. When the coroner’s report came out on deaths in custody and of children in care, I acted immediately. I was the only minister of children and youth that the coroner had met with and had briefed on this, despite only being in power for four months.

Speaker, we are going to continue to make sure that children’s voices are amplified, and we’re going to continue to make sure that they’re here at Queen’s Park. They will be here tomorrow, and I’ll be making a greater statement tomorrow on the international day of the child. I’m very excited to bring their voices to this assembly. But just because it was done by the previous Liberal government doesn’t mean it was done right.

Government fiscal policies

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: My question is to the President of the Treasury Board. In the length of time that this question period will take, the people of Ontario will have paid $1.4 million in interest on a provincial debt of more than a third of a trillion dollars. My constituents are very concerned about how our debt and interest payments will impact the government’s ability to provide services and invest in social supports. It is clear that the Minister of Finance and the President of the Treasury Board have been working tirelessly to reform the province’s finances.

Last week, the Minister of Finance presented the fall economic statement to this House. Can the president please inform this House how the fall economic statement will put Ontario’s economy and finances back on track?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you to the member from Mississauga East–Cooksville for that question.

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, the people of Ontario paid more and more for less and less. That ended last week with the fall economic statement.

Interjection.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: I like the fact that the Minister of Finance liked that.

In fact, we have already reduced spending by 2%, with no impact on service delivery.

While the opposition focuses on sound bites, here’s some of what we propose: no Ontario income tax for 1.1 million people; $40 million in tax relief for Ontario businesses.

The opposition said that it could not be done—that we couldn’t reduce spending and that we couldn’t make government better. Well, we did, we have, and we will.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: Thank you to the President of the Treasury Board for that answer.

It’s clear that this government is serious about controlling spending while still providing the front-line services that Ontarians depend on, like better access to mental health services and long-term-care beds.

It’s much easier to complain than to act. That explains why, after 15 years, we are cleaning up the mess they left behind.

Can the President of the Treasury Board please tell this House how else the government is helping Ontarians?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you for the question.

Our government has acted where the Liberals have failed. Everything announced last week by the Minister of Finance makes Ontario a better and stronger province for all. In a matter of weeks, we have reduced our deficit by $500 million, yet we still increased funding to fight guns and gangs and are building 6,000 new long-term-care beds, all while putting $2.7 billion back in the pockets of individual and family low-income earners.

We promised Ontarians that we would act quickly to get to work and make life better. The Minister of Finance made it clear last week that help is not only on the way, but that help has arrived, and it’s this government and this party that have delivered that.

Gender identity

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: My question is for the Acting Premier. This question is about the government’s views on human rights and safety in our schools and communities.

Over the weekend, delegates to the Progressive Conservative convention in Toronto voted in support of a resolution dismissing gender identity discussions as liberal ideology that should be pulled from the school curriculum.

Will the Acting Premier denounce this resolution in the Legislature today?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the member to attempt to rephrase his question so that it pertains to government policy.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Speaker, my question is whether the resolution that was voted upon at the Progressive Conservative convention will become government policy.

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of Education.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: The resolution from the weekend does not pertain to, nor is binding on, government policy. The answer is no.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Quite frankly, we’ve seen what this government has done already in rolling back the health and phys ed curriculum. In statements to the press, Conservatives insisted this resolution represented a fringe view among PC members, even though it was supported by the overwhelming majority of convention delegates, many of whom are sitting across the floor right now.

Supporters of this resolution noted that it merely echoed the words of our Premier, who dismissed gender identity as “liberal ideology” when running for the PC leadership. Trans people, their parents and their loved ones are scared. Many tell me this resolution and the overwhelming support it received has put a target solidly on their backs.

The trans community needs to hear the Premier and the Deputy Premier say clearly that this decision was wrong, and that they think that the PC delegates who endorsed this resolution were also wrong.

Will the Acting Premier do that now and call on the Premier to personally do that later today?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I listened carefully to the supplementary and I do not believe that it was a question on government policy.

Next question.

Government fiscal policies

Mr. David Piccini: My question is for the Minister of Finance. We were so proud to release our government’s first economic outlook and fiscal review last week. In reading through the fall economic statement, it’s clear we’ve turned the page on 15 years of Liberal fiscal mismanagement. Last Thursday, our government proved that help is on the way—help for over 1.1 million low-income Ontarians, help for our job creators and help for our next generation.

Could the minister please explain the progress our government has made in fixing 15 years of Liberal mismanagement?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Thank you to the member from Northumberland–Peterborough South for the question.

During our government’s first few weeks in office, we have taken immediate steps to tackle the $15-billion structural deficit left behind by that Liberal government. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone in our government, we have already found $3.2 billion in savings. Thank you to the President of the Treasury Board for the great efforts on that. As a result, we are able to deliver $2.7 billion in immediate relief for Ontario individuals, families and businesses. That’s $2.7 billion put back into the pockets of the people right across Ontario.

There’s still a long road ahead but we have already made great progress. After 15 years, the people of Ontario are finally getting the relief they deserve and a government that is working for the people.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. David Piccini: Thank you, Minister, for that excellent response. Thank you for showing the youth here present that fiscal responsibility matters. Thank you for setting an important lesson in savings. Thank you for your swift action in tackling our deficit.

For the benefit of everyone here, Mr. Speaker, and to use an appropriate common analogy, it would take Drake over 2,000 years to pay off our debt. None of the young students here—who haven’t even started working yet—deserves to owe $22,000 in debt already, and they haven’t even got a job yet.

Minister, thank you for your work in getting this province’s finances in order. Can you please describe for us the road ahead?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Last week’s fall economic statement was just the start of much more work to come. It is our duty to continue to strengthen our financial position. We simply cannot let the unsustainable practices of that Liberal government continue. Ontario remains the most indebted province or state on the entire planet.

In 2018, we will pay $12.5 billion of interest on debt left behind by the Liberals. That’s $1 billion a month. As you heard earlier, since we’ve been in question period this morning, that’s $1.4 million in interest just in this last hour. This cannot continue. This puts the sustainability of our key services and our programs at risk. We must do things differently. We are committed to making changes today so that our government can continue to serve the hard-working people of Ontario for generations.

Executive compensation

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Speaking of fiscal responsibility, Speaker, my question is to the Acting Premier. Will the Acting Premier confirm to this House and for the taxpayers of Ontario that the Premier’s chief of staff, Dean French, personally called the chair of Ontario Power Generation and demanded the firing of Alykhan Velshi?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Minister of Energy.

Hon. Greg Rickford: OPG makes their own staffing decisions. They’re a crown corporation that is responsible for their own staffing decisions. OPG makes their own staffing decisions.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I know that this is an uncomfortable line of questioning for the Conservatives, particularly any fiscal conservatives who may still remain across the aisle. Dean French, the Premier’s hand-picked chief of staff, personally and completely inappropriately intervened to get Alykhan Velshi fired after one day on the job, and as a result this Tory insider is going to take home half a million dollars. I mean, for $500,000, at least make this guy rake leaves or shovel snow in the winter. Don’t give him a gift-wrapped parachute for 24 hours on the job.

Will the Acting Premier please just answer the question? Did Dean French, the Premier’s hand-picked chief of staff, fire Alykhan Velshi? And how much will his firing cost the taxpayers of the province of Ontario?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Let’s be clear with respect to OPG’s staffing decisions. Under an NDP government, the anti-nuclear democratic party, 7,000 people would have been cut loose. People looking for jobs to shovel snow and rake leaves—they’d be a talented workforce that’s invested in committing to our electrical system, a key asset for this province moving forward. Imagine the chaos that would have ensued had those 7,000 hard-working people from the great Pickering–Uxbridge riding been cut loose. Those aren’t the kinds of staffing decisions that we have to worry about—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I understand that the government members are enthusiastic about the minister’s reply, but once they stood up and started clapping loudly, I could not hear the minister.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Start the clock. Next question.

Affordable housing

Mrs. Robin Martin: My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. As we have heard in this Legislature, our government for the people is delivering on its promise to make life more affordable in Ontario. Today I’d like to further discuss how this government is addressing the housing crisis left behind by the previous Liberal government.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard time and time again the struggles people face when trying to find housing in Ontario, especially in the GTA. As our population has grown, the housing market has not kept up. Instead of collaborating with the housing sector, the previous government enacted their own policies that choked the system with red tape and slowed down the building of houses. When I was knocking on doors, one of the key concerns I heard was about how children would ever be able to afford to live in this city.

Can the minister please tell us what he has been doing to address the mess left behind by the Liberals?

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the member for Eglinton–Lawrence for that excellent question and also for her concern on this file. We all know there’s a shortage of housing that’s affordable in this province. We continuously hear stories about people who cannot find a place to live, particularly in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area.

This is why our government for the people is taking a new approach. We’re going to be engaging communities and stakeholders to work together in developing innovative ideas to create housing. We’re going to be cutting red tape to make it easier to build the housing we need. Since I became minister, Speaker, I’ve been actively engaged and have consulted with hundreds of housing stakeholders. We’ve been working to shorten the approval times to get buildings to go up faster.

Here’s a quote from Daryl Chong of the Greater Toronto Apartment Association: “The lack of new purpose-built rentals in the city of Toronto is well documented. It has generated considerable ‘talk’ with very little ‘action’ over the past several years.” And I’ll be—

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

Mrs. Robin Martin: Thank you to the minister for that thorough answer. I know Ontarians will be relieved to learn of the commitment of this government to combatting Ontario’s housing crisis. Last week, the Minister of Finance delivered the fall economic statement and outlined how we, as a government, are going to help the most vulnerable in our province.

I know how dedicated our Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is to working with our municipal and regional partners to create new housing, housing that is affordable for the people of Ontario. I know there is a lot of work ahead of us, but I have the utmost confidence in this minister to take it on. Can the minister please outline what steps he and his department will be taking to improve access to housing?

Hon. Steve Clark: Again, I want to thank the member for that follow-up question. We all know that it’s going to be a long road ahead to fix Ontario’s finances, but between the Minister of Finance and the President of the Treasury Board, they’ve already been doing such an excellent job, and I believe it’s certainly going to get better in this province.

In the fall economic statement, our government committed to engaging with the people of Ontario to find new, innovative ideas and to be engaging stakeholders to make housing more affordable, and we’re not going to do that on the backs of taxpayers. We look forward to working with our stakeholders, the people of Ontario and all levels of government on ways to make housing more affordable in our province. I encourage everyone to contribute to our Housing Supply Action Plan consultations which are now live on the website. I want people to go to that website, ontario.ca/housingsupply. We want to engage the public, we want to get those innovative ideas, but we have to create more supply—

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

Employment standards

Mr. Jamie West: My question is to the Deputy Premier.

Jenny Fortin is a constituent of mine who for years worked as a precarious, low-wage retail employee. She struggled to make ends meet and fell into debt just trying to pay for the basics.

Last week, 113 people applied to speak about the rollback of wages and workplace rights under Bill 47. Instead of listening to the voices of hard-working Ontarians like Jenny, the government limited committee to only 20 deputations over just five hours. Four didn’t even receive the full 15 minutes to speak.

Why is this government shutting down the voices of the people who will be hurt most by this regressive legislation?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Minister of Labour.

Hon. Laurie Scott: Look, we have been hearing from the people of Ontario for over a year and a half, since Bill 148 was introduced. We ran an election on the promise to make Ontario open for business, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

Over the past months, the parliamentary assistants from Flamborough–Glanbrook and Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill have been meeting with job creators across the province. This is about securing Ontario’s economic prosperity for the long term, making sure our kids have a brighter future than we did and making sure people like you’ve mentioned have the opportunity for better jobs in the province of Ontario. That’s exactly why we introduced the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, because of the concerns we heard about Bill 148.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Jamie West: It would be nice if the government would also listen to workers as well as employers to get the full story.

During Bill 47 committee hearings, Jill Promoli shared the tragic story of her son Jude’s death from the flu. It was the presence of one sick child at school who spread the virus to other children which resulted in Jude, a previously healthy two-year-old, contracting the virus and, sadly, passing away. Jill reminded us all that families need to be able to take time off work to care for their children when they’re sick, to keep them and others safe. That is not red tape.

Why is the government disregarding the advice of doctors, medical associations and parents like Jill, who are warning us that doing away with paid sick days will put all of our health at risk?

Hon. Laurie Scott: Our government is seeking the right balance between protection of workers and not hobbling our job creators’ ability to grow the economy or limiting our capacity to attract new businesses to Ontario. The paid leave provisions that entitled employees to two full days of leave after only five days of work is unheard of in any other province in Canada. Combined with the 21% increase in the minimum wage, it put an intolerable burden on job creators.

Mr. Speaker, we want to create a province that’s going to have better jobs for people, with better entitlements. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in the province of Ontario: creating better jobs for the people of Ontario.

Northern economy

Mr. Norman Miller: My question is for the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines.

I’m proud to be part of a government that is committed to making sure that families and businesses thrive. Our government is making the right decisions to make our province open for business.

Ontario used to be the economic engine of Canada, and after 15 long years of Liberal government, our province became sluggish and uncompetitive. But our government is turning that around, and I’d like to thank all the ministers who are helping our government to make Ontario open for business.

The fall economic statement proves how committed our government is to getting the economy going. That includes Ontario’s northern economy, which has struggled for the last 15 years.

Can the Minister of Northern Development and Mines tell us what our government is doing to make northern Ontario open for business?

Hon. Greg Rickford: A $14.5-billion structural deficit, more than a third of a trillion dollars’ worth of structural debt, a debt-to-GDP ratio of 40.5%—it’s staggering. The member from Parry Sound–Muskoka was right to point out that we’re no longer Ontario’s economic engine; we’re its fiscal basket case, and we need to turn that around.

The opportunity comes from northern Ontario as much as it does any part of this province. We’re seeing a rebound in the forestry sector by making strategic investments, reducing the regulatory burden so mines can open up, investing in skills and trades. We’ve got a promising future to open corridors for electrification and roads, so our Indigenous communities can contribute more heartily to a northern Ontario economy. Moving forward, northern Ontario holds the prosperity for this great province as much as anybody else.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Norman Miller: Mr. Speaker, I’d like to thank the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines for leading our efforts to get northern Ontario open for business.

I know that our government is working to make the province an attractive destination for the private sector to do business and create good jobs. It is imperative that we defend and advance the province’s economic interests. This includes the metals and mining sectors, which provide economic opportunities for people in the north. These industries create good-paying jobs that make our province open for business.

Can the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines please tell the members of this House about how our government is committed to supporting the northern economy through the fall economic statement?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Some of our colleagues were joking with us, saying it should have been called the “northern Ontario fall economic statement.” That’s because, for the first time in 15 years, after a decade and a half of darkness, northern Ontario is in the game, Mr. Speaker. We think we can make an incredible contribution.

We know how much we’re in debt; we don’t deny it. Unlike the new denial party, Mr. Speaker, we acknowledge the debt, and we see the opportunity that we can make.

We can’t afford to have mines taking seven years to open— Sugar Zone, Mr. Speaker. We can’t have mines making decisions to close prematurely because of a regulatory burden. We need to make sure that corridors are built so our Indigenous communities can make a fulsome contribution to our economy and enjoy a better overall quality of life.

Mr. Speaker, we’re going to take a look at the several acts that burden us up in northern Ontario, cut that red tape, and open northern Ontario—

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Order.

Start the clock. Next question.

Senior citizens’ housing

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. A constituent of mine, Ms. Janis Pinheiro, is here with us in the House today. Ms. Pinheiro, who is a senior, describes herself as a model citizen. She has worked her entire life and paid her taxes. Ms. Pinheiro has spent 12 years on the wait-list for subsidized housing before she was finally offered a small bachelor apartment, which she accepted, only for it to be withdrawn because she was working part-time.

She has had two surgeries recently, and as her health continues to fail, all she wants is to move into the seniors’ subsidized housing that she was offered, but instead, she’s been put back on the waiting list. She is being penalized for working part-time.

Can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing tell Ms. Pinheiro what he is doing to ensure seniors like her get the housing that she needs? Or does the minister expect her to wait another 12 years?

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, through you to the honourable member, and also to her constituent: This is an issue that our government is very, very concerned about.

I can tell the honourable member my own story about subsidized senior housing in my own riding. The very first file I opened up in my MPP office in March 2010 was regarding a seniors’ apartment building, a subsidized building that we wanted in my riding and in my home city of Brockville. Speaker, there was so much red tape and there were so many roadblocks in getting that building built and provided for those seniors. Next month will be the time when those seniors are going to be moving into that building.

Eight and a half years is too long to be building subsidized housing in this province. We’re going to change that. My message to you and your—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That conclude the time we have for question period.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Mr. Jim McDonell: Point of order: I just want to give the member from Hamilton East–Stoney Creek a chance to pay his debts for the loss of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats yesterday. I know he’s lost three in a row, and I know it’s getting hard on him.

Visitors

Mr. Will Bouma: If I could, I want to welcome a member of my constituency staff, Seth Kamminga, to the House today. It’s his first visit here. We’re only as good as those people who represent us in the riding, and I’d like to welcome him here today.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Once again, if you have a point of order, please say so. I can’t read your mind.

The member for Chatham-Kent–Leamington.

Mr. Rick Nicholls: It’s my great privilege to introduce to the Legislature this morning Rick Firth, who is president and CEO of Hospice Palliative Care Ontario, as well as Jan Pearce. We had a wonderful meeting this morning in my office. Welcome.

Miss Monique Taylor: I see a good friend, Clare Freeman, in the House today. She’s the executive director of Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice in the riding of Hamilton Mountain. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Notice of reasoned amendment

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 71(b), the member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas has notified the Clerk of her intention to file notice of a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of Bill 57,

An Act to enact, amend and repeal various statutes. The order for second reading of Bill 57 may therefore not be called today.

This House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1145 to 1300.

Introduction of Visitors

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: Good afternoon, and thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to introduce Amanda Cresswell-Melville, the executive director of the Eczema Society of Canada; and Jennifer Aves, also an employee of the Eczema Society of Canada. Welcome to the Legislature of Ontario.

Ms. Jane McKenna: I would like to introduce Karen Candy, the CEO of the Carpenter Hospice in Burlington. It is an unbelievable organization, and they do an amazing job providing end-of-life services to the people of Burlington. I welcome you here today. She’s not here right at this moment, but she will be.

Members’ Statements

Transgender rights

Mr. Joel Harden: It’s an honour to rise in this House today to bring a very clear message from my community in Ottawa Centre, from our party and, I actually believe, from this entire House: Trans people exist, trans people matter, and all of those who want to suggest otherwise are living in an alternate reality.

This House, in the last Parliament, passed Toby’s Law. Toby’s Law was something that was brought forward with the sponsorship of the current Deputy Premier. Toby’s Law acknowledged something that is startling to me: 77% of trans youth have contemplated suicide and 45% of trans youth have attempted it.

We have to create a province that’s loving and compassionate. I think of people at home like D.J. Freedman, Behc Jax Lynx, Thane Robyn, Kaeden Seburn and Lyra Evans, the first elected trans education trustee in our country’s history. That’s the future. Let’s not look to the past.

I want to salute Minister Thompson for saying very clearly in this House earlier today that that is not going to be the policy of this government. I want to salute my friend David Piccini from Northumberland–Peterborough South, who said very clearly to me earlier today that he’s going to be driving two hours to a protest at his office to support trans rights and to participate in it.

That’s the signal we’re sending from this House today. Those who think otherwise should live in a different reality, not the one we live in today.

Eczema Society of Canada

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: Today, in honour of Eczema Awareness Month, the month of November, I would like to speak about the Eczema Society of Canada, a registered Canadian charity dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians living with eczema.

Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by symptoms such as itch, dryness and rash, which can cause the skin to ooze, crack and bleed. It is a spectrum condition, and while it can be mild and often well managed, on the other end of the spectrum it can be moderate or severe, in which case it can be intensely itching, painful, debilitating and life-altering.

The Eczema Society of Canada offers education and support programs to guide eczema patients and caregivers regardless of the severity of their condition. They also educate Canadian health care providers to improve eczema care in Canada and, in the past two years, have provided certified or accredited continuing medical education programming to over 8,000 health care providers across Canada.

This is a crucial time for eczema patients in Canada, as recent research breakthroughs have led to many new drugs being developed for this condition. You can learn more about the Eczema Society of Canada and their programs by visiting eczemahelp.ca.

Poet laureate

Mr. Percy Hatfield: We aren’t wearing our poppies anymore, but we are still in the month of remembrance. With that in mind, I’d like to put on the record a poem written recently by George Elliott Clarke. He’s a former Canadian parliamentary poet laureate and a former poet laureate of Toronto.

Acadia University in Nova Scotia asked Mr. Clarke to write an alternative poem to the one we all know, In Flanders Fields. Here’s his poem, “An Armistice At Last?”

That “Great War”—that “War to End War”? Didn’t.

Thus every November the 11th at 11 a.m., ardent and strident

As bagpipes—we pray, baying just for that.

“Peace at last”—and a peace that lasts—instead

Of studding grave-plots with marble nobels

Statued soldiers—the famed—plus “Unknown”—dead,

Life-like in stoic postures... Foibles?

Nay: Their heroics rendered them lifeless,

Then deathless! Now, they gesture and beckon

New gallants to new fronts and “success”

At killing or dying... (Choose what Reckon!)

If only an Armistice summoned Peace—

Not mere pause betwixt each bloody decease!

Speaker, once again we see the value in poetry and in having a poet laureate. Great Britain has had a poet laureate for something like 400 years; Canada has had one since 2002. We have them in towns, cities and counties all across Ontario. Other provinces have them, and there’s no good reason why the province of Ontario doesn’t have one.

Again, I call on the Conservative government to name a poet laureate for Ontario.

Hospice palliative care

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Hospice Palliative Care Ontario members are here today visiting Queen’s Park and they’re here to talk about something no one really likes to talk about. They are here to talk about dying. It’s truly the elephant in the room. We don’t want to talk about it, but it’s the one thing that we all have in common. We’re all going to die and we’re all going to lose loved ones. Very few of us, though, will die suddenly. In fact, 97% of Canadians will know when the end of life is coming, and they will need care. They’ll need medical, spiritual, physical, psychological, social and many other types of supports.

That’s what hospice palliative care is. It’s holistic care to help us all live as well as possible to the natural end of life. That can often happen at home or in a residential hospice. We need more hospice palliative care here in the province of Ontario. That’s why I’m proud to say that my private member’s bill, the Compassionate Care Act, which was supported unanimously in this House, has passed second reading. It provides for a framework and reporting timelines to help us meet the inevitable demand for care.

I want to encourage all members in this House to welcome the compassionate care workers for their communities and thank them for all they do, because nothing else matters when the elephant is in the room.

Transgender rights

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: Today I wrote a letter to the government.

“Dear government,

“What you’re doing is hurting me; it’s hurting us. But you don’t seem to want to listen.

“When I was elected, I made a commitment to represent the people in my riding of Kitchener Centre. That means the people who voted for me and those who didn’t, the people who are straight like me, and those who identify as queer.

“And I’m pretty sure that that’s the same for you, isn’t it?

“Well, when I found out about the resolution you overwhelmingly passed to no longer believe in trans folks, I was overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed because no matter what we say here today, the damage has already been done. The fear our trans friends and families feel is real. It’s real today.

“We’ve spoken about this before. When you rolled back sex ed and removed overt references to LGBTQ communities, I stood up and I spoke out.

“I reminded you then, in the way that I’m going to remind you today: Not talking about something doesn’t make it go away.

“So let me be clear:

“As a member of the official opposition, I will keep speaking to you about the harm that you’re doing no matter how angry you get, no matter how much you try to ignore me and no matter how hard you fight.

“Because trans rights are human rights.

“It’s time to do better.

“Our children are watching.

“Sincerely,

“MPP Laura Mae Lindo.”

Anti-Racism Directorate

Mr. Michael Coteau: Today I want to talk about the Anti-Racism Directorate. It has been roughly half a year since Doug Ford and the Conservatives were elected into power in this province, and I want to bring up the fact that we still don’t know what the status is of the Anti-Racism Directorate.

In February 2016, we established the Anti-Racism Directorate. We had 10 public meetings across the province. A strategic plan was put forward in March 2017. We also passed the Anti-Racism Act on June 1, 2017, and an annual conference was held that year. The first Anti-Black Racism Strategy was put forward in December 2017. The OPS followed up with an anti-racism policy in February 2018. And the anti-racism standards were established on April 23, 2018.

Mr. Speaker, since then we’ve heard absolutely nothing about the Anti-Racism Directorate. Like the previous speaker said, not talking about something doesn’t mean that it’s going to go away. We need to talk about racism here in the province of Ontario. Racism is on the rise, and we need to make sure that we have a government that understands that when we all reach our full potential, Ontario reaches its full potential and makes Canada a better place. So I’d ask the government to come forward with the next steps for the Anti-Racism Directorate and allow us to reach our full potential as a province.

Polish Independence Day

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: On November 11, Poland celebrated its 100th anniversary of national independence. For Poles living all over the world, it is a day to salute those who have fought and died courageously to resist tyranny and preserve Polish sovereignty.

On November 8, I was honoured to commemorate this historic day by co-hosting a flag-raising ceremony and non-partisan reception with Mr. Krzysztof Grzelczyk, consul general of the Republic of Poland, alongside my colleagues the member from Etobicoke Centre and the member from Humber River–Black Creek.

Together with the Premier, the Deputy Speaker and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, my colleagues and I were thrilled to welcome several Polish government officials to Queen’s Park, including Mr. Stanisław Karczewski, Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, Senators Aleksander Bobko and Piotr Florek, and Minister Jakub Kowalski. The day was filled with fruitful discussions about Ontario and Poland’s thriving relations and how our governments can work together to foster even deeper economic and cultural ties, based on innovation, trade, investment and exchange of human resources.

Speaker Karczewski commended the 1.1-million-strong Polish diaspora in Canada for their excellent organization and work in preserving Polish traditions, culture and language in Canada, while being stellar and diligent contributors to the Canadian cultural, scientific, political and social fabric.

Premier Ford expressed his enthusiasm and interest in working with Speaker Karczewski and the government of Poland, restating our government’s position that Ontario is open for business, which includes being open for business with Poland.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the MPPs in attendance, my wonderful staff, the Premier’s office and the many individuals involved in making this historic celebration a success. On behalf of the Polish Canadian community here in Ontario, I thank you. Sto lat Polska.

Airports in northern Ontario

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Kiiwetinoong.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Meegwetch.

Remarks in Oji-Cree.

Thank you for allowing me to speak, Mr. Speaker.

Airports play a critical role in the Far North in this province. While most people in Ontario count on roads, highways, railways and transit systems to get around, remote First Nations communities count on airports. Ontario has more remote First Nations than any other region in Canada. I can say that airports are a lifeline for fly-in communities in the north. When we talk about the safety and well-being of our people, families depend on airports for health care, economic development, security, shipments, emergency care, high school—because we have to send out our children, by air, to another community for high school.

Also, with the effects of climate change, First Nations communities have to rely on airports even more. As I said before, warmer climates mean that there’s a shorter season for ice roads.

Meegwetch.

Hatch

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Mr. Speaker, Mississauga–Lakeshore is home to many great businesses that support Ontario families and provide good, well-paying jobs supporting the local economy.

Last Friday, I had the pleasure to visit one of these businesses. Hatch was founded in the GTA but has grown into a global operation, with projects in more than 150 countries and employing over 9,000 people worldwide. Hatch is an example of exploring Ontario’s economic and local communities.

However, what Hatch continues to do best is invest in Ontario and support Ontario families. Hatch employs more than 2,000 Ontarians, including 1,500 in my riding of Mississauga–Lakeshore.

When we talk about innovation, we need look no further than companies like Hatch. During my visit, I went on a virtual tour of the unit 6 reactor vault at Bruce Power, a tool built to help with the Bruce major component replacement, set to begin in 2020. Together, these companies are delivering on Ontario’s largest infrastructure project at Bruce Power, which will support 22,000 direct and indirect jobs annually and provide $4 billion in annual benefits through direct and indirect investment. It will help keep the lights on in Ontario well into 2064.

Companies like Hatch and Bruce Power are innovating and creating jobs throughout the province and creating made-in-Ontario solutions for major infrastructure projects. I am proud of the work these Ontario businesses are doing right here in Mississauga–Lakeshore, and I’m proud that Ontario is open for business once again, Mr. Speaker.

Employment standards

Mr. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: I rise today to express my support for an issue that has come up in my riding of Brampton South. A lot of members of my community in Brampton South have been facing some issues and difficulty as owner-operators with CN rail. I had a chance to visit them not too long ago—two weeks ago—with my colleague Amarjot Sandhu. I know the member from Milton also had an opportunity to visit them as well. We listened to their concerns, primarily around safe working conditions and also access to sanitary bathroom use on the job.

Truck drivers are the base of our economy. They are hard workers, and we want to ensure that we lend our support. I lend my support to them as they use their resources and as they bring awareness to their cause at CN. I want to make sure that their voice is also heard here in the House, and we want to make sure that their hard-earned money that they’ve put towards their trucks and the resources that they use also go noticed.

I want to once again reassure that I stand with all of the hard-working truck drivers across this province and request the members at CN to take notice of the issues that they have put forward.

Notice of dissatisfaction

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Pursuant to standing order 38(a), the member for London North Centre has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Minister of Education concerning changes to the education curriculum. This matter will be debated tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Woman Abuse Prevention Month / Mois de la prévention de la violence faite aux femmes

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: I rise today with a profound and intense belief in the safety of women and girls, and I rise in this House recognizing November as Woman Abuse Prevention Month. Members of the House will be wearing purple scarves like these tomorrow in solidarity with women who are escaping domestic violence and sex trafficking.

The purple scarf is a symbol of the courage it takes for a woman to leave her abuser and take back her independence and her life. The Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses started this campaign to let women who have experienced abuse know that they have our support and that they’re not alone.

As women’s minister, I stand fully and proudly with them. Women are three times more likely to be stalked and three and a half times more likely to be a victim of intimate partner crime. Indigenous women are three times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime and three times more likely to experience spousal violence than non-Indigenous women. These statistics, as horrific as they are, represent individual acts of physical and sexual violence against women, and it is happening right now in our communities across our province.

We must bring change and progress to this issue. It’s Ontario’s dirty little secret, and it’s time we opened all Ontarians’ eyes to it.

The types of violence against women are many—sexual violence and harassment, criminal harassment, cyber harassment, sexual exploitation and domestic violence—but what they share in common is an attitude by the abuser that it is somehow okay to inflict violence on women and girls because they’re unequal to men. We must change this attitude and the violent behaviour that results from it. I, for one, will continue to use my voice and this podium to make that change. Violence against women and girls is unacceptable.

Ontario first designated the month of November to shine a light on the issue of violence against women in 1986. That’s more than 30 years ago. Over the decades, progress to end this problem has been made through crisis centres, helplines, shelters and public awareness campaigns. We’ve made great progress, yet daily we still hear stories of women who have survived horrific experiences, and worse, of those who lost their lives to senseless violence.

We can no longer turn a blind eye to this toll, and so we use November to give violence against women the attention and profile it deserves. On November 25, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign begins. This is an international campaign linking violence against women to human rights. That’s because violence against women is a violation of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. And that’s why our government for the people is taking action.

As Ontario’s women’s minister, I’m pleased to announce that today in this assembly, our government is creating a consultation group on violence against women. We will be tapping into a vast network of community partners to help stop violence against women and improve survivor services in the province. Partners will share their expertise on a wide range of issues, like domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking and elder abuse.

These conversations are key to helping women affected by violence and exploitation receive the support they need, while making sure that offenders are held accountable through the justice system. I’m looking forward to working with community leaders to lift women up and create a society where they are safe and supported.

I’m also excited to be making a further announcement tomorrow, so I ask members to stay tuned.

There are so many fantastic organizations that are keeping this conversation on violence against women alive and moving forward across the province.

OAITH has its Wrapped in Courage campaign. I’m looking forward to joining them tomorrow over breakfast, and I invite all MPPs in this assembly to join them.

White Ribbon’s campaign starts this weekend. It is the largest movement in the world of men and boys working to end violence against women and girls. We don’t just need strong women supporting these women; we need strong men supporting these women.

And the UNiTE campaign, which includes a march to end violence against women and girls in Ottawa—in the nation’s capital—on December 1.

I’m also working with the Shoebox Project, which my seatmate, Caroline Mulroney, our Attorney General, started and her brother Ben Mulroney has continued to support. Together, we are encouraging all members of this House to fill a shoebox with little luxuries so that women in our VAW shelters and our human trafficking centres can find a small sense of normalcy this holiday season. We have shoeboxes ready and waiting for pickup today, so please contact my office if you need a pickup.

I’d also like to say thank you to my opposition critic, Suze Morrison, for her participation in this, as well as Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter and PC MPPs Gila Martow, Kinga Surma and Lindsey Park for their leadership in supporting these women in our shelters across Ontario.

I’m proud to say that I’ll be marching in the UNiTE march this December, and I hope some of my colleagues in the House will also be able to attend events throughout their community. We must continue to work, 12 months a year, to raise awareness and change the deep-seated attitudes and behaviours that lead to violence against women. We’ve taken big steps towards recognizing women’s rights and gender equality, and I’m proud of the achievements we’ve made so far to help those who have experienced abuse feel safe and supported. This is what our government for the people is about: getting those in vulnerable circumstances back on a solid footing.

Ontario is considered a leader in Canada for our work to address violence against women and to help survivors live without fear, but we cannot stop until we have put an end to violence against women once and for all. It is for that reason I appeal to all members of this assembly, regardless of their political stripe and regardless of where they come from, to support us in this work.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Responses?

Ms. Suze Morrison: This past Friday, I had the incredible opportunity to meet with women who work at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape. I am grateful that these women who provide an absolutely essential service in our community were able to make time out of their busy

schedule to meet with me.

The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre has served the community for 45 years, and their work is commendable. On an incredibly tight budget, the seven full-time employees who operate this organization are able to provide truly life-saving services, including a 24/7 phone hotline for survivors, free counselling, court support, advocacy, and support groups.

Unfortunately, the occasion for the meeting was not a happy one. Every day, this great organization struggles to figure out the best way to stretch their money to be able to provide full support for survivors, and the demand for those services grows every single day. As we sit here today, the wait-list for survivors to access free, face-to-face counselling at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre is 18 months, Speaker. This is a disaster. If you are a woman in dire need of counselling who is unable to pay for that out of pocket, you should not have to wait a year and a half to get access to the services that you need.

It is no secret that as more women come forward with their stories, demand for counselling and support services is rising. We are in a climate where more survivors are finding the courage to come forward. With every high-profile case of sexual assault in the media, service providers see immediate surges in their phone lines and counselling requests. Shamefully, this government has still not released the funding that was promised to rape crisis centres across Ontario.

This past spring, rape crisis centres were promised an increase of 33% across the sector to address gender-based violence, and this government has not honoured that promise. Allocation letters have been delivered to centres across the province advising them of how much money they would be getting to hire additional staff to do the direct work of supporting survivors. These organizations have been stretched too thin, and this promised funding would have eased the pressures that they’re facing. Instead, this money is still being withheld.

Speaker, violence against women is no joke. We keep seeing high-profile scandal after high-profile scandal around allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour from both members and staff inside this government. While the Premier and the minister talk a good talk about creating safe spaces for women and ensuring that Queen’s Park is a good work environment, I’m having trouble seeing them walk the walk. We cannot stand by and ignore these scandals and pretend like there is policy or money going towards gender-based violence.

Let me remind this House that in 2016 there were 50,000 calls made to sexual assault centres in Ontario. Sexual assault and violence against women is widespread, and the caucus opposite is not immune to it. The way forward is by providing funding to crucial services in the sector to ensure that they are supported in the work they do to make the survivors’ lives easier.

While our caucus is happy to support the Shoebox Project that the minister spoke about, and our members will be eagerly donating items to go to shelters through that initiative, it’s a small gesture to a sector that’s in dire need of systemic change and a strategic, intentional effort to end gender-based violence.

I might ask the minister if she’s planning to put funding letters in the shoeboxes as part of this project, because that’s what women in Ontario really need, not a government that continues to ignore the crisis of gender-based violence in this province, that continues to cut services to the sector and that thinks a small holiday gesture is enough to compensate for a chronically underfunded and neglected sector. No woman in this province should be waiting 18 months to access counselling services after a sexual assault. As a survivor myself, I’m truly horrified that that is the wait that women are facing.

I am calling on the minister and this government to do better.

M me Nathalie Des Rosiers: Violence against women is costly. It prevents women from working and from caring for their family. The fear of violence prevents them from going out, from applying for a promotion, from engaging with their community. It’s costly in terms of health care costs, but it’s also very costly in terms of lost talents.

My own involvement in this issue has been long-standing. One of my first academic articles, actually, was on breaking the silence for survivors of childhood sexual assault—the way in which the law at the time prevented them from suing their perpetrators because of time limits. Eventually, the Supreme Court agreed, and we allowed some survivors to sue their abusers despite the passage of time. My focus then and my focus now is that we need to ensure that women have a voice and that they are heard, that they feel empowered to speak and they are not silenced.

Since 1995, I’ve seen how stopping violence requires an all-encompassing approach. To prevent violence against children, and against girls, we need effective mandatory reporting as well as empowering children to name what they’re living. That’s why the health curriculum has to name body parts and provide education to children so that they are able to say what is happening to them. That is why, in my humble opinion, the child advocate was an important tool to continue to empower youths and girls to take ownership of their issues, build resilience and speak out—the trafficking, the bullying and the sexualization of their lives.

I was very proud of the Liberal round table on gender violence, and I am happy to see that the minister has agreed to surround herself with some advice. I think it is crucial, and I wish her well in that endeavour.

I was very pleased that last week the Ontario student association suggested that Smart Serve training be completed by a mandatory component on bystander intervention, which would allow servers to intervene and know what to do when they see sexual violence just about to happen. I was very pleased about the work that we did to curtail violence on campuses throughout Ontario.

As women move into the workplace, we need good enforcement to prevent sexual harassment. We need paid sick days so that they can protect their privacy and get the help they need. Access to choices for women is important so that they can decide when they need to leave. Access to sufficient social services is important so they can decide that they want to leave.

There’s great isolation for women who recently arrived in Canada, and they need help in naming the violence that they experience.

Indigenous women, as we know, experience violence at an unprecedented rate.

The way older women experience violence in residential treatment, in their home, as they become dependent on caregivers and have less choice about where they live—this indeed is an issue that was raised at the round table with seniors that I held in the riding of Ottawa–Vanier just last Friday.

Les femmes francophones ont besoin de services qui répondent bien à leurs besoins. C’est ce qu’elles veulent et c’est ce qu’elles m’ont exprimé. Beaucoup de femmes dans Ottawa–Vanier viennent dans mon bureau et me racontent leurs histoires de violence, de harcèlement et d’impuissance par rapport à ce qu’elles vivent. C’est un problème complexe qui continue de coûter très cher à l’Ontario.

Just last Friday, I had someone in my office wanting to get some help on how to access better protection so that she would not be followed and harassed by a past abuser.

I hope the new minister will take a comprehensive approach to violence against women. I hope that she will ensure that the Attorney General continues support for victims as they access criminal trials; that the services are fully funded—sexual assault centres need to be funded, and she needs to do it now; and that she will continue to rethink her position on the children’s advocate—I think it’s a big loss to the empowerment of girls to speak out about their issues.

And I hope that on November 22, when she comes up with her proposal to change social assistance, she will remember the link between poverty and violence against women. I agree with her that it is crucial that we all work together to pursue our actions to end gender-based violence. It’s a question of justice, of human rights and of prosperity.

Petitions

Injured workers

Mr. Faisal Hassan: I have a petition entitled, “Workers Comp Is a Right.

“Whereas about 200,000 to 300,000 people in Ontario are injured on the job every year;

“Whereas over a century ago, workers in Ontario who were injured on the job gave up the right to sue their employers, in exchange for a system that would provide them with just compensation;

“Whereas decades of cost-cutting have pushed injured workers into poverty and onto publicly funded social assistance programs, and have gradually curtailed the rights of injured workers;

“Whereas injured workers have the right to quality and timely medical care, compensation for lost wages, and protection from discrimination;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to change the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to accomplish the following for injured workers in Ontario:

“Eliminate the practice of ‘deeming’ or ‘determining,’ which bases compensation on phantom jobs that injured workers do not actually have;

“Ensure that the WSIB prioritizes and respects the medical opinions of the health care providers who treat the injured worker directly;

“Prevent compensation from being reduced or denied based on ‘pre-existing conditions’ that never affected the worker’s ability to function prior to the work injury.”

I support this petition, add my name and give it to page Nidhi.

Employment standards

Mr. Joel Harden: I have a petition—several petitions, in fact—to give to the Legislature today entitled, “Don’t Take Away Our $15 Minimum Wage and Fairer Labour Laws.

“Whereas the vast majority of Ontarians support a $15 minimum wage and better laws to protect workers; and

“Whereas last year, in response to overwhelming popular demand by the people of Ontario, the provincial government brought in legislation and regulations that:

“Deliver 10 personal emergency leave days for all workers, the first two of which are paid;

“Make it illegal to pay part-time, temporary, casual or contract workers less than their full-time or directly hired co-workers, including equal public holiday pay and vacation pay;

“Raised the adult ... minimum wage to $14 per hour and further raises it to a $15 minimum wage on January 1, 2019, with annual adjustments by Ontario’s consumer price index;

“Make it easier to join unions, especially for workers in the temporary help, home care, community services and building services sectors;

“Protect workers’ employment status, pay and benefits when contracts are flipped or businesses are sold in the building services sector;

“Make client companies responsible for workplace health and safety for temporary agency employees;

“Provide strong enforcement through the hiring of an additional 175 employment standards officers; and

“Will ensure workers have modest improvements in the scheduling of their hours, including:

“—three hours’ pay when workers are expected to be on call all day, but are not called into work;

“—three hours’ pay for any employee whose shift is cancelled with less than two days’ notice; and

“—the right to refuse shifts without penalty if the shift is scheduled with fewer than four days’ notice....”

I intend to sign this petition and give it to page Andrew for the Clerks’ table.

Mental health services

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: I have a petition entitled, “Stop Doug Ford from Cutting Mental Health Care.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Doug Ford has announced a $335-million per year funding cut to mental health care and services;

“Whereas an estimated 12,000 children”—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Excuse me. I know that’s the wording in your petition, but if you’re going to read that petition, you’ll have to say “Premier Doug Ford” or mention his riding. I’d ask you to withdraw that portion and then continue.

You will stand and withdraw mentioning him by name and throw the word “Premier” in front of his name. How’s that?

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: Yes. I have to find it.

Withdraw.

M me France Gélinas: Just continue.

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: Oh, okay.

“Whereas an estimated 12,000 children are waiting up to 18 months for mental health care, and there are 63% more children in the ER for mental health issues than there were in 2006;

“Whereas a cut to already threadbare mental health funding will mean longer waits for care and fewer services—which can result in mental health conditions being exacerbated, and more people living with mental illness spiralling into crisis;

“Whereas front-line care workers and first responders are doing the best they can, but coping with a shortage of resources;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to reverse” Premier “Doug Ford’s $330-million per year funding cut to Ontario’s mental health services.”

I fully support this petition and will sign my name to it.

Northern health services

M me France Gélinas: I continue to receive thousands of petition. I want to thank Lewella Parker from Garson in my riding for sending in those petitions. It reads as follows:

“Save the Breast Screening and Assessment Service.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Premier Doug Ford promised that there would not be cuts to nurses’ positions; and

“Whereas in Sudbury we have already lost 70 nurses, and Health Sciences North is closing part of the Breast Screening and Assessment Service; and

“Whereas cuts to the Sudbury Breast Screening and Assessment Service will result in longer wait times, which is very stressful for women diagnosed with breast cancer; and

“Whereas cuts to the Sudbury Breast Screening and Assessment Service will only take us backwards;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“Provide adequate funding to Health Sciences North to ensure northerners have equitable access to life-saving programs such as the Breast Screening and Assessment Service.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask my good page Kidan to bring it to the Clerk.

Indigenous affairs

Ms. Suze Morrison: I’d like to read a petition entitled, “Stop the Cuts to Indigenous Reconciliation.” It reads:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario is situated on the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples, many of whom have been on this land since time immemorial;

“Whereas reconciliation must be at the centre of all government decision-making;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“—continue reconciliation work in Ontario by implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission;

“—reinstate the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation;

“—work with First Nations leaders to sign co-operative, government-to-government accords;

“—support TRC education and community development (e.g. TRC summer writing sessions);

“—support Indigenous communities across the province (e.g. cleaning up Grassy Narrows).”

I fully endorse this petition. I will be affixing my signature to it and providing it to page Shlok to deliver to the table.

Public safety

Mr. Deepak Anand: Before I start my petition, Speaker, I want to tell you that I do miss you not being in my vicinity.

This is a petition to the Parliament of Ontario.

“To Ensure the Safety of Residents of Ontario.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Justin Trudeau government is not doing enough to protect the people of Ontario from convicted terrorists; and

“Whereas safety, security and peace of mind is of the utmost importance to the Ford government; and

“Whereas Ontario residents who have not been convicted of criminal acts could find themselves unable to gain access to various privileges they enjoy; and

“Whereas there are no provisions to prevent convicted terrorists from accessing privileges in Ontario;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to pass Bill 46 and disallow anyone convicted of a crime under

section 83 of the Criminal Code of Canada and any international treaties that may apply from receiving:

“(1) a licence under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997;

“(2) health insurance benefits under the Health Insurance Act;

“(3) a driver’s licence under the Highway Traffic Act;

“(4) rent-geared-to-income assistance or special needs housing under the Housing Services Act, 2011;

“(5) grants, awards or loans under the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act;

“(6) income support or employment supports under the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997;

“(7) assistance under the Ontario Works Act, 1997;

“(8) coverage under the insurance plan under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.”

I proudly sign this petition and give it to page Aditya.

Employment standards

Mr. Ian Arthur: The petition is titled, “Petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly:

“Don’t Take Away Our $15 Minimum Wage and Fairer Labour Laws.

“Whereas the vast majority of Ontarians support a $15 minimum wage and better laws to protect workers; and

“Whereas last year, in response to overwhelming popular demand by the people of Ontario, the provincial government brought in legislation and regulations that:

“Deliver 10 personal emergency leave days for all workers, the first two of which are paid;

“Make it illegal to pay part-time, temporary, casual or contract workers less than their full-time or directly hired co-workers, including equal public holiday pay and vacation pay;

“Raised the adult general minimum wage to $14 per hour and further raises it to a $15 minimum wage on January 1, 2019, with annual adjustments by Ontario’s consumer price index;

“Make it easier to join unions, especially for workers in the temporary help, home care, community services and building services sectors;....

“Provide strong enforcement through the hiring of an additional 175 employment standards officers;

“Will ensure workers have modest improvements in the scheduling of their hours, including:

“—three hours’ pay when workers are expected to be on call all day, but are not called into work;

“—three hours’ pay for any employee whose shift is cancelled with less than two days’ notice; and

“—the right to refuse shifts without penalty if the shift is scheduled with fewer than four days’ notice;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to honour these commitments, including the $15 minimum wage and fairer scheduling rules set to take effect on January 1, 2019. We further call on the assembly to take all necessary steps to enforce these laws and extend them to ensure no worker is left without protection.”

I wholeheartedly endorse this petition. I will affix my name to it and give it to page Andrew to deliver.

Veterans memorial

M lle Amanda Simard: I’d like to present a petition.

“Petition in Support of Constructing a Memorial to Honour Our Heroes.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas over 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in the war in Afghanistan including the 159 Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice; and

“Whereas the Premier made a commitment to the people of Ontario to build a memorial to honour the bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces; and

“Whereas, by remembering their service and sacrifice, we recognize the values and freedoms these men and women fought to preserve; and

“Whereas the memorial will show our gratitude to our veterans, their families and to their descendants; and

“Whereas the memorial will be a place of remembrance, a form of tribute, and an important reminder to future generations of the contributions and sacrifices that have helped shape our country;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That the government of Ontario immediately construct the memorial to honour the heroes of the war in Afghanistan.”

I agree with the content of this petition, I affix my signature to it and I’m giving it to page Zoe.

Employment standards

Ms. Marit Stiles: I’m pleased to present, on behalf of my constituents, a petition entitled “Don’t Take Away Our $15 Minimum Wage and Fairer Labour Laws.

“Whereas the vast majority of Ontarians support a $15 minimum wage and better laws to protect workers; and

“Whereas last year, in response to overwhelming popular demand by the people of Ontario, the provincial government brought in legislation and regulations that:

“Deliver 10 personal emergency leave days for all workers, the first two of which are paid;

“Make it illegal to pay part-time, temporary, casual or contract workers less than their full-time or directly hired co-workers, including equal public holiday pay and vacation pay;

“Raised the adult general minimum wage to $14 per hour and further raises it to a $15 minimum wage on January 1, 2019, with annual adjustments by Ontario’s consumer price index;

“Make it easier to join unions, especially for workers in the temporary help, home care, community services and building services sectors;

“Make client companies responsible for workplace health and safety for temporary agency employees;

“Provide strong enforcement through the hiring of an additional 175 employment standards officers;

“Will ensure workers have modest improvements in the scheduling of their hours, including:

“—three hours’ pay when workers are expected to be on call all day, but are not called into work;

“—three hours’ pay for any employee whose shift is cancelled with less than two days’ notice; and

“—the right to refuse shifts without penalty if the shift is scheduled with fewer than four days’ notice;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to honour these commitments, including the $15 minimum wage and fairer scheduling rules set to take effect on January 1, 2019. We further call on the assembly to take all necessary steps to enforce these laws and extend them to ensure no worker is left without protection.”

I’m presenting this petition on behalf of my constituent Maureen O’Reilly, and I’m happy to affix my signature as I support the petition. I’m going to hand it to Lillian to table it.

Orders of the Day

Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 pour des écoles sûres et axées sur le soutien

Resuming the debate adjourned on November 14, 2018, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 48,

An Act to amend various Acts in relation to education and child care / Projet de loi 48, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’éducation et la garde d’enfants.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Further debate?

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: I’m quite honoured to speak to this particular bill, the Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2018. I do think that one of the real questions is how we can actually keep children safe. I’m going to make a suggestion, a leap of faith that the other side would agree that we have to address the root causes of what is creating the lack of safety.

Sometimes, it makes it difficult for us to agree on these things, because there seems to be a tendency of putting more than one really important issue into a particular bill. In this case, it’s important for me to say on record, given my background in education, that it does make it really difficult to engage in an authentic, critical debate when we’re talking about issues that on their own require time, energy and commitment to discuss. However, I will do my best.

When it comes to the math test, for instance, I think it’s really important to reiterate, as many of my colleagues on this side of the House have noted, that schools have been underfunded for far too many years. That becomes the reason we have the issues that we do in schools. Sadly, the lack of funding doesn’t seem to be something that my colleagues on the other side of the House are willing or want to actually rectify, which brings me to some letters that I’ve received in my own riding regarding the Parents Reaching Out Grants.

Sometimes, parents have to step in and do things to support educators because of the lack of funding and because of how long it has been that our schools have been underfunded. For instance, I received an email from Carli Parsons, who explained to me that the Parents Reaching Out grant was being used to provide additional mental health support to parents and families at St. Anne Catholic school in my riding.

Rachel Bolton also sent me a letter. The letter was actually to the Minister of Education, and I was also copied. It’s really interesting; Ms. Bolton’s letter explained that particular schools without the Parents Reaching Out Grants would be more impacted by the lack of funding than other schools. I’m going to just take a minute, with her permission, to read from her letter.

“To read today that the PRO grant program has been put on pause is deeply disheartening. While last year’s People for Education study found that the average amount fundraised by elementary schools in Ontario is approximately $20,000, our school is only able to raise approximately $5,000 each year. The $1,000 we have received each year from the PRO grant is included in this amount and represents a loss to us of 20% of our anticipated funds for this year. The loss of this funding actually means the cancellation of parent engagement programming for schools like ours, not just having a little less to allocate to other efforts like more affluent schools.”

I wanted to take the time to read that portion of the letter because I think we sometimes forget that not every school across Ontario is equally funded. Even in a situation where we’re dealing with the lack of funding for schools, it’s important to note that that will be particularly pronounced in some neighbourhoods more than other neighbourhoods.

Where we might think that something as small as $1,000 in a school will have no impact, I just want to be clear and add to the record that $1,000 has a huge impact on schools that can’t rely on parent fundraising to do the work that, to be honest, they should be able to believe that our Ministry of Education would in fact be doing: providing funding to make sure that our students are kept safe, our students are educated, and also educated in extracurricular ways.

So there will be things that we can do in the curriculum. There will also be a lot of things that we have to do outside of the curriculum, to enhance the curriculum, to support the curriculum, and to support parents who are bringing their kids into our schools.

In a situation like Ms. Bolton’s, in a school where you have a number of people who may not have been educated here, they too need support to understand how to keep their kids safe in a brand new space.

I have to argue that the students who are protesting the rollback of the sex ed curriculum, the students who walked out all across Ontario to say that they needed to learn about consent, that they needed to learn about LGBTQ communities, about what would keep those communities safe—I have to argue that those kids not just in my riding of Kitchener Centre, from Eastwood Collegiate and Cameron Heights, but from across Ontario came here. They came to Queen’s Park to show that this was not something that they wanted. That means that students in 2018 are fighting to participate in the transformation of their world.

They’re fighting to be given an opportunity that Freire has said education can provide.

So how do we actually build stronger educational legislation? I’m going to take us even further back, because I’m a philosopher by trade, so why not? Here we go, my friends. I’m going to turn to Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his book Emile or On Education. He published this in 1763 and he argued that every society “must choose between making a man or a citizen.” Of course, in the 1700s, we often only looked at “men” as the way to speak of all people, so the gendered pronoun situation needs to be questioned and noted; I’m with you. But I think there’s a bigger point that Rousseau had.

The bigger point is that there is a difference between individuals and what education is supposed to do: build citizenry, citizens who are brought together and united because of a common understanding of who we are and how we should care for others in community.

We can’t do that if we take out of the curriculum the actual existence of people who are different than us. I think that becomes something that we have to take some time to think about before we sit and agree to pass legislation that is going to have an intergenerational impact on young people and on teachers. Sometimes with our focus on the students in the classroom, we forget that teachers are educated in a system that now has to change because of the lack of desire to speak about queer communities in the classroom.

That means there would be a generation of student teachers who were in the Ontario College of Teachers who are going to have to learn how to not teach about something that they might be a part of, communities they might be a part of, because we do have queer teachers, my friends. We have trans-identified teachers. And they may now have to figure out, “How am I going to teach in this way?”—in a way that silences who knows how many people in their classrooms and their schools. So there is going to be quite a little impact that we have.

For Rousseau, he believed that education transported people to unity. It unified us as people, as critically engaged citizens. So he argued for high-quality education, but people may not realize that even in 1763 he argued that women should be educated with the highest quality of education that men receive.

I would argue that it’s 2018 and I cannot believe the words that will come out of my mouth—and I’m not going to swear; inside voice. But what I will say is this: In 2018, I am standing up in this amazing House, with all of my privilege, and I have to say out loud, on record, that trans students deserve to know how to be safe and secure in their schools, that queer students—2018, my friends—have to be provided with an education, a curriculum and an environment that provide them with safety and care. I can’t believe I have to say that in 2018.

Ms. Marit Stiles: It’s not 1818.

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: It’s not 1818 but it feels like 1818, because I had walked into the field of education with an understanding that we all shared and were unified across political spectrums, across political stripes, in an understanding of humanity, and that the Human Rights Commission had done so much amazing work to allow us to understand that folks who are on the gender spectrum deserve respect and care and safety. It’s 2018 and I have to write notes that say things like, “It’s okay to be queer” and, “You deserve to know about your health care needs, and what a family looks like and feels like, and that no one else should hold that against you.” It’s mind-boggling to me.

To be honest, I might as well say for the record that, walking towards the House today, knowing that I had to say these words, I had an asthma attack. I had to pause in front of Women’s College Hospital and take my inhaler because it was so physical-anxiety-filled to think that this is what has happened in 2018, since June. It has not even been that long. It has not even been that long.

My daughter is also at home. I talk about her often. I speak about her because she identifies as queer. She has gone and petitioned the Waterloo Region District School Board to reinsert the original curriculum so that she could feel included in schools. Instead, what has happened is that she has been met with a slew of homophobic and transphobic bullying, not even directed at her always, but directed at her peers.

This morning, I got a phone call saying that she was feeling so filled with anxiety because there’s a word that starts with an F that’s pretty derogatory and that most people usually don’t say about queer folks right now that’s now on the rise in grade 8. Why? Because leaders like us are having debates in 2018 about whether or not queer folks should be included in our curriculum. There’s a direct correlation.

They’re also hearing the N word making its appearance in grade 8, because I also have to stand here and say it’s really important to put money, funding and resourcing behind the Anti-Racism Directorate, also something that needs to be addressed.

The fact that we would think it’s okay to stop curriculum-writing sessions for teachers when it comes to Indigenous histories days before the curriculum-writing sessions were supposed to start is also something that falls under the very strange things I have had to say, words and ideas that I never thought would have to be forwarded to a group of adults who I want to believe care about the people who are in Ontario.

So I am begging that the other side pay attention, listen to the harm and do better.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Mr. Parm Gill: I want to thank my honourable colleague from Kitchener Centre for her remarks. This is an important piece of legislation, and I want to thank my colleague Minister Thompson for bringing this piece of legislation forward.

As I think we can all agree in this House, the most prized possession or precious possession in any parent’s life is obviously their children. I am a proud father of three. Of course, every parent, every grandparent, wants to make sure that kids are protected in the environment they are taught in and also that they are provided with the skills needed to succeed in life.

This bill does a lot of those things, and I can tell you that I continue to hear in my riding of Milton, not just during the election campaign but since, parents talking to me at events and parents talking to me in the community and offering their support and words of encouragement in terms of what this government has been able to do in a short period of time in many different areas, but I think the most important one is education for our children, especially when it comes to simple things such as math skills.

I can tell you that families in my riding of Milton are spending hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of dollars sending their kids to after-school programs. Unfortunately, I am one of those parents who had to send my youngest to after-school programs because the kids are not getting the skills that they need, the basic skills in school. It’s important for us, as legislators and as government, to make sure that we provide all the necessary tools for our kids.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Mr. Faisal Hassan: The root cause of the problem here is that the classrooms are underfunded. The Ford Conservative government is taking that problem from bad to worse. We have huge class sizes, too few resources for special education and struggling students—teachers don’t have any time anymore for one-on-one help for students—and crumbling schools that are freezing all winter long because they are desperately in need of repairs.

Our children need more opportunities and better resources, not cuts to services—cuts to the $100 million that was about to be used for school repairs, crumpled after-school and parent-led programs by cancelling math upgrading support for teachers. The current education funding formula is hurting our children, and this is the root cause of most issues here. What we need is also to listen to parents coming together for issues that are important to the parent-led activities that now have been cut and—yes, thanks.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Yes, thanks.

Questions and comments?

Mr. Billy Pang: In our publicly funded education, equity and inclusivity are very important and are mandated in our Education Act. Unfortunately, in the last decade only a couple of initiatives were repeatedly supported, and that’s what our colleague said. We need a bigger spectrum, but in the last decade only a couple of initiatives were focused on. Students have been ignored. A lot of them have been ignored and undermined because they have other challenges in their lives.

Students facing different challenges should be supported as well. They should benefit from publicly funded education, Mr. Speaker. As a previous school board trustee, I went to school every week, every other day, to meet with parents, shake hands, talk with them and talk with students. I—and the parents—faced a lot of different challenges in the school.

This Bill 48: I find that it supports students. This is a very big step to support parents who were ignored in the past decades. The Minister of Education understands that animals and therapy animals provide a wide range of therapeutic, emotional and physical support for individuals. They can help students to feel safe at school, with the company that they know.

In consultation with appropriate stakeholders, the ministry intends to provide guidance to the board regarding service animals in the context of the publicly funded education sector. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is a very good—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you.

Questions and comments?

Ms. Marit Stiles: I want to, first of all, start by thanking the member for Kitchener Centre for her very thoughtful comments. It’s really such a pleasure to listen to such informed comment on the bill, and also bringing some of the personal perspective. I really appreciate it. I wanted to mention, just to reiterate some of the points that the member from Kitchener Centre made, particularly bringing the voices of the families that she’s heard from around the Parents Reaching Out Grants. As many here will know, the government has yet to formally inform anyone that those were paused or frozen or cut, however they want to portray it.

I really appreciated hearing more about some of the vast array of programs that are supported by those grants and why they’re so fundamentally important. One of the things that they do, as she pointed out, is that they bridge the gap between schools who are able to fundraise—in more affluent communities, usually—and those who have more difficulty.

I know in my own riding of Davenport there are many schools that are unable to fundraise more than, really, a few thousand dollars every year, and they do all kinds of things to try to raise that money; it’s not like they’re not trying to fundraise. But unfortunately, those inequities exist, and we have other schools that can easily raise $20,0