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February 27, 2014

40th Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2014-Feb-27 (PDF)

L107 - Thu 27 Feb 2014 / Jeu 27 fév 2014

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 27 February 2014 Jeudi 27 février 2014

ORDERS OF THE DAY

FAIR MINIMUM WAGE ACT, 2014 /

LOI DE 2014 POUR UN SALAIRE

MINIMUM ÉQUITABLE

MEMBER’S BIRTHDAY

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

JOB CREATION

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

TAXATION

MANUFACTURING JOBS

COMMUNITY CARE ACCESS CENTRES

DISASTER RELIEF

PUBLIC TRANSIT

HYDRO RATES

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

HOSPITAL FUNDING

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

WINTER ROAD MAINTENANCE

CHILD CARE

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

MEMBER FOR NEWMARKET–AURORA

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

MOHAMOUD ABDULLE

SID MCLEAN

CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE INNOVATION

EVENTS IN UKRAINE

RAIL SAFETY

OLYMPIC ATHLETES

NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

VISITORS

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS’ PUBLIC BUSINESS

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

ASSISTANCE TO ATHLETES

SENIOR CITIZENS

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

SENIOR CITIZENS

ASSISTANCE TO ATHLETES

ASSISTANCE TO ATHLETES

SENIOR CITIZENS

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

CORRECTION OF RECORD

PETITIONS

EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

MINISTER’S COMMENTS

FIREFIGHTERS

EDUCATION FUNDING

ONTARIO COLLEGE OF TRADES

MINIMUM WAGE

LCBO OUTLET

MINISTER’S COMMENTS

GASOLINE PRICES

PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICES

HOSPITAL FUNDING

COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

PRIVATE MEMBERS’

PUBLIC BUSINESS

WORKPLACE SAFETY

AND INSURANCE

AMENDMENT ACT (POST-TRAUMATIC

STRESS DISORDER), 2014 /

LOI DE 2014 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA SÉCURITÉ PROFESSIONNELLE

ET L’ASSURANCE CONTRE

LES ACCIDENTS DU TRAVAIL

(TROUBLE DE STRESS

POST-TRAUMATIQUE)

MILLION JOBS ACT, 2014 /

LOI DE 2014 SUR LA CRÉATION

D’UN MILLION D’EMPLOIS

MUNICIPALITIES

WORKPLACE SAFETY

AND INSURANCE

AMENDMENT ACT (POST-TRAUMATIC

STRESS DISORDER), 2014 /

LOI DE 2014 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA SÉCURITÉ PROFESSIONNELLE

ET L’ASSURANCE CONTRE

LES ACCIDENTS DU TRAVAIL

(TROUBLE DE STRESS

POST-TRAUMATIQUE)

MILLION JOBS ACT, 2014 /

LOI DE 2014 SUR LA CRÉATION

D’UN MILLION D’EMPLOIS

MUNICIPALITIES

MILLION JOBS ACT, 2014 /

LOI DE 2014 SUR LA CRÉATION

D’UN MILLION D’EMPLOIS

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

FAIR MINIMUM WAGE ACT, 2014 /

LOI DE 2014 POUR UN SALAIRE

MINIMUM ÉQUITABLE

Mr. Naqvi moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 165,

An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 with respect to the minimum wage / Projet de loi 165, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2000 sur les normes d’emploi en ce qui concerne le salaire minimum.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Labour.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Thank you very much, Speaker, for recognizing me. I may or may not share my time with the member from Brampton West, but I’m just reserving my right now. That will be made clear as we go on.

It is my great pleasure today to initiate debate on Bill 165, the Fair Minimum Wage Act. It’s a privilege to stand in this House and say that minimum-wage earners in Ontario will be getting a raise. I was proud to stand with our Premier recently and announce that our government is increasing the minimum wage to $11 an hour starting June 1, and we have already filed the regulation to make sure that happens. This will give Ontario the highest provincial minimum wage in Canada and builds on our strong track record of increasing living standards for workers. I’m proud that it will provide fairness for Ontarians who work for minimum wage.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act is about taking the next steps. It is about putting in place a process that makes sure that minimum wage increases in a fair, predictable and transparent way. Speaker, it is about making sure that minimum-wage workers know that their income will keep up with the cost of living, and it is about making sure that our businesses can have time to plan for their future and continue to be competitive and create jobs.

I think for all members there is a moment in their elected life, in their capacity, when they realize what motivated them to seek public office, what galvanized for them the reason to put their name on the ballot on behalf of their community and to make a difference. I’ll share with you my moment and how that relates to the issue around minimum wage.

It was about 10 years ago, roughly around 2003, when the last big debate in our province was taking place around minimum wage. Speaker, you may remember that from 1995 to 2003, unfortunately, in our province the minimum wage was frozen, for that entire eight-year period. From 1995 to 2003, it was the Conservative Party that was in government at that time, and they chose not to raise the minimum wage at all—not a penny.

There was a debate that was taking place in our province at that time, and rightly so. The debate was around whether we should have an increase to minimum wage. You may remember, there was a campaign, “$10 in 2010,” that was being led by anti-poverty groups, that was being led by civil society, because everybody recognized that something needed to be done around minimum wage. Here’s my moment: At that time, I was practising law in Ottawa. I was quite involved in my community of Ottawa Centre. I sat on the board, as many of you know, because I’ve talked about this before, of the Centretown Community Health Centre.

I did a lot of work in my community, was very much engaged with the Ottawa Food Bank, which I still continue to do. And I remember thinking at that time, why is the whole notion of raising minimum wage a political subject? Why are politicians in charge? Why are politicians responsible to determine whether or not minimum wage should go up? How are we even in the situation where eight years can go by, and then hard-working Ontarians who work and live on minimum wage have not seen a penny in that rate? It was $6.85, those who may remember, for that eight-year period.

Hon. Jeff Leal: I do remember that.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: And why don’t we have a system or process in place that is fair, predictable and objective? That was my thought. You know, I didn’t think I was being genius in my thinking at that time. As a citizen of this great province, as somebody who was quite involved in the community and spent time working with a lot of people on issues around community health care, around primary care, and other social determinants of health like affordable housing, like better nutrition, all the kinds of things that are important to our communities that we talk about—I just wasn’t comfortable where the whole notion of determining minimum wage was a political football, if I can use that expression.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Well, Yasir, you believe in a just society—

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Absolutely. I believe in a just society, a society that is fair to Ontarians, and my thought at that time was, “Well, government’s got to figure out a better way of determining minimum wage.” Speaker, I’ll be very honest with you. I think it’s one of those things that I felt quite passionately and strongly about.

I feel very humbled and privileged and honoured that 10 years later, not only, obviously, I got the chance to actually run in my community and earned the privilege to serve my community, but I’m personally in a position to—along with our government, along with our caucus, along with our Premier, because of her leadership—actually put forward a bill that we’re starting to debate today, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, doing exactly what should have been done, and that is to ensure that we have a more fair and predictable way of determining minimum wage, where we take politics out of how we set people’s wages.

That’s what we are doing, and I feel really motivated. I’ve been working on this issue for some time. Even before I was Minister of Labour, I worked with many community groups in my community of Ottawa Centre and from Ottawa, as many members have done—

Hon. Jeff Leal: They say great things about you, too, in Ottawa.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Well, thank you. I have taken a lot of meetings on this issue. I was first elected in 2007, in my first term, and I was always very clear. This is when I was just an MPP saying, “You know what? This is the direction our province needs to move in. We need to figure out a way of somehow indexing minimum wage to an objective criteria, a criteria that nobody disputes, a criteria that comes from a source that everybody agrees to so that minimum wage can keep pace with the cost of living, so that we don’t run into periods where minimum wage does not increase at all.”

That’s why, Speaker, I’m also very, very proud that when our party came into government in 2003, we took a position. We said that it is unfair to hard-working Ontarians who work and live on minimum wage to freeze their wages for eight years straight, as the Conservative government under Mike Harris and the current Leader of the Opposition had done. I think that was shameful—eight years of a freeze. And these were good economic times, right? I mean, they try to take credit that somehow they created out of magic some numbers of jobs. Well, those were good, booming times. This is when Mr. Chrétien was the Prime Minister in Ottawa and they were able to eliminate the deficit.

Hon. Jeff Leal: A 63-cent dollar, too.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: A 63-cent dollar, low oil prices. But they did so. Who they neglected were the hard-working Ontarians, those who work and live on minimum wage.

I’m really proud that our government, our Liberal government, put a process in place to raise the minimum wage from $6.85 to $10.25 in 2010.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Was it that low?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: It was frozen for eight years.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Oh, my goodness. It’s just like being in Siberia.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Progressively, in an incremental fashion, we raised the minimum wage from $6.85 to $10.25 in 2010. Remember, I told you there was a campaign going on at that time: $10 in 2010. So we raised it not to $10 but, in fact, to $10.25 by 2010, making minimum wage in Ontario the highest in Canada.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Were the NDP on board for that one?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Well, I know for sure that the PCs voted against it. At that time, at least the NDP used to talk about minimum wage; now they don’t even do that. I’ll come to that. I’ll speak to how the NDP has abandoned the hard-working Ontarians in this province, and now the NDP believes in cutting corporate taxes. The NDP does not believe in raising corporate taxes. There’s an NDP out there that nobody recognizes, and that’s a sad commentary. We’ll talk to that in a bit.

The point is that we went on to work on the issue of minimum wage from the very first day that we came into office, because Ontarians said it’s time to increase the minimum wage, and we, in a predictable and a progressive way, through legislation, increased minimum wage from $6.85 every single year to $10.25 in 2010. That was almost a 50% increase to the minimum wage, which, by the way, the official opposition, the PCs, voted against.

Hon. Jeff Leal: No.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: They voted against that, because they don’t believe in raising the minimum wage. They don’t believe in making sure that those Ontarians who work and live on minimum wage should see an increase, and that is shameful.

The NDP, before the Conservatives, just to note, when they were in office for five years, raised minimum wage a little under $2 at that time—again, not making any meaningful difference in wages.

We were able to raise the minimum wage to $10.25, even in the good times, but even through the depths of the recession. We did not put a stop to that because we wanted to make sure—even though we were fighting through the great recession that we experienced in 2008 and 2009, one of the biggest recessions since the Great Depression—that we continued with our commitment to increase the minimum wage.

Now comes the question, what are we doing now? We raised it to $10.25, which is the highest in Canada, and this is the time to take the next step, to ensure that we bring a kind of predictability, certainty and balance to the way the minimum wage is determined and, most importantly, Speaker—and I know my colleagues on this side of the House believe it—that we take politics out of how the minimum wage is set so that it does not matter which political party is in office, it does not matter which political ideology is the fashion of the day.

When it comes to the livelihood of those Ontarians who live and work on minimum wage, they know that they are going to get a raise every single year based on the cost of living. That is exactly what the Fair Minimum Wage Act is proposing in front of this House.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Even the Tea Party Tories? Do you think they’re going to—

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Well, I hope all the parties support this—I really, really hope—because this is not a partisan issue. I’ll give this to the Conservative Party this time: I have heard some very positive responses from them in terms of agreeing with the notion that we need to take politics out of minimum wage. What’s uncertain is where the NDP stands on this, because they have been absent—and I will come to that, because I think it’s an important point.

Speaker, we recognize that and have decided it is time for change, a time for consistency and fairness. We believe that both employees and employers need to be able to plan for their financial future, and to be a prosperous society, we need to ensure a fair minimum wage that also allows business to remain competitive.

So the first step we are doing is we are raising the minimum wage to $11 an hour, as I mentioned a little earlier. That will take place on June 1.

That is not the subject of this Bill 165, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, because we are doing that by regulation. That is happening by regulation; that regulation is filed. I want Ontarians to know, those who live and work on minimum wage, that raise is coming. It is not subject to the passage of this bill. On June 1, the minimum wage in Ontario will be $11 an hour, the highest minimum wage among any province in Canada, something that we should be proud of—we should be very, very proud of.

Speaker, we have made sure that we have set a fair minimum wage, and the manner in which we have done so is in an objective and balanced way. We have determined that number by taking into account the inflation since the last increase—and that was in 2010—up to now to make sure that the purchasing power of a dollar of that minimum wage is restored to what it should be today.

As I said, this particular bill, Bill 165—I want to spend a little bit of time talking about how we arrived at this bill, the content of this bill, what are the specific details around how we are proposing to set a fair minimum wage in Ontario moving forward, year after year after year.

If passed, this bill would establish a fair, predictable and transparent approach to setting minimum wage in the future. As I said earlier, for the first time, Ontario’s minimum wage would have to keep pace with the cost of living, and workers would not see their wages fall behind because of any political ideology.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act contains all of the panel’s thorough and thoughtful recommendations made in their consensus report. The panel that I’m referring to is the advisory panel that we created on minimum wage, and I will come to speaking a little bit about the panel, the panel members, the process they went through, the deliberations they’ve had and the suggestions that they provided.

What it really means is that, if passed, the first CPI adjustment would be announced by April 1, 2015—if this bill becomes the law—and will take effect on October 1, 2015. That will be the first time we will see the first automatic increase in minimum wage based on the consumer price index of 2014, and then we’ll be in a cycle every year.

So every year, what we’re proposing is that on April 1 of that particular year we will be able to announce the amount by which the minimum wage will be increasing based on the previous year’s consumer price index, and it will come into effect on October 1, giving businesses—and this is the predictability part—a six-month notice so that they can plan for that increase that will come.

Speaker, here’s another important technical point: Any annual adjustment would be rounded to the nearest five cents when the number is calculated, and there will not be any decrease. That’s an important point. So if we are looking at a circumstance, for instance, where inflation doesn’t go up or if there is deflation perhaps, we will not reduce the minimum wage. It will stay the same. So that’s another important principle that has been outlined in this particular bill.

In addition, our proposed legislation also puts in place a five-year review of the minimum wage and how it is set—again, this was one of the recommendations that we received from the panel—so that there is an automatic review of how the system is working, and we have enshrined that in this particular bill as well.

I’m proud that this bill would make sure that the minimum wage would keep up with the cost of living. This will ensure fairness for workers and give them a meaningful opportunity to improve their lives. We’re talking about students working their way through school. We’re talking about parents working hard to raise their children. We’re talking about newcomers in search of a better life.

And we’re talking about business owners who know that our economy is recovering, but they know that they need predictability to succeed in the future, because this legislation is not only about protecting workers, it is also about providing predictability for those businesses employing minimum-wage workers. These are businesses that create jobs in our economy. If they have predictability so that they can plan for the future, they can be successful and create even more jobs for our communities.

Speaker, we have seen the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Convenience Stores Association and the Retail Council of Canada, among others, applaud the predictability this bill would bring to their businesses. And this is why I urge, again, the support of all members of this Legislature, because this bill is about providing fairness and protection for minimum-wage workers. It also helps create more stable economic conditions for the province.

This legislation is very much a result of a transparent and open process. We knew that the system of adjusting the minimum wage had to change, as I talked about. The case is there as to why we need a better, a new system to set minimum wage in our province. We also recognize that a substantial change had to come by consensus. We had to, as we have done in this case, bring in the business community, the workers, organized labour and the youth. We had to bring everybody together to see if we could build a consensus around how change should be and what kind of change should be brought in.

That’s why, Speaker, we took an important step. In last year’s budget, the first budget under the leadership of our Premier, we announced that we were going to be creating an advisory panel to consult Ontarians as to how minimum wage should be determined in our province. We made that commitment in the budget. Pursuant to that commitment, last June I had the honour of announcing the panel, and the terms of reference to the panel, giving them the task. Let me talk to you about who was on the panel, because it’s very important.

We wanted to make sure that the panel is representative of our communities, that the panel is representative of our economy. We worked very hard to have the right balance, to have the right points of view, to have the right set of people as part of the panel, so that we can get advice that represents the point of view of our great province, and of course of all Ontarians.

Hon. Jeff Leal: So, Yasir, who’s on that panel? Who was on that panel?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: The panel was composed of an independent chair, representatives from business and labour, anti-poverty advocates and youth. The chair, Speaker, of the panel was Dr. Anil Verma, who is a highly respected professor at the University of Toronto. He is a professor of human resource management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. He is also the director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources.

He serves as a member of Statistics Canada’s Advisory Committee on Labour and Income Statistics and on the board of directors of COSTI Immigrant Services, somebody who’s very well recognized, experienced, is sought after internationally for his access to expertise around industrial relations, around labour relations; just a perfect person. It was a true honour and delight to work with him as he worked on this very important project on behalf of all Ontarians, and I want to thank Professor Verma for his tireless commitment and dedication to this particular process.

In addition to Dr. Verma, the panel also consisted—I mentioned that we have representatives from business, and from anti-poverty and youth groups. I want to give you the names of individuals who were part of the panel along with Dr. Verma.

So the panel consisted of Antoni Shelton, who is a director and a liaison to the president for the Ontario Federation of Labour. So we wanted to make sure we have a representative from organized labour. Antoni works very closely with Sid Ryan, who is the president for the Ontario Federation of Labour.

We had Adam Vasey, and I’m sure the member from Windsor–Tecumseh will know Adam Vasey, who’s the director of Pathway to Potential, which is Windsor-Essex county’s poverty reduction strategy, so we had a representative, Mr. Vasey, from the Windsor area, who does a lot of work in poverty reduction.

Gary Rygus is a board member of the Retail Council of Canada, to sort of bring the perspective of small businesses in the retail communities, be it in Peterborough or Richmond Hill or Markham or Brampton or Ottawa. These are businesses that keep our local economy running.

We also had Beth Potter, who is the president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, as part of the panel. Again, tourism is a big part of our economy in our province, from big cities like Toronto to small communities like Kenora, and we wanted to make sure that that point of view is very well represented.

Laura D’Amico was a student trustee for the Ottawa Catholic School Board and a member of the Ottawa Youth Commission and is currently attending Wilfrid Laurier University. I know Laura personally from Ottawa, because she is a really hard-working young person, a thinker, a doer, and it was great to have that youth representation from Ottawa to be part of this panel.

Hon. Jeff Leal: And a friend of Jim Watson, I think, too.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Well, we all are friends of Mayor Watson, who is doing a great job in our city of Ottawa. We thank him for his public service. I’ll let Mayor Watson know that—

Hon. Jeff Leal: Send him the Hansard. He loves to see his name in print.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Speaker, as you can see, this was a diverse panel that reflects all sides of this important issue. I want to take this moment to thank them once again for their hard work and dedication.

Just to give you an idea of the task that I gave them: As I mentioned to you earlier, we appointed the panel in June. In my very first meeting with the panel, I told them very clearly, “You have six months to consult Ontarians, to look at the research on the issue of what’s the best way of determining minimum wage, to look at the experiences of other provinces in Canada and jurisdictions beyond Canada and get back to us with a report and recommendations. Six months, period—not a year, not a year and a half.

This has to be done fast, this has to be done effectively, because our government is serious to ensure that we raise minimum wage for hard-working Ontarians, but also to provide predictability for businesses who create jobs in our economy.” We were very clear. We gave them that task and said, “By December, you have to come back with the report.”

They took it on, and I congratulate them. I think they felt that the timelines were a little too tight, but on behalf of our government and on behalf of our Premier, I just wanted to make that very, very clear. It’s their efforts that have resulted in this legislation.

They went on to travel the province. They went on in gathering the important data that they needed, the research that needed to be done and analyzed to understand what their recommendations should be. Just so you know, they conducted public consultations across the province and invited written submissions on adjusting the minimum wage. We created a dedicated website: ontario.ca/minimumwagereview. There was a discussion paper that was put on there. We set up a toll-free number so that people could call in with their comments. They could write emails, they could send written submissions besides the actual consultation so that nobody’s left behind. Anybody who wanted to take

part in the consultation process had the opportunity to write, to speak, to call in to provide their feedback.

The panel went to 10 different cities across the province, every single region, to make sure that we were available to many places.

Hon. Jeff Leal: What cities did they visit?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: They were in places like Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Toronto, Mississauga. These are just the ones that come top of mind. I think in the north they were in Thunder Bay. I mean, they really did their homework well.

Speaker, as I mentioned, after the consultation deliberations, the panel reached a consensus with the chair, relayed to me in his report. The report is available on the website. I actually encourage everybody to really look at the report. It’s a very good read. They have looked at a lot of data. They have presided—it gives you a really good understanding in the report as to who lives on minimum wage in Ontario, who works on minimum wage, what age demographic, what background, where do they come from.

Interjection.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: I love receiving notes from the staff telling me what to do and what not to do. They don’t realize that I’m standing here; I can do what I want to. I’ve got 27 minutes to talk about an important issue. This is a very important issue, and a lot of people have been engaged in this issue. I really want to make sure that we give due time to this very important issue.

In their report, they provided four consensus recommendations. I really stress “consensus,” that all the members of the panel that I spoke about, including the chair, agreed on the direction, the advice they wanted to give to the government. Recommendation number one was that the minimum wage in Ontario should be tied to Ontario’s consumer price index—in other words, the cost of living. That’s the index that should be used.

This number, by the way, as we all know, is available from Statistics Canada. Nobody will doubt the veracity, the authenticity or the kind of work that Statistics Canada does.

Hon. Jeff Leal: I thought Harper tried to close that down. Is it still going?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: They do good work, given that their wings maybe have been clipped, unfortunately, through the elimination of the long-form census, which is unfortunate, because the better the data, the better the evidence they have, then the better the analysis that we as Canadians receive from them.

Their advice was that minimum wage should be tied to Ontario’s consumer price index, or the cost of living, from the previous year. People will know that it’s a determination of the cost of living in terms of how much it costs to buy your regular items or goods that we need to sustain ourselves. It’s a good reflection of how costs may be increasing.

Their second recommendation, which is another very important one, is that the minimum wage should be reviewed annually—every year. Their recommendation is four months’ notice. We’re suggesting six months, to allow for more predictability. They said that it should be revised every year; therefore, an increase on an annual basis.

The third recommendation—again, a consensus recommendation—was that this whole system be reviewed in five years’ time.

The last recommendation was that our government should put more focus on collecting all the data around labour statistics, around wages, so that this type of exercise is easier to conduct.

I’m really proud to say that we are incorporating all of those recommendations in the bill. The last one does not need legislation. The very first one—that is, that the minimum wage be tied to Ontario’s consumer price index—goes to the heart of Bill 165. The second one, that it be revised every year, is part of this bill, as I explained. With six months’ notice, on April 1 of every year, starting in 2015, we will announce the amount, and it will come into effect on October 1, 2015, and on and on it goes. And, lastly, that there be a review of the system every five years is also very much part and parcel of this legislation.

That is, Speaker, the process by which we have arrived here. I would argue to you that it has been a very democratic process, a consultative process. The opposition is very quick to criticize the Premier for having too many consultations, but with effective consultation comes good legislation like what we have in front of us in the form of Bill 165, the Fair Minimum Wage Act.

Our job is to listen to Ontarians; our job is to consult them. They have elected us to represent their points of view. There is no shame in going back to our constituents. In fact, I would argue to you, Speaker, that the essence, the job description, of what we do as MPPs is to find ways to consult Ontarians, take their points of view and then put that into effective legislation. That is exactly what we are doing here, through this legislation. The panel did an amazing job, and I’m very happy to see the result of their hard work being represented in this bill.

I’m going to take a few more minutes, Speaker, to make a couple of important points. One is, as I said earlier, I’m disappointed with the official opposition for not supporting raising the minimum wage to $11. This is their position and, at least, I give them points for being consistent in their position. They did not believe in raising minimum wage when they were in government from 1995 to 2003, they did not support raising minimum wage from $6.85 to $10.25, and they don’t believe in raising minimum wage to $11. They’re consistent. Nobody can blame them for that. That’s their position, and they’ll be judged on that.

However, Speaker, I do want to give them credit for being supportive of this particular legislation on the notion of making sure that we have predictability in the way minimum wage is determined. I have good conversations with the PC labour critic, the member from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, and I appreciate his desire to bring more predictability to the way minimum wage is determined, because it’s going to benefit our businesses, especially our small businesses.

My disappointment is reserved for the NDP, the party that used to claim—they don’t anymore, Speaker—to stand up for the little guy. They used to claim to stand up for the vulnerable worker. They are the ones, if I can use the expression, who are MIA on the issue of the minimum wage.

Hon. Jeff Leal: MIA?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: MIA—missing in action—on the issue of minimum wage.

Speaker, don’t take my word on it. As I mentioned to you earlier, we announced that we will be setting up an advisory panel on minimum wage in the last budget, a year ago. When the leader of the third party was in active negotiations with our Premier, with our government, on what should be in the budget and what it will take for her to support our budget, did she ever talk about raising the minimum wage in that process? Not at all. Not at all, Speaker. That was not part of her demands whatsoever. We still—

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur: Not the Tea Party, but close to it.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Yes, they are getting close to the Tea Party. It’s very unfortunate. The Tea Party doesn’t even want them that close to them, but that’s what they’re striving for.

Speaker, we did still—because we wanted to do the right thing—put in that advisory panel. Then, as I mentioned, eight months ago, we announced the creation of the advisory panel. Did the NDP once submit it to the panel, to provide their position as to how they think minimum wage should be determined, what the amount should be and what formula should be set? Absolutely no. Nothing, Speaker. Nothing.

Let’s go further. In this House, did they once ask me or the Premier, even in questions during question period, on the issue of minimum wage? No. You can check the Hansard; you can check the record.

It was almost a month ago when the Premier and I announced our policy position, after the work we received from the panel. We issued the report, and then we announced a few days later that we’ll be raising the minimum wage to $11 an hour, and we will be bringing legislation—as I did, that we were talking about—indexing this to the cost of living.

You would wonder that the NDP would have a response to that. You would wonder that the NDP would come out and say yay or nay or “We’re neutral.”

Hon. Jeff Leal: Nothing.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Nothing.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Silence.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Silence. Their leader, according to, I think, the Toronto Star, went into the witness protection program. She disappeared. In fact, Speaker, there were two by-elections going on at that time, as you may recall. When asked again and again by the reporters—when the candidate, now the member from Niagara Falls, was asked about his or the leader’s position: Silence. No position.

You scratch your head as to how the party who used to argue that they stand for the little guy, the party who always argued somehow that they had the corner on compassion, is the one, all of a sudden, that has no position. The best line they could come up with: “We need to consult with small businesses on this.”

Hon. Jeff Leal: We already consulted with small business.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: We already consulted small businesses. We actually had small business as part of our panel. If you would have paid attention to that process and if you would have engaged in that process, you would have had the information that you need to make a decision. But you know what? Absolute silence; it almost took a month for them because they were getting a lot of pressure. You have to just see what’s been written out there by the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and even the Sun. You know, you don’t expect them to be writing anything on a progressive issue like minimum wage.

Everybody was saying, “Where is the NDP? What do they really believe in? Do they believe in anything whatsoever?” When they came up with a position it felt like we were in an episode of The Price is Right; right?

Hon. Jeff Leal: No, it’s like Let’s Make a Deal.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Or Let’s Make a Deal, perhaps.

You know, it’s laughable. In fact, I will say to you very honestly that I’m very, very disappointed because the NDP is a party that now believes in corporate tax cuts. The NDP is a party that now joins hands with the Conservatives in voting for a motion that says, “Don’t raise corporate taxes.” Can you believe it?

I had constituents call me last night. I had constituents call me yesterday after the vote in this House saying, “Did we see right that the NDP voted with the Conservatives on a motion that says, ‘Don’t raise corporate taxes’”? I’m sure everybody knows the Bizarro world, the Bizarro cartoons. Are we living in a Bizarro world? I said to them, “No, it is true. This is exactly what happened.”

Hon. Jeff Leal: It’s a coalition over there.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Yes, it’s a very strange coalition—

Hon. Jeff Leal: I wonder what Tommy Douglas would have thought of that?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Actually, I think it was the Globe and Mail that said in one of their editorials that this is not the NDP of Tommy Douglas and Jack Layton. I’m not making this up. This was in the Globe and Mail.

It’s interesting, when you speak with NDP MPPs on these issues and in conversations, their reaction is that they stare at their toes now. They can’t even make eye contact on this issue, which is sad because I think they need to stand up for hard-working Ontarians, like our government is doing.

I am very proud that I am part of a government, under the leadership of our Premier, that has raised minimum wage to $11 an hour, the highest minimum wage in all of Canada. We have brought in legislation, Bill 165, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, that will ensure the minimum wage never falls behind and that it will take politics out of how the minimum wage is set, which brings fairness for Ontarians who live on minimum wage and which provides for predictability for businesses that create jobs in our economy, because that is what Ontarians are asking for.

I really urge members from all sides that they stop playing politics with people’s wages. Start making sure that we are not making this into a political football. We should not be just pulling numbers out of our hats. We should be working together. We had a process in place that made sure that the views of all Ontarians are considered. That’s why I can state here with confidence that Ontarians support the steps that our government is taking. Ontarians support Bill 165, the Fair Minimum Wage Act.

I really hope that all members of this Legislature will support this very important piece of legislation because that will really modernize the way in which we set minimum wage in our province. It is a fair approach. It is a predictable approach and it is a responsible approach. Thank you very much, Speaker, for your time.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): The member from Brampton West.

Mr. Vic Dhillon: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise as well in support of this legislation brought forward by the Minister of Labour.

I’m glad to hear that minimum wage workers will be getting a raise and they will be treated fairly. Increasing the minimum wage and making sure it keeps up with the cost of living is important for our workers, important for our businesses and important for our communities. It means more money in people’s pockets so they can more fully participate in our economic recovery and it means more of a boost for our local economy.

Ontario is a compassionate society. The legislation before us does just that—it provides protection for some of our most vulnerable workers. We’re talking about students working to put themselves through school. We’re talking about parents working hard to raise their kids and newcomers searching for a better life. They deserve to know what their wage will be from one year to the next while having an opportunity to improve their lives.

That has not always been the case. Between 1990 and 2003—for 13 years—we saw the minimum wage increase by less than $2. That was not fair to workers who saw their cost of living increase dramatically while their wages stayed almost frozen. How could that happen? It happened because the NDP and PC governments chose not to do anything about it. When we came to power we acted. We raised the minimum wage. I’m proud to say that we have increased the minimum wage by 50% since 2003.

Our government knows that we have to change the mechanism by which the minimum wage goes up. We need to take the politics out of setting the minimum wage; we need to make sure the minimum wage is set fairly and keeps up with the cost of living so workers do not see their hard-earned wages fall behind; and we need to make sure it is set in a transparent and predictable way so that our businesses, especially our small businesses, can plan for the future and continue to create jobs. I’m proud to say that the Fair Minimum Wage Act would achieve both of these things.

The bill brought forward by the Minister of Labour will go a long way towards helping minimum wage earners by providing them with a certain sense of security. If the proposed Fair Minimum Wage Act is passed, then beginning on October 1, 2015, adjustments to the minimum wage would be annual. Any changes to the minimum wage would be announced by April 1, six months prior to the adjustment. Then, on October 1 of each year, beginning in 2015, the minimum wage rates will be adjusted by the percentage changes in the consumer price index. This percentage increase would then be applied to the existing minimum wage.

As of June 1 of this year, this general minimum wage will be $11, which will be the highest provincial minimum wage in Canada.

Minimum wage rates for special classes, such as students under 18, liquor servers, hunting and fishing guides and homeworkers, will be increased by the same percentage. The new minimum wage would be rounded out to the nearest nickel. If the change in the CPI is negative, the minimum wage would not change. With this bill, minimum wage earners will no longer see the buying power of their wages erode.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is not only about helping minimum wage earners, it is also about providing predictability for employers whose businesses create jobs in our economy. It is about making sure businesses, especially small businesses, know what the minimum wage will be so they can plan, stay competitive and continue to create jobs. You cannot run a business if you cannot predict with some accuracy your costs going forward. This bill will provide predictability for these businesses.

If the members pass this bill, these businesses would know there is an increase coming on October 1 and they would receive six months’ notice of the amount, allowing both workers and businesses time to plan ahead.

The Fair Minimum Wage Act is good legislation and it comes as a result of the Minimum Wage Advisory Panel, which was chaired by Dr. Anil Verma of the University of Toronto. Dr. Verma and the panel, made up of representatives from business, labour, anti-poverty advocates and youth, consulted across the province to get input on how the minimum wage should be adjusted. They heard from a large number of groups and individuals. They looked at the research and evidence and, after their deliberations, came up with a consensus on how the government should approach adjusting the minimum wage.

This was an independent panel, and the recommendations are based on their consultations. The result of their work is the bill we’re debating here today.

As I’ve said, I fully support this legislation. It would help protect the most vulnerable workers and it would provide certainty and predictability to businesses employing them. It is good legislation on both economic and social fronts. I urge all members of this House to support this legislation.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Questions and comments? The member for Barrie.

Mr. Rod Jackson: Oh, sorry—

Mr. Rob Leone: He was just fixing his hair.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Oh, okay. You had me confused.

The member for Lambton–Kent–Middlesex.

Mr. Monte McNaughton: Thank you very much, Speaker. I’ll be doing my hour leadoff at some point, whether we start today or another day on this bill.

Of course, we’ve been clear that the opposition is going to support Bill 165. But we do have an issue, obviously, with the direction that Ontario’s economy is going, and I’ll talk a bit more about that and, of course, of our leader’s plan that’s going to be debated today, Tim Hudak’s plan to create one million jobs in Ontario. It’s a five-point plan.

This is something that we have been urging the government to come forward with, and that’s a jobs plan for Ontario. In southwestern Ontario, of course, we’ve been hard hit, with thousands and thousands of manufacturing jobs being lost. In fact, Ontario has lost 30,000 well-paying manufacturing jobs in the last 12 months, since Premier Wynne has come to office, working with, as I like to call her, Deputy Premier Horwath.

Our five-point plan, which Tim Hudak’s going to talk about today, is very clear. It’s going to lower hydro rates for Ontario’s families and businesses. It’s going to lower taxes and rein in the government overspending that has doubled Ontario’s debt over the past 10 years. We’re going to promote the skilled trades and lower apprenticeship ratios; increase trade with provinces across Canada, specifically western Canada and the western Canada partnership; and eliminate the red tape that forces small and medium-size business owners to spend time filling in paperwork instead of hiring more employees.

This is a plan to create one million jobs in Ontario, and I urge the House to come together and support Tim Hudak’s Million Jobs Act.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Questions and comments.

Mr. John Vanthof: It’s once again an honour to be able to stand in this House and respond to the remarks from the Minister of Labour regarding the introduction of Bill 165, the fair labour act, I believe it’s called, about minimum wage. I’m not the labour critic, so I’ll leave our party’s comments to the labour critic when he does his lead, but there’s a few things the minister mentioned that I found rather entertaining.

One is that we were no longer the party of Tommy Douglas. I took a little bit of umbrage to that, because a little bit of history on Tommy Douglas: When he was Premier of Saskatchewan, before he brought medicare to that province and before he brought electricity to the rural routes, to the farms of that province—he brought the electrical infrastructure that really pushed Saskatchewan to the road of modernization. Before he did those two things, he balanced the province’s budget, because he knew, and we all know, that for a province to be healthy, we have to spend money wisely.

He also knew, as we know, that people have to have a fair wage. Once again, if you look at our last provincial platform, we were at $11 then. So it’s a bit tough to get lectured from the party across the way on how we are missing in action on this file, when actually we’ve been pushing on this file for a lot longer. Just because we’re not jumping up and down every time a newspaper says something is not much different than actually sitting back and looking at how to develop policies that actually work for the province of Ontario.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Thank you. Questions and comments.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, what a true pleasure it was to hear the speech this morning by my colleague the Minister of Labour, the MPP from the great riding of Ottawa Centre. You know, I’ve been here for a decade and this is one of the better speeches that I’ve heard in that decade, where he clearly laid out, in very persuasive terms, why Bill 165 is so needed in the province of Ontario, to take the politics out of the settling of minimum wage. I want to give some credit this morning to a good friend of mine, a lawyer in Peterborough, one Stephen Kylie.

Steven is chair of the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network and just a great individual. He’s been working for many, many years to reduce poverty within the city of Peterborough. He came to me a number of months ago. He was absolutely ecstatic when the Minister of Labour set up this panel to look at the minimum wage.

A good friend of mine, a Peterborough boy, Allan O’Dette, who is the president of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce—Allan and I have been great friends. His mother, Rosemary, was a former nurse at St. Joseph’s hospital in Peterborough. Allan was certainly very supportive of the very wise approach that the Minister of Labour has taken on what is a very important social file in the province of Ontario—indeed, Mr. Speaker, to help close the gap when it comes to wages in the province of Ontario.

But, Mr. Speaker, I was equally shocked today when I read the newspaper. I understand that there’s a building permit that’s coming forward in the city of Toronto to extend the Albany Club in Toronto, and they’re going to name the new wing after the leader of the NDP to make sure that the Albany Club can now accommodate members of the New Democratic Party, because as my union friends say in Peterborough, they’re just now Tories in a hurry.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Questions and comments?

Mr. Jim McDonell: Thank you, Speaker.

Interjection: How do you follow that?

Mr. Jim McDonell: I don’t know if you can follow that. I’m just wondering about the last 10 years of speakers, when this is the best he has ever heard. I don’t know; I was hoping for better on the other side.

Anyway, I sat here. It was interesting to hear about them talking about this party being so cozy to Sid Ryan—I guess we’ve always known that, but we’ve never really heard them say that—when they created the panel. In fact, we hear that they were listening to the panel, but they actually didn’t—I don’t know if the panel said something different than the report said, but we never saw anything in the panel that talked about setting the minimum wage at the rate they did. They talked about what this bill is about, but they never did talk about what the rate should be increased to retroactively.

So anyway, what we’d like to really see is this government talking about good-paying jobs. I mean, they’re really talking about minimum-wage jobs. They’ve done a great job with minimum-wage jobs. They’ve almost tripled the number of people in Ontario on minimum wage since they took over. That’s quite a feat. We take it differently over here. We’d rather see reducing that number, getting more people in good-paying jobs, and we’re looking for them to support our leader Tim Hudak’s private member’s bill this afternoon. It has five good points.

I had the benefit of listening to more than 20 different municipalities this week, and their message was clear: We’ve got to get our costs under control. We just can’t dump these costs down to municipalities and walk away and blame them for the property tax increases. Surely, when the waste is going on here, we can come up somewhere with the $25 million they’re cutting from OMPF funding this year—or, you know, their standard practice of negotiating terrific or almost obscene wage increases and then passing it down to the municipalities to find money and pay for it.

It’s time that we actually take action in this government. It’s not something we’re seeing here.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Minister, you have two minutes for a response.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: I want to thank the member from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex; the member from Timiskaming–Cochrane; the member from Peterborough, also the Minister of Rural Affairs; and the member from Stormont–Dundas–South–Glengarry.

Speaker, I’m heartened to hear from the official opposition that they support this bill, and I thank them for their support. I do though—our side does not agree with their right-to-work-for-less type of policies that will bring wages down and that are going to weaken health and safety in our province. We have a fundamental disagreement with them on that very important issue. I just really wanted to highlight that.

Speaker, I want to note very interestingly that we again did not hear from the NDP on this issue as to whether they support setting a fair minimum wage in our province, whether they support Bill 165 or not. We saw a lot of dancing and singing and humming and hawing from the NDP, again, trying to say, “Oh, we’ve always been there for the little guy.” But, Speaker, this is the beginning of the NDT, the New Democratic Tea Party of Ontario.

I see a lot of nurses in the chamber right now. I want to welcome them and thank them for their incredible service in all our communities. But I can also tell you, Speaker, that the nurses have been asking for a fair minimum wage in our province as well, and this bill, Bill 165, is going to make sure that we take politics out of our minimum wage, that it continues to increase every year according to the cost of living, and that we in our province set a fair and predictable way of determining minimum wage.

I hope that all members will support this very important bill in our Legislature.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Further debate?

Mr. Monte McNaughton: It’s an honour to rise to speak to Bill 165 today. We’ll get started for a few minutes anyways, and then we’ll continue the debate in the weeks ahead.

Before I get into the debate, I would really like to pay tribute to one of our mayors who is here from my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, Mayor David Bolton, who’s here from Adelaide Metcalfe. The mayor was joined by hundreds of other municipal representatives from across Ontario in Toronto today for Good Roads and ROMA. I was honoured to host another mayor and some councillors from Brooke-Alvinston at Queen’s Park a couple of days ago as well.

Speaker, Bill 165 is

An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 with respect to the minimum wage, introduced by the Minister of Labour. It’s a bill that amends the Employment Standards Act to adjust the minimum wage annually, starting in October 2015, by indexing it to the Ontario consumer price index, CPI. These changes to the minimum wage would be rounded to the nearest five cents, and no adjustment would be made if it would result in a decrease in the minimum wage rate.

The general minimum wage, currently at $10.25, will be increased to $11 per hour effective June 1 of this year, but of course the bill specifically deals with adjusting the minimum wage annually starting in October 2015. This is something that the Ontario Chamber of Commerce certainly got behind a while ago.

I will read into the House—and I know the member from Peterborough touched on it; the president, Allan O’Dette, is leading this charge. This is a message from the president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and I’d just like to read it into Hansard: “Ontario is in a period of economic transition,” and he’s absolutely right with that first note, Speaker, because, as I said during my two-minute response to the minister, of course we are in an economic transition.

We’ve lost over 300,000 well-paying manufacturing jobs in the last 10 years, and we’ve lost 30,000 in the last 12 months alone under the Wynne-Horwath arrangement. To continue: “The Ontario Chamber of Commerce and its 60,000 members firmly believe that the policy choices made today will impact our province’s competitiveness for generations to come.”

On that note, again, I’d like to highlight the fact that later on this afternoon, our leader, Tim Hudak, will be debating his own Million Jobs Act. I think this is a visionary policy and a visionary plan to kick-start Ontario’s economy. Right now in Ontario we have nearly a million unemployed men and women. This is why our caucus agreed to clear the decks last September and pass some government bills so that the Premier and the Liberals could table a jobs plan. Speaker, here we are six months later and we have yet to see anything that resembles a jobs plan.

Instead, we hear that the Liberals and NDP want to raise taxes on businesses and middle-class families through corporate tax hikes and increasing the gas tax by 10 cents per litre.

You know, I talk to many residents in my riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, many from Mayor Bolton’s municipality of Adelaide Metcalfe, and the people of southwestern Ontario, quite frankly, do not want to pay for Toronto transit. For this Premier to talk about increasing gas taxes by 10 cents a litre is despicable and is most unfair. So I would urge the Premier and, as I said earlier, Deputy Premier Horwath to reverse course.

When they’re huddled debating whether this budget passes this spring—and I know both parties, by the sounds of it, want to avert going to the people—I hope they take into consideration what we’ve been saying in the official opposition: that the people in southwestern Ontario, northern Ontario—outside of the GTA—don’t want to pay for Toronto transit. That is the last thing that Ontario needs.

What our province needs is a plan to create jobs and attract businesses to the province. Our leader, the member for Niagara West–Glanbrook, has that plan. In fact, it’s being debated later today, and we hope that every member in this House will support it. It’s a five-point plan, a common-sense plan, to kick-start Ontario’s economy, to create one million well-paying jobs for the people who, this morning, woke up without any hope and without any future.

Tim Hudak’s one million jobs plan focuses on five points:

(1) It lowers hydro rates for Ontario families and businesses.

(2) It lowers taxes and reins in the government overspending that has doubled Ontario’s debt over the past 10 years.

(3) It promotes the skilled trades and lowers apprenticeship ratios.

(4) It increases trade with provinces across Canada.

(5) It eliminates the red tape that forces small and medium-sized business owners to spend time filling in paperwork instead of hiring more employees.

Back to what the president of the chamber was saying: “The government of Ontario is currently consulting on how to set the minimum wage.” This is before the report came out and before the government announced their intentions. The chamber says, “This issue is important. There is broad consensus that the current process—or lack thereof—governing the minimum wage does not work for employers and workers.”

Allan O’Dette, the president, continues: “We have consulted widely with our membership through surveys, focus groups and one-on-one interviews. Our consultations have revealed that OCC members want a process for setting the minimum wage that is based on four principles:

“Predictability”—and this is a part that our party supports, when it comes to Bill 165—“Employers want a process that provides predictability so that they can plan, grow and invest with confidence.

“Transparency: Employers need a process that is open and depoliticized.

“Fairness: Employers also want a process that considers the impact on both employers and workers.

“Promotes Ontario’s competitiveness: Employers are job creators. Decisions around minimum wage should not discourage investment, job creation and economic growth.

“As such, we”—the Ontario Chamber of Commerce—“recommend that the minimum wage be pegged to the consumer price index (inflation). Of the options considered, this approach is most consistent with all four principles outlined above.

“We also urge members of the panel to consider the impacts that significant and one-off hikes in the minimum wage have on businesses and employment. For many employers—particularly those in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors—a decision to ‘make up for lost time’ would exacerbate the challenges they face and hinder Ontario’s economic recovery.”

Clearly, Speaker, the Minister of Labour, the Premier and the government did not take into consideration, when they went back retroactively to hike the minimum wage, what the impact of that was going to be on retail, hospitality and the leisure sectors.

Again, Allan O’Dette, the president of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said, “A decision to ‘make up for lost time’ would exacerbate the challenges they face and hinder Ontario’s economic recovery.” I think that was a warning in advance, and clearly, the provincial Liberal government didn’t take into account what the Ontario Chamber of Commerce was saying.

In my riding, before I was elected, I had the honour of serving as the president of the Strathroy and District Chamber of Commerce. I’d been involved for a number of years there. Also, I made a point, as soon as I was elected, back in October 2011, to reach out to our chambers in the riding. I speak regularly with the Grand Bend and Area Chamber of Commerce and, of course, Wallaceburg and District Chamber of Commerce as well.

It will be no surprise to any member in this House that small businesses are concerned about this, specifically about the retroactive pay increase.

Allan O’Dette continues, saying that the Ontario chamber is pleased to submit their views on this matter and they look forward to participating in the continued discussion.

The consensus recommendation from the Ontario chamber was clear: “Once every two years, on July 1, the minimum wage should be adjusted based on the cumulative change to the previous two calendar years’ All Items CPI for Ontario.” So the government did some variation of this.

The OCC did a lot of work on this, and I’ll give credit to Allan O’Dette and his team at the Ontario chamber. They are really working hard. They put out a bold plan—I forget the name of it now, but it really sets out a bold path, and I think that our leader’s Million Jobs Act adopts a lot of the visionary principles that the chamber set out.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bas Balkissoon): Thank you.

Seeing the time on the clock, this House stands recessed until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1015 to 1030.

MEMBER’S BIRTHDAY

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Nepean–Carleton on a point of order.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Yesterday, Speaker, I wanted to raise this point of order, but the House adjourned too quickly. It was my colleague’s 61st birthday yesterday—my good friend Garfield Dunlop, and I wanted to wish him a happy birthday.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): My dear friend, who was elected in the same year as me.

Mr. Garfield Dunlop: Yes?

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I’m with you, buddy.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mr. Steve Clark: I’m going to guess that there’s going to be an outpouring of love this morning for registered nurses. I’m guessing that.

I just want to recognize a registered nurse from my riding: my good friend Denise Wood. Welcome to Queen’s Park. Welcome, RNAO.

Miss Monique Taylor: I would like to welcome our page Ibrahim Oleiche’s parents today. They would be Fida and Zein Oleiche. Welcome to Queen’s Park today.

Hon. Charles Sousa: On behalf of the Premier, the Minister of Health and all our colleagues here in the Legislature, today I would like to introduce several members of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario joining us here at Queen’s Park: Doris Grinspun, Rhonda Seidman-Carlson, Pat Sevean, Janet Hunt, Carol Timmings, Mary McAllister, Claudette Holloway, Una Ferguson and Jackie Graham. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Rob E. Milligan: It gives me great pleasure to have with us this morning some good friends of my father-in-law, John Ryan: Mr. Wilf Kemp; his lovely daughter, Belinda Kemp, and Belinda’s daughters, Avery Moorhouse and Celia Moorhouse. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

M me France Gélinas: Ça me fait plaisir de souhaiter la bienvenue à tous les infirmiers de l’Association des infirmières et infirmiers autorisés de l’Ontario.

It certainly is my pleasure to welcome everybody from RNAO. More particularly, I’d like to mention that Maureen Cava is here, and Aric Rankin, Paula Manuel, Jody Macdonald and Deborah Kane. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Jeff Leal: It’s a great pleasure for me to introduce a number of people in the members’ east gallery today: Mary Anna Zakula, who is the mother of page Nik Skilton, from Peterborough; and grandmother Christian Walker and grandfather Harold Walker. I want to give them a big, warm Queen’s Park welcome here this morning.

Ms. Laurie Scott: I’d like to introduce, from the RNAO, Jill Staples, an RN from my riding. Jill, give us a wave up there. Thank you very much, and welcome to Queen’s Park. She always comes and represents the RNAO, so I thank her for that.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: Mr. Speaker, just with a special edge to this, I’d like to welcome the registered nurses. I live with a registered nurse and I owe my political success to his patience and his skills.

I know how hard you work. You’re a blessing on this province. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Christine Elliott: This is a great day at Queen’s Park, to have so many members of the RNAO join us. I’d like to make a few more introductions. I’d like to welcome Vanessa Burkoski, Denise Wood, Marianne Cochrane, Véronique Boscart and Rebecca Harbridge. Welcome to all of our guests.

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: We’re pleased to welcome in the east gallery today the Honourable Diana McQueen, Minister of Energy for the great province of Alberta, and her chief of staff, Riley Georgsen. They are here at Queen’s Park to participate in the Canadian Energy Innovation Summit.

Mr. Douglas C. Holyday: It’s my pleasure today to introduce some residents from Etobicoke–Lakeshore. First, I’d like to introduce Justin Brown. Justin Brown was the chief of staff to Bob Runciman when he was here, so it’s nice to have Justin back with us. Justin is with his daughter, Rowan. Rowan is down here, I think, to get some information on the page program. Rowan, welcome.

Mr. Paul Miller: I’d like to welcome the nurses from Hamilton. I don’t have their names in front of me, but there are four or five of them, I believe, from the Hamilton area. I welcome them to the Legislature today.

Mr. Steven Del Duca: Today I’d like to introduce some individuals who are here representing the Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Canada: Sonia De Bartoli, Michael and Margrite Eygenraam and Christopher Lee. Thank you for being with us here today at Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Jane McKenna: My page from Burlington is doing a wonderful job and is very hard-working. Her mom and brother are here today in the public gallery, Diane and Zach Caton.

Ms. Cindy Forster: I’d like to introduce two registered nurses from Welland here today: Shirley Kennedy and Elizabeth Stifter.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I’d like to introduce my friend Michele Farrugia. Mikey, stand up so we can see. Mikey’s visiting us from Oshawa today. I’d welcome him to his first session of question period.

Mr. Todd Smith: I’d like to welcome nurses from eastern Ontario. We have Suzanne Lynch-Braithwaite joining us with the RNAO, Kassia Blattner and, from the great nursing program at Loyalist College, Elizabeth Edwards. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: I’m delighted to have Candies Kotchapaw, who is a student in our office, here observing what we do.

Hon. Michael Coteau: It’s my pleasure to welcome the students of Don Mills Collegiate Institute here to the Legislature today, one of the best schools in this entire province.

I’d also like to introduce attendees from the Children’s Breakfast Club who are joining us here today: Richard Gosling, Zubeda Nanji, Cecilie Homer and Alexandra Fraser. Joining them from 33 division are Sergeant Rod Chung, PC Patrick Thompson, PC Timothy Whittle and PC Dale Swift. Welcome to the Legislature.

Mr. Bill Walker: It’s my pleasure to introduce RNAO nurse Megan Herron. She tarries awhile in Tara, from the great riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. Welcome, Megan, and welcome RNAO.

Hon. Mario Sergio: From the heart of the riding of York West, I’d like to welcome to the House Shoreham Public Sports and Wellness Academy. They are joining us today. I’d like to say welcome and enjoy the day here.

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: I’d like to introduce to the Legislature Cheryl Yost and Jane Foster here with the RNAO. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Garfield Dunlop: I’d like to introduce to you Brenda Jenkins and her nephew Henry, who are here today joining us at Queen’s Park for some information. Welcome.

Mr. Rick Nicholls: I had a very engaging breakfast this morning with nurse practitioner Alana Halfpenny, from Lambton; and registered nurse Betty Oldershaw, from the great riding of Chatham–Kent.

Mrs. Gila Martow: I’d like to welcome to the House Zehavi Zynoberg from my riding of Thornhill, whose name means “gold” in Hebrew. He has such a sunny disposition that it suits him.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Just in case there’s anyone in the House who hasn’t been introduced, I’d like to welcome them all here this morning.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I believe I’ve got everybody in. That used to be my line from a long time ago, so thank you for stealing my thunder.

The Minister of Northern Development and Mines on a point of order.

Hon. Michael Gravelle: Mr. Speaker, I think all members of the House know that my mother passed away recently. I do want to take this opportunity to thank all of them for their very, very kind and thoughtful condolences. This is a very important time for our family. In that regard, actually, I do want to introduce two of my sisters who are here with us this morning. Of course, I love them dearly: my sister Susan Houghton and my sister Sarah Mackenzie-Gravelle. Welcome.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I too would like to thank all the members for their generosity of being good human beings in this place. From time to time, we all share and come together for very important moments. These are those types of moments. I appreciate all the members for their expression of solicitude and gratitude to each other. They represent their families, and I appreciate that deeply. I thank you and compliment all the members on that.

I also would offer my thanks to all of our RNAO visitors for being here. In case you got missed, we welcome all of you here.

ORAL QUESTIONS

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

Mr. Tim Hudak: My question is for the Minister of Finance. Minister, you know, sadly, something historic happened today. We heard from the OPP commissioner regarding the criminal investigation of the OPP into the Premier’s office and the Liberal Party. The unfortunate consequence of the fact that you’re being criminally investigated, not once but twice, means that you’re spending a lot of resources, quite frankly, protecting the Liberal Party instead of creating jobs for people in the province of Ontario.

Basically, because of these scandals involving criminal activity, you don’t have the focus on getting our economy moving again and creating jobs. You’re spending time covering Liberal hides rather than creating jobs for our province. So, given you’re so consumed by the OPP investigations, I’ve got a jobs plan to put people back to work. Will you support my million jobs plan, debated in the Legislative Assembly later this afternoon?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please. Be seated, please. While the clock is stopped, I’m going to remind all members: I do not want to hear individual names. We know that that’s not appropriate. The convention here is that you either say their title or their riding, and I’ll stick tight to that. That includes the sidebars.

Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, on this side of the House, we’re able to manage many files concurrently. We’re able to stimulate the economy and grow our economy and create those jobs. And we put up with some of the nonsense that comes from that side of the House in regard to some of the investigations that they purport to tell. The OPP commissioner told us today, “I am told by our investigators that the OPP is receiving good co-operation from senior government officials in this matter.” They have our full co-operation. They further say that the Premier has been very responsible.

We’ve taken a stand. She’s actually called for the investigations, and we’re moving forward. But, Mr. Speaker, I recall, as someone who was involved with protecting the communities, the member opposite stood in that community and promised to cancel that power plant without consequences any further. Mr. Speaker, they just do the same—

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: Let me be clear: The OPP stormed into the Premier’s office, not anybody else’s. Let’s be clear about that. So the Minister of Finance assures us that they can handle both, that they can spend half their time on OPP criminal investigations and then half their time on the economy. Minister, I just wish you had made the right decisions so you could focus 100% of your time on creating jobs in our province.

Look, you yourself were involved in these decisions. You’re finance minister. You asked for billions of dollars to be spent to save Liberal seats, including your own. You supported the Green Energy Act that has now seen hydro rates more than double in the province of Ontario. Part of my million jobs plan is to end the unaffordable subsidies to wind and solar. It’s causing job losses. For every short-term job we create putting up a wind turbine, we’ll lose four in the broader economy. So let me ask you directly—you’re the Minister of Finance—before you signed on—

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: —to these unaffordable wind and solar subsidies, did you look at how many jobs—

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

Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: So the member opposite has what we refer to as the “killing million jobs act.” This is about a job loss plan. This is his plan, Mr. Speaker, very thin on specifics.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Order.

Hon. Charles Sousa: We have a plan, a plan that has created jobs, over 600,000 jobs—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I did not get things quiet for the member from Renfrew to get his heckle in.

Mr. John Yakabuski: I didn’t see you get up, Speaker.

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

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Barrie will come to order.

Finish.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite’s plan for right-to-work is about killing jobs. It’s about killing prominent jobs in our community, and it’s not forward thinking. He’s going backwards in time, Mr. Speaker, and you can’t compete in that regard.

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: You know, with that kind of sophomoric response, no wonder we can’t attract jobs to the province, Minister. I expect better from the finance minister of the province.

Part of leadership is imagining the future you want for the next generation, one full of jobs, good-paying jobs, and then you build the steps to get there. I’ve done that plan, and I’m ready to lead us there, to get taxes down, to get energy rates under control, to make sure we make the decisions necessary to balance our books, including an across-the-board wage freeze that you used to support but you cast aside, putting us deep in debt.

You hear the same thing I do; I know you do. Every business owner I talk to, large or small, is concerned about skyrocketing hydro rates. You know that your subsidies to wind and solar have been an economic failure. My question for you is, why are you going to dig the hole deeper? Why not embrace my plan for affordable energy so we can create jobs again?

Interjections.

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

Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: So, Mr. Speaker, we talk about sophomoric and simplistic plans brought forward by this man and this party.

We are the leanest government in Canada. The steps that we have taken—we are the lowest per capita government anywhere in Canada. For four years running, we have controlled our spending. We have been very disciplined, and we’re the only government to have actually cut spending year over year. We’re taking the steps necessary to meet our targets and balance our books by 2017-18.

But this is what they say about Mr. Hudak’s—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I heard very little talking while the question was being put; I’m hearing too much talking while the answer is being put. Stop it.

Finish, please.

Hon. Charles Sousa: This is what they say about this risky and radical plan that goes back in time: “Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak’s latest economic offering is a simplistic, headline-hunting plan that’s more concerned with austerity than job creation. And it ignores many of the most important drivers of economic growth,” said by Michael Warren in the Toronto Star.

He often quotes Don Drummond, and this is what he has to say: “It’s extremely unlikely to produce many jobs. A few calculations should have made that evident,” said Don Drummond.

JOB CREATION

Mr. Tim Hudak: Back to the finance minister. I’m just somewhat incredulous that the finance minister would describe his government as a lean government. I mean, how in the world can you say that a government with the biggest deficit in Canada and the most indebted jurisdiction of states and provinces in North America is lean? I think we need a new finance minister; I think we need a new government. I think we’ve got to get on a much better track.

The minister obviously wants to continue to embrace the Dalton McGuinty approach of expensive energy, so let me try a different tack that’s part of my jobs plan. At least Dalton McGuinty and Dwight Duncan finally came around to an across-the-board wage freeze, legislated if necessary. That was my plan; it’s part of my million jobs plan. So to help us get out of the deep debt, will you support my bill, which will bring in an across-the-board wage freeze to make sure we have less debt and attract investment to our province?

Hon. Charles Sousa: We are the lowest-cost government in Canada. We have, because of the controls and the measures we’ve taken, taken necessary steps to control our spending, but we’ve been very strategic in stimulating economic growth. That’s why we’ve created over 164% more jobs in this province, in this jurisdiction, compared to anywhere else—compared to the United States that’s only at 80%. So we’re taking those steps.

Mr. Speaker, the man opposite is proposing a bill that’s going to create cuts in our economy, especially now that we have a sensitive recovery. His plan is going to reduce nurses, reduce doctors, cut teachers and eliminate very valuable jobs in our communities.

We are still the top destination for foreign direct investment. They will be cautioned because of the work that this man is proposing.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: You know, Minister, respectfully, the first path to recovery in Ontario is admitting that you’ve got a problem. You’ve put us deep in debt. You’ve increased taxes. You’ve increased energy rates almost twofold. I’ve seen the commercials by the RNAO. You’re actually the party that’s laying off nurses in the province of Ontario, so let’s get our facts straight on this.

So you’re not going to rein in spending; you’re not going to stop the energy increase. Let me ask you this: The man who seems to be calling the shots is not you, but it’s Pat Dillon of the Working Families coalition. They brought in a new bureaucracy called the College of Trades, and now you want to have compulsory certification for carpenters. You’ll reduce jobs there.

Look, my plan is to create 250,000 jobs in the skilled trades, to take aside this bureaucracy that stands in the way, to move to a one-to-one journeyman-to-apprentice ratio. I want a bright future for people in good, middle-class jobs in the trades. Will you support that, or are you stuck in the past and deep in Pat Dillon’s pocket?

Interjections.

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

Minister of Finance?

Hon. Charles Sousa: The opposition is putting their heads in the sand. They are stuck in the past. They want to go back to the glory days of smokestacks burned on coal and compete with assembly lines. That is not where we’re going to be competitive in the future. We know that we have new manufacturing. We have more sectors created in Ontario than any other province combined. We’ve got more start-ups in this province because of the initiatives that we’ve taken. The man opposite is suggesting that we provide right-to-work legislation that would cut those jobs. He wants to lower wages as opposed to provide those value added.

We’re investing in people. We’re investing in education. We’re providing youth programs so that we get more young people employed so that they have the skills necessary to compete in the new economy of the future, of tomorrow. He still wants to go back to yesterday.

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: Look, I understand you were a significant player in the Dalton McGuinty government. You’re convinced that you want to continue down that path. You are stuck in the past. I’ve got a bold, fresh plan to put people back to work in good middle-class jobs in our province. I call it the million jobs plan; it’s debated this afternoon.

Here’s the difference, Minister: You choose expensive wind and solar subsidies; I choose affordable energy so we can hire again. You chose 300,000 more government jobs; I choose a million good jobs in the private sector that put people back to work in our province. You choose higher taxes; I choose lower taxes that will invest in Ontario and create jobs again. You chose to double the debt; I’m calling for the debt to come down and say Ontario is open for business again. You’re choosing Dalton McGuinty; I’m choosing the people of the province of Ontario, who want hope and want to get back to work in our great province. Why don’t you?

Hon. Charles Sousa: We have to collaborate with all levels of government for the benefit of the people of Ontario. The individual across the way is suggesting that we do across-the-board cuts and not stimulate economic growth. There’s time for restraint, there is time for us to control our spending, and we’ve already employed many measures of austerity for the benefit of providing valuable services at lower cost. That’s why we are the lowest-per-capita-cost government in the country.

But this member opposite is now suggesting that what we need to do, to create job losses that he’s proposing in his act, would be to eliminate these costs and eliminate the investments that are necessary to promote economic growth. The measure of our economy is GDP. What we’re trying to do is increase our GDP, and that has increased over time. We are going to do everything necessary to grow our economy, not slow it down, as this member is suggesting we should do.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Acting Premier. Today, the OPP commissioner testified about the serious charges they’re investigating concerning the destruction of documents in the Premier’s and other government offices.

Can the Acting Premier tell us whether any staff or members of the government caucus are subjects of this investigation?

Hon. Charles Sousa: To the House leader.

Hon. John Milloy: Mr. Speaker, I think we need to correct the record here. The OPP commissioner appeared in front of the committee this morning and confirmed the following: He confirmed that there’s ongoing work by the police force. He confirmed that—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke will come to order.

Hon. John Milloy: —those involved are co-operating fully. He also confirmed that we should allow the police to do their work and to draw no conclusions.

Mr. Speaker, I would advise all honourable members of the House that we should listen to his advice and, as is the tradition of this place, allow the police to do their work, to not speculate and certainly to not interfere. I would hope that the leader of the third party would take that advice to heart.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The House leader can downplay it as much as he wants, but this is a serious matter. This is a criminal investigation, which is another thing that was confirmed this morning at committee. There could be some heavy sentences that come as a result of these investigations.

Given the seriousness of this matter and the government’s stated commitment to transparency, will the Acting Premier commit today that anyone who is subject to this investigation will be asked to step aside pending its results?

Hon. John Milloy: This line of questioning really is beneath the leader of the New Democratic Party. We have a situation where the police are undertaking work and, as is the tradition of this Legislature, we should get out of the way. We should allow them to undertake their work. We should not draw any conclusions. We should not speculate.

If the honourable member wants to talk about the gas plants, then perhaps she and the members of the opposition could talk about their position going into the last election and the fact that they had the exact same position as the government. They’re hoping that fact gets forgotten, but I’m sorry to say, it’s not going to be forgotten. All parties in this Legislature opposed the two gas plants and all parties would have taken the exact same action, had they been in government.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The House leader’s fancy footwork is a disservice to the public of this province. The police have an important job to do here, but the government actually has a responsibility to the public. When someone is under investigation, they have to step aside. I’m asking the Acting Premier to make that basic commitment today: Either confirm that no members of the government caucus are the subject of this investigation or tell us they’ll be stepping aside if they are. Will the Acting Premier make that commitment?

Hon. John Milloy: Just to repeat—and I believe the finance minister made the point clear—that when the commissioner appeared in front of the committee this morning, one of the things he stressed repeatedly was the full co-operation that he is receiving from the government. When inquiries are being made, there are no roadblocks or obstacles—I believe he used words to that effect—when they’re undertaking their work.

Again, I would advise the leader of the third party that she accept the traditions of this House. They’re there for a very good reason. We allow our law enforcement agencies to do their work in an unencumbered way. I also think it’s doing a disservice to this Legislature to try to draw any conclusions, to try to speculate. Let’s allow them to undertake their work.

TAXATION

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Minister of Finance, but I think the Minister of Government Services and House leader needs to remember that there’s a tradition in this House to step aside when you’re under criminal investigation in the province of Ontario.

Yesterday, I asked the Premier whether the Liberals will keep the promises that they actually ran on in 2011. She proudly threw the 2011 platform under the bus, saying she wasn’t the Premier then and she’s the Premier now.

Can the minister list which promises from the 2011 platform the Liberal government will be keeping and which ones they’re throwing under the bus?

Hon. Charles Sousa: I appreciate the fact the leader of the third party recognizes that we have a platform; they do not. We are going to continue doing what’s best in the interests of the people of Ontario. We’re going to continue stimulating economic growth. We’re going to continue investing in job creation measures, like our youth programs. We’re going to continue combatting the excessive costs, as I believe both parties recognize is important around reducing auto insurance rates, for example. We’re taking the steps necessary to maintain a very dynamic business climate that attracts those investments into our province.

We’re going to invest in transit. I’m not certain where they stand on that component, but we need to invest in those modern infrastructure projects that are going to create a very competitive environment in our province and pay huge dividends in the future.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Maybe the Minister of Finance knows something we all don’t know, if he’s got a platform ready to go.

People have been let down a lot of times over the last 10 years by this Liberal government. They have a hard time trusting Liberal promises and it doesn’t help when the Premier makes contradictory promises. The government starts throwing out parts of the platform that they were elected on.

Now, can the minister explain to Ontarians whether the Liberals will keep their campaign promises from last time to hold the line on taxes or whether they’ll keep their new promise to raise taxes on families?

Hon. Charles Sousa: I’m not certain where the member opposite is coming from now, because what we’re saying is that we’re going to invest in those initiatives that are going to stimulate economic growth. We’re investing $35 billion over the next three years to promote infrastructure so that we take care of the issues that created an uncompetitive environment over many years of rule by another party. We need to invest in those initiatives.

When we talk about maintaining a dynamic business climate, we are the party that actually cut taxes from 5.5% to 4.5% for small business. We introduced an accelerated capital cost allowance to enable those businesses to be competitive. We actually eliminated taxes for 90% of businesses in this province by eliminating the employer health tax. We’re taking those steps. We’ve created over 164% more jobs in this province than ever before.

So we are being competitive, and the reason is that we have a dynamic climate in Ontario.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The last time that families had a say, they voted for a government promising not to make their lives more expensive with new taxes, tolls and fees. The Premier likes to say that this is a new government, but anyone looking across the aisle today can see it’s the same old Liberals.

Does the minister really expect people to buy the idea that this isn’t the McGuinty Liberal team, that the Premier wasn’t the co-chair of the McGuinty Liberal campaign and therefore doesn’t have to abide by the promises everyone on that side of the House made during the last election campaign?

Hon. Charles Sousa: We have introduced an increase to the minimum wage. The party opposite was silent throughout the entire process. They make reference in their platform, but they didn’t even discuss it during that time that we needed some deliberation.

The third party has also not even discussed what is critical for the well-being of Ontarians in the future, and that’s retirement security. No mention about this pension reform that is so important for our future.

We are taking those steps. We’re taking leadership on those initiatives to protect the interests of Ontarians, both young and old.

MANUFACTURING JOBS

Mr. Rick Nicholls: My question is to the Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Employment. Minister, this morning Heinz announced that Highbury Canco will be taking over a portion of their Leamington plant as a co-packer, saving many jobs in town. This announcement is great news for the people of the town, and it’s a good start, but there’s plenty more work to be done in Leamington. I want to ensure that the province continues to make Leamington a priority. The town is still at a net loss of hundreds of jobs, and I will continue to work with Leamington mayor John Paterson, trying to bring new jobs to the community.

Minister, what are your next steps to help those in Leamington whose jobs won’t be saved?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. I will remind the members on this side that I’ve been hearing a few people mentioning people’s names, and it will stop—last warning.

The Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Employment.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I’m proud to say this morning that there is a great announcement coming out of Leamington. I’m not sure if the member opposite is supportive or not, from his question.

We’re bringing back literally hundreds of jobs to that important community. I’m so proud at the announcement this morning by the Heinz Co. and Highbury Canco that they’re investing in that community. The facility will stay open. Heinz has signed a letter of intent with this company, this good Canadian company, to bring hundreds of jobs back to that community and for them to continue as a contractor, producing food and food products for the Heinz Co.

This is great news for the Leamington area. I want to commend, quite frankly, the mayor, Mayor Paterson; the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, who have been working very hard on this; certainly, the member from Windsor West, Teresa Piruzza; and all of the members in government, the officials, who have been working so hard to make this work. This is a great day for Leamington.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Just for the record, these jobs were created by the private sector, not by this Liberal government.

Chatham–Kent has lost over 10,000 jobs since this Liberal government took power in 2003. Heinz, McKesson and Worthington Cylinders are just a few of the latest to either shut their doors or reduce the size of their operations.

I’m going to tell you something, Minister: My riding knows how to turn this challenge into new opportunities, but this government is not doing enough to help. Employers should not have to pay high energy rates or struggle with red tape.

The good news is that the PC Party has a plan ready to kick-start our economy. Your government and the NDP are talking job creation. You know what? You can help us. Minister, help us help you. Will you do the right thing and—

Interjections.

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

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Attorney General will come to order.

Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I am shocked at this response, and I think the member opposite should just say, “Thank you.” Private sector jobs are exactly what this province needs. He should talk to Mayor Paterson and understand from him and others the important role that this government played to make that private sector deal happen. In fact, we did our due diligence with the investor that has the agreement with Heinz right now. We introduced that company to Heinz and worked with them on an almost daily basis to make sure that opportunity and any other private sector opportunities could come to fruition.

We’re so proud, again, that hundreds of jobs are coming back to Leamington. If the member opposite doesn’t like that, I think he should move elsewhere.

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I am prepared to say something but I’m not going to do it until everyone’s listening. I’ve said many times in this House I don’t like it when individuals are attacked and I will not tolerate it. We’re more honourable than that.

New question.

COMMUNITY CARE ACCESS CENTRES

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour le premier ministre par intérim. Home care is a vital health service that more and more Ontarians rely on, but as questions continue to grow about CCACs, about health care dollars being diverted from front-line care to executive pay, we know that our home care system is falling short. Nurses, some of them here with us today, have spoken out; patients have spoken out, and problems just continue to grow. Why then, after years of promises, has the government yet again failed to fix our home care system?

Hon. Charles Sousa: I appreciate the question. I appreciate the concern that we need to continue transforming and delivering good health care in our province. I congratulate the nurses who are here today who do a tremendous job on the front lines for our communities.

We have taken a number of steps to promote greater health care in home care. We recognize the work that CCACs are doing. We also recognize that we need to ensure that more attention and more support goes to the front lines so that we can deliver the health care where it’s needed and when it’s needed, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

M me France Gélinas: The first step to fix a problem is to admit that you have one. The NDP is giving this government an opportunity to finally take steps to fix the problems in home care. I have given the Clerk a motion for a legislative review of the community care access system, outlining a process that would allow us to immediately and publicly look at CCACs, look at their executive compensation and identify what needs to change, what needs to be done so that home care can be fixed.

My question is simple. Will the government support an immediate and public review of CCACs?

Hon. Charles Sousa: I know the Minister of Health commented on this yesterday. We’re more than open and welcome to further investigations. We have always taken that step to be more transparent in the work that is being done by CCACs and throughout the system. In fact, we’re going to be introducing legislation in regard to capping executive salaries, recognizing the dichotomy that exists between the very high and those on the front lines. We’re taking those steps as well, so I welcome the input.

I do look forward to knowing what the third party has in store for this. We already know what the opposition wants to do: They want to cut your jobs. We’re not going to do that. We do want to work. We want to continue to invest and provide support for health care and for the front lines, so I welcome your suggestions in that regard.

DISASTER RELIEF

Mrs. Laura Albanese: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. On December 22 and through Christmas, municipalities across the greater Toronto and Hamilton region were affected by an ice storm that caused great damage, leading to about 830,000 people and customers losing power. Our Premier, our government, our members were out working with affected municipalities, helping constituents all across the GTHA.

Now, the fallen tree branches are being picked up. The warming centres have closed. The streets are salted and cleared. However, our municipal partners have expenses that they incurred from the storm. Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, could you please explain how our government plans to support the recovery from this event?

Hon. Linda Jeffrey: I want to thank the member for this very important question. Since the ice storm, 32 municipalities have passed resolutions asking our government for assistance in helping to pay for the ice storm’s cleanup. In January, I was able to meet with the GTA mayors and regional chairs in Mississauga and hear their concerns, and have, frankly, a very constructive conversation.

After evaluating their submissions, yesterday I announced that our government will provide up to $190 million to support affected municipalities through a one-time special ice storm disaster relief fund.

As a former municipal councillor myself, I know how important and critical the role is of the municipal government and the role that they play in disaster management. I want to thank them for their work. Our government knows that this storm had a significant impact on municipal budgets and I’m proud that our government will provide critical relief, whether through this needed assistance or the approximately $3.2 billion that we provided in uploads last year.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Laura Albanese: I would like to thank the minister for the answer. I’m pleased that our government will continue to work with municipalities on ensuring they receive the support that they need to recover from the ice storm. However, as our government has increased support for municipalities, the federal government continues to fail to give Ontarians its fair share of federal transfers, disadvantaging Ontario cities and towns, as well as every Ontario citizen.

Ontario has been experiencing more severe weather, like the ice storm and the flooding that occurred in the GTHA region over the summer. Municipalities from across Ontario are looking to disaster mitigation to ensure that Ontarians’ property and lives are protected.

Mr. Speaker, through you to the minister, could the minister please explain to the House what action she has taken to ensure that the federal government works with our government and municipalities to ensure that we are able to cope with this extreme weather?

Hon. Linda Jeffrey: As climate change occurs, events like this summer’s flooding or this winter’s ice storm will occur more frequently, and these problems are not just ones that affect Toronto, the Muskokas or Sault Ste. Marie. It’s a nationwide issue. It’s one the federal government continues to ignore. That’s why following the ice storm I wrote to my counterpart, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Because these events occur, municipalities rightly need to begin to look at how to mitigate their effects, whether it’s through the redevelopment of storm water management systems or making our hydro system more resilient.

I appreciate the federal government’s recent commitment to national disaster mitigation, but I fear it will not go far enough and Ontario will not receive its fair share. Ontario and the whole country need essential investments to address the priorities of Canadian municipalities. That’s why I’m urging all parties in this House to stand with our government and pressure the federal government to come to the table and discuss how we can best mitigate the effects of these disasters.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

Mrs. Gila Martow: My question is to the Minister of Transportation. The hard-working people in my riding of Thornhill paid their fair share of transit taxes and would like this Liberal government to do its fair share. Instead of giving families in Thornhill the transit that they need and want, this Liberal government continues to waste tax dollars on scandals, and is moving forward with a $640-million east-west bus lane plan that doesn’t properly address the needs of people in my community.

Speaker, the hard-working people of Thornhill want to know if the Minister of Transportation will abandon his ill-thought-out transit plan and commit today to building the Yonge subway expansion.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: I want to welcome the member to our House and tell her, not having been around here that long myself, and sitting up about where she is, I’m very honoured to get your first question, and I’m very glad. Welcome.

Mr. Bill Walker: She’d be honoured if you’d give the answer.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: It’s also nice, Mr. Speaker, to know that she has better manners than some of her colleagues.

The Yonge Street extension is in the Big Move plan. It is a $50-billion plan. We are about $17 billion into it. Mr. Speaker, 90% of that money has come from the province of Ontario. In her area of York region, we did a partnership on development charges, so they’ve been extending it. You can see the commitment in our partnership with Vaughan and the city of Toronto on the subway that is now in its final stages of completion. So I’d be confident that our track record is there. I look forward to working with her to realize that project.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Gila Martow: Again to the Minister of Transportation: Minister, for a decade under this Liberal government, residents of York region have been asking for the expansion of the Yonge subway, not just talk about it. They need it to service Thornhill, Markham, Richmond Hill, Unionville, Aurora and Newmarket. But instead of getting the infrastructure that the residents of Thornhill need, they continue to send their hard-earned tax dollars to this Liberal government, watching them spend it on everything from Ornge to eHealth and the gas plant scandals.

Minister, why do you insist on reaching into taxpayers’ pockets to pay for all of your waste and scandal?

Interjections.

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

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: I would actually invite the member—because I’ll go on a tour with you, if you’d like, of the initiatives that we have.

Mr. Speaker, we have—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): That’ll do.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke, that’s it.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: There is $1.4 billion in GO service. The GO-Viva partnership is connecting these subway lines and our GO Transit so there will be an east-west connective piece. It’s a very successful project, highly integrated transit. We have accelerated and increased the number of GO stations, building parking lots and more, and providing bicycle facilities, as well as the subway, this subway extension and others—there are a number of projects. The priorities are being set in partnership with the regional governments and the municipalities, so we think they’re very reflective of that.

I really would invite her to a tour. I’d love to spend some time with you, and I welcome you again to the House.

HYDRO RATES

Mr. Wayne Gates: My question is to the Minister of Energy. Yesterday, the respected hydro watchdog, AMPCO, released its annual comparison of industrial hydro rates in North America. Once again, Ontario had by far the highest rates of industrial users of any comparable jurisdictions: $94 per megawatt hour compared to $56 per megawatt hour in New York state and a very low $32 in the US industrial Midwest, which competes with Ontario for good-paying manufacturing jobs. Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost in the Niagara region and southwestern Ontario because of this government’s high hydro rate policies.

How does this government justify its job-killing hydro rate policy to the people of Niagara and southwestern Ontario?

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: As we know, we’ve invested $31 billion in the sector in the last 10 years because the system had been left to deteriorate. That put pressure on prices. We all know that. We therefore created a number of mitigation programs to help individual customers as well as industrial customers.

Mr. Speaker, the member may not be aware of the Industrial Electricity Incentive Program, which we started about 18 months ago. This uses surplus power to give discounted power to our own industrial customers. Last month, we announced some of the people who had been successful in that program. Detour Gold was one of the successful proponents in the first round, and they issued a press release claiming that the program will save them $20 million this year.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Wayne Gates: As if the present industrial hydro rates weren’t bad enough, the government’s own long-term energy plan calls for a 30% increase in the industrial hydro price by 2018. This is going to result in the loss of thousands more good-paying jobs.

How does this government justify a 30% increase in what are already by far the highest industrial hydro rates in North America?

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: We have a plan for the electricity system. The 20-year plan projects cost increases annually of 2.8%, which is better than most other provinces.

That party, the third party, has no policy on energy. They will not plan new nuclear. They are against refurbishment. That represents over 50% of our generation, and here’s their policy. They have no policy on replacing 50% of our energy. How will it be produced? Nothing. They stand up and criticize, and they close their eyes to the very significant mitigation programs we have to help our industries in Ontario.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Mr. Grant Crack: My question is to the Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Employment.

Our priority as a government is our economic plan to invest in people, to invest in infrastructure and to create the right business climate for job creation. We’ve had great success so far. Employment across the province is up by 440,000 jobs from the recessionary low of June 2009. Just last year, employment rose by 95,000 jobs.

Speaking with constituents, neighbours and friends across Glengarry–Prescott–Russell, they constantly agree with me that jobs and the economy are a priority for them and should be a priority for our government.

Our government has made tremendous strides throughout the province through our regional economic development funds. Could the minister please provide an update to the House on the funds and how they’re creating jobs across this province, including in eastern Ontario and Glengarry–Prescott–Russell?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Thank you to the member from Glengarry–Prescott–Russell for this question. Just this past October, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, a fund that was actually modelled after the Eastern Ontario Development Fund that’s been around for nearly five years. Through these, we’ve committed as a government over $100 million to these two regions in regional economic development, but, importantly, leveraging a total private sector investment of $980 million, almost a billion dollars.

These investments are helping to create and retain, so far, over 24,000 jobs in Ontario communities, jobs that are a direct result of this government’s initiative to help companies invest in employment. Of these jobs, 95% of them are manufacturing jobs.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Grant Crack: Thank you, Minister, for sharing with this House the great work that our government is doing to help create jobs and grow the economy. Our province’s success relies on working together with all sectors to spur growth and create good-paying jobs at home.

From my own experience in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell, I know that the Eastern Ontario Development Fund has created and retained jobs in and around my riding. They have included new jobs in the agri-food, aerospace and construction sectors. Dart Aerospace in Hawkesbury, Holder Tractors in Embrun, Beau’s beer in Vankleek Hill and Alexandria Moulding in my hometown of Alexandria are just a few examples.

Speaker, through you, could the minister inform the House of specific investments we’re making in communities across the province to get the economy moving and provide employment for Ontarians?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: This government has created the conditions for companies to thrive here in Ontario. We have a competitive tax rate and a labour force that is one of the best-qualified in the world.

Recently, I attended an announcement of Original Foods in Dunnville, in southwestern Ontario, who are expanding their operations to hire 150 people out of that important community. We also supported a company called Pillar5 Pharma in Arnprior. Through our investment, our partnership with them, the company is adding 56 new jobs and retaining 94 more. In the member’s riding, we partnered with Dart Aerospace in Hawkesbury, creating new manufacturing jobs for local families.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like the official opposition, who voted against and did not support in any way whatsoever these two important regional economic development funds—we believe it’s important to consider industry as important partners in supporting the growth of our economy, and we will be there to support them when they need that support.

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

Mr. Frank Klees: My question is to the Minister of Community and Social Services. My constituent Shay Nakhdjavan was placed on a wait-list for residential care at the age of 14. She is now 34 years old—20 years on a wait-list.

Shay suffers from multiple health conditions, including epilepsy and seizure disorder; Dravet syndrome, a severe brain disorder related to epilepsy; cognitive delay; autism; diabetes; and obesity. She has behavioural problems that often result in seizures and self-inflicted injury.

Her aging parents have done what they can over the last 20 years to look after her. They now have their own health issues. For years, specialists have recommended 24/7 residential care. I trust the minister will agree that 20 years on a wait-list is not only unconscionable, it is immoral.

I’m asking the minister today: Will you intervene on behalf of Shay and her parents and ensure that her care is looked after through resources in your ministry?

Hon. Ted McMeekin: I thank the honourable member opposite for his question. He’s a champion of people with developmental challenges and the families that support them, and he was kind enough to bring this particular situation to my attention.

He knows I can’t comment directly on the case—it would be against the law to do that—but I can say here that we’re aware that some individuals have very complex needs that make it very challenging to find a placement. It’s the responsibility of Developmental Services Ontario and community agencies to work together as best they can with families to explore possible solutions. It’s my job to make sure that that’s done as effectively as possible, and I believe, on the whole, it is.

That said, I need to note, of course—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Answer?

Hon. Ted McMeekin: —it’s helpful that the extra $42.5 million we invested this year is bringing more developmental services to the fore and some—

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

Mr. Frank Klees: Speaker, I did bring this matter to the minister’s attention and I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in the response. What I was hoping to hear from the minister was that, given the fact that his own ministry has agreed to put this woman on a priority list, and she has been there for years, he would ensure that his own ministry’s priority would be honoured.

Here’s what’s happening: Shay is being put on a priority list. Residential providers are skipping her in favour of other patients who don’t require the same complexity of care. I call that discrimination. What should be happening is that his ministry should be honouring its own recognition of Shay’s condition.

I’m asking the minister one more time: Rather than giving me platitudes and generalities, will he commit to work with me to ensure that Shay and her family are looked after?

Interjections.

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

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Without the extra comments, please.

Minister?

Hon. Ted McMeekin: I’m pleased to continue working with the member opposite. I appreciate his advocacy, truly. In fact, I appreciate the advocacy of all the folks in this House who work together to support, as I did, the creation of the developmental services special committee. That’s important work.

In the meantime, let me make it clear: We need to focus, I think, on four objectives: expanding direct funding; supporting people better in key life situations; responding to people who have urgent support needs—I agree with the member opposite—and broader options for residential supports.

We know, for example, that improving housing options is critical. That’s why we created, upon the advice of our partnership table, an Inter-Ministerial Housing Task Force to recommend a broader set of options.

We look forward to working together—

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

Hon. Ted McMeekin: —with all members of the House, and I await with breathless—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Time’s up.

New question.

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Acting Premier. Earlier this week, a media exposé forced the government to finally fund the nine empty beds at St. Joseph’s Health Care’s newly built forensic hospital. These beds were desperately needed to treat mentally ill offenders who are found not criminally responsible in the place where they should be treated: a health care setting instead of a jail.

Today, Londoners are learning more about the impact of the funding cuts to St. Joseph’s Health Care that were announced this week. Just as they funded the empty forensic beds, will the Acting Premier commit to Londoners that his government will address the new problems that are sure to arise as St. Joseph’s Health Care deals with the loss of funding?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Thank you for the question. I’m proud that our government has provided the necessary supports to build the state-of-the-art Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care, which was completed in June 2013. It’s important that we continue to provide the services for the individuals that are affected, and I recognize, especially for those with developmental services needs and with mental health issues, that we need to find the proper support systems for them. So we’ll continue to do that. But since 2003-04, the number of forensic mental health beds has increased by 42%, from 556 to 789.

We’re doing what’s necessary and will continue to take those recommendations under consideration, as we must, for the benefit of the people of Ontario and those that are affected.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary? The member from London–Fanshawe.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Back to the Acting Premier: Last week, we learned that a health care CEO in London received a 144% pay increase. Today, we learned that St. Joseph’s Health Care in London will be cutting 23 positions, including eight nurses in the sexual assault, surgical recovery and acquired brain injury programs, among others.

We know that cuts to nursing care directly impact the health of patients. A study released yesterday provided clear proof that increasing RN workloads resulted in higher death rates for patients. It was further reported, Acting Premier, that Ontario has the second-lowest registered-nurse-to-person ratio.

Will the Acting Premier tell us whether his government will intervene this time around, or will cuts to patient care be allowed to continue?

Hon. Charles Sousa: We have made a number of investments to transform the way we deliver health care. We are the party and the government that has increased the number of nurses in this province. We’ve added more than 20,500 nurses in Ontario since taking office, and that’s more than 4,000 new nurses in 2013. In addition, the number of nurses who are now working full-time has increased by 50%.

We recognize how important it is to have front-line health care. We know what is necessary. The member opposite cites probably a transformation of nurses from one site to another. The net result is more nurses in our province. We know how valuable the work is that you do and what you do for us, and we will continue to invest in that. We know that we need to make those transformations for the benefit of health care and we’ve got to find better ways of delivering that health care in a more fiscally responsible manner. It’s not enough just to do across-the-board cuts that would sacrifice the needs of the community and—

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

New question.

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

Mr. Joe Dickson: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. It is good news that Ontario is up 440,000 net new jobs since the recession began. Howev