 Therefore, it's time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Office. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Multiple police investigation, corruption charges in Sudbury, allegations of government contracts being awarded in exchange for hefty donations to the governing party. The people of Ontario work hard to pay their taxes and they don't deserve a government mired in scandal. They deserve to know that their tax dollars were not given away in exchange for donations to the Liberal Party. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier give the people of Ontario the truth they deserve? Will she call for a commission of inquiry to investigate the fundraising practices of the Ontario Liberal Party? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I want to just remind this House and to remind the people of Ontario in the wake of this question that this whole discussion about the changes to fundraising rules were in this context. First of all, that all parties... Both sides are not doing me a favour nor anyone else that needs to hear. This will be my last generic comment. I'll move into individuals one at a time, and I'll get to it. Mr. Speaker, that all parties have been operating. I can only assume with integrity have been operating with a... Remember from the leading spread goal. ...within a set of rules, Mr. Speaker. I had made an indication that we were going to move to change those rules, Mr. Speaker. We had already made some changes in terms of real-time disclosure, Mr. Speaker, and putting limits in place. And so, Mr. Speaker, we are making those changes. We are moving ahead with those changes. We will bring legislation in the spring. But I think it's important to remember that the context of this discussion was a need to change the rules for everyone, Mr. Speaker. Rules that we were all operating in with... Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Just because this government brought in new rules for the Orange Air, it didn't stop the OPP from investigating a shady business deal. Just because the government brought in new rules for saving emails, that didn't stop the OPP from charging senior Liberal staffers David Livingston and Laura Miller for wiping away evidence of a scandal. So nothing this Premier can promise of reform is going to change the fact that how this government has given out contracts and grants has to be subject to a full investigation. And I will repeat my question, because for two days I have not got an answer. To the Premier, will she do the right thing? Will she call a commission of inquiry? Or is she going to wait for another police investigation into her government? Thank you. Thank you. Premier? I'm going to go through once again what it is we are doing. I've talked about the context in which this conversation has begun and is taking place. As I said, we have already taken a number of initiatives in 2007. We're the party that introduced third-party advertising rules for the first time. We introduced real-time disclosure for political donations. As I announced last June, we're committed to making further changes. And as I have said, Mr. Speaker, our government plans to introduce legislation on political donations this spring, including transitioning away from union and corporate donations. That's why I made the decision that I talked about in this House to immediately cancel upcoming private fundraisers, which I have done, Mr. Speaker. Ministers can continue to do small group high-value fundraisers, but those events have to be publicly disposed before they happen. Start the clock. Ministers will not be fundraising with stakeholders in those meetings from their own ministries, Mr. Speaker. So it's important that we get this right. I look forward to the meeting on Monday with the leaders of the opposition party. Final supplement. Mr. Speaker, once again to... Happy to house later. Once again to the Premier. There's an expression, and it's where there's smoke, there's fire. And boy, there is a lot of smoke right now. All the Premier's talk of reform is really an admission on her part that there's rocks in this government. And the people deserve to know if this government is rotten to the core. They deserve to know if the companies felt obligated to donate in order to receive grants and contracts. They deserve to know if companies were filled that they had to donate in order to get a government meeting or contract. Mr. Speaker, why won't the Premier give the people of Ontario the truth? I will repeat again. Will the Premier call a commission of inquiry? Thank you. Premier? The opposition is talking about big gain, lots of bluster about this issue, but the truth is there's only one leader who is taking real action and that is the Premier. So I ask you... Thank you. And member from Leeds, Grenville, second time. And direct your comments to the Chair. Thank you. Oh, I'd like the leader of the opposition to... The member from Nipis State. ...canceline, his $5,000 person for various stakeholders. It puts a new meaning up to a stakeholder speaker. The stakeholders that... ...sincerely believes that we should put an end to that kind of fundraising. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. If the thought of calling a public inquiry is just too scary for this Premier to consider, then let me try a smaller step. This Premier said she would be open and transparent. She made mandate letters to her ministers public. Well, almost public. She didn't include the part about fundraising quotas. Will the Premier... And this is a very important question. Will the Premier release a list of every company that received a grant or contract from her government and a list of every company and association that successfully lobbied her government for a policy change? Yes or no? Mr. Speaker, the way that contracts are awarded and the way that grants are awarded, there are very strict rules around those. There are current processes, Mr. Speaker. They are not political processes. Any more, Mr. Speaker, than I assume the development of policy on the part of the opposition parties has to do with their fundraising. Mr. Speaker, the fact is... I have an understanding of the seriousness of the issue. It's not helpful when it gets to the point where I literally cannot hear the response, nor does it helpful when the members of the same bench are shouting out, it does not help me in dealing with the opposition, and the same goes for the government on that side. So I'm going to ask everyone to tone it down. Thank you very much. I think it's very important that people know who gives money to government, who gives money to government party, who gives money to opposition party. I think that the real-time disclosure of those things is very important. Mr. Speaker, that's why we move to put those rules in place. And now we're going to go farther and change the rules further, Mr. Speaker. Before I recognize you, it's not helpful that I speak to somebody, and the seconds later they start up again. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. My question was about the contracts the government is giving out. If this government really had nothing to hide, the answer to that question would have been a no-brainer. The people of Ontario deserve to know these lists. They must be made public so they can compare the list with a list of those donating to the Liberal Party. Based on what the media has been reporting, the public might find those two lists are pretty similar. So Mr. Speaker, I ask the Premier this. Will she direct the Ontario Liberal Fund to return every donation received from the companies who got grants and contracts or who successfully lobbied for a policy change? Mr. Speaker, will the Premier pay the money back? Yes. As the member was finishing the question, I was going to stand to admonish for the second time the Deputy House Leader. Premier. So, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the opposition is behaving like he is as pure as the driven snow, Speaker. But let's look at some questions, Speaker. So, in his first leadership campaign, he received donations from estate planning companies. Then he brings forward his very first private member's bill that benefits only them and their clients. Party convention and standing up demanding that doctors be paid more, Speaker. The position has been invested. I have been hearing a couple of things in there that I'm not impressed with, and I sure know that the members know they shouldn't be saying it. Finish, please. We know the Leader of the opposition is being investigated by the Integrity Commission. Because he tried to sell off access to the west lobbyist bill. How much does she have to donate to get a question? I have said in the past to other people asking questions that are borderline making impugning motives. I'm going to tell the member that she has not helped herself. And it will not happen again. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. I've been asking serious questions about making the contracts the government gives out, public, about paying the money back. And instead I hear smears and attacks. I'm hoping this time I can actually get an answer. If the government really wanted to show the public. A member from Glengeary, Pruskat Russell will come to order. The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Second Time. And it sounds to me that there's going to be a discussion amongst all of you as to how fast you want me to get to warnings. So I'm going to get to warnings. So from here on in individuals that I hear, not that there's a lot of you, will get a warning. Please finish your question. Mr. Speaker, to the Premier. If the government really wanted to show the public that money didn't buy a meeting with the cabinet minister, they would give the money back. If this government really wanted to prove that the people of Ontario, the decisions they made were absolutely nothing to do with the millions and millions of dollars and donations to the Liberal Party, they would give the money back. But the Premier won't do that, Mr. Speaker. And that is why we need a public inquiry to shine a light on the... Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is warned. Who's next? Please finish. Mr. Speaker, the government doesn't want me to finish this question. The reason we need a public inquiry to shine a light on the rock is just to find out how deep it goes. Mr. Speaker, the Premier knows full well where the latest scandal is heading. Why doesn't the Premier cut her losses, do the right thing and call the public inquiry? I would suggest not getting yourself in trouble when I'm standing. The Associate Minister of Finance is warned. Deputy Premier. Well, Speaker, I think it's time for the Leader of the Opposition to show some leadership on this, Speaker. They are still stuck in the old ways. Exhibit A, the Toronto Leaders' Dinner is coming up. Member from Leeds, Grenville is warned. Finish. Speaker, the Toronto Leaders' Dinner is coming up. I'm sure the caucus will all be there. Excuse me. The member from Stomach, Dundas and Glengary is warned. And the member from Prince Edward Hastings is warned. And you can turn sideways all you want. Carry on. Potential donors are being encouraged to pay $25,000 for a so-called victory table. $10,000. The extra $10,000 gives you the opportunity to host a caucus member. Invite to a private reception. Thank you. New question, the Leader of the Third Party. Thank you very much, Speaker. My questions are the Premier. The Premier tasked the ministers of energy and finance to sell off Hydro-1. They then hired a group of bankers to manage that sell-off and those bankers made a lot of money doing that, Speaker. And then those same ministers called up those same bankers and said, come to our fundraiser and give us money. Now, just yesterday, that pattern repeated itself, Speaker. Those same bankers are going to make millions more selling off the next batch of Hydro-1 shares. Speaker, is the Premier really okay with this? Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Energy is going to want to talk about the process. I just want to, I'm very aware of the young people in the legislature right now, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, and I want to say it about every member in this House. Every member in this House came into politics because they believe that there is more that they can do to help the people of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, the fundraising rules that have been in place in this province have been followed by all parties. We believe that they need to be changed, Mr. Speaker. And I am going to work, I'm going to meet with the leaders of the opposition on Monday and I am going to get their input on how they think those changes should happen, Mr. Speaker. But I just want to be clear that it is my belief that this discussion is in the context of every party in this legislature following a set of rules, following the same set of rules, Mr. Speaker, and I have made the assumption about the opposition parties. I hope they've made the assumption about us. Thank you. But we have all done that with integrity. Thank you. I want to take a moment, please. I've noticed a couple of people in the House have devices that are open during question period and I remind you of the rules regarding the use of devices. They are not to be used in any way, shape or form during question period with regards to photos, photos or taping or that kind of stuff. I just give you that warning now because if it appears on Twitter, if it appears on anyone else, I'll be dealing with them very severely. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister of Energy said everything was fine with how the government picked the banks to sell off Hydro-1. He said so because that process had been overseen by the former Auditor-General at Denis des Hôtels. Did the Minister of Energy at any time inform the Auditor that once the sale had started, ministers would be going back to the banks involved in the sale and asking them to contribute $7,500 a plate in a $165,000 fundraiser? Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, I'll state it again today, Mr. Speaker. The former Auditor-General of Canada looked at the whole process, the selection process, Mr. Speaker, and he signed off on it as being objective and fair, Mr. Speaker. But really, what's getting under their skin, Mr. Speaker, is the success of the Hydro-1 IPO and the secondary offer, Mr. Speaker. We're meeting our targets to get $5 billion to pay down debt, Mr. Speaker. We've already paid down a lot, Mr. Speaker, to save $100 million a year in interest payments, Mr. Speaker. So can you give it as, Mr. Speaker? We're already ahead of our plan, Mr. Speaker, to invest the proceeds into the Trillion Foundation to build infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, she's probably really disturbed, Mr. Speaker, the fact that the price of the shares of Hydro-1 since the IPO have gone up by over 15%, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure the Minister of Energy didn't answer my question, which was whether or not the Auditor-General was made aware of the things that were coming afterwards, which was the request from these bankers to raise money for the Liberal Party. That was the question, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure the Auditor-General of Bankers, Speaker, attended a $165,000 fund-raising dinner. The Ministers of Finance and Energy gave them another slice of the Hydro-1 pie for dessert. How much will these bankers be earning for selling off the next batch of Hydro-1, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker. I'm sure that the Leader of the Third Party has heard a lot about what happened to the original IPO and the secondary offer, Mr. Speaker. The reality is, Mr. Speaker, that the fees that these bankers, and there were 16 of them who were in a syndicate, Mr. Speaker, there were not one or two or three. There were 16 as normal in the process, Mr. Speaker. That the amount they paid in fees, Mr. Speaker, was almost unprecedented in terms of what they saved the province for a transaction of the size, Mr. Speaker. We should be proud of what they were able to deliver in terms of low fees. Well, no, actually. Keep the clock going. It's difficult when both sides are having conversations back and forth while the question is being put or the answer is being put. So this announcement is for anyone from any party that the warnings will come, even if you're trying to have a conversation across if it's disturbing. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, I'll just read from the Globe and Mail after the IPO. The Globe and Mail noted that our government has persuaded Bay Street to accept some of the lowest IPO underwriting fees imaginable. And the same thing happened in the secondary offer yesterday, Mr. Speaker. New question. My next question is also for the Premier. This isn't just about cabinet ministers suspect fundraising activity, Speaker. It's about the people across Ontario. After facing a criminal investigation for the orange scandal, a criminal investigation for the gas plant scandal, a criminal investigation for the Sudbury bribery scandal, the same Premier has now created a fundraising scandal that's shaking people's faith in our democracy. But she says only the Liberal Party can solve the problem that they created. Does she really think that's okay, Speaker? Back to where I started at the beginning of question period today. And that is to say that this whole discussion, you know, quite contrary to what the leader of the third party is saying. This whole discussion has come about, Mr. Speaker, because we were already on a track to change the rules. We were all operating... The member from Hamilton, East Stony Creek and the member from Barrie are warned. Carry on. We had already introduced third-party advertising rules for the first time. It's real-time disclosure. I said last June that we were going to be moving in the direction of changing donation rules, Mr. Speaker. I said in June, Mr. Speaker, that we were going to move in that direction. And so that's exactly where we are moving. And we were all, all of us in this house, all the parties in Ontario were operating under the same set of rules. I think that there's a fair degree of consensus that we all need to change the rules. And I look forward to the input from the leaders of the opposition parties. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, a democratic system means that everyone has an equal voice, but people see a system here in Ontario where wealthy donors with deep pockets get one level of access to the decision-makers and everyone else gets shut out. I believe that the facts say that ministers have broken the Integrity Act and the Legislative Assembly Act, and I look forward to the Integrity Commissioner's investigation and report. In the Sudbury bribery scandal, we have people on tape saying they were following the Premier's instructions. Do we again have a situation where the Premier is responsible for giving direction that may well prove to be against the law or in violation of the Act? Premier. Premier. Speaker, it's interesting that the third party is trying to leave the impression that all the money they raise comes from big sales and rummage sales and spaghetti suffers, Speaker. So, let's just look at some of the other fundraising that's happening. Speaker, there was recently, there was a fundraiser at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. I'm sure it was lovely. Limited to 10 guests at 9,900 persons. That happened in December, Speaker. That's not all. There have been other lovely events of private stakeholder social at the Gardner Museum. I'm sure that was lovely, too, Speaker. Limited to 10 guests only at 9,970 persons in April, Speaker. So, let's just understand one Premier, one Leader in this Legislature has taken real action. Do you see the face? As a follow-up to my concerns I will also start looking at the members of the same bench with warnings if they're interjecting while the answer is being put. New question. A third part, Speaker. A final supplementary. Sorry. Look, I don't think big money should be able to buy special influence over government decisions. That's the bottom line, Speaker. I actually agree. And Terrians agree. And I think that they're concerned when they see a government selling access and then saying that they and they alone by using their majority should be in charge of changing the rule, Speaker. I'm insistent that we're going to do things the way that's supposed to be done. The Minister of Education is warned. Carry on. I don't think people trust a government facing three criminal investigations to be in charge of changing the rules about fundraising ethics all on their own, Speaker. I don't think people trust the party that created this ministerial quota system and the sale of access to decision makers to fix it. Does the Premier. So, Speaker, the leader of the third party knows that the Premier has invited herself to come to have a meeting next week to talk about exactly this issue, Speaker. So, nonetheless, the party opposite is it's time for them to walk the talk, Speaker. There is another event coming up, which means another opportunity for the leader to show some leadership. A fundraiser at Leona Station coming up on April the 13th. Guests who are interested in joining the leader's circle are asked to pay $9,975. It must be worth the money because it includes access to the private reception taking place before the main event. So, my question really is, will the leader of the third party continue with this event, this exclusive access to the private reception, or will she show some leadership to the event? Thank you. And again, I apologize to the leader of the third party for missing her final supplementary. New question. Thank you. My question is for the minister of energy. The minister is one of the largest fundraisers for the liberals by tapping into companies in his ministerial portfolio. He is one of the highest fundraising quotas in the cabinet. And in his own words he believes he's exceeding that quota. The minister to the liberal party is like a living, breathing ATM machine. Does the minister believe that it is appropriate for a minister of the crown to raise large sums of money from stakeholders bidding on projects that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars where he has the power to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Is that appropriate? Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure whether I've ever had a fundraiser that required $10,000, like the leader of the opposition, but I think everybody else in this room like the leader of the third party and the leader of the opposition I hosted fundraisers Mr. Speaker and raised funds for the party as all of us in this room have Mr. Speaker. But you know I think the anger and the angst over there Mr. Speaker comes as much from the success of what we're doing on the job Mr. Speaker and it's a great reflection Mr. Speaker. I think that the service Mr. Speaker is very surprised that the win prices came in at 8.5 cents a kilowatt hour Mr. Speaker which is unprecedented which they never would have expected that win would come in lower than the average price of generation in the system Mr. Speaker and Mr. Speaker I'll have more to say in the supplementary. You see it please. Supplementary. Again to the Mr. Speaker, there's a reason that ministers personal assets are managed by blind trust while those of backbenchers and opposition members are not it is because ministers hold a tremendous amount of power that backbenchers and opposition members don't. It is to protect the public from the influence of money in politics combined the seven successful bidders in his large renewable procurement round one gave the liberal party over a quarter of a million dollars. Those companies who gave no donations were unsuccessful. As the saying goes something smells fishy in Denmark. How can the public have any confidence that the same favoritism won't be the order of the day in large renewable procurements round two? Mr. Speaker The independent electricity system operator conducts all of the procurement for the renewables Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Addington is warned finish please Mr. Speaker we find out who the successful bidders are Mr. Speaker after the IESO has notified the winners Mr. Speaker and after it's been made public Mr. Speaker we have a fairness advisor Mr. Speaker to act as a neutral disinterested and independent advisor for the procurement process published a report on March 10th 2016 following the announcement of the contracts. This report is available on the website Mr. Speaker and this is what the fairness advisor said we are satisfied that the evaluation of the proposals was conducted strictly in accordance with the process set out in the RFP we detected no bias or favoritism towards or against any particular proponent and Mr. Speaker that fairness commissioner or the auditor general could have checked the records Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of children use services a week ago today the minister proudly announced she was reducing the wait list for autism services by kicking kids off the wait list more than 10,000 parents have signed an online petition pleading with the minister to reverse her decision to take essential therapy away from kids ages five years and over the minister is actually telling parents that her only option to deal with the wait list is to start fresh really the only way that this government can deal with the mess that it created is by forcing kids five and over to pay the price twice the minister should be embarrassed speaker parents and medical professionals are not buying it will the minister do the right thing and immediately grandfather all children who are on the wait list at the time of her announcement Thank you Speaker I want to thank my critic for the question and I hope she takes advantage of our offer from last week to attend a briefing to the facts of the $330 million investment in this program and the 16,000 new spaces and I've heard her in the media about her suggestion to grandfather kids that are on the wait list the IBI wait list kids are over five so I'm actually happy she agrees that the appropriate development window for intensive intervention based on what the experts are telling us is appropriate she seems to agree with that but speaker let's be clear what she is suggesting actually prevents children under the age of five from receiving the services they need and if we follow that plan speaker we follow take four more years before children start accessing the intervention services they absolutely need that is not good speaker that we have to have children in the right developmental window based on what the experts say It's all about women children are experiencing it's heartbreaking and quite frankly it's devastating one parent ask the liberals to imagine being told your child is too old to benefit from the therapy that just last week would have gave them the greatest hope of their life a sibling of a child with ASD begs please do not take away my little brother's voice for his future a parent of a child who started therapy at the age of six became verbal they started after the age of six and they became verbal that parent wants to know why this government is trying to silence other children's voices and futures parents wonder why this government doesn't think that their kids are worth that investment parents want to know why this minister is punishing vulnerable kids with autism thank you you see the place you see the place thank you minister well speaker this government does care about children with ASD this government is investing more in creating more spaces and speaker again it's important that the member of the third party actually gets the facts straight we are giving $8,000 per family immediately to those children who are on the list if you want to listen I'll tell you what it will do it will take kids off minister speaker children who are transitioning from the IBI wait list will receive $8,000 immediate leave for treatment that means they're getting treatment now and I'll identify the individual with a warning when services from that 8,000 expire they will continue to be on the enhanced behavioral therapy program most of those children will be at the top of the list if they're not there already and that service will be enhanced by three times my question is for the minister of community safety and correctional services minister we have two large correctional facilities that play an important role in our community Maplehurst correctional complex and the vanier center for women they house close to 1,800 inmates and that's a considerable number of people and a huge responsibility I've met on several occasions with correctional services staff and they often bring up the need for more officers in our institutions now we know that our correctional staff work hard every day to keep our community safe it is a difficult and important job and we thank them for their tireless efforts but we also know that to support the good work that they do every day we need to continue hiring more correctional officers in fact correctional officers often explain that additional staff will help improve safety, expand programs and build a positive correctional system so Mr. Speaker could the minister please explain what the government needs to address this need thank you very much I really do want to thank the member for Halton for her advocacy on behalf of our correctional workers in the province of Ontario it is absolutely clear to me and everybody that I speak to that the correctional system must be transformed and we know that the status quo cannot continue we also know that our correctional services staff including our correctional officers are part of our correctional system and government recognises that hiring additional correctional officers must be the first step in this transformation that is why we have already hired 710 new correctional officers since 2013 but Mr. Speaker we are not stopping there last month I had the pleasure to join both member from Halton and Burlington along with Alex Sawiki and Gord Longi from Opsu and our correctional services college where we announced that we will be hiring additional 2000 new correctional officers over the next three years Mr. Speaker supplementary the member from Burlington thank you Mr. Speaker I was also pleased to join you for that announcement because to me it symbolised how our government is moving forward with the transformation of corrections in Ontario it was also a powerful opportunity to witness public service in action and to talk to corrections recruits and the lies of those they hope to help on a daily basis I know too that the addition of these new corrections officers will make an important difference in the safe and secure operations of the institutions across our province and help to put corrections back in correctional services that said Mr. Speaker as the minister works hard to add new corrections officers to the system there are other challenges that need to be addressed in addition to the need for more staff we are hearing about the need to increase mental health supports for inmates and other active rehabilitation programs across Ontario Minister we already know that building bigger jails in Ontario is not the only answer to addressing these challenges nor is it the way to build safer communities in our province so Mr. Speaker through you will the minister please explain his plan to continue transforming corrections in Ontario Thank you very much that's a very good question because the member is absolutely right that we need to make sure that we transform the system the way we deal with the capacity issue is not by building more jails but in fact reduce the demands for jails that's where the success will lie and that's what it's going to ensure that our communities are safe and Mr. Speaker that's important that for the reason we invest in mental health training for our correctional officers and services for inmates so that we can provide them the appropriate care they need while they are in our care in custody and that's why Mr. Speaker we have added 32 new mental health nurses and worked with KMH to develop additional mental health training for those who work in our institutions and a comprehensive review of our segregation policy is also speaker underway in addition to speaker we are building a 122 bed regional center at EMDC which is going to help further there is a lot more to do and these transformation will not happen overnight but we are committed at our end to get the job done thank you thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question today is for the Premier earlier this week the Toronto Sun reported on the dozens of private corporations who have both donated to the Interior Liberal Party and received government grants this includes corporations like Lynn Maher who donated $9,300 to the Interior Liberals and afterwards received $1.5 million from the Southwestern Development Fund many other corporations like Open Text have also made significant donations to the Interior Liberal Party only to receive significant government grants afterwards Mr. Speaker why does the Premier support and engage in this type of pay for play Minister of Economics about employment and infrastructure I'll accept that transfer but again we are getting darned close to the same kind of accusation of impugning motive so I would ask you to be cautious and find other ways to say what you want to say I'm trying to be as free as possible but I need to have control of that as part of a parliamentary process here Minister of Economic Development well let me just say Mr. Speaker unequivocally and I can say this without any doubt unequivocally our business support programs are completely depoliticized in their decision making process absolutely completely without one shred of doubt I can say that what I can say as well is the majority of our the order you're adding yourselves to my list the member from Beaches East York is Warren the leader of the third party is Warren and the member from Lampton Camp Middlesex is warned wrap up please question Mr. Speaker for Ontarians that they deserve to know is does this support those investments that we've made that have brought 29 billion dollars of private sector investment for Ontario created or retained 160,000 and you know where the critic stand stands where does his leader stand Mr. Speaker or is it going to flip flop on this as he does thank you Mr. Speaker back to the premier despite the fact that in less than 10 years Ontario's government has been spending $1,000 for private sector investment and in fact this government has implemented a rigid fundraising scheme where it appears that Ontario Liberal donors are receiving preferential treatment and inappropriate government access in order to clear the air I requested a list of all corporate grants from the Ministry of Economic Development Employment and Finance in January but this morning I'd like to make a wider request will the premier disclose all government grant and contract recipients and immediately refund all donations for any organization that receive grants subsidies or contracts for which they lobby the Liberal Government Mr. Speaker our government has invested $2.8 billion that we're very proud of and supports for business investment Mr. Speaker and helped to retain or create 160,000 jobs the question I think Ontario's deserve to know I'm not stopping the member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke is warned and the member from Nipissing is warned you have I'm not suggesting challenging the chair thank you Ontario's deserve to know the opposition standing with his critic in opposition to 160,000 jobs that we've recreated or is he standing with us because Mr. Speaker when he was in Ottawa he supported a government that partnered with us on many of those investments so Mr. Speaker is he going to flip on this is he going to flop on this or is he going to flip flop all over the place so Ontario's have no idea where he stands thank you thank you my question is for the premier people living on reserves in Canada are 10 times more likely to die in a house fire than in the rest of Canada he knows this reality better than most after last week's deadly fire that wiped out 9 lives 3 generations living under one roof does the premier support the community's calls for an immediate corners inquest that will look into economic and cultural factors that led to this tragedy. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is going to want to speak to this, but I want to just say that this was a terrible tragedy. And I agree with the community members and with the member of the third party who suggests that there are very deep-rooted and connected challenges that a community like Picanjicum is facing. I have been to Picanjicum, Mr. Speaker. I have met with the band council, and I am very aware that the advances that we must make on education, Picanjicum is one of the communities that doesn't have running water. There is clean water on the reserve, but it isn't connected to all of the homes, Mr. Speaker. Those are the challenges that we need to move forward with, and we have strategies in place in terms of investment on the part of the provincial government. I am very optimistic that now that we have a federal government that is paying attention to this issue, we are actually going to make even more progress, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The community needs to know that just because there are fewer stories being written in the media today that there won't be any less action from the government. Picanjicum has a fire truck, but no running water to its home, Speaker, as the Premier mentioned. It has overcrowded, dilapidated homes. The conditions are there today for another deadly fire. My question is, what is the Premier, not any other level of government, irrespective of any other level of government, but what is the Premier going to do to prevent another needless deadly fire in not only Picanjicum, but in other remote First Nation communities throughout Treaty 9 and beyond? Mr. Speaker, again, I will say that the challenges that are confronting a community like Picanjicum, but Picanjicum in particular, are multifaceted, as the member has said. That is why our Minister of Aboriginal Affairs is working across government in terms of economic growth opportunities, health improvement, health outcome improvement issues, Mr. Speaker. We're developing an education strategy, Aboriginal education strategy, because we know that Aboriginal Indigenous kids are graduating at a much lower rate than the rest of the population. All of those things are critical, but also critical are very tangible issues, like housing, like water, Mr. Speaker, making sure that we get communities off boil water orders, that we hook up the clean water on Picanjicum to communities. Mr. Speaker, this is a high priority of ours, and as I said, now that we have a federal government that's interested in this issues, the issue will be able to move forward more quickly. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my question is for the Attorney General. Madam Minister, I know that our government is committed to ensuring access to justice for Ontarians. The financing of legal counsel demonstrates this. This legal counsel allows vulnerable people to take charge of their own lives by having access to the legal advice they need. Whether we're talking about the courtroom, legal clinics, this program provides legal advice and ensures that Ontarians with low income have access to legal services of high quality. Madam Minister, could you inform the House, how is our government improving legal services in Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Member for a Topical Centre for his question. It's a very appropriate and important question, just like in the healthcare sector and in others. I think that access to legal help must not be based on, it must be based on people's needs. Last week, Ontario increased the threshold for legal assistance by six percent. This was the third increase over the last three years. Together, these three increases allow 400,000 more Ontarians to have access to legal assistance. When this increase will be in place, one million more low income Ontarians will be qualified for this legal assistance. The improvement of legal services for Ontarians, our most vulnerable, is part of our government's efforts to create a more fair legal system that is more accessible. I'm thrilled to hear that close to half a million Ontarians will benefit from our government's commitment to legal aid. Like the minister said, access to justice should be determined by need, not by income. Access to legal services improves outcomes in a number of ways for not only the individuals affected, but also for the system as a whole. By helping reduce the number of underrepresented parties in court, the justice system becomes more efficient and more cost-effective. Mr. Speaker, could the minister please expand on her current efforts to increase justice for our most vulnerable Ontarians? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, thank you again, and thank you again to the member for the Tobacco Centre. Expanding access to legal services for low-income Ontarians. This year's investment amounts to nearly $50 million. This government has invested over $3 billion in legal aid Ontario since 2003. Legal aid Ontario offers a wide range of legal services to low-income Ontarians and is one of the most comprehensive legal aid systems in Canada. Through this funding, close to half a million more low-income Ontarians will have access to legal aid services. Mr. Speaker, I'm very proud of this government's effort on behalf of the province's most vulnerable, and I am committed to continuing to work with legal aid Ontario to ensure our justice system meets the needs of everyone in this province. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions? The member from here on, Bruce. Thank you very much. My question is for the environment, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Financial Accountability Officer testified before committee that he is becoming increasingly concerned with this government's lack of transparency, and he issued a warning. Things are only going to get worse. Speaker, in fact, he reported that he would likely be unable to access government documents that detail projects receiving money from the Liberals cap-and-trade-slush fund. However, with this government's record of scandal and secret fundraisers, we know the Liberals cannot be trusted with such a secretive scheme. Will the minister explain why the Liberals are restricting the ability of the Financial Accountability Officer to investigate their cap-and-trade-slush fund? I'm going to offer a caution on the use of the words that imply that there's money available to do different things. It shall not be used in the supplementary, and if it is, I'll stop the question. Carry on. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. This process, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find, certainly in any jurisdiction managing cap-and-trade, and quite frankly, in most aspects of the public sector in Canada, money that has to be so accounted for, Mr. Speaker. First, the money has to be entered into a dedicated account, which can be reviewed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Auditor General, the Environmental Commissioner, and many other officers, including members in the House. As it's expended, Mr. Speaker, it has to be accounted for. Every single project has to have the dollar amount, the cost per millions of dollars of GHG emissions reduced, Mr. Speaker. It has to be aligned with a five-year action plan. We have to file an investment plan that doesn't every year. It is reviewed by my ministry, when separately evaluated, and then reviewed by Treasury Board and Cabinet. Could the member suggest any other reviews that that, or what higher stand, because it's higher than Quebec, higher than California, higher than Japan, and higher than all here? Thank you. Supplementary? Thank you, Speaker. I just did. Financial Accountability Officer Access. So again, back to the Minister. The Liberals are forging ahead with their plan to impose a new tax on gasoline and home heating, but they don't want to explain the details to the Financial Accountability Officer. Instead, behind the cloak of Cabinet secrecy, the Liberals plan to funnel 1.9 billion into their cap and trade discretionary fund so they can dole out more cash for, you guessed it, their pet projects like more renewable energy. Speaker, the Minister is restricting the Financial Accountability Officer's access, so the government can hide their discretionary funding to companies that attend Liberals' high value $6,000 plate fundraiser. Is this truly what's happening? Can the Minister address this? Yes or no? I answer. Thank you. Minister. Mr. Speaker, we, I worked very closely with the Environmental Commissioner. I chatted with her on the phone this week. We worked very closely with the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has to review all spending plans before they're done, has very broad powers, and Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has not asked me nor I believe they asked this government for additional powers. I continually talk to the officers of this legislature. We're performing at a higher standard than any other. But Mr. Speaker, I'm a little confused by the Member Opposite. The Member Opposite this morning announced that she wanted to cancel vehicle admissions testing in Ontario, so we can't test vehicles for admissions. I, it's almost wrap up, but the Member from here on Bruce, please carry on. The Member Opposite and her party voted against the cap and trade bill with the higher standards. I answer. The Member Opposite has yet to propose a single idea on how to improve transparency and the reason for that, Mr. Speaker, is because we're exceeding all international standards. Thank you. Thank you. Good question to the Member from Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Transportation. Ontario's private winter road maintenance contracts extend only to March 31st, but last week there was a major snowfall, and more plowing was needed. And so the contractors got more work and more money. Even though the government is still trying to collect performance penalties from these same contractors. The government thought the best solution was to hire a company they have already levy fines against for not doing the job properly. Why are taxpayers of Ontario, given these private contractors even more work and more money when they still owe millions in penalties for the work they failed to do in the first place? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. So a couple of things to remember about our highway maintenance contracts. They are not season by season, Speaker. They are, in fact, year-round contracts. The contractors that have a particular contract area, including, for example, the area contract that we cover, for example, Niagara Falls, it's a year-round contract, Speaker. Specifically with respect to the equipment complement that's required for winter maintenance in some parts of the province, including in parts of southern Ontario. As of April 1st, and this is not new, as of April 1st, our contractors in a given area are permitted to actually reduce the complement of equipment that they provide. So as of April 1st, it would come down to 50%. Of course, everyone here knows, because I say it repeatedly, and I think this is true of all of us in this legislature, Speaker, making sure that our roads and our highways are safe at all times is extremely important, and that's why MTO, recognizing the weather forecast that existed prior to March 31st or prior to that last snowfall, reached out to our contractors to make sure that we could be in position to provide the service that your constituents want, that my constituents want, and that the people around here. Never too late to get a warning. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the Niagara Falls contractors, as you're aware of, they didn't perform their job last year, and they have moved on, and long-term contracts are a whole other issue. Mr. Speaker, back to the Minister of Transportation, the government hasn't trusted the safety of our roads to private contractors, but is unable to enforce these contracts, even though these contractors own the public millions in penalties for poor performance. Instead of forcing them to honor the agreements, these contractors get more work. The Minister is stubbornly sticking with this failed privatization system when these millions in penalties prove that these contractors can't be trusted to do their jobs and keep our roads safe, which is probably the most important thing of this. Why does he insist on sticking with failed privatized system that endangers our kids and our grandkids? Thank you very much. Thank you. Minister. Thanks very much, Speaker. Again, I thank the member who's my critic for his follow-up question. I think, at least based on the way that the question was conveyed just a moment ago, it sounds to me like there's a little bit of a fundamental misunderstanding on that member's part with respect to how our contracts work. Having said that, Speaker, everybody here knows that my number one priority is to make sure that Ontario's roads and highways remain as safe as they've been, Speaker, for the last 13 years, ranking first or second across all North American jurisdictions for safety, Speaker. And that's why the Ministry of Transportation reached out to the contractors in question to make sure, given that we all knew what the weather forecast was, that we had the equipment necessary to provide that level of safety for the people of Niagara, for the people of Vaughan, and for the people of Ontario, Speaker, we'll continue to work closely with our contractors. We'll continue to implement our action plan, Speaker, following up on the auditor general's recommendations from her report a month ago. We'll continue to move forward and improve the program, Speaker, and I would expect all members on all sides can support that. Thanks very much. Thank you. Any questions? Member from Trinity's Cedars? Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Speaker, through you to the Minister, on this side of the House, we know the important and we understand that climate change is not a distant threat to Ontario. It is an issue I hear a lot about in my writing of Trinity Spadina. It has devastated communities, damaged homes, businesses, crops, and increasing insurance rates. And that is why our government is moving forward with the plan to implement a cap and trade program in Ontario. It is clear that a cap and trade system is the best method for Ontario to reduce GHGs while simultaneously growing our economy. I understand that our government's public discussion and consultation on cap and trade goes back almost a decade. Can the Minister please inform the House what our government has done over the last decade to consult and prepare for the cap and trade? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I've said a few times that probably two things that have been most studied in science by human beings are cancer and climate change. There's never been two larger research initiatives really in human history. Our government, when we see our first auction with the legislature of Ontario willingly passing the bill in early 2017, that will celebrate a decade of working on cap and trade and carbon financing. We actually started in 2007, Mr. Speaker, when we joined the Western Climate Initiative and founded what became really the first successful large-scale carbon market. We launched our first cap and trade consultations in 2008 in a discussion paper. The first of four discussion papers that we've issued over the last decade, Mr. Speaker. I will continue in the supplemental, Mr. Speaker, but we work on a weekly basis with environmental groups, consumer groups and industry drafting this legislation with them. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the minister for his very important work on the cap and trade program. In coming off the United Nations Conference in Paris last December, I believe there's a real momentum in reducing greenhouse gas. Ontario is about to join global movement towards putting a price on carbon, and it's the most effective to be an early adopter. Soon more than 90% of the Canadian population will be covered by carbon price. In Ontario, our proposed cap and trade will limit pollution, reward innovative companies and create more opportunities for investment in Ontario. Can the minister please inform the House as to the recent consultations with stakeholders and industries that were undertaken? Thank you, minister. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for training Spadina, who is my next-door neighbour in the legislature here, for his leadership. Those of us who are parents or grandparents, I think fully understand the weight of these issues, Mr. Speaker. This is an incredible trading opportunity. As you know, we're creating a freestanding marketplace in which there is bidding and allowances. The consultation with financial experts, legal experts, is to create this so that it has an integrity, and the trading happens without fear or favour, Mr. Speaker, based on establishing a real price on carbon sufficient to reduce emissions, Mr. Speaker. It also involves all Ontarians, all Ontarian consumers and businesses, Mr. Speaker. I'm wrapping up because the pricing system creates opportunities for trade and investment. It puts a price on pollution, but it also stimulates investment, so our consultation has to be very detailed, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Pursuant to Standing Order 38A, the member for here on Bruce has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question, given by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change concerning the financial accountability officer's access to cap and trade funds. This matter will be debated next. I want to make sure everyone understands what a late show is. This matter will be debated next Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Minister of Training College University is on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, please join me in welcoming Consul General of Turkey, Mr. Erdenis Shah. Thank you. Welcome, the member from Windsor to come to the on a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. Just a reminder that Kelly Simcoe and SimQue and Caleb Ellis are here with their Jersey of Courage. We'll be able to sign the Jersey outside the main doors, and that's to make sure that we have a safe workplace in Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. I thought I saw someone else starting to rise, nobody. There are no further deferred votes. This House stands adjourned until 1 p.m. this afternoon.