 Therefore, it is time for a question period. The Leader of Her Majesty's Royal Applauding. Good morning, Speaker, and thank you. My question is for the Premier. The opening sentence of the Auditor General's blistering report says it all. The numbers from the Liberal government are, quote, not a reasonable presentation of Ontario's finances. There you have it, Speaker. Auditor Bonnie Lisick revealed that Ontario's deficit this year is actually $11.7 billion, up $5 billion from the numbers the Liberals just reported. They're off by 75%. Next year, they're off by 85% as the deficit rose to $12.2 billion. And the year after that, the Liberals understate the number by almost 100% as the deficit hits $12.5 billion. The Liberals' governments cannot be trusted, Mr. Speaker. Will the government finally come clean about the true state of Ontario's finances? Can you see any place? Thank you. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the question from the opposition member. I know that the minister responsible for the Treasury Board Secretary is going to be happy to respond to the supplementary. And I've already answered a question in the public realm with the media today, Mr. Speaker. We thank the Auditor General for her response to the pre-election report. I know that the Treasury Board, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, have been working closely with the Auditor General of Ontario, Mr. Speaker, on a wide variety of issues. There are issues that the Auditor General has raised in her response, Mr. Speaker. That she has raised before. And these are ongoing conversations. And we have worked closely with accounts. We've been very, very careful, Mr. Speaker, as we made the decision as a government to reduce people's electricity bills by 25%, Mr. Speaker. Answer. We knew that that was necessary. And we worked very, very hard to make it clear that that would mean a cost over a period of time. We worked with accountants to create that plan, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The Auditor General's scathing report is an indictment of this liberal government. Auditor Bonnie Lissick said, quote, the government did not properly record the true financial impact of the fair hydro plan. She said, quote, neither the expense to pay power generators nor the interest on the funds borrowed has been included. There's billions in cash going out the door, but they're not listing it as an expense. They're borrowing money to pay the bills, but not recording the checks. So it appears there's money in the bank when there isn't any. Only liberals think they can get away with that. Mr. Speaker, why does this government present numbers that are off by 100%? Thank you, Premier. Mr. Speaker, all of that debt, all of those numbers are recorded. They are all recorded. And there is an accounting disagreement, Mr. Speaker. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, all of those numbers are recorded. They are clearly laid out as debt that has been carried in the electricity system, Mr. Speaker. We made a decision that people needed to have relief on their electricity bills, Mr. Speaker. And we are spreading the cost of the billions of dollars of investments that we have made over. OK, we're in warnings. Your outbursts are unacceptable. Carry on. A longer period of time, Mr. Speaker. And carrying that within the electricity system where it appropriately resides, Mr. Speaker. And as is done in other jurisdictions, there is an accounting disagreement that has been going on, Mr. Speaker. I recognize that. We acknowledge that. And we will work with the auditor general. Thank you. Final supplementary. Back to the Premier. Well, I have to say, Speaker, that is 100% wrong. It is not recorded as debt. It is recorded as an asset. Something they legislated, Speaker. Only a liberal would legislate a debt as an asset. As if that isn't enough, the government then recorded pension revenue that wasn't theirs and listed insufficient pension expenses. The auditor said, quote, it should not have been done. She added, quote, the incorrect recording of pension revenues and expenses is an understatement of expenses. Speaker, the government's books are off by up to 100%. They simply cannot be trusted. Nothing they ever tell us should ever believe again, and the auditor has proved that. Speaker, how can the people of Ontario ever trust? I smell a warning. The member from Leeds Crenville is warned. Premier. President of the Treasury Board. President of the Treasury Board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to respond to the auditor general's pre-election report and start by thanking the auditor, Speaker, as an independent officer of the legislature. The auditor general brings a valued and incredibly important perspective to our work as government. We work closely with her and her officials, and I do want to take this opportunity to thank the outstanding officials in our government, Speaker, who have worked so closely with the auditor in her work. Our government passed the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act in 2004, Speaker, precisely because it was under a previous government. We woke up to a $6 billion surprise and we have fixed that, Speaker. Why? Because on this side of the house, we believe that transparency and accountability are foremost in our thinking, Speaker, and that is why we are delighted to have this pre-election report today as an opportunity to, once again, be accountable to Ontarians. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No question, the member from Leeds. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question goes back to the Premier. The auditor said the perception is created that the government has more money available than it actually does. The real deficit numbers are astounding, and they are double what they told us in this house. $11.7 billion next year. $12.2 billion the year after that. $12.... Minister of Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs is warned. Finish, please. They can heckle all they want, but what they're really trying to do is pull the wool over the people of Ontarians. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work the auditor general has done, and I recognize that throughout her deliberations, and we just did speak yesterday for some time, she says this, Mr. Speaker, the pre-election report provided, which is the one that we presented just at the time of the budget, are reasonable and is cautious in its underpinning of fiscal forecast. She reaffirms that our track to back to balance is actually prudent. She recognizes that the forecast we put forward is actually cautious. And Mr. Speaker, furthermore, she is again referencing two issues that the accountant's professional accounting firms is in dispute with the auditor general in its reflection of those requirements. But it's fully transparent, the debt is reflected, the amount of transactions are apparent, it's there for all to be seen, and furthermore, it's reaffirmed and reinforced by the investors who are making the loans in respect to those very issues, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, you can tell their numbers are bogus because they're playing musical chairs with who has to answer over there. What the auditor actually said, reasonable presentation of Ontario's election finances. How can this government be trusted? The actual deficit will be double at $11.7 billion. The auditor is here to hold the government pressure aside like she's a nuisance. She's here for the good of the public. The Premier. Minister. Mr. Speaker. Now is attacking the public service. The accountants of KPNG who actually performs the audit for ISO. She's attacking Deloitte who's reaffirmed the process that has been made. She's attacking, Mr. Speaker, Ian White, who's audited the work of OPG. Clean audit on both cases, Mr. Speaker. Furthermore, she's attacking Deloitte. The member from Oxford is warned. Minister. He's attacking Deloitte who is also reflected on the issues of pensions. Let me be clear. We slay the deficit based on the work we've done. We've balanced the budget. We have a $600 million surplus and going... No supplementary. The finance minister, we're still at the bank. He'd be fired for it, we just said. This government is intent on hiding the truth from Ontario taxpayers when the real... I'm not going to accept that withdrawal, please. Withdrawal. But I'm not attacking our valued public servants. I'm not attacking outside auditors who don't have the full picture that the auditor general doesn't. President Treasury Board, Mr. Speaker. You got it. President Treasury Board. No, it says not work. Excuse me. The member from the Pean-Carnalton has done something she knows I don't like. And it won't happen again. President. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, Speaker, I know that on days like today when tensions can be high in the House, things can be said, Speaker, but I want to join the Minister of Finance in outlining the fact that the member opposite has just cast his burdens on our professional public service. And she is... And I take great exception to that, Speaker. These are people who work hard. They are among the best public servants in the country. They are also working incredibly diligently with the auditor general, Speaker. That's what we know. That's what we expect. And the member opposite should actually be taking those comments back, Mr. Speaker. I will say this. The auditor general has said that our books are prepared with an accordance of prudence and cautious assumptions. I stand members sit. It's a new question. The member from Nickel Belt. Thank you, Mr. President. My question is for the Premier. Hospitals. Because they said there was not enough money to fund our hospital in our community health sector. Is that fair? Well, Mr. Speaker, it's not the case. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, that we have increased funding to hospitals in every budget, Mr. Speaker. We recognize that there is a need for an increase. And last year, Mr. Speaker, we put in place $500 million more for hospitals this year. $822 million, Mr. Speaker. We have opened nurse practitioner-led clinics around the province, Mr. Speaker. We have continually increased funding and will continue to increase funding across the system, including to home care, Mr. Speaker, including to mental health, including to pharma care. Those are all parts of the health care system, and we are continuing to increase funding and support the needs of the population in Ontario. Well, while the Liberal government was cutting funding to our health care system in our hospital, there was something else that they were cutting. They were cutting corporate tax rate to the point where they were lower than the state of Alabama, to the point where we're talking 5 percentage point lower than Mike Harris last day as Premier of this province. Why did the Premier choose to create a crisis in our health care system instead of asking the richest people and the most profitable corporations to pay their fair share? You know, Mr. Speaker, this question from the member of the third party really is reflective of a fundamental difference between a liberal philosophy and the NDP. And that is, Mr. Speaker, that is we believe that industry, that corporations, that the business world, Mr. Speaker, has a role to play in creating wealth in this province. The NDP will tell you that government can do everything and we can just denigrate the private sector over and over again, Mr. Speaker. We don't believe that. We believe that we need to be competitive. I've spent days talking to Governors in the United States, to Congresspeople, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that we have a NAFTA that works for Ontario and works for Canada, Mr. Speaker. But that party doesn't think that the private sector has a role to play. Member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke is warned. Final supplementary. Under the Liberal, just like under the Conservative, the wealthy few got a whole lot. While many people throughout Ontario were admitted into overcrowded hospitals, we have reached a point where our hospitals are full, where their hallways are full, where people are being admitted, anywhere that isn't a door or an exit. Why? Does the Premier think that it is more important to have a tax rate lower than what Mike Harris had settled for than it is to end the overcrowding crisis in our hospitals? Thank you. Speaker, you know, one of the things about government is you have to do more than one thing at a time. And in fact, Mr. Speaker, in our first budget, we increased taxes on the highest income earners in this province, Mr. Speaker. Finish. Exactly what the NDP says that they think should be done. We've already done it. We increased taxes on the highest income earners in this province, Mr. Speaker. But we also believe that having a competitive business sector, having businesses that can thrive and can compete with other jurisdictions around the world, we think that's important, Mr. Speaker. And when, you know, when I travel to China or to India and businesses are looking at increasing their footprint here, creating more jobs, Mr. Speaker, bringing that wealth to the province, they're looking for a competitive environment. We've created that, Mr. Speaker, and we think that's important for economic growth in this province. New question. A member from Nickel Belt. Thank you, Mr. President. My question is for the Premier. One more time. Count on our health care system. Medicare is one of our greatest competitive advantage. But the Premier has refused at every turn to ask the wealthy few to pay their fair share in order to ensure that we have a health care system that functions the way that we know it can. Why is the Premier more interested in helping her rich connection than in ending hallway medicine? The Minister of Children and Youth Services is warned. Premier. Man, Mr. Speaker. Let me just go over what I said earlier. We increased taxes on the highest income earners in this province, Mr. Speaker. We have already done that. And let's look at what has happened as a result of the competitiveness of Ontario business, Mr. Speaker. We have created, in this province, in partnership with the private sector, 820,000 new jobs since the reception, Mr. Speaker, and been created since I was the Premier, Mr. Speaker. So that's the lowest unemployment rate in 20 years in this province, Mr. Speaker. You know what? For the people who have those jobs. But it's also good for the health care system, Mr. Speaker, because that means that we can invest in the health care system. And yes, it is a huge, huge advantage. And it's one of the reasons that people come here, businesses, come here, and those jobs have been created. I know that the Premier got into politics because of my heiress's cuts. But she's had 15 years to undo that damage. Actions speak louder than words. The Premier's action would lead us to believe that she got into politics to make life better for the wealthiest few. And to cut more into our health care system that all of us depend on. Who knew? The NDP believe in fixing our health care system and asking the richest people and the wealthiest corporation to pay their fair share so that it can be done. Why is the Premier more interested in corporate giveaway to the wealthy few than in ending hallway medicine for the many? Mr. Speaker, when I became the Premier, I said to the people of this province that I would work to get better retirement security for them. I said that we would invest in education and health care. And I said that we would build infrastructure around this province. We have done every single one of those things, Mr. Speaker. The fact is politics because I believe that government exists to do the things that people can't do by themselves. I don't come from a wealthy background, Mr. Speaker. I don't know where the NDP gets that idea. I don't know where they get that notion. I know they want to play that up, Mr. Speaker. It's not true. And you know, I can bring out all my mortgage payments and all of the pictures of my small semi-detached house in North Toronto. We can play that game. But the fact is, Mr. Speaker, I'm in politics because I believe that people need the supportive government. They need pharmacare. They need health care. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, we can have in Ontario where the richest people pay their fair share, where the most profitable corporation pay their fair share, and where corporate tax rates are still below national average. We can end hallway medicine. We can add 2,000 new beds to our hospital system. Can the Premier explain to everyone who has been treated in a hallway, a bathroom, a TV room, a patient lounge, why is it more important that she helps the few at the top rather than give people the dignity and the care they deserve? Mr. Speaker, we need people to be able to find jobs in this province. We need people to be able to look after themselves and their families and having a decent job is a really important part of that. Of course, there are things that government has to do and we recognize that which is why we have stepped up year after year to put those supports in place and we know that there's more that we have to do. But the fact is, Mr. Speaker, government has to do more than one thing at a time. We have to invest in our health care system which we are doing and we have to have a competitive business environment, Mr. Speaker. Our unemployment rate has dropped to 5.5%, Mr. Speaker. It's the lowest level. In two decades, Ontario has led all G7 nations when it comes to economic growth, Mr. Speaker. That's a good thing. Now the NDP may not think that's a good thing. They may think that's a bad thing. The fact is that's jobs, that's a high quality of life for people of this province and that's services that we can deliver because of that. Mr. Speaker, no question. The Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. This government had been warned for well over a year that what they were doing with our finances was not right. The Financial Accountability Office warned that because of the Hydro Scheme, MPPs should obtain assurance from the auditor that the province's accounting meets the public sector accounting standards. They were that worried, Speaker. The FAO also stated that beyond this year expect a quote, significant increase in the budget deficit due to growing impact of the Fair Hydro Plan. They knew, Speaker, the government knew that they were jeopardizing Ontario's fiscal position. They were told over and over, Speaker, why does this Premier and this government think they're above the rules? Minister of Finance. Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, the member opposite makes reference again to the principles of accounting which I'll leave to the accountants. The Deloitte's, KPMG, E&Y, all of whom have prepared and provided for the structure that we have before us and affirmed by them. And the member opposite talks about the concerns that would happen with the investment community. Well, Mr. Speaker, it was them who was actually proposing and investing in these very issues. Furthermore, DBRS, a rating agency, just confirmed our AA rating as stable, Mr. Speaker, in light of all of these situations as well. We're moving forward with the appropriate accounting principles that's approved by world-renowned accounting firms. Thank you. Supplementary. Back to the Premier. The government didn't listen to the Financial Accountability Office and now they won't listen to the Auditor General. This is from the Auditor. Quote, it is clear the government's intention in creating their accounting to handle the cost of the electricity rate reduction was to avoid affecting its fiscal plan. She's on to them. Quote, the intention was to avoid showing a deficit in the province's budgets and consolidated financial statements and to likewise show no increase in the provincial debt. Quote, and by and the way they financed it could quote cost Ontarians four billion more in interest costs. So, Speaker, why is this Premier and this government putting the province's finances in jeopardy just to cling to a power? Here, here. President Treasury Board. President of the Treasury Board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, at the core of this issue, and again we thank the Auditor General for her report, Speaker, is an issue about accounting differences of opinion, Speaker, and the IESO is a rate regulated agency, Speaker, and thus uses rate regulated accounting. The change in the IESO's accounting practice has done a couple of really important things, Speaker, and I'll get to those in a quick second. Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Before I get to that, Speaker, I just want to remind the member opposite of a couple of important things. Number one, we took $1.5 billion, Speaker, off the tax base and we put it onto the rate base, Speaker, which we saw as a very important issue regarding fairness. You know, the IESO accounting practice that we adopted has eliminated a second set of books, has brought greater transparencies of $17 billion worth of transaction, Speaker. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My question is to the Premier and first of all, I'd like to thank the Auditor General for her work on behalf of the people of Ontario. And today she reported that the Government's pre-election report is, quote, not a reasonable presentation of Ontario's finances. And that's partly because the Government is using a complicated private financing scheme of millions of dollars of hydro debt off the Government's books. Not only does this scheme waste $4 billion for no other purpose than to hide this debt, it clearly violates public accounting standards as the Government knew it would. Why is the Premier hiding the truth about what its $40 billion hydro boring scheme? I've ruled on this. Not accepting it, the member will withdraw. I withdraw. Thank you. You may finish your question. Why is the Premier involved in this $40 billion hydro scheme which will cost the public even more money? Thank you. The Treasury Board. Thank you very much to the Honourable Member for his question. And I think it's important, Speaker, to remind that this pre-election report really is an important opportunity for the Auditor General to give us some very important advice, Speaker. The accounting practices that the member opposite talks about have done some really important things for our economy and for rate payers, Speaker, because this change in the ISO's accounting practice has eliminated a second set of books that was previously kept, has brought $40 billion worth of transactions and, furthermore, is consistent with the accounting practices of ISO's predecessor, the OPA. We respectfully disagree with the Auditor General on this, Speaker. We made a significant policy decision to lower the cost of energy for Ontarians, Speaker. And that is the decision that will stand. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. It's again to the Premier. The Premier's $40 billion hydro boring is over the long run it will add $40 billion in hydro debt and interest onto bills which will have to be repaid once again by the people who use hydro. And the government is needlessly wasting $4 billion on private finance scheme whose sole purpose is to keep that debt off the government's books. Instead of violating public sector accounting standards, why won't the Premier just tell the Ontario that their hydro bills have not really gone down but over the long run will skyrocket higher than ever before? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to go back to the premise of this report, Speaker, and remind the member opposite that the Auditor General actually in issuing her report today underscored the fact that our government has prepared our books with a degree of prudence that she underscores as being extremely important. So that's an important piece of context. When the public accounting standards, as Deloitte pointed out, are silent on the question of how to account for the impacts of rate regulation, it is appropriate for a public sector entity, and this is their opinion to select accounting policies that would result in the recognition of the impacts of rate regulation. This again, Speaker, is an area of disagreement with the Auditor General. We are pleased to have a report today. We respect her opinion and we again underscore the fact that this is an act of transparency on our part to publish this pre-election report, something that Ontarians previously didn't have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Minister, Ontario's building code establishes one of the things the building code speaks to is the construction of buildings with wood frames and materials. Building with engineered wood products is structurally comparable to concrete and steel buildings and strength. It stores carbon and lessens the impact of climate change. It lowers greenhouse gas emissions by not using energy-intensive materials and it can lower building costs with cost-effective materials and shorter construction time. Mass building codes and materials are dimensionally stable and are quickly becoming the systems of choice for sustainably-minded designers. I know that the Minister of Municipal Affairs has been advocating for wood construction for a number of years, so Minister, could you please tell us a bit about the work that you and your ministry and the government have done on wood-based construction? Minister of Municipal Affairs. I would like to thank the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Municipal Affairs for the construction in Ontario to increase the use of wood in Ontario's construction industry by requiring its use in provincially funded buildings. The goal was achieved in January 2015 when the building code was updated to support the construction of mid-rise wood frame buildings up to six stories. I should also mention the construction last year we released the tall wood reference, which will assist architects, engineers, building and fire officials and developers in the development of safe alternative solutions for taller wood projects. We also co-funded with the federal government to test the performance of mass timber building systems. Speaker, the research and tests that support tall wood buildings is funded through the climate change action plan, funding and transferable knowledge that can be used in future tall wood construction projects. Supplementary. Thank you Speaker. We all know how important the forestry sector is here in Ontario. Forestry is a way of life for hard working Ontarians across the province with $15 billion in revenue and 172,000 direct jobs relying on the sector. Mr. Speaker, wood products use less energy than steel or concrete and produce fewer emissions. Wood storage units storing carbon that would otherwise be emitted into our atmosphere. Speaker, I also know that tall wood buildings are an effective, efficient and sustainable way to build communities and help support Ontario's important forestry sector. So minister, how does the mass timber program benefit Ontarians? Thank you Minister. Speaker, the minister of natural resources and forestry. Minister of natural resources and forestry. Thank you. I want to thank the minister for his great question. I'm very happy to talk about the mass timber program which promotes the use of mass timber in construction and help reduce the effects of climate change. This program offers direct benefits to people of Ontario, particularly people from the north, because it includes the creation of new jobs in the forestry and also in construction. And also it advances low carbon building science, which is important for our innovation in agriculture. So I'm very pleased to stand here and talk about four tall wood projects that have been funded to our cap and trade program, a program that the party opposites wants to eliminate. These four programs are the academic tower at the University of Toronto, academic tower at George Brown College, an office space in Toronto, condominiums in North Bay. Thank you. These are all innovative projects. Thank you. Thank you very much. My question goes back to the finance minister. Just like at Enron, the secret hidden ledger was finally revealed and when it was, the real deficit and the deficit figures are now accounted for. The net debt for Ontario resident is $23,670 per person. Let me bring you back to 2003 when they were brought into office. It was only $11,324. It was raised by $24,960 per person next year and $26,240 per person the year after that. So this government is leaving my daughter and the next generation with an unsustainable amount of debt that is going to hurt our very core and valued public services. So I want to know why is this government including that premier contend with leaving our children over $26,000 worth of debt because of their mis-management. Mr. Speaker I got three kids of my own and I want to leave them with opportunity in the future. And let me be clear. The member opposite is talking about one side of the ledger. There's something else that's extremely important here, extremely worth noting and that is Ontario is indeed one of the largest sub-national economies in the world Mr. Speaker it's $1,800 billion and we're going to be up to a trillion soon Mr. Speaker and it's that strength of our economy, that worth that is also important in that calculation and you take into account the degree of debt as a percentage of that overall value the people of Ontario have a huge net worth Mr. Speaker of close of $40,000 each. My children are going to benefit because of the investments we make in transit, in schools in hospitals in the economic growth they'll have opportunity, they're denying them that right we'll continue to invest in our Be seated please Be seated please Thank you, supplementary What we really are is the largest sub-national debtor in the world Speaker and that minister over there maybe has 78,000 kids can share but most Ontario families are kicking around to pay for their mismanagement under the Liberal government immediately will owe $26,000 thanks to that minister I care about the future, I care about my daughter I care about the kids in our hockey team I care about the pages but they are sustainable and the minister is he okay with saddling every single child born in 2018 with $26,000 of additional debt because I can tell you thank you Minister Mr. Speaker in 40 years there have been only 8 balanced budgets 3 of them by the conservatives the rest by us Mr. Speaker the largest deficit in Canadian history was over $50 billion by the conservative government Mr. Speaker this is all about choice the member opposite is talking about what they choose to do because they have no plan but we know what they are going to do they are going to cut we want to support child care for people mental health and addictions more supports for hospitals more supports for our seniors more supports for our children and our students Mr. Speaker to put them at their best going forward in our future we are investing in those programs they are going to cut those programs they are putting at risk because they are going to cut the area deserve that Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker this is a question to the acting premier after 15 years of neglect and empty promises on child care investments from Liberal governments it is clear for families in Waterloo region that change for the better can't come soon enough told me the story of one family new to Waterloo, whose parents, both parents, have finally found work, but they cannot find childcare. They cannot find affordable, accessible childcare in a not-for-profit setting anywhere in Waterloo region, like 80 per cent of the families in this province. The only thing that they can find are waitlists. They have been on Emmanuel's growing waitlist for three months. There are 600 families on that list, and staff must tell families that the waitlist is two years long. This family has no support network in the region, and their professional success and quality of life are directly affected and connected to finding affordable childcare. Does the Premier understand how stressful and how challenging it is to find quality childcare in the province of Ontario? Minister of Education and Minister responsible for early years in childcare. Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I actually want to thank the member opposite for asking this very important question, because absolutely we recognise that we need affordable, accessible childcare in this province. And that's why the Premier tasked me to make sure that we are on track. So here's what we're doing. We have been working diligently and tirelessly over the last year and a half to make sure we're building the foundation, creating more spaces, creating more actually affordable spaces, and ensuring that we are on track to free preschool childcare for families of children. And so, Speaker, let me just tell you about some of the things that we've been doing. We're planning on investing $2.2 billion over three years to ensure that there will be free childcare for preschoolers. That will save families an estimated $17,000 per child. And that's in addition to what they'll be saving in full-day kindergarten, which is $6,500 per child. Thank you. Speaker, after 15 years, after too many photo ops and too many childcare centres across the province, why should families believe that this liberal government will... Stop the conversation. I believe there are some members on this side that have been warned. We can add to that list. And after a warning is a naming. Finish, please. Can we hit a nerve? Why should families believe that liberals will take action to deliver on childcare? Speaker, families who are excited to finally qualify for subsidies are only disappointed again when they learn that there are no childcare spaces to access. We are the childcare wait list of wonder of Canada. Congratulations. Speaker, we have a plan that invests in ECEs who are on the front line. We have a plan that ensures that families will have high quality spaces because we are committed to not-for-profit care. We have a plan that invests in creating spaces because you can't build a system without capital funding. And our plan will make childcare free for those who need it most because that's where the return on investment is. Why has your government still not created a plan based on needs of the families in the province of Ontario after 15 years? So, Mr. Speaker, let me just give you a quick summary of some of the things that we're doing. We're investing in childcare, $1.4 billion in operational funding, $1.6 billion in capital funding. What does that mean? We're creating spaces. We committed to create 100,000 spaces over five years. We're actually not just on track, but we're ahead of it. What have we created so far? So we're on track to create 31,000 more spaces. Those are the photo ops that the member opposite is talking about. We're actually going out there and announcing the spaces. And 60% of the spaces that we're creating now are subsidized. So we're actually increasing the number of spaces that are subsidized. But, Speaker, that's not all. We're also building towards the future. And that's where free preschool childcare comes in. As of 2020, families will be getting free preschool childcare. The NDP plan sounds good, but apparently Gordon Cleveland says it's completely unrealistic. They're not building the foundation. We're building that solid foundation. Recognizing the workforce. Christina, please. New question to members from Guelph. Thank you very much, Speaker. And my question is for the Minister of Transportation. Speaker, it's safe to say that the way people move around our communities is constantly changing. I know one change that has caught my attention is the growing interest in and demand for active forms of transportation. This demand for improved cycling infrastructure in particular is significant. And I consistently hear from my constituents in Guelph who are looking to government to make investments that will make cycling a safer, more convenient way to get around. I also hear it firsthand from my daughter, Allison, who just happens to own a bike shop in Bracebridge. So, Speaker, I know that this month marked the annual Bike Summit. Can the Minister please share the update that was provided at the Bike Summit on the steps our government is taking to support cycling around the province? Thank you, Speaker. And I want to thank the member from Guelph and also welcome her daughter, Allison, from Ecclesone Cycling Shop in the Members Gallery today. And yes, I was very pleased to join Ontario Cycling Community a few weeks ago to celebrate the progress that we've made towards creating a more bicycle-friendly Ontario, but also to look at the significant work that remains ahead. After releasing our first cycle-on action plan, we didn't slow down. In my time as the PA to the Minister of Transportation, I was actively involved in the cycling file. And now as Minister, I see we've made remarkable progress. Much of this work has culminated into the cycle-on action plan 2.0, which I was so pleased to present to the Bike Summit. The updated action plan includes 37 proposed action items in five key strategic directions, including designing healthy, active, prosperous communities, improving cycling infrastructure, making highways and streets safer, promoting cycling awareness and creating behavioural change and increasing cycling tourism. Thank you. Supplementary. Yes, thank you, Speaker. And I want to thank the Minister for her answer. It's clear that we are taking an active approach to meet the needs of the cycling community here in Ontario. I was very pleased to announce recently that our government's new Ontario municipal commuter cycling program is providing wealth with nearly $1.2 million to support local commuter cycling projects. I can't wait to see the new bike lanes that will happen in Guelph. But of course, I know that if the Conservatives are elected, there won't be any more of this because it's funded by our carbon program and climate change. But Minister, would you can tell us some more about your important initiatives like the new cycle-on action plan? The new plan is sure to build on our government's ongoing collaboration with cycling advocates. And if you could elaborate on what that action plan contains, we would definitely appreciate the new plans. Thank you, Speaker. And I want to again thank the member from Guelph for her ongoing support of the cycling community. Our action plan includes 37 unique action items, including our commitment to a province-wide cycling network. The fact is that our government has and continues to be a strong partner for the cycling community, with advocates like the President of the Treasury Board at the table, this shouldn't come as any surprise. We've made consistent investments, including bike rooms at ghost stations, bike lockers at carpool lots, and introducing a safe cycling education fund. While our Liberal government remains committed, we know that the Conservatives would scrap the cap-and-trade program, which this year alone is supporting commuter cycling projects in nearly 120 municipalities across the province. This is a party opposite with a leader who has councillor consistently spoke out against cycling projects in the City of Toronto. Unlike the party opposite, we know investing in cycling is a right move. It supports our environment and creates a statement. Thank you. And the question to the member from Soren Hill. Thank you very much. My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Today, an advocacy group of medical students, hashtag spots for docs, are protesting at Queen's Park. They're protesting the State of Physician Services planning, specifically the low ratio of medical graduates to residency spots. Mr. Speaker, 800,000 Ontarians are without a family doctor, while many medical school graduates are unable to practice medicine. In 2015, this government drastically cut residency positions. Ontario taxpayers invest $200,000 for each student, yet they are blocked from finishing their training. Instead of creating permanent residency positions, the Ministry of Health announced temporary residency spots, which only help presently unmatched medical graduates. Will the Minister please explain why she's turning her back on future medical school graduates? Thank you so much. And of course, our government recognizes how important it is to match the physician's supply to the need across Ontario. And as a physician, a former medical student, I still remember the stress is not only of medical school but of the matching process that I went through many years ago. So we fully understand the issue. We do know that between 2003 and 2016, we have a large supply of physicians practicing in Ontario, some additional 38%. But we do understand that there are challenges for new medical graduates. And this is why our government is funding more residency positions for medical school graduates who have completed their undergraduate training at an Ontario medical school. This is a pan-Canadian problem, and so we're working with our medical schools to create more specialized residency spots. Obviously this upcoming school year, everyone will find a spot. Everyone who is not matched will be offered a residency position. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you again to the Minister. This government's plan is a band-aid solution which only addresses the issue in the short term. A desperate attempt by a desperate government to quickly deal with the crisis of their own making. What is needed is a long-term comprehensive strategy to plan for all medical resources across Ontario. The hundreds of students that are right now protesting in the rain took time away from their study and clinic work to advocate for better healthcare for all Ontarians. Will the Minister commit today to support the recommendations of Bill 18, the Careers in Medicine Advisory Committee Act, and strike a panel of medical experts to take the first step towards a comprehensive plan for medical resource planning in Ontario? The issue that I think is really important in terms of what we have announced this year is that we will be requiring these new residents in these new additional positions to provide a return of service to underservice communities across the province and so we will be specifically targeting those areas where we know we need more specialized service such as emergency medicine, pediatrics and psychiatry and so this investment will also ensure a stable supply of physicians in communities across the province and of course we're going to continue to work across the country with our medical schools to ensure that the matching process is enhanced as we go forward and certainly we're going to be reviewing the outcomes of this particular year's matching process and work with relevant stakeholders and ensure that we have every success on the part of the graduating physicians and on the heart and on behalf of the people of Ontario. New question to the member from London West. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the acting Premier. Speaker yesterday a report was released recommending that large scale EQAO testing continue for every Ontario student in grades six and 10. Speaker 67 percent of Ontarians agree with new democrats that EQAO census testing is not working for students. People for education points out that 20 years of EQAO results have done nothing to close the education equity gap. Instead EQAO allows schools to be ranked against one another creating winners and losers and primarily benefiting real estate agents at a cost of millions of dollars that could be used in the classroom. Will the acting Premier listen to parents educators students trustees education experts and others instead of making changes to EQAO will she commit to eliminating EQAO altogether. Minister of Education and Minister responsible for early years and childcare. Minister. Thank you Mr Speaker and I'm pleased to answer this question now. You know Mr Speaker I find it interesting that the party opposite is so interested in education now when actually in their 2014 platform they had no mention of education and I just want them to know that this on this side of the house we have been making investments in our education system for many years and these investments are ones that I'm proud of. Mr Speaker our world is rapidly changing and our classrooms need to keep up with that change absolutely we need to make informed decisions and we need to ensure that where there are gaps and challenges in the system that we are on top of them so that we can give our system and our educators and our students the supports that they need that is why we commissioned an independent review of Ontario student assessment and reporting led by the highly respected Dr Carol Campbell and her five advisors. The review's recommendation suggests that the status quo is no longer working well enough and I'm happy to explain more in these supplementary. Thank you Speaker. Speaker ask any parent and they will tell you they look to report cards and teacher feedback to let them know how well their child is doing not EQAO results. Parents understand that teaching to narrow tests in literacy and numeracy takes up too much teacher focus creates undue stress on students and diverts resources away from student learning. Speaker this liberal government has had 15 years to address longstanding concerns about EQAO. They've had 15 years to replace EQAO with an effective random sample testing model that will provide a true check on the Ontario curriculum while helping to identify the supports that students need. Is this government's new found interest in changing EQAO another last ditch attempt to try to win back support before the election. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to remind the member opposite that we're actually the ones that embarked on this review and it is a comprehensive review. I also want to ensure that the member opposite has actually read what the recommendations were and if she had she would know actually that the advisers and Dr. Carol Campbell actually talked about she actually made a real distinction between what was happening in the classroom and also EQAO and in fact she said that what wasn't happening in the classroom was extremely important and was actually a very good way forward in terms of assessing and and actually recommended that we strengthen classroom assessment and reporting and that we do further consultations on EQAO. Thank you new question to member from Barry. Thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of Senior Affairs. Speaker I'm sure the Minister is aware of the good news that seniors like myself are living longer and in better health than ever before. With this comes with this comes new challenges for how our government could provide the necessary care and support for the rapidly growing demographic. One of those challenges is social isolation which can affect the mental and physical well-being of those without the opportunities to engage in their community. Among the many wide-ranging initiatives of program commitments that were announced in last year's Aging with Confidence Action Plan was our commitment to expand the successful seniors community grant project. With a focus on community-oriented solutions to keep seniors active engaged this program has already supported over 1,600 projects. Speaker would the Minister tell us how it's about the expansion of the seniors community grant program. Thank you. Speaker I want to thank the Minister of Seniors Affairs. Thank you Speaker. I want to thank the member from Barrie for the question and wish her many many many years of Aging with Confidence here in Ontario. And Mr. Speaker a few weeks ago I was along with the member from Ottawa Centre. I was in Ottawa at the Good Companions Centre where I had the pleasure of announcing this year's successful project applicants for the seniors community grant. Our government is investing 4.1 million dollars Mr. Speaker to support nearly 250 projects. One project in particular that I'm very excited about is something we call seniors without walls. It's going to allow us to create virtual seniors community centres across Ontario to ensure that our seniors are not socially isolated and have a place to make friends regardless of geography. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you Minister for telling this House about our commitment to investing in programs and initiatives aimed at reducing social isolation. I'm glad that our government is providing resources and supports to foster existing innovative programs across this province allowing them to benefit even more from this from the seniors of Ontario. However that's not all Speaker as I believe that just last week our government announced yet another way how it is reducing social isolation and keeping our seniors engaged and socially connected with their communities. Last week the Minister of Seniors Affairs and the member from Brampton West were at Villa Polonia in Brampton where they announced the 40 new seniors active living centres. Can the Minister of Seniors Affairs please inform this House about this expansion. Thank you Minister. Thank you Mr. Speaker and you can see that our government is continuing to invest in speakers every week we have something to announce for our speakers and yes for our seniors sorry and yes the member from Berry is correct. Last week I did have the pleasure of announcing Mr. Speaker 40 more seniors active living centres that brings the total to 303 and so Mr. Speaker this means we have 40 more centres with thousands of seniors across Ontario have a place to come together to meet friends make new friends learn new skills and continue to lead lives of purpose. I'm really proud of this announcement Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Thank you. A new question. The member from Niagara West Lambert. My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-term Care. Recently Niagara Regional Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Andrea Feller reported the 155 suspected opioid overdoses in 2016 soared by 225 percent in 2017 that means that Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics responded to 520 suspected overdoses in 2017. The opioid crisis is hurting families and youth across Niagara. My question is what is the government doing to respond to this crisis. Well Mr. Speaker of course the opioid crisis is something that was well recognized by our government over the last year and certainly the numbers are alarming and I'm very pleased that the Associate Medical Officer of Health is informing the community as to the situation in Niagara region and so this is of course precisely why we are investing over $222 million over three years to combat the opioid crisis in Ontario especially in the issue of expanding harm reduction services. Yesterday Mr. Speaker I had the opportunity to visit the Queen Street Community Health Centre where they offer a safe injection site. This is one of many that we're introducing and opening across the province. They're doing excellent work they're saving lives. At the same time of course we're referring people for counseling I'll elaborate in the supplementary. Supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is back to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Unfortunately I would say that some of the action the government has taken has not done enough in the Niagara region. Sandy of Beamsville recently spoke over son Scott who played hockey, took karate, took swimming lessons and ran marathons. At one time he owned his own house, had a beautiful fiancee and a bright future she said. Then Fentanyl got its claws into him and he lost it all. Speaker how does the Minister plan on ensuring mothers like Sandy do not have to bury their children because of this government's lack of action on the opioid crisis? Minister? Our initiative is absolutely clear in terms of what we're doing. We've established an opioid emergency task force we're making the lock zone kits available to pharmacies, public health units, police fire services. We're working with stakeholders. I had an extremely useful conversation yesterday at the safe injection site with the stakeholders and the frontline workers. I guess the question is what on earth are you going to do on the other side of the house? As far as we know Doug Ford is going to close safe injections. The Minister of Education on a point of order. Thank you Mr. Speaker I'd actually like to correct my record when it comes to child care. I want to point out that in the 2018 budget Ontario's now investing a historic $1.9 billion in operating funding for early. Thank you. Member from Oxford on a point of order. Yes Mr. Speaker. I'd like to introduce an intern from my office Claire De Bruyne. This is her last week here at Queens Park and I'd like to thank her for the hard work she's done for us in the last 10 weeks and wish her a good trip back to work. We have a deferred vote on the motion of this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government calling the members this will be a five minute bell. All members please take your seats. On March 28th 2018 Mr. Susan moves second reading of Ms. Wynn. Seconded by Ms. Wynn that this House approves of general budgetary policy of the government. All those in favour please rise one at a time would be recognized by the Mr. Susan. Mr. Susan. Mr. Wynn. Ms. Wynn. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Charles. Mr. Dugan. Mr. Sandals. Mr. Ballard. Mr. Malone. Mr. Morini. Mr. Cotto. Mr. Flann. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Wardinetti. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Milch. Mr. Zimmer. Mr. McGarry. Mr. MGarry. Mr. Bhangar. Mr. Frazier. Mr. Anderson. Mr. Baker. Mr. Donne. Dr. Hoogar. Mr. Hoogar. Mr. Malon. Most put. Mr. Sadler. Mr. Nadeshaw. Mr. Nadeshaw. Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Forrester. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Gretzky. Mr. Gretzky. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. The ayes are 48, the nays are 32. The ayes being 48, and the nays being 32. I declare the motion carried. The President of Treasury Broad on a point of order. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'd like to crack my record in something I said earlier. I said that to support a 25% reduction of electricity bills we took $1.5 billion off the tax base and put it onto the rate base. What I meant to say is the opposite speaker. We took $1.5 billion off the rate base and put it onto the tax base. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There being no further deferred votes this House stands recess until 3pm this afternoon.