 It is now time for a question period the member My question is Through you to the premier morning premier Premier you can implement your mandate with your liberal majority, but it doesn't mean you have to break the rules of the legislature The standing orders state that the membership of committees must be in proportion to the representation of the parties in the house This has been a long-standing tradition that your government house leader rejects Your speech from the throne states that you'll pledge Partnership over partisanship that you want to increase Transparency and accountability and that you want to allow the Justice Committee to write its report It's sheer arrogance for your party to change the rules of this legislature Premier why are you trying to prevent the opposition from holding your government? Well, I know that the house leader will have more to say and that this is an ongoing discussion among the house leaders But mr. Speaker, let's talk about tradition for decades Mr. Speaker a majority in the house has met a majority on committee And already in this house when they have been in government and when they have been them in the majority They have argued for mr. Speaker and that has been reflected in the committee structure So we're not aware of any instance in the history of this legislature where that has not been the case So mr. Speaker in fact it would be arrogance I would suggest to propose Otherwise then that we follow that tradition of when there was a majority of seats in the house that majority is Reflected in The government house leader understands according to the current rules he could strike all the standing committees today with a substantive motion However in order to do so he'd have to apply the long-standing formula that requires Proportional representation of the parties in the legislature. So that would mean you would have five liberal members two PC members and two NDP members Orange e-held the gas plants the Mars building bailout All of those scandals happened on the liberal watch and they came out because the opposition held the government to account Premier your throne speech stated you wanted to increase transparency Is your first order of business to backtrack on that commitment by trying to stack the committees against the opposition? Well Thank you very much speaker and thank the member opposite for his question And I'm very much looking forward to discussing all these issues in a house leaders meeting I find it odd that the member opposite have chosen to raise these issues here in the house as much as he's aware These are discussions that are limited to house leaders But speaker the rules are very clear the convention is very clear as the premier mentioned If you look back throughout the history of this this this parliament now going back decades We have seen when they're ever whenever there is a majority in the house Committees all committees have also demonstrated a simple majority for For the for the for the government speaker and that that means that we don't count the chair In that calculation because as speaker you know the chair is an impartial Person and they cannot be calculated in in that configuration So I have simply asked the member opposite that we work within the traditions of this house to make sure that The house is reflected in committee. Thank you Again again speaker, I'm gonna read you a couple of quotes Here's a couple of codes for you quote the rules say two important things one committee Committees can have no more than nine members and two committee membership must be in proportion To the representation of the parties in the house who said that premier the dean of the legislature the member for St. Catharines That was his quote Here's another quote from the minister of education one of the principles on which standing committee membership is normally structured Which is proportional? Proportional representation means if you've got nine members on a committee You'll have five members from the liberal party two members from the PC party and two members from the NDP Five members provides a majority of representation in the house Why is the government house leader continuing to try to muzzle the opposition by not following the conventions of this Speaker Since we're since we're quoting things to each other Let me just quote the the previous house leader for the PC party now the the leader of the opposition This is what he said in 2011 after the minority government was elected He said I quote the official opposition is in the belief that the government does not have a majority in the house And therefore should not have a majority on committees The NDP house leader the member from Timmins James Bay said and I quote our proposals have been based on precedent And I'm going to send you're out if I have to You ask the question listen to the response I'm and the interjections not helpful either stopped the clock What from what I've heard I've decided I'm gonna do what I did yesterday. I'm going into warnings Finish please speaker the member from Timmins James Bay's who's the NDP house leader said on December 7th of 2011 Our proposals have been based on precedent which dictates that a government which does not have a majority in the house Does not have the majority in committees speaker. We only ask the inverse be true as well Premier as you know Moody's debt service recently downgraded in Turrell's debt outlook from stable to negative Which will surely lead to increased costs and more underfunding of important services for average everyday people in our province Premier we recommend that you take urgent action today to come up with ways of growing our economy To ensure our health care and education systems are protected and here's one that makes good sense to me Premier Brad Wall of Saskatchewan has been advocating for a Canada-wide free trade zone There is a tremendous potential to create good jobs for people and help small businesses grow here in the province Premier do you see anything wrong with the Canada free trade zone as advocated by Premier's wall Clark and Hancock? Thank you Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker Minister of economic development Employment and infrastructure Thank you, mr. Speaker and it actually is a very important issue and a question and something Ontario has always taken a lead on We have advocated across this country Free or trade among provinces in fact, mr. Speaker our experts are valued at over $122 billion as of 2012 33% of Ontario's gross domestic product is made up of of inter-provincial trade accounts So that's a very important to us We will continue to work with our sister provinces across this country to open up freer trade Our priority is making sure we answer to the challenges our business community may have Went when the when the Canada European trade agreement comes in place We want to make sure that Canadian businesses that it is advantaged That's our first priority. We'll work with the other province to ensure we achieve that and we if we can move further We certainly would like to keep Well back to the premier premier last week Moody's put the province on a credit watch and revise the outlook in Ontario from stable to negative at the same time premier your counterparts from across the country are focused on providing more consumer choice lower prices more jobs and Ultimately increased revenue for their provincial treasuries. Of course. I'm referring to premier's Brad wall Christie Clark Dave Hancock Steven McNeil and Robert Giz who are all actively working on a Canada wide free trade zone Premier this is about nation-building Growing our economy and giving opportunities to our small businesses along Main Street here in Ontario Premier why haven't you called Premier Brad wall and others to get started on this deal immediately and why Is an Ontario at the head of the table minister? Mr. Speaker the members very far behind on this file The ministers have been speaking for some time on this issue mr. Speaker in fact the ministers right across the country had a conference call Earlier in the week What's important mr. Speaker is we as Sister provinces continue to work together It's important that the views of all provinces including Ontario be taken into Consideration in terms of how to move forward and in these Free or trade discussions amongst the provinces. We're all in favor of doing that mr. Speaker We now need to work together to ensure we put in place the best process our Premier will as she was with the Canada jobs grant and others be a leader in this area of Nation-building across this country will work closely with the western provinces the eastern provinces and Quebec Mr. Speaker we're determined to shoot the to ensure we do the best job we can for Canadian businesses final supplementing Well back to the speaker Premier having negotiated over 40 international trade deals since coming into office the federal government has done an outstanding job at opening trade barriers throughout the world However within Canada there a significant number of trade barriers in numerous sectors including energy Labor and procurement These barriers are costing average everyday people with reduced opportunities Fewer jobs and higher consumer prices Premier the people of Ontario are counting on you to take the lead on important opportunities for our workers and small businesses Premier this is about Main Street not Bay Street Over the days ahead what specific actions will you commit to with? Ontario's participation in the job creating Canada-wide free trade zone. Thank you, Minister Mr. Speaker I'm really glad that the member brought up Stephen Harper today because I think what we want to do is ask the member if he's going to Support our efforts to ensure that the federal government treats Ontario fairly when it comes to equalization payments Investments and infrastructure You know mr. Speaker we're talking about in my predecessor and infrastructure was very clear on this We're spending six times more mr. Speaker when it comes to investing in public transit than the federal government's spending I don't think you can find a country anywhere in the world where that exists I believe my predecessor said it's 26 more times more that this province is spending on building roads and highways and bridges Mr. Speaker that is not good partnership when it comes to Partnerships between the federal government and provincial government So I'm hoping that the member listens carefully to this and joins us in our efforts to make sure that Ontario gets fair treatment When it comes to our relations with the federal government Thank You speaker my question is for the premier the premier insists that she's bringing up progressive plan And she's got a list that she loves to rhyme off But there's another list in her budget speaker at that bloomers Bloomberg says will lead and I quote to the biggest Ontario cuts since Harris and I'm just curious as to know As to whether the premier is going to be running on both of these lists are running with both of these lists next week Will she introduce a budget on Monday? That includes having a conservative style fire sale of Ontario's public assets in its speaker Thank you very much mr. Speaker well the the leader of the third party knows what our budget is going to say on Monday Mr. Speaker because we are reintroducing the budget that we Introduced at the beginning of May we then ran our election campaign on that plan mr. Speaker and The reality of our plan mr. Speaker is that there is complexity to it the fact is we are facing fiscal challenges That is true, but the other fact is mr. Speaker. We are determined not to leave people behind We are determined to build the province up mr. Speaker We are determined to invest in people's talent and skills the minister of economic development was just talking about the investments in infrastructure We are determined that we continue the investments You know the one of the members opposite heckles that it won't happen mr. Speaker the reality is it's already happening You look at the investments in infrastructure To build this province, thank you Speaker so that's a yes for the fire sale of public assets There's a number of things however speaker that the premier has left off of her list families across Ontario are finding it Harder than ever just to make ends meet The member from Glen Gary Prescott Russell is warned carry on Families across Ontario are finding it harder just to make ends meet speaker It's one of the reasons that they actually voted against Austerity they shouldn't go into a cold sweat every time they see their hydro bill leaving families working Harder and harder just to pay the bill speaker isn't progressive when the premier introduces her budget next week Will it get electricity bills under control for the good people of this province speaker or will it be the liberal status quo? With hydro bills going up 42% over the next five years Well, thank you very much mr. Speaker and again I will just just say again to the leader of the third party that it is incumbent upon government to do more than one thing at a time Yes, and the fact is that we are we are faced with fiscal challenges in this province And we are going to we are going to confront those fiscal challenges in a number of ways Mr. Speaker we are going to make sure that the constraints that have been put in place that have made us that the leanest government in terms of Program spending per capita in the country. We are going to keep those constraints in place mr. Speaker We are going to make sure that we have a reliable energy system system Mr. Speaker that people across the province can count on and that people mr. Speaker whether they are business owners or whether they are Individuals that they know that they are going to have access to reliable power answer And we are going to make sure that the infrastructure that is needed across the province roads bridges transit That we are going to invest in that infrastructure mr. Speaker. It is incumbent on us to do all of those things at the same time Yes to a 42% increase in hydro rates people want to see a plan that creates jobs also Speaker and it's pretty obvious that that's been left off the list as well the same old same old No strings attached giveaways haven't worked speaker. It's why Ontario's unemployment rate is stuck at a higher than the national Average handing money to corporations and hoping for the best is not a progressive value speaker It hasn't worked for the last eight years. Why does the Premier think it's going to work all of a sudden? Very much mr. Speaker Well, it's not what we're going to do and it's not what we have been doing because mr. Speaker the partnerships with business That have brought jobs to this province are part are just that they are partnerships and the the the money that is Invested in partnership with business mr. Speaker is tied to that job creation That's exactly why we're putting in place the jobs and prosperity fund Which will be part of our budget which will be reintroduced on Monday So the the jobs and prosperity fund experience Ontario mr. Speaker which will will build on the success of the youth employment strategy mr. Speaker and will put young people into opportunities where they will They'll have the opportunity to explore a new career path mr. Speaker because we've partnered with business Those are all things that are part of our budget mr. Speaker some of them are already in place and are working But we are building on those successes Thank you very much speaker my next question is also for the premier the premier likes to pick and choose the parts of her budget Budget that she wants to talk about but there are some real surprises hidden just under the surface of this liberal Trojan horse plan Are wondering whether they're going to be able to afford to retire Speaker now when the premier tables her plan will she still be moving at light speed to create Steven Harper Approved private pensions by this fall, but leave Ontarians waiting four years if ever for a public pension plan speaker Thank you very much mr. Speaker well again I think what I think what is most surprising about this particular gambit is that We would have expected that support for an Ontario retirement pension plan in the absence in the absence of federal government leadership on enhancing the CPP We would have expected that the NDP would have been right there at our side supporting the creation of an Ontario retirement pension plan They're not there mr. Speaker and you know our is it important that people have options and In terms of the PRPP's that the leader of the third party is talking about will we move to allow people to have those options? Absolutely, but will we move to create an Ontario retirement pension plan so that people can count on a secure retirement? Absolutely Yes to prioritizing Steven Harper style PRPP speaker The premier loves to talk about is your transit plan. She insists. It's a progressive plan Well, here's the truth the TTC Metrolinx and the Golden panel all agree that Toronto needs a downtown Relief line anyone who takes the TTC and rush hour knows that the young line is already Packed speaker instead the liberal plan will simply add more riders to the young plan a downtown relief line That deals with congestion needs to be a priority Is the premier going to keep making things worse during rush hour for TTC riders? Or will she put the downtown relief line to the top of the list speaker? So mr. Speaker, I'm just going to go to the the general comment here that in terms of support for transit and putting 29 billion dollars into Work with municipalities whether it's on whether it's on public transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area or in Ottawa Or in kitchen waterloo mr. Speaker or in Hamilton or whether it is roads and bridges in Northern Ontario mr. Speaker and in our rural communities we are committed to doing that that is in our budget mr. Speaker and again It would be terrific if we had the support of the NDP on that whether it is support for the Ontario retirement pension plan mr. Speaker that is in our budget We would have expected that the NDP would have supported us on that whether it's support for people with developmental Disabilities mr. Speaker we would have supported would have expected the NDP to support us on that those measures are there We are reintroducing our budget. We are determined to implement our budget If we have passage in the legislature mr. Speaker and we think those are things that the NDP should be supporting So I guess that's a no to the downtown relief line being prioritized You know speaker the premier likes to pick and choose the parts of her plan that she talks about here in the house But there are other parts that she's a bit reluctant to talk about like the parts that led Bloomberg news to say and I quote Wins budget foretells the biggest Ontario cuts since Harris parts like the new HST loopholes for big businesses and more no strings attached corporate giveaways Now is the premier still committed to a plan that she insists is progress progressive But we'll leave families paying more we'll leave corporations paying less and could lead to the biggest cuts since Mike Harris Thank you I am and we are committed to the plan that we have put forward and we have put in front of the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker we are committed to building this province up We are committed to making the investments that we know are necessary mr. Speaker and we're committed to doing that in In partnership with municipalities with businesses mr. Speaker with communities across this province and that is a complex Interconnection of initiatives mr. Speaker, so there are transit initiatives. There are retirement security initiatives There are constraint initiatives in terms of the fiscal realities all of those things are presented in our budget mr. Speaker and The leader of the third party is right There is a long list of initiatives that we believe the NDP should support us on mr. Speaker because historically They have supported initiatives that have have lifted vulnerable people up and have helped them in their day-to-day lives I Continue to hope mr. Speaker that as we reintroduce our budget that we will see the NDP step up and support those measures For the premier premier families across Ontario are waiting for the final report of the select committee on developmental services to be released As you know the committee traveled across Ontario and heard from hundreds of individuals and families that need help Based on that we wrote a comprehensive report that would have been released on the Monday after the election was called Yesterday in the house the new minister of community and social services said that we continue to strengthen the way we provide Services to those with developmental disabilities But what we heard in our committee over and over again premier was that the system is broken We have addressed those system systemic problems in our report and have provided concrete solutions Premier so my question to you is will you recommit to restricting the select committee? Interested in the work of the select committee and in fact mr. Speaker This is an issue that a number of us in this house on all sides of the house have been concerned about for some time Which is why mr. Speaker mr. Speaker in our budget there is 810 million dollars to inject System mr. Speaker I'm very aware that once once a young person goes through our education system at the end of that time So at 21 years when of age when they age out basically from all of the supports that the education system has in place There is very little and in fact there isn't a system and we need a system and we need support for families So that's why that's why that money is in the budget mr. Speaker That's exactly why we need to work with everyone who has advice for us and as I said I'm very interested in the report the select committee, and I think that we should absolutely pay attention to the work I would say mr. To the premier through you mr. Speaker that committing the money is only one part of the solution By the select committee in a non-partisan way these are solutions from all three parties We've heard from hundreds of families who have children of autism that need treatment and help at school For adults with special needs who have their parents cannot take care of them anymore They're having to drop them off at developmental services offices We have hundreds thousands of young people in Ontario who when they turn 21 have nothing no job No life no hope we've addressed all of those issues in our select committee I cannot understand And you don't even want to hear Period I will be asking for unanimous consent to have the select committee restructs that I can file this question and table it with this Thank you the member from Prince Edward Hastings is warned Clock has stopped. I'm going to remind people That when I do warn you there is no warning after that You will be named Premier I know that this says this issue is part of the discussions that the house leaders are having right now And so I understand that the politics of why the member opposite at least in part is she's raising this issue Mr. Speaker lecture from a party that was going to cut billions of dollars from services across government Mr. Speaker, I will not take lessons from that party mr. Speaker when they were going to make those cuts My question is to the Minister of Education. Welcome back minister Up to a hundred thousand infants require child care each year But there are only ten thousand licensed spaces here in Ontario There's a child care crisis in this province yet. This government is making matters even worse Cutting child care funding to 18 communities from Sarnia to Sudbury is not progressive It's not the right thing to do Will the minister do the right thing and stop these cuts to child care across Ontario Yes, thank you and Speaker if I could digress for a moment This is my first opportunity to speak in the house and I'd like to start off by sending my console condolences to Absure Hassan's family By all reports he was a wonderful teacher He was a wonderful mentor and role model for the children in his community and we truly Our heart goes out both to his family But also to the Lawrence Heights school community because they obviously are Devastated by this loss so Let's let's talk about child care here and unpack what the the member opposite just said Because the The the the observations he's made are just factually incorrect if you look at the funding record since 2003 in fact we have added over 500 million dollars to the child care budget It's up to answer to one billion dollars that represents a 90% increase speaker in child care Thank you supplementary Thank You speaker Speaker not withstanding what the ministers had to say 18 communities are facing substantial loss of child care and That is irresponsible that is short-sighted Those communities deserve that funding those children those families need that funding No community. No family can afford these cuts to child care Will the minister explain why she refuses to listen to parents and refuses to stop these child care cuts? Well as I say I under I I'm having trouble understanding the concept of cut when in fact we have continually increased that child care The child care budget, and I'm not sure what my wardrobe has to do with child care quite frankly But the number of child care not only is the funding increased speaker the number of spaces has increased So in fact there are 90,000 additional child care spaces since when we took government in 2003 and for the first time ever In the province of Ontario since child care moved to my ministry We actually have a child care formula which is based on the number of children in the community For the first time ever we are funding child care based The member from Timmins James Bay is warned Wrap up please 10 seconds. Yes, and in fact this morning I have been very pleased to announce that we will be Reintroducing our child care modernization act which will in fact Facilitate the additional creation of a different. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the president of the Treasury Board Minister on Tuesday the government to reintroduce the public sector and MPP accountability and transparency at Reaffirming premer wins commitment to make Ontario the most open and transparent government in the country by doing government differently This bill demonstrates that the government is serious about being accountable to the people of Ontario It would tackle the tough issues and further strengthen political accountability Open up the business of government and strengthen oversight The bill also builds on a number of legislative and non-legislative measures our government has already taken Including the Public Sector Expenses Review Act the broader Public Sector Accountability Act and our implementation of the IPC's recommendations to enhance Responsible government record keeping Minister would you please speak to the proposed measures in this bill or sir, and how they would increase government accountability Thank you Start by congratulating the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore on his win, and I am sure The proposed accountability act includes a wide range of measures that demonstrate that Transparency and openness are top priorities for this government. It includes a range of measures which would if passed strengthen accountability and oversight Including expanding the role of the Ontario ombudsman to include municipalities school boards and universities It would strengthen the lobbyist registration act Compelling it would compel agencies to post their business plans online and set compensation frameworks for BPS executives including hard caps answer Thank you Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you to the president of the Treasury Board for detailing the ways in which this government hopes to Strengthen accountability. I also understand that if passed the accountability act would require ministers opposition leaders and all MPPs and staff to post expenses publicly On this side of the house government MPPs are already Voluntarily posting their expenses online, and I strongly encourage the opposition to follow our lead and echo our commitment to open and transparent Another crucial area where we have an opportunity to enhance accountability is in the health sector Minister, would you please inform the house about the strong oversight powers? included in this proposed act that apply to our air ambulance service as well as the new patient ombudsman role that will be Thank you Very concrete steps to increase oversight in the health sector Amendments to the ambulance act would allow the government to appoint a supervisor and special investigators It would protect whistleblowers who disclose information Provincial representatives could be appointed to the air ambulance service board of directors and Performance agreements with providers could be set by regulation at any time Because these are important enhancements in addition a patient ombudsman would be established to help patients resolve complaints They've got with public hospitals long-term care homes and community care access centers This new patient Advocator and patient ombudsman would build a much more patient centered and integrated Approach the patient ombudsman would be independent with all the powers of the ombudsman Including being able to initiate Investigations as well as being required to post and make their annual report. Thank you available to the public To the Attorney General there was a formal complaint lodged against one of your assistant crown attorneys Concerning his conduct against women in the Peele crowns office According to the sunshine list the same crown attorney walked away with $368,000 in 2013 twice his annual salary Minister was a full investigation held regarding Thank you very much for for the question I think it's a it's a very Important matter that you're raising we have a policy within the government within our ministry to make sure that these things are not happening and as you know, we We're not talking about these incident here in the house and We but I can assure the the member of the opposition that all of these Accusation are dealt with within the ministry In a fair and reasonable basis, but I want to reiterate the fact that you know, we have policy in place in this Government to make sure that this does not happen and it when it does happen measure are being taken to ensure that You know proper measure are taken to make sure that it does not happen again. Thank you very much Supplementary minister, I'm not sure that the victim in this harassment case believes that it was fair and equitable If you double the salary and pay of this person in the same week You're promoting your new accountability and transparency legislation the Ontario in Ontario The public has the right to know why an assistant crown in your ministry was given $368,000 twice his annual salary for what to go away We've since learned that the same individual has now been charged with criminal harassment and assault against two young women Minister tell us why you chose to pay out an assistant crown instead of going through a full investigation to allow the victims and the accused a hearing and Punishment it found guilty. Is that the kind of message you want to send to women who are dealing with harassment? Again, I'm going to to reiterate the fact that in in this government in each of our ministry We add the procedure in place to make sure that the these Attitude or does not or these action does not happen and when this happened measure are being taken to deal with it and What with regard to? How much was was paid to to this individual, you know, this was dealt with The same way then these cases were dealt when you were in power. Thank you very much Speaker This is to the minister responsible for the pan-parapan games Speaker, it's a beautiful day sunny day today So I think work is probably being done on the Hamilton Stadium at least according to the minister That's when they do their best work on good weather days And we know that it's one year until the official opening of the games So it must be full steam ahead on all the venues Speaker can the minister Provide us with a new date that the Hamilton Stadium will be ready for occupancy weather permitting of course Minister of tourism culture is more responsible for the 2015 thank you, mr. Speaker, you know, I'm so proud of what we're doing here in Ontario in regards to the pan-am and para-pan-am games It's the first time that this province has taken on such a large responsibility Not only by itself of working with the federal government our 50 municipal partners We are working with our universities our colleges to put on the largest Multisport game ever in the history not only of Toronto or the Golden horseshoe or Ontario the entire country This is the largest multi-game sport event in the entire country. We have we have 31 venues We have 15 venues that that are being refurbished 10 brand new builds and we are going in and it is a very Complex case we have infrastructure Ontario working with us. We have different ministries working We're proud to build the type of infrastructure we need here in Ontario So our athletes can compete not only not only here but internationally and we can attract the type of sporting events We want so Canada can take its stage in the world when it comes to athleticism I hope the member officer joins us as we celebrate the pan-am Speaker With all due respect the finance minister and the former Minister responsible for pan para-pan games mocked my concerns and assured this house on many occasions That everything's fine. We're on schedule. We're on budget. Well, the evidence is in speaker surprise surprise They're wrong Speaker they hired this foreign-led consortium. They set the schedule But do they have a plan to rein them in and get all the other venues on schedule completed under budget We've only got a year to go speaker Will this minister tell the house how he's going to ensure that the pan para-pan games venues are his and his government's? Priority and that they all get to completed on time and on budget and I've heard this before from you Mr. Speaker you would think the member opposite would be excited with the fact that we are building we are building We are building a state-of-the-art stadium in Hamilton at the area that he represents in his team And I hope he's a fan of the tiger cats his team will be able to play in a stadium that holds 22,500 people And I'll tell you the last time the major infrastructure is put into that building was back in the late 70s early 80s And it was built back in the 1930s Wow when we had our last Commonwealth game here in the province of Ontario the last multi-sport event So I would hope that the member opposite will join us as we celebrate our athletes here in Ontario and across Canada And we bring Toronto into and the 15 municipalities into the international station We can show up what we're proud of here in the province of Ontario and in our country new question The member from Halton, thank you, mr. Speaker my My question is also for the minister responsible for the 2015 pan-am games Minister people in my riding of Halton are starting to get very excited about hosting the cycling events at the pan para pan American velodrome next summer Some of the finest cyclists in the world will be competing at the world-class facility People from all over the globe are expected to visit the region to take in the events now This is a tremendous opportunity for the town and region to show the world what makes our area so special the games will put Milton Halton and Ontario on the map internationally and the state-of-the-art Facility will have a lasting impact on our local athletes community and economy Mr. Speaker through you to the minister Can he please tell us why the legacies are so important to both Ontarians and Canadians? I want to congratulate the honorable member on a recent election victory congratulations I know you're gonna make the people So today is a special day mr. Speaker it marks the one-year countdown to the 2015 pan-am and para-pan-am games that are being held here in the GTA in the Such an incredible multi-sport game here in the province of Ontario So we're gonna see a lot of investment into infrastructure and we're going to see We're going to see an investment infrastructure that will support our athletes here in the province of Ontario And it's more than just the pan-am games This is about building a legacy for our future our future athletes here in Ontario and not only Ontario mr. Speaker But for all Canadians because we are going from just a an average jurisdiction when it comes to sport venues to a World-class venue and we'll be able to compete internationally for future events And I think we should be very proud of the investments Thank you for your response minister Halton is definitely gearing up to welcome the world next summer This will be Milton's time to shine It's great to see that the velodrome will be used by residents in my community for years to come This will truly be the people's games I think it is very fitting that the velodrome is located in our community That's because the roads are around our escarpment area are very popular with local bike enthusiasts as Milton's mayor Gord Kranz once said Milton and Halton region is a cycling mecca I Understand that this will be the only facility of its kind in Canada and one of two in all of North America That will meet talk international cycling competition standards Mr. Speaker again through you to the minister can he please explain what other? Activities the velodrome will be used for once the games are over. Thank you minister Thank you to the member for the question mr. Speaker the games in Milton Sorry the games in Milton in the velodrome will be able to host not only Cycling but will have access to basketball volleyball badminton a running and jogging track a fitness center a studio space in a special area to host special events and this is really for the community of Halton and the People in the surrounding area and all on tier and so the legacy piece again is an important piece And as the members of halton said that Canadians will no longer have to travel into the United States into California To train they'll be able to do it here in Ontario And I think we should be so proud of the fact that we're building that type of legacy infrastructure in Ontario to support our athletes Not only for today, but for future generations I have a straightforward question for the Premier Could she inform the house what she is expecting will be the fastest growing expense line item in the budget over the next three years Mr. Speaker I can assure the member that Ontario Exceeds all of the governments in Canada. We have controlled our program spending at 1.4 percent Which surpasses any government now? We're projecting to lower that program spending to 1.1 percent Mr. Speaker going forward. Thank you. Thank you Speaker I would refer the Premier and the Minister of Finance to page 244 of the 2014 Ontario budget papers that page shows that the fastest growing expense line item over the next three years is Projected to be interest on the provincial debt In fact the average annual growth in our interest costs is expected to be almost 8% I'll repeat that an 8% increase per year in our interest costs We know that the Liberal government has doubled the provincial debt since taking office We know that they intend to add 20 billion dollars to the debt this year alone We know that interest costs are already the third biggest expense in the budget after health and education And we know that a credit rating downgrade is pending And we know that with interest costs on the debt going up available funding for vital services that we all value like health care and Highway expenditures goes down Knowing all that how on earth can the government be so fiscally reckless as she will the same budget next Monday as was rejected on Minister mr. Speaker Well, the people of Ontario rejected was 100,000 cuts that they were proposing Rejected was extreme measures of austerity that will put them in harm's way But the people of Ontario Accepted was this budget that we're presenting on Monday a budget that talks about investing in their future so that we can promote more jobs About being sure that we balance and eliminate the deficit by 2017-18 in a very balanced way The people recognize that we must take a balance approach They know that the rate of cost of interest in Ontario has been sustained for the last 10 years But we must be mindful not to pass a burden of debt onto future generations That's why we are taking the steps necessary to eliminate the deficit That's why we're taking the steps necessary through the president of the Treasury Board to find further savings in the system That's why we're taking the necessary steps to maximize Evacuation of our assets that's why we're taking the steps necessary to promote more growth in our economy by investing in infrastructure And skills and training. Thank you, Mr. Speaker My question is to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister yesterday you claim that you are committed to making sure that your ministry comply with Tobii's Act Which by the way was tabled five times before your government acted as is clear with the Avery Edison case Your ministry has not complied with Tobii's Act In fact, the Ontario government is being sued by Ms. Avery Edison based on Discrimination in your ministry and mistreatment because of her gender Does the minister intend on fighting her in the courts or will he be settling? Thank you very much, Minister I want to thank the member from Parkdale High Park for asking the question I think the member opposite is would be fully aware of the fact that that particular case that she references before The human rights tribunal so it will be highly inappropriate For me as the minister to comment on that particular topic But speaker as I stated yesterday in this house in response to a question that I received from the member from Ottawa or Leeds I'm very proud to have worked along with the member from from Parkdale High Park and end the member from which we Oshawa on bringing Tobii's Act and making sure that we protect the rights of our trans community here in Ontario By explicitly including gender expression and gender identity in the human rights court In fact speaker with the first province in Canada do so and some as something that we all collectively should be very proud of and as I stated in at the launch of the the guidance by the Human Rights Commission on those particular provisions dealing with gender expression gender identity that we will consult and work very closely with the Commission to get our guidelines in accordance with the law Mr. Speaker Avery Edison was humiliated she was stripped search She was sent to a male prison. She was kept in solitary confinement all because she is Transsexual and she is suing this minister's ministry because of her treatment The minister claims his government is progressive a truly progressive government would not fight Avery Edison in reports Minister commit to settling this matter with Avery Edison or is he going to drag her through the justice system all over again? Minister against speaker I think the member opposite very well knows and all the members in the house knows when that when a matter is before our course or a Judicial system it is highly inappropriate for The the ministers to comment on that and and therefore I cannot speak to that particular The facts or to the case but I do I do want to mention speaker that our current ministry policy clearly states that the key consideration regarding The care and custody of transgender and intersex inmates is the gender with which the inmate identifies Regardless of whether or not the inmate has undergone medically supportive treatments to align their physical bodies with their gender identity Further speaker states that when transgender and intersex inmates are first admitted to our provincial correctional facilities These individuals are permitted to choose the gender of the correctional officer who will perform the physical screening or elect to have both Male and female staff involved in this process. We are updating a guideline speaker and working very closely with the human rights commission in that regards Thank you. Thank you. No question Thank You mr. Speaker. It's an honor for me to stand here in this house with all of you My question is for the minister of citizenship immigration and international trade Mr. Speaker due to a declining birth rate and an aging population Immigration will play an important role in filling highly skilled labor gaps in Ontario The federal citizenship and immigration minister announced that he is launching the express entry model formally known as the expression of interest model The federal government promises this new model will help Canada's immigration system become more focused on meeting Canada's economic and labor gas Mr. Speaker, we all know that the past federal changes to immigration policies have not always benefited Ontario We've seen a steady decline in the share of skilled newcomers that we can select while other provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan Have benefited from much larger shares. Mr. Speaker How will our government ensure Ontario is positioned to meet its labor market demands and continue to be a strong economic performer? Thank you. Thank you speaker for the question and trigger I want to congratulate the member from a topical center I'm sure had a great election win I'm sure that you're going to serve your constituents to be the best of your ability Speaker is a bit late, but I do want to congratulate you for your reelection and still sitting in the best and most comfortable chair in the house Speaker the member is correct The federal government allows it is changing the way the country will process immigration applications speaker Immigration selection and immigrant settlement services to be a shared responsibility of all levels of government I want to make it clear that we are committed. We're committed to ensuring Ontario Is past position to recruit new immigrants and new immigrants now and in the future generation Right now we're working with promises and territory to collaborate with the federal government on express entry design And implementation. Thank you I'd like to thank the minister for his response and take this opportunity to congratulate him on his new portfolio and his new responsibilities as well Mr. Speaker, Ontario is the number one destination in canada for highly skilled newcomers and families In fact, I'd like to share a brief anecdote on canada day I had the opportunity to attend a citizenship ceremony in atobico center and was reminded of the diversity of newcomers And the caliber of skills and talents that they bring to our province every single day Many highly skilled professionals like doctors nurses engineers and others come to our province Hoping to seamlessly continue their practice and contribute to our vibrant economy In my riding of atobico center for example We have a large number of newcomers to canada from all parts of the world And although many have been able to find work in their field of practice Some have not been able to find work in their field of study or qualifications because their credentials are not recognized here Mr. Speaker, how is our government helping highly skilled workers become accredited in their field of practice? to minister Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the question again One of the main pillars of this government's immigration strategy is to leverage the global connections of our diverse communities Mr. Speaker, this is why Ontario will contribute more than 63 million over three years to the Ontario bridge training program Ontario's bridge training projects help internationally trained skilled newcomers get licensed and employed in their field Without duplicating previous training and education bridge training programs include nursing pharmacy early childhood education medical laboratory technology And the skilled trades speaker. We're on the right track But we know more needs to be done to make sure our newcomers can get jobs in their field of practice Thank you speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of health Minister, we are very fortunate to have a unique model of primary health care serving our small rural communities in peri-salon, muscova Places like grit, argile, point of barrel, wata, first nation and rosso are well served by nursing stations We have seven nursing stations mainly in peri-salon district providing vital primary health care in a very efficient model Minister the district of muscova has taken note of how well nursing stations are serving peri-salon district They've already submitted their plan for new nursing stations to the ministry of health So my question are you aware of the district of muscova plan to improve primary health care in muscova? With new nursing stations Well, thank you, uh, mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question and uh, the reminder of the importance of that Great part of our province very lovely beautiful part of the province most importantly the people there are extremely generous and hard-working and so Of course anything that has to do with our nursing profession and making sure that as a government We improve the services in this case as provided through our hard-working nurses and nurse practitioners our RNs It is something that I take very seriously. I haven't had the opportunity yet They think the member opposite appreciates having been in the portfolio for just two weeks, but uh, I will certainly entertain Getting to this immediately asking my officials to brief me on it so I can see The particulars of the proposal But I want to and perhaps I have an opportunity in supplementary to speak more generally about the important work that our Nurses are doing and how we're supporting them to do that work even more effectively Thank you Thank you, minister for the response and let me provide some more details The district of muskoca has come up with a made in muskoca health care plan To improve primary health care access based on the success of nursing stations serving party sound communities for many years Their plan includes new nursing stations in dorset Severn bridge Port Severn and port carling to improve primary health care for the elderly Low-income and marginalized seasonal residents and tourists Minister this improved access to health care services is very important for muskoca now and into the future So my question Would you agree to meet with district chair john clink and consider their plan to spend health care dollars more efficiently And improve primary health care for muskoca. Thank you minister of course, I'd uh Welcome the opportunity to meet with the the district chair And let me say that again in reference to the important work that our nurses across the province do We in fact, I think this was referenced earlier since 2003. We've in fact added 20,500 nurses to the province and in fact over Many of those 4 000 of those have been added to the province in just the last year alone We're introducing and increasing the number of nurse practitioner led Clinics and I want to speak to the element of this which is I think perhaps most appealing and that it it's a local community A local district which is coming up with the plan which reflects the unique priorities and unique circumstances that Take place in the district of muskoca. So I'd be very happy to meet with this individual of course to learn more about the program I'll get briefed in detail by my ministry and we'll we'll see uh, If perhaps we can move forward in a collaborative way to see how we can continue to improve services Thank you, mr. Speaker my question is for the minister for french services this morning new democrats are very proud to promote and defend French services for franco-ontarians. We are proud of the work that we've done to contribute to Make our commissioner an independent officer of the legislature assembly. However this morning our commissioner told us And this these are his words that the government Did not listen to his recommendation Regarding french services and human resources plans These recommendations have been completely ignored But we've also been told that the the government does not respect the act on french services by Tabling reports on its activities. My question is very simple Why does the government not respect our commissioner? or the french services act The minister mr. Speaker i'm very proud to be part of a government that Supports francophony in ontario It is this government that's created The position of french language services commissioners The commissioner has given us recommendations. I think it's his sixth or seventh report his recommendations are always taken very seriously and we have Made a lot of progress in francophony in ontario and francophones do recognize that There are recommendations that are reviewed and put forward we study them There these are recommendations and so we work very closely with The different ministries that are involved in order to make sure that recommendations Made by the commissioners are taken seriously And we will keep working closely with the commissure and recommendations by the commissioners the commissioner Said that we should have a report every year and we are studying his recommendations very closely. Thank you What the ashua on point of order? I seek unanimous consent to move a motion without notice to restrike the select committee on developmental services and prevent its final report The member from with the ashua is seeking unanimous consent to put a motion without notice. Do we agree? I heard a no The Point of order from the government house leader speaker. We very much Like this idea and and we this is an issue that has been discussed at the house with the house That's that's that that's that a point of order I uh, we have a deferred vote Government order number one the motion to address in reply to this speech to his honor left-handed governor At the opening of the session calling the members. This will be a five minute bell Members take their seats, please Members take their seats, please sergeant at arms will come for you Government order number one all those in favor. Please rise one at a time. He recognized by the clerk Ms. Wynn Ms. Wynn. Mr. Nacky. Mr. Nacky. Mr. Bradley Mr. Shirella Mr. Shirella Mr. Sousa Ms. Matthews Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Ms. Sandals Mr. Duga Mr. Duga Ms. McCharles Mr. Quinter Mr. Quinter Mr. Cole Mr. Cole Mr. Takkar Mr. Takkar Mr. Bardinetti Mr. Bardinetti Mr. Dylan Mr. Dylan Mr. Quadri Mr. Quadri Mr. Dorzzetti Mr. Dorzzetti Mr. Gravel Mr. Gravel Mr. McMeakin Mr. McMeakin Mr. Murray Mr. Murray Mr. Chan Mr. Chan Mr. Moridi Mr. Moridi Mr. Coteau Mr. Coteau Mr. Lille Mr. Lille Mr. Flynn Mr. Flynn Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mr. Delaney Mr. Delaney Mr. Balkas Mr. Balkas Ms. Albanaise Mr. Albinazi Mr. Dixon Mr. Dixon Mr. Mangat Mr. Mangat Mr. Crack Mr. Crack Ms. Wong Ms. Wong Ms. Hunter Ms. Hunter Mr. Sergio Mr. Sergio Mr. Morrow Mr. Morrow Ms. Jassek Ms. Jassek Mr. Del Ducat Mr. Del Ducat Ms. Domela Mr. Domela Mr. Fraser Mr. Fraser Mr. Anderson Mr. Anderson Mr. Baker Mr. Baker Mr. Ballard Mr. Ballard Mr. McGarry Mr. Miltian Mr. Nadeu Harris Mr. Pott Mr. Rinaldi Mr. Harteman Mr. McWow Mr. Zellius Mr. Fidelli Mr. Miller Perry Sound Mascoka Mr. Dunlop Mr. McNaughton Mr. Thompson Mr. Monroe Mr. Yurek Mr. Bailey Mr. Walker Mr. Smith Mr. Harris Mr. Nichols Mr. Marteau Mr. McDonnell Mr. Norvath Mr. DeNoble Mr. Tabith Mr. Miller Hamilton Mr. Stony Creek Mr. Taylor Mr. Forrester Mr. Hatfield Mr. Gates Mr. Chimino Mr. French Mr. Henry Mr. 57 Mr. Naze Mr. 47 Mr. 47 Mr. 47 Mr. 47 Mr. 47 Mr. 47 Mr.