 It is now time for oral questions, and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Speaker. Speaker, my first question this morning is for the Premier. I think it's pretty clear that all Ontarians stand with the Ukrainian people, and I know a couple of members this morning use their member statements to reflect that very reality. We've all been watching the news with absolute horror, seeing the terror, the fear, the anguish in the eyes of Ukrainian people. We know that this province is home to one of the largest Ukrainian-Canadian populations in our country, with 375,000 folks of Ukrainian descent. And we also know that all over Ontario over the weekend we had rallies in so many communities, people just out to support the Ukrainian people. The province of Alberta, the province of BC have each put a million dollars each into relief efforts. As we saw over the weekend, Speaker, this humanitarian crisis is rapidly increasing, and I'm asking the Premier today to consider increasing the amount of support that we're providing here in Ontario from the $300,000 that was announced to something more in the range of about $3 million. Will they please do that? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for that question, and also thank all members in this House who have spoke on a unified voice with respect to what we have seen in Ukraine and the Russian aggression there. We are going to continue to work very closely with our federal partners and partners across this country, to ensure that we do continue to provide the maximum assistance to Ukraine. The Leader of the Opposition is correct. Some support has already flowed through the province of Ontario. We've also announced some sanctions that directly that the province of Ontario could impose, but there is more work to be done. As you know, Mr Speaker, the Minister of Labor and Immigration is also seeking to settle more Ukrainian refugees to the province of Ontario as quickly as possible. But I do acknowledge the Leader of the Opposition. More needs to be done. And as we review how we can assist, additional aid will be coming from the province of Ontario. Thank you. And this supplementary question. Good to hear, Speaker, because I know that Ontarians are ready. They're ready and willing to open their homes, to open their communities, their workplaces to welcome refugees. They're ready to open their wallets to provide assistance as well. As we know, the federal government has put together a program of matching dollars with the Canadian Red Cross of up to $10 million. And that, I think, is something that encourages people to donate. When they know their donation is matched, it's a really great idea. And I'm wondering whether that isn't something that we could be doing here as well. So will the government consider or even commit to a matching funds type of scenario to help raise money for the Canadian-Ukrainian Foundation? Yeah, Mr. Speaker. Look, we moved very quickly to provide an initial assistance package of over $300,000. Of course, we moved quickly with respect to eliminating Russian products from LCBO shelves. I did listen. The member for Tobago Lakeshore, Tobago Center in particular, we did sit down and they did express just what they heard over the weekend when they were speaking at rallies, as the member talked about, and just how important it is for the government of Ontario to continue to assist the people of Ukraine and that we continue to work with our provincial partners and the federal government as the leader of the opposition. It's not only for refugees to settle them in Ontario. They have been such an important part of building Ontario into the best province to live in in this country, Mr. Speaker, the Ukrainians who have come to this province in the past and we want to do more for them. We are looking at that as well, but we are communicating with the federal government to see if that is the best way that we can support the people of Ukraine, but more will be done, Mr. Speaker. I can assure the leader of the opposition that. And the final documentary. I appreciate the Government House Leaders' response, Speaker. I'm absolutely supportive. I'm sure are all supportive of streamlining the Canadian immigration system to help Ukrainian refugees escape the crisis that they're in and come to our province. As we know, these families will find welcoming communities. They'll find families that are ready to support them. They'll find Ontario businesses ready to step up and give them some work. Certainly it's something that we all need to ensure actually happens. I guess what I'm hoping to hear though from the Government House Leader, the Government's side, a sharing of any of the details they might have as to what is actually being done to remove barriers to Ukrainians coming to our province. And also maybe a bit of a sense of what might come next as this crisis seems to be likely to go get even worse and go even further. Again, your response, Government House Leader. Again, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. As I said, when sitting down with the member for Atomical Lakeshore, I had mentioned that many of the people that she had met with had talked about how important it was to bring more of their family members here so that they can continue to contribute in the way that they have for so many years in the province of Ontario. And it is something I know that the Minister of Labour and the Premier asked the Minister of Labour to ensure that we move as quickly as possible. There are jobs and opportunity in the province of Ontario. We are looking to resettle up to 20,000 additional Ukrainians to be here, to be part of the community. There are so many vibrant Ukrainian-Canadian communities, not only in Ontario but across the country, where they can continue to be as productive and supported as they have been, not only to us, but to the community when they settle here. So I do appreciate the Opposition's focus on this as the first questions this morning. It is very important, and as the Legislature, we will work together to get this done on behalf of that community. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also to the Premier. Last week, the Premier described our questions about the secret ripping up of the Canadian content policy for transit procurement as a little game, Speaker. Losing thousands of Ontario jobs is not a game. It is no game, Speaker. In their RFP for the Ontario line, the government secretly ripped up the 25% Ontario content requirement, and now it's only 10% for the Ontario line. For no good reason, this has happened. The officials confirmed last week, of course, that we were correct, and they are calling the Ontario line an exception to the 25% policy rule. Why would the Premier abandon thousands and thousands of good manufacturing jobs in Ontario? Will he rip that policy up and go back to the 25% requirement? The Associate Minister of Transportation, GTA. Thank you very much, Speaker, and I think it's important to deal in fact, that no government has ordered more Canadian-made vehicles than ours. Now, Speaker, the NDP can't have it both ways. These allegations are coming from the same party that demands more public transit, but has voted against every single measure, has said no to every single measure our government has put forward to make this actually happen. The NDP voted against the Ontario line, Speaker. They voted against the largest subway expansion in Canadian history and voted against keeping good paying jobs in Thunder Bay. Now, Speaker, I know the leader of the opposition wants just 25% of this multi-billion-dollar project to require Canadian content, but we think we can do better, and that's why our government is moving forward with 75% Canadian content, almost 90% of which will be made right here in Ontario. We're going to say yes to transit. We're going to say yes to jobs. That includes Thunder Bay. Supplementary question. Speaker, I'll ask the page to come and send this over to the minister because the bottom line is we all know that notwithstanding what they are claiming on the government side, there has been a big change made here. There has been a big change. They've taken the 25% requirement down to 10%. It says right here, Canadian content. This is the RFP that this government issued. Canadian content means a minimum of 10% of the final value of a car supplied, et cetera, et cetera. So you can't have it both ways. The facts are clear. Yes, they are in black and white. This government watered down the requirement for no good reason. They're abandoning good-paying jobs for no good reason. Speaker, will this Premier do the right thing? Rip up this RFP, invest in Ontario's jobs and not send those jobs overseas. Thank you, Speaker. You're right. The leader is right. Can't have it both ways. And so the NDP cannot vote against all these jobs in the Ontario line and then claim we're not protecting jobs when we are. Speaker, I want to remind the leader of the opposition that when they had a coalition with the Liberals from 2004 to 2014, 300,000 manufacturing jobs left this province. We are bringing those jobs back and it's too bad the NDP and the Liberals still say no to the $11 billion that will go back into the local economy as a result of the Ontario line. The RFP is not for the entire Ontario line. It is a massive undertaking that will create 4,700 jobs during the construction alone. Speaker, we will continue to create those jobs across this province and in Thunderbank. Thank you. And the final supplementary. Well, Speaker, no matter how you slice it, this government reduced the content requirement for their subway cars. They are not building subway cars for the Ontario line in Ontario. How ridiculous is that, Speaker? The Ontario line is not having the cars built in Ontario. The Unifor local president said this. The president of the Unifor unit in the Alston plant in Thunder Bay. Dominic Pascualino rather said this. Lowering that Canadian content to 10%, just blows us out of the water. That's what those Unifor workers are talking about in Thunder Bay as we speak here in this House Speaker. It is terrible news for them, terrible news for the company, terrible news for the community. In fact, the mayor says that he's concerned that it's going to hurt his community and their work opportunities going forward. So I once again ask this Premier, will he do the right thing, rip up that RFP, reissue it at 25% and make sure we are supporting good manufacturing jobs here in Ontario instead of sending them overseas. Associate Minister. Thank you very much, Speaker. We are creating those good-paying jobs across this entire province and the Canadian content policy has not changed. At the end of the day, 75% of the construction of the Ontario line will be Canadian. 75% of that, Speaker, will be right here in Ontario. What else has the country done? Manufacturing the US with parts coming from overseas, when the Canadian line in Vancouver was procured and constructed, there was no requirement for Canadian content across borders. In fact, Ontario is the only province along with Quebec that has even domestic requirements when it comes to transit vehicles. Why can't the opposition get on board and say yes to jobs here in Ontario and in Thunder Bay? I will come to order. Next question, the member for Humber River, Black Creek. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Not only is this government putting good-paying jobs at risk in Thunder Bay, it is also putting good-paying local jobs at risk for historically disadvantaged communities by not including minimum hiring targets for Black, Indigenous and other equity-seeking groups in the tunneling contracts for the Scarborough Subway Extension and Eglinton Crosstown West Extension projects. The operational goal of hiring at least 10% of all workers from equity-deserving groups has been included in the contract for every major Metrolinx project since 2013. The Premier should know the positive change this provision has created in the quality of life of many workers and their families on projects like the Finch West LRT, which runs through both of our communities in Northwest Toronto. So why has this government now removed this? The Associate Minister of Transportation, GTA. Thank you very much, Speaker. The pandemic, while tough on all of us, has not stopped us from making progress on the Ontario line or any of our priority projects. $28.5 billion in infrastructure investment, long overdue investment means a lot of jobs. In fact, Speaker, it's almost 5,000 jobs during the construction alone, with $11 billion going back to local economic growth. It's not just jobs spurring on the local economy and I can't think of a better time when we are coming out of a very difficult two-year, Speaker. We will continue to provide well-paying families with food for families and get them through these very difficult times and we are confident that Metrolinx will continue its fair hiring practices as it has done engaging with communities, Speaker. We are going to get through this pandemic. It will be an unparalleled time of prosperity for the great people of this province and we're going to finally have the subway systems to keep us moving as well. A supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Phil Verster, the CEO of Metrolinx, said in a letter to the community benefits network that it would be taking a new approach to community benefits agreements on new transit projects. In her response, Rosemary Powell, Executive Director of Toronto Community Benefits Network, wrote that Metrolinx's new approach does not take into account elements that, quote, have been negotiated in good faith over the past seven years as a minimum standard expected by the community and the equity-deserving groups that is meant to benefit. This includes setting minimum hiring thresholds for equity-seeking groups, contract opportunities for local and minority-owned businesses, and ensuring that there is community involvement. Can the Premier make a commitment that all current and future transit expansion projects will have community benefits agreements that, at a very minimum, include all of these items? Thank you, Minister. Thank you very much, Speaker. I appreciate the question from the member opposite who I have a lot of respect for. Is this an important issue for equity and fair opportunity for all? And that includes in the hiring practices of our public agencies, and I know Metrolinx is no exception to that. In fact, they have been treating community engagement as a priority, whether that it comes to community impacts, whether that comes to consultations giving back to the community, and indeed when it comes to hiring practices. I know Metrolinx will continue to work and consult and engage with all of our communities, as is the process to this point, Speaker, the member has any other ideas on how to continue that engagement. I am happy to listen to that. Metrolinx has done a great job. We count on them to continue doing that moving forward. Next question. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Associate Minister of Transportation, the stellar MPP for Willowdale. Speaker, it is no secret that for over a decade the Liberals who were propped up by the NDP did the bare minimum when it comes to supporting local jobs. When the Liberals were in power, the Liberals had a lot of action jobs out of our province between 2004 and 2014. Speaker, Alstom's Thunder Bay plant is preparing for upcoming work that our government is supporting. After 15 hard years of liberal neglect that the NDP supported, workers, especially in the North, have suffered long enough. So Speaker, through you, could the Associate Minister of Transportation tell us what this government is doing to support homegrown jobs for the Liberals? Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member from Bruce Gray, Owen Sound, for the question and his tireless advocacy and passionate work for his constituents. Under the leadership of this Premier, we are saying yes to investments that are good for transit and good for Thunder Bay workers, including a $180 million investment in UTTC stray cars and a $171 million investment to refurbish GO trade. If it were not for our government's massive orders at the Alstom Thunder Bay plant, we would have been ready. The NDP on the other hand, Speaker, did not support either of these investments, but that doesn't really surprise us. After all, the NDP voted against the Ontario Line, the largest subway expansion in Canadian history. They voted against keeping those good-paying jobs in Thunder Bay. Speaker, the NDP did not support transit jobs and they do not support the Alstom plant workers in Thunder Bay. Our government is advancing critical transit projects, all while supporting jobs for the hardworking people of Thunder Bay. Thank you, Speaker, to the Associate Minister for his response and for highlighting the government's made in Ontario efforts. Speaker, the NDP have said no to every single measure our government has put forward to get transit built and use talent that is right here at home. With that being said, it was surprising to hear the official leader of the opposition and her party criticize our government's Canadian content policy here in the House just last week and again today. And Mr. Speaker, in this House this morning she said you can't have it both ways. They were responsible for propping up the Liberals for all of their budgets and driving those 300,000 jobs and now they pretend to stand up for workers. Speaker, it's not a surprise to the people listening that the NDP once again simply don't have the facts. So could the Associate Minister please help set the record straight about what our government is doing to ensure that vital Canadian content will be used in our critical transit projects. The Associate Minister. Thank you, Speaker, and the member raises a very important issue. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, no government has ordered more Canadian-made vehicles than ours. If we're up to the NDP and we've heard it in question period this morning, doing the bare minimum would be fine when it comes to supporting local jobs. In fact, the leader of the opposition just wants 25 percent of the multi-billion-dollar Ontario line to require Canadian content. Well, Speaker, our government disagrees. So we're moving forward with 75 percent Canadian content. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, last month, the Premier and his Conservative Government appointed Jeffrey Lange, a former failed Federal Conservative candidate and a current Canadian-made vehicle that has been used by the NDP. So we're moving forward with 75 percent Canadian content. We're moving forward with 75 percent Canadian candidate and a current deep-pocketed PC party of Ontario donor as president of the WSIB. For his donation and years of loyalty to the Conservative party, Lange is being rewarded with a cushy $440,000 per year salary in his new role. That is six... Okay, I have to interrupt the member. It's against the rules of the House to impute motive. I'll allow you to conclude your question, but you can't continue to do that. I withdraw, Speaker. That is $66,000 more than the last WSIB president made and more than four times what the everyday Ontario worker makes. Speaker, why is this Government clawing back money from injured workers and using it to pad the pockets of PC insiders and the Premier's donors? I'm the House Leader. Well, Speaker, actually we're not at all. What we're doing is reducing the premiums that our small and medium job creators have to pay for WSIB because the system is managed better while maintaining the levels of support for workers. Now, Mr. Speaker, on top of that, we're actually putting in place the environment where more people actually get a job in the province of Ontario, which more people working means more people who would be going into the WSIB. A lot of that is because of the hard work of this Premier and this Minister of Economic Cooperation and Trade but it is because of the policies that this party has put in place. We saw how jobs fled this province under the 15 years that the Liberals and NDP worked together to destroy the province of Ontario. We're cutting red tape, Mr. Speaker. We're putting more money back in the pockets of small, medium and large job payers. We've managed WSIB billions of dollars back into the pockets. Supplementary question. Speaker, there is no question that this government's low wage policies have made times very tough right now for Ontario workers but apparently it's never been a better time to be a PC party donor and insider. On top of his lucrative six figure salary, Lang also gets seven weeks of paid vacation and a nice little pension and if his appointment gets revoked for any reason, he'll get a bonus of his entire yearly salary paid out in a lump sum. So again, my question to the Premier, why is he making Ontario workers pay one of the Premier's buddies to claw back their benefits and make their lives worse? Government House Leader. Mr. Speaker, what we've done is put, I think it's over $2.2 billion back into the pockets of the small businesses, Mr. Speaker. We've been able to maintain the level of support for workers. Imagine that, Mr. Speaker. It costs less to run the WSIB in the province of Ontario. We've been able to maintain the support for injured workers when it's needed, Speaker. Moreover, there are more people working in the province of Ontario because of the policies that we have put in place, which means more people who actually can access WSIB, Speaker. This is good news. It's good news for the workers of the province of Ontario who want and have looked for a government that put in place policies so that they could afford to live, work, invest in this province, Mr. Speaker. This is what this government has put in place. And while they vote against all of these measures meant to make Ontario the best place to live, work, invest and raise a family, we'll continue to do just that, Mr. Speaker. Next question. The Member for Orléans. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. It's been a heart-breaking five days. The illegal invasion of the Ukraine by Vladimir Putin is a clear violation of their sovereignty and attack on democratic freedoms for everyone around the world. Women and men, regular people, teachers, accountants, students are now learning how to make Molotov cocktails and fire automatic weapons. As we see mothers and grandmothers make their kids on kilometers long treks across the country and freezing cold without water and with very few of their possessions. The people of Ukraine need our support, not only our words, Mr. Speaker, but our dollars. The Government of Alberta has contributed $300 million already. We appreciate the $300,000 that the government has already committed, but we can do more. Ontario is the economic engine of the country. We are the most prosperous province in this country. The government can and must do more. Will the government commit to matching every dollar donated by individual Ontarians to humanitarian need in the Ukraine? Thank you. Thank the honourable member for the question and thank all members of the House again for allowing us to maintain the emphasis on how we can help the people in Ukraine, Mr. Speaker. It is truly amazing that the strength of the Ukrainian people to fight back against an onslaught of a brutal dictator and for him to think that he can beat the people of Ukraine and their spirit and we're seeing across this country, across this province, just how fierce that opposition to that is, Mr. Speaker. I know very well that more can be done. The province understands that. That's why we're opening up and working with the federal government insisting that look, we can bring more Ukrainians to Ontario. We need them. We need them to help build an even better Ontario. We know that there's more that we can do financially. But we want to work with our partners to make sure that whatever support that we give is the maximum support and will help the most people, Mr. Speaker. So I do appreciate the question. It is important Ontario can do more and we will be doing more. Thank you. Supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know everyone appreciates the government's attention to date. But despite the propaganda, propaganda, excuse me, the war in Ukraine is bearing a heavy toll on civilians. The United Nations is appealing for billions over the next several months to address what they're calling a looming humanitarian crisis. We've already seen over half million refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries, Mr. Speaker. It's a human catastrophe that will require all of us to come together and do everything we can in Canada and, of course, here in Ontario. It's not partisan or ideological, Mr. Speaker. It's about our shared humanity. The government has announced some help and it's appreciated, as I've said. But it can do more. I believe that this government must reflect the generosity of its people, Mr. Speaker. That generosity can be bolstered by a matching contribution by the government. So, Mr. Speaker, will the government match, dollar for dollar, every contribution from Ontarians to humanitarian aid in Ukraine? Mr. Speaker, again, thank the member for that question. I know that the member for the multiculturalism also hosted a round table with the member for Etobicoke Lake Shore, Etobicoke Centre, Mississauga East Cokesville, and Mississauga Centre with the Ukrainian-Canadian Foundation, Mr. Speaker. What we heard is, first and foremost, they wanted opportunities to bring people, their relatives, to Canada. That was very, very important to them. So, we are moving on that, Speaker, and we will be moving on that very quickly, to limit exports that we could control, that the province of Ontario could control with respect to the LCBO, to eliminate Russian imports of spirits into Ontario. We move very quickly with, as the member acknowledged, 300,000, but there is more to be done. Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. And the province of Ontario and the people of the province of Ontario, we will be there. There will be more done, Mr. Speaker. And we will help them get through this once and for all. Thank you. Next question. The member for Mississauga, Lake Shore. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Finance. Minister, I've met with many constituents in my writing and heard over and over again how critical the measures we took to protect people's health and economy in our community. So, with the 2021-2022 tax season fast approaching, could the Minister tell us how the government plans to deliver on the commitment to put more money in the pockets of Ontarians with tax credits to support seniors, workers and families? Thank you. I recognize the member for Aurora. Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to thank my colleague, the great member from Mississauga, Lake Shore, for the great question. Speaker, the people of Ontario work hard and our government understands that taxpayers are under significant pressure. We have been unwavering in our commitment to provide every necessary resource available to protect the people and the jobs of this province. And that's why, as Ontarians gear up for another tax season, I want to encourage everyone to explore the credits that they're eligible for. Speaker, the childcare access and relief from expense, the care tax credit which provides families with the flexibility they need to choose the right childcare option that works best for them while putting more money back so that the workers get the training they need for a career shift, a retraining to shorten up their skills, Mr. Speaker. The seniors home safety tax credit that helps seniors make their homes safer and more accessible so that they can stay in their homes longer. Speaker, these are just some of the tax credits we've introduced that have put more months into the pockets of seniors, workers and Ontarians. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for your commentary assistance for that response. It's great to hear that this government is doing so much for workers to make sure Ontarians get to keep more money in their pockets. I'm proud to be part of a government that's fighting for every Ontarians and taking the right steps to help Ontarians thrive in these uncertain times. After 15 years of liberal mismanagement, it is good to hear part of the government that is working for the taxpayers. But many of my constituents know enough about the credits being offered. So, Speaker, through you could the PA give us some more details on these tax credits and what they mean for workers and for seniors and families in Ontario? Thank you. Can you reply? Thank you, Speaker. And again, I thank the member for their question. Speaker, some of the credits that are being offered on top of the ones that I listed to support Ontarians are the low income individuals and families. The lift tax credit, Mr. Speaker, that provides up to $850 each year in Ontario personal income tax relief to low income workers. The seniors public transit tax credit, Mr. Speaker. The Ontario energy and property tax credit that helps low to moderate income individuals and seniors with property taxes and taxes on energy costs. Ontarians should also save their receipts for local travel in 2022, Mr. Speaker, to claim the staycation tax credit next tax season. Speaker, all of the tax credits built on our plan to make life more affordable for Ontarians are designed to do just that. And that's why we're increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour giving more than 760,000 workers a raise, Mr. Speaker, eliminating license break renewal fees for Ontarians. We are the only party that says yes to Ontarians and we're going to continue on that. The next question the member of our university rose to. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Ontarians are being crushed by the skyrocketing price of housing. People are sleeping in parks because they've got nowhere to go. Families need to earn upwards of $118,000 a year just to find an average two bedroom home in Toronto and first time home buyers have completely given up on finding a home that they can afford. But the province's new housing affordability report explicitly states that building affordable housing was completely outside their mandate. Nor does the province's housing report once mentioned rent control will provide any recommendations to make housing affordable for people who rent. My question is this to the Premier. What is the government's plan to invest in affordable housing and provide better protections for renters so everyone can live in a safe and affordable home? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We actually started working on this right from day one. We knew that more had to be done in the province of Ontario with respect to ensuring affordability, making sure that people had an opportunity to live in a decent housing. That is why we brought forward the More Homes More Choice speaker. That is why we brought in transit oriented communities. That is why every single session of this Parliament we brought in red tape reduction bills so that out of the way and more homes could be built. That is why the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has organized round tables with big city mayors with AMO to find better ways of getting shovels in the ground quicker. Now when you talk about affordable housing in the decade and a half that the previous two governments, the Liberal NDP coalition era speaker were in charge, of course purpose built rental housing and far too often, Mr. Speaker, that was the attitude of Liberals, right? If you brought them something they laughed at you, right? Because they couldn't solve anything. But under this government over the last two years, 23,000 purpose built rental units have been brought on. More to be done for sure. This is just our first turn. The second, third and fourth... Thank you. Next supplementary question. Once again, the university goes... Mr. Speaker, if this government was truly committed to housing affordability they would have taken steps in the first hundred days of their mandate, not in the final hundred days of their mandate. Home prices in Ontario have tripled in the past ten years, making home ownership nearly impossible but all for the wealthiest Ontarians. But do you know who can buy? Investors and multiple property owners. They have become the largest segment of buyers in Ontario's real estate market. But you wouldn't know that from looking at the government appointed task forces housing report. In fact, this report doesn't make one recommendation, one recommendation on how to reduce demand from speculators. Building new homes is vital. But these homes must be built to meet the needs of Ontarians who want to buy one home, not an investor who wants to buy their 18th home. Premier, what are you going to do with housing speculation and help first-time home buyers? Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the NDP. What we've seen a transition in the NDP unlike anything I've ever seen in this parliament alone. So the NDP who was at one time so against oil and gas actually supported a motion from the member for Sarnia to support our oil and gas sector. And now we're hearing that they're in favour of cutting taxes for the people of Ontario. Now nobody will believe them on that. Nobody will believe them because when they had the opportunity all they did was fill their pockets and by there I mean the government of Ontario's pockets at the expense of the taxpayer at the expense of the taxpayer. But look, I guess what I'm going to have to do, colleagues, is I'm going to have to send over the NDP some PC party memberships because finally, after over 150 years, they understand that cutting taxes, cutting red tape and putting more money in the pockets of the people of the province of Ontario makes for a better province. Congratulations! We start the clock. The next question, the member for Chatham, Kent Leamington. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier, you recently said that you were done with vax passes. You stated that you didn't want them in the first place. You went along with recommendations from who? Dr. Moore? Science Table? Campaign Manager? Others? Premier, many question your sincerity in getting rid of the passes. Others wonder if the millions of unvaccinated people will be able to enjoy supporting local businesses, go to restaurants, concerts or even sporting events. My question, if you were removing the vax passes as an election employ only to have Prime Minister Trudeau implement a federal vax pass program, which would result in punishing all of the fringe minorities probably after the June 2nd election. We both know this two-tier system has divided families and friends. Ontarians need to know now, not after the election, what your true intentions are. Are you planning on supporting Prime Minister Trudeau if he moves forward with mandatory federal vaxing passes, which by the way is fully supported by the federal NDPs? I'll remind the members to make the comments through the chair, not directly across the floor, and to reply on behalf of the government, Government House Leader. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Look Mr. Speaker, on the continuing path of good news for the people of the province of Ontario, as of midnight tonight of course, many of the mandates will be removed. So I want to just really congratulate the Minister of Health who has done an incredible job of course, Minister of Children's Community and Social Services also as well, and quite frankly all members if I can. He has had a very challenging couple of years, and I think despite the fact that we may have disagreed on a lot of things Speaker, Ontario is coming out of this stronger than ever before. So look, to the Honourable Member, I hope he will celebrate the fact that we are in a position as of midnight tonight to remove most of the restrictions that really quite frankly Speaker, by working with our medical professionals, by working with the Chief Medical Officer of Health has allowed Ontario to do better than almost any other jurisdiction in the world Speaker. I think that's good news for the people of the province of Ontario. The supplementary question. Thank you Speaker. Back to the Premier. Earlier this year the Minister of Health came out strong against doctors who she claimed were spreading misinformation about treatments for COVID patients. She empowered the College of Physicians and Surgeons to investigate doctors who were following the pandemic oath which is do no harm. Instead, CPSO muzzled these doctors in their pretreatment of COVID patients threatened to take away all medical licenses and in some cases doctors were told they could lose their hospital privileges. That's just wrong. They didn't want patients going to the hospital to be given remdesivir that creates kidney problems and end up on a ventilator. Unlike the science and advisory tables, frontline doctors were saving lives without prescribing vaccines yet because their narrative was different from the science table doctors were penalized. So Premier, my question to you is did you give the Minister of Health permission to tell CPSO to clamp down on doctors who had successful alternative ways of treating COVID patients? And once again, remind the members to make their comments through the chair. Minister of Health. Thank you. What our government has been following is the clinical advice, the science of vaccination which is has been accepted by 99 percent of the physicians across Ontario and look at the numbers. We've seen the numbers come down significantly. Today we have 849 people in hospital with COVID down from several thousand not that long ago. 279 people in ICU. The best way to deal with COVID is vaccination. One dose, two doses and three doses if you need that and you're in the age group that requires that. That is what the experts recommend. That is what we're following and that's why we're going to be able to come out of this pandemic with opening again as of tomorrow, midnight tonight for tomorrow. That is all because of vaccination. Thank you very much. The next question the member for Etobicoke Lake. Thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is for the Associate Minister of Digital Government. Last week I listened in the House as the minister spoke so eloquently about Bill 84, the fewer fees and better service act and I know now more than ever the people of my riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore and all across Ontario are counting on government to lay the foundations for certainty and stability in the economy for people, communities and businesses across our province. Speaker as we prepare for the future digital government will have a key role today in the transformative actions needed to make it easier for people and businesses to interact with government. So Speaker through you could the Associate Minister of Digital Government tell us how his ministry is helping cut red tape for the people of Ontario. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member of Etobicoke Lakeshore for the question. I would first like to take a moment to thank my colleagues Minister Fidelli and Minister Tangri for bringing the fewer fees better services act forward. Mr. Speaker with this bill we are continuing to correct the former Liberal government's mismanagement in this case we are doing that by creating customer service guarantees because as we all know you cannot take the people of Ontario for granted. These guarantees will cover everything from how long it takes for paperwork to be processed after it has been submitted to letting people know that the government has received their paperwork in the first place. I'm very proud to tell you that my talented team at the Ontario Digital Service will be the one building the platform that will track this progress. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. And the supplementary question. Well thank you Speaker and to the Associate Minister of Digital Government for that answer you know what it is great to hear how government will continue to improve customer service. For almost four years our government has been cutting red tape and putting back the money back in the pockets of regular Ontarians and you know what as Progressive Conservatives we will continue to do just that. Speaker to continue to lead the world when need a government committed to providing digital services and solutions and to offer government services online. Mr. Speaker, through you, could the Associate Minister of Digital Government tell us how the promise of a customer service guarantee will help build an Ontario that puts people first? Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member for the question. If passed, this bill will require ministries with service guarantees to track how often they fail to meet their customer service guarantees. From that information, we are going to create publicly available report cards for each ministry so that they are held accountable to their service standards. This approach will encourage all ministries across government to find innovative ways to improve customer service and we at the Ontario Digital Service are excited to help them plan, build, and implement those solutions. Mr. Speaker, the people of Ontario have a right to know if the government isn't serving them well and if the government is holding up its end of the bargain. With these new transparency requirements, we are helping citizens stay informed and empowering them to hold the government accountable. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. After decades of underfunding and additional pressures on our health system from COVID-19, Ontario's surgical backlog has become unbearable. I recently spoke with Daria, a constituent in my writing of Toronto Centre. She said that, I quote, I'm a 27-year-old who was recently diagnosed with cancer. I've been waiting for surgery since August of 2021. Surgery is the only treatment for this type of cancer to prevent spread, end quote. Speaker, last month Daria's surgery date was cancelled and has not been rescheduled. She doesn't know when she will get the life-saving cancer surgery that she needs. Premier, will this government commit to expanded funding that the Financial Accountability Office says is needed to ensure that Daria can get the surgery that she needs to treat her cancer? Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. It is critical that we address the growing needs of people who have been waiting for surgeries or diagnostic procedures in Ontario. So we have made the investments that you've suggested. Part of our $1.8 billion investment into hospitals included $300 million in order to speed up those surgeries to be able to hold them on weekends in the evenings. To that we added another $200 million last fall, this funding will ensure that hospitals can expand their hours significantly to address those needs. But I would also indicate to the member opposite that if someone has had an emerging and urgent surgery that's life-threatening through the course of this entire pandemic, the necessary steps were taken so that they did receive those surgeries, notwithstanding the provisions of directive number two, which postponed most surgeries. If it was life-threatening, people got those surgeries. And then in 2020-2021, the average Ontario hospital completed 88% of their targeted surgical allocation. Thank you, Speaker. Premier, Daria's story is just one example of how our health system is barely hanging on by a thread. I've heard from nurses who are demoralized because of how they feel treated by this government. One constituent, Damara, who's a nurse, told my office that I quote, Today I find myself working in a profession that does not allow financial compensation to keep up with inflation. For instance, food prices have risen 4%, and I have been informed by my landlord that he wishes to increase my rent by $500 a month, end quote. Speaker, I don't know how this government thinks. It can clear a surgical backlog when health care workers like Damara are leaving their jobs because they are so overworked and underpaid. And I don't know who exactly this government thinks can afford a $500 a month rent increase as a frontline worker in this province. Speaker, through you to the Premier, will your government finally provide adequate funding to clear the surgical backlog and repeal Bill 124 so that we can actually keep and recruit enough nurses and health care workers to keep our health system operational? The minister of health. Thank you, Speaker. Well, in addition to the financial increases we've made to allow us to catch up with the surgical backlogs, we've also invested over $5 billion since this pandemic began to create over 3100 more beds in Ontario because they were not dealt with by the previous government. We knew we needed to increase that capacity to deal both with the COVID patients and now with the patients that need our help to deal with those surgeries. $5.1 billion for the beds, which are going to stay open to allow for us to complete those surgeries. But we also have a strong human health human resources policy now to help those nurses. We know that nurses need more help. We know that some of them are burnt out. We want to training more nurses. We are creating a laddering programs to allow them to ladder up. So in addition to having the beds, we know we need to have the people and we are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure that we have the necessary human resources in order to deal with those prolonged and protracted surgeries. The next question, the member for Don Dolly West. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions for the Premier, every other province and territory in this country has been able to negotiate a child care agreement with the federal government. Every other Premier and the minister responsible of different party stripes understands the importance of child care to families in their jurisdictions. Every other Premier in the country has understood that at this moment as the world starts to recover from the COVID pandemic, it's even more critical for women that they have the support of reliable, affordable child care if they're to return to the workforce. Every other government has managed to reach a deal before the end of the fiscal year on March 31st so that they could receive the money earmarked for this year. Does this government plan to reach a deal with the federal government in order to take advantage of the $1 billion that is on the table for this year alone so that families in Ontario can begin to enjoy the same benefit as families across the country? Your response, Minister of Education. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member opposite for the question. I will remind her that no other Premier in the history of Ontario since Confederation increased child care prices more than the member opposite and that's an indefensible record. Families are paying the price tens of thousands of dollars every single year, Speaker, to pay for an unaffordable system that remains inaccessible not just in rural but increasingly in urban centres in the province of Ontario. That is the legacy of the former liberal government and no one believes that Stephen Del Ducca is going to be the great saviour of affordability when the opportunity was before members opposite to about $1.8 billion, roughly $1,200 in literal cash payments to parents to help offset this pandemic, you voted against that. But the Premier of this province is going to send up the Just in Trudeau to get the best deal for the people of this province. Well, Mr. Speaker, what is challenging to understand is why this government doesn't believe that working with the federal government is the way to access that 10 plus billion dollars that's on the table for Ontario. This government, Mr. Speaker, as recently as last week, has not even sent a detailed plan to the federal government. They are not even in negotiations. They have not engaged with the federal government, so they are not going to be able to get a deal if they don't have that conversation, Mr. Speaker. You know, many times this government has sung the praises of itself, of its own actions in building childcare spaces, which actually, Mr. Speaker, was a continuation of the work that we were doing. They are building the next tranche of the 300,000 childcare spaces that we began to build. But, Mr. Speaker, at the time that we were in government, there was not 10 plus billion dollars on the table for affordable childcare. Why has this government not given a fully detailed plan to the federal government? Why are they not engaged? And when will they sign a childcare deal for the people of Ontario? Thank you, Speaker. We're going to continue to work hard, continue to negotiate with the federal government. Where we differentiate with the Del Ducal Liberals is that we're prepared to stand up to our federal cousins for the interests of Ontario taxpayers. We're prepared to stand up for the people of this province who demand the province of Ontario get the best deal for Ontario families. We are not going to abdicate that responsibility. We're not going to play second fiddle to the Prime Minister. We're going to defend the interests of families. We're going to get a $10 deal, and we're not going to arrest and deliver that for the people of this province. The next question, the member for Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. Sue McKean is a constituent in my riding. She has experienced dental deterioration over her life, which has led her to having her teeth being removed. She cannot wear regular dentures because of the multiple physical issues she has with her jaw and mouth. This means that Sue has not eaten solid food in three years. Several oral surgeons have tried to help Sue, but the cost to fix these issues is astronomical. It'll cost Sue over $80,000 to completely fix her mouth, which she cannot afford to do. So I'm asking the Premier, will you grant Sue financial assistance to cover the cost of this urgent medical procedure through OHIP? Thank the member opposite for the question. Certainly we have many programs available for people that can't afford certain procedures or surgeries. I'd need to know more about your constituent's personal information. I'd be happy to look into it to see what we would be able to do specifically to help support her. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Sue's physical and mental health have continued to deteriorate, and I've sent the Minister several letters since October 2021, and her staff continues to tell us to wait for an answer, and that an answer is coming. It is now the end of February 2022, so I will hand to a page if they could please take this over to the Minister. Minister, it's unacceptable that my constituent has had to wait this long for an answer with continuous work from my office. So in the hopes that she will now read this letter, I'm hoping that we will get the answer that we're looking for. Can the Minister commit today to granting Sue the financial assistance that she needs so she can get the surgery that she so desperately requires? Minister of Health. I do thank the member for bringing this specifically to my attention, and I can certainly undertake to provide a response as quickly as possible. I can't commit at this moment because I need to understand the specific circumstances and what the issues are, but I will commit that I would look into this straightaway for your constituent. The next question, the member for Cambridge. My question is for the Minister of Transportation. It was reported that 39 tracking businesses that were involved in the protest in Ottawa were shut down and put out of work after the Premier called the protest and quote illegal occupation, end quote, rashly invoke the state of emergency and put in place emergency measures to shut down businesses without due process. Can the Minister let us know what investigation or due process was afforded to these tracking businesses by the Ministry when their businesses were shut down? To respond, the Government House Leader. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think we were we were very clear and we had highlighted well in advance of taking action with respect to those people who were part of an illegal protest that enforcement was coming, Speaker. We the Premier of course instituted a state of emergency in the province of Ontario so that we could provide maximum assistance to the Ottawa Police Service. Now having said that, Speaker, due diligence will be taken to ensure that those people who have who may have their CVORs revoked from them that to ensure that they were in fact the people who were there the rule of law will still be will still be followed and if they were part of an illegal protest there will have to of course be consequences for that for that action, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Now that the Premier has withdrawn his state of emergency and the Premier's ally, the Prime Minister, did the same are there any plans to allow for these 39 tracking businesses to get back to work? Government House Leader. Speaker, to be very clear, a vast majority of the people who the truckers who are so important to this economy were vaccinated or are vaccinated and we're continuing to work during this protest, Mr. Speaker. Let's also be very clear. What we saw in Ottawa, what we saw at Queens Park and in other places, it wasn't just about truckers, Speaker. It wasn't just about truckers and I think we do a disservice to those people who were there because of the high cost of living who were there because the carbon tax is making it too difficult for farmers to fuel up their tractors or whatever other reason they were there for, Mr. Speaker. We have to do a better job I think on both sides of this House, a better understanding what it was that brought people to protest illegally on Parliament Hill and in other places across this country. So do we want people to get back to work? Yes, Mr. Speaker. Are we going to do everything that we can to build a better, stronger province of Ontario? Yes. Will we work with our partners to ensure that Canada is even stronger than before? Absolutely. The next question, the member for Thunder Bay out of Poland. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, my office has been receiving many calls about the Northern Health Travel Grant. People are saying claims and appeals are taking a very long time and constituents have reported back to me that appeals weren't even being heard for over a year. People are waiting for answers and they're waiting for their money. They can't afford the health care they need. Premier, what is the government going to do to fix the Northern Health Travel Grant? Mr. Health. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member opposite of the question. The Northern Health Travel Grant, of course, is very important to many people in the north who have to have medical procedures done who need to travel from one place to another. We know this is very difficult in certain times of the year because of the times, the distances, the road conditions and so on. But we have changed the system significantly to allow for people to be paid at the appropriate time. We do know that in the past people had to wait for long periods of time. We are accelerating that procedure so that people are able to receive the help that they need. But I think it's also important that we're also advancing virtual health care. This isn't relevant for some people. I know that, of course. But for many people it is that allows them to be able to receive the care they need in their own home community and without the need for having the Northern Health Travel Grant, it is necessary for some situations but virtual health care is going to make a huge difference in reducing the numbers of people that will need that. Andy, supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And back to the Premier. I've introduced two bills to fix the Northern Health Travel Grant in my time at Queens Park. The first time around, a member from Eglinton Lawrence said, the Northern Health Travel Grant is also currently undergoing an operational process review to correct inefficiencies and process bottlenecks. These changes and improvements will go a long way to addressing the concerns and improvements proposed by the members opposite. That was three years ago and the problems still exist. People across the North are looking for answers. Virtual care is not the solution. You can't have heart surgery virtually. What has this government done to help the people who use this program? When is this government going to keep its word, improve the Northern Health Travel Grant to ensure equitable access to health care for people in the North? Mr. President? Well, we are working on improving the Northern Ontario Travel Grant to make sure that the people who need it can receive their payment in a timely manner. We know that in the past, there were long periods of time that passed before people were able to receive reimbursement. We want to make sure that they can receive the reimbursement as soon as possible because we know that there are significant costs related to this. Is the work done yet? No, we're still working on it, but we have made significant improvements in the last three or four years. Thank you very much. That concludes our question period for this morning. I want to remind members that our pages are in the chamber to assist MPPs in appropriate ways, including delivering private notes and messages from one member to another. However, it's not appropriate to ask one of our pages to deliver documents during question period while you have the floor. And I would ask members to keep this in mind during future sittings of the legislature. There being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.