 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition Thank You speaker. My first question is to the premier the premier is removing 10,000 teachers from schools and cramming more students into Prouded classrooms high school students could be stuck As 40 students and that's when they're not forced to take classes by YouTube How will we're moving thousands of teachers from classrooms and putting students into online courses actually help students learn Premier Through you mr. Speaker. I just can't believe the leader of the opposition Can can be untruthful and That's the premier to withdraw withdraw You conclude his response Mr. Mr. Speaker We all know we all know in this chamber that this is not going to be any layoffs in education whatsoever That's going back to the old tactics of what we've seen the last 15 years 15 years of ignoring teachers 15 years ignoring parents If 15 years of ignoring students, we're going back to the basics, mr. Speaker We're going back to make sure a great six students are on the bottom a tier of the whole country when it comes to math One third of our teachers are failing the same math test. We're going to support our teachers We start the clock supplementary The government says high school students will be required to take four classes online instead of getting in-person Instruction under the Ford government regardless of what the best learning environment is for students or if they need anyone on one Attention students will be spending more time learning from Google. Is that how the premier thinks he will boost student achievements? Through you mr. Speaker, you can see how out of date the leader of the opposition is It's already happening. We're focusing on technology as well We see it in our colleges and universities online courses, and we're going to keep up with technology It's about making sure our students are taught properly Not taught the last 15 years that we're in the lowest here when it comes to Arithmetic when it comes to reading and writing. We're going back to the basics mr. Speaker We're going to be making sure our students have a proper education Well speaker here's the Ford government plan for our kids fewer teachers Larger classes more googling the premier says he consulted with parents Can you tell us how many of those parents asked for larger class sizes and learning from YouTube? Mr. Speaker the largest consultation in the history of this country in the history 72,000 parents spoke out that includes teachers Students and parents. We're doing something that no other government has ever done and that's actually We're focusing on education making sure our students are ready to get into the workplace Because we're going to need them. You know why mr. Speaker because we created last three months almost a hundred Question the leader of the opposition. Thank you. Mr. Le Président Mark question. Thank you to the premier Lanark front and at Kingston a veteran conservative MPP made disturbing allegations that the premier's hand-picked chief of staff team French and other senior operatives within his government were engaged in quote Illegal and unregistered lobbying by friends that sign come to order was the premier or anyone in his inner circle engaged in quote Illegal and unregistered lobbying by friends of the premier Premier through you mr. Speaker here goes the ironic situation that we face every single day in the ledge here Telling stories telling stories, mr. Speaker We are asking for cash for access the Opposition that's a hundred dollars. That's unacceptable. What's the reward? We don't ask for eight hundred dollars We asked for twenty five dollars for spaghetti dinners We don't need any lobbyists like the leader of the opposition does she sits there and talks to the heads of the unions every day They support her they fund her. That's what it's all about making sure they continue to stick their hands in the They don't worry about taxpayers they worry about themselves Order I'm going to caution all members in terms of intemperate language. It's so loud in here already I can hardly hear of course the speaker has a responsibility to try to maintain order But I need the cooperation of members in order to do that if necessary I will warn members and if they continue with this sort of behavior. I'll have no choice, but to begin naming members I would ask all members to keep that in mind and ensure that their language is parliamentary and not Intemperate so as to inflame other members. This is the provincial parliament of Ontario Let's remember that. Thank you speaker It is the provincial parliament where this government actually brought cash for access back to Ontario So it's pretty rich that they're one upping the Liberals Did the minister the member from Lanark front at Kingston ever speak to the premier or his chief of staff Dean French? Or any members of the cabinet about his concerns with possible illegal activities Through you mr. Speaker You know and everyone knows there's no illegal activity outside of posting a fundraiser Four days before it takes place Which the NDP did mr. Speaker mr. Speaker you're supposed to post it seven days before They broke the law. They know they broke the law. It was four days $800 access. I wouldn't pay eight cents to have access to the NDP I'll supplementary Before I actually ask the next question I want to remind the premier that he is in a room full of witnesses here has the premier heard any complaint from any source whatsoever about possible quote illegal and unregistered lobbying against members of his senior team Through you mr. Speaker The only legal lobbying I've ever heard about is through the NDP When they meet with their heads of their unions the public sector use and as I said yesterday mr. Speaker I feel sorry for the front line public sector union members that totally disagree with the socialist Mentality that the opposition has brought to this chamber mr. Speaker. They don't want their union dues going there They want the union dues making sure that they're taking care not to a political party They respect the work that we're doing they respect the work that we're reducing gas prices reducing taxes Making sure we put more money in their pocket We're fighting against the terrible terrible tax the carbon tax that could possibly put us into a carbon recession As of April the first that's what their members are worried about not supporting They had leader of the NDP to celebrate her 10 years of being leader Next question the leader of the official opposition Mr. Speaker my next question is also to the premier Maybe I'll get an answer this time a veteran conservative MPP made disturbing allegations about the conduct of the premier senior staff team and Described the chill the premier's team has put on dissent within the government Was the member from Lanark Frotnet Kingston expelled from the PC caucus because he disagreed with the premier's chief of staff's lobbying practices Through you mr. Speaker, this is just gutter politics right now that we see in You know they they're wanting to fight but since I've been in the chamber for the last eight months mr. Speaker I have yet to hear one idea The opposition has come up was to save the taxpayers money. They believe in one mentality. It's spend spend spend Tax tax tax that's what they believe in we believe in saving the taxpayers money putting more money back into their pocket Making sure we create an environment that this province is going to thrive the people in the province will thrive and be more Prosperous and grow and we've proved it companies around this province They are so excited that they're able to reinvest in this province and hire again 100,000 new people Start the car supplementary Is confident that his handpicked chief of staff team French and his senior staff team have not engaged in any quote-unquote Illegal activity will he order them to fully cooperate with any investigation into the matter? Through you mr. Speaker, do you know what the province is terrified about right now is April the first Position come to order They're terrified about April the first Miss Jones is worried about driving her kid to school back and forth to the sports Facility because guess what mr. Speaker Mrs. Jones is going to be paying a lot more. Mrs. Jones when she goes to the grocery store That's going to go up in cost Everything's going up in cost for what a fake carbon tax. It's a tax They put the word carbon in front of it It does nothing for the environment what we've done for the environment and the Minister of Environment's done an incredible job I need to be able to hear the member that has the next question Start the clock the member for Perth Wellington. Thank you mr. Speaker, and I'm certainly looking forward to this answer Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier By canceling liberal fee increases on hunting and fishing Licenses removing the $2 service fee and doubling the number of license fee free fishing events We are making these great sports more accessible and affordable for all Ontarians We have also honored our heroes the veterans and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces by giving them the option to fish For free in Ontario like many of my constituents. There's nothing better than enjoying Ontario's beautiful outdoors That's why it was great to see the Premier attend the Toronto sportsman show this last weekend Mr. Speaker can the Premier update the legislature on how our government for the people is Continuing to make life easier for hunters and anglers Thank you Through you mr. Speaker. I want to thank the great MPP from Perth Wellington Mr. Speaker as you can see we've taken a different approach to government We're actually putting more money back into people's pockets when it comes to the fishermen and The anglers and the hunters and the hunters. We froze the fees when it came to the car registration We froze the fees when it came to beer and alcohol. We froze the fees That's actually saving the common-person money and our great veterans and the people that serve to protect this country They'll have zero fees. They won't have to worry about getting the right Supplementary you speaker speaker to the Premier. I want to thank the Premier for that answer I know that my constituents in Perth Wellington will be pleased to hear that under the leadership of the Premier our government is on Their side and committed to making life easier and more affordable Hunting and angling is a part of our culture in Ontario, but it isn't also an important part of our economy After 15 years of out-of-control spending by the past liberal government It is it is great to see that Ontario is finally open for business and open for jobs Can the Premier speak to the important role that hunting and angling and angling plays in our economy? Premier You know, mr. Speaker myself and a numerous amounts of MPPs from our caucus ended up going to the sportsman show I call them the real people you get out of the bubble you get out of the the downtown elites and a bunch of lefties Downtown that all want to do is tax and spend you get to the real people That's the outdoors people the rural folks Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker there was thousands of people there. I couldn't walk an inch I couldn't even take a step without people coming up to me and saying Doug keep going You're doing a great job. We're doing a fishing a little bit of hunting. Those are the real folks Get yourself out of the bubble and listen to the folks in the rural areas Question the member for Essex. I'll see Mr. Thank You mr. Speaker My question is for the Premier, okay Government side come to order Start the clock remember I has a chance to place this question very much speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker the member for Lanark front at Kingston has raised Serious concerns about the way that this government conducts business He alleges that once the Premier and his insider friends came to Queens Park many newly elected MPPs were taken advantage of by quote Backroom operatives. He also raised concerns about quote illegal and unregistered lobbying by close friends and Advisors employed by the Premier speaker. The member is a veteran PC MPP with over a decade of service in this house I don't often agree with that member, but he's always struck me as an honest person speaker Why should Ontarians believe that the premier when he says that this member is making it up? You know mr. Speaker again I find it ironic and from the MPP from Essex when I got a call from one of his buddies saying I find it He they watched the show as we call it yesterday He says he finds it ironic what he got a call from the MPP from Essex pushing an $800 illegal wine and dine with a leader Yeah, I'm gonna caution the Premier on his use of language You can't say Complete your answer, please what the people are worried about is their taxes They worry about the pocketbook issues. They're tired of being gouged by all three levels of government They finally see some light at the end of the tunnel with our government right across the board. We're reducing taxes We're creating good jobs. We're creating an economy that is just absolutely booming right now And it's not a coincidence. It's booming. We created an environment to thrive and prosper and grow in this province Thank you speaker I'll try to be a bit more gentle with the Premier because it seems to be a little bit of a sensitive issue for him speaker The member for Lanark Frontenac Kingston has raised serious concerns about the way this government conducts its business speaker If the Premier is so confident that he's done no wrong and it's his former caucus member who's making these inaccurate claims Will he call the OPP now and invite them to investigate? Will he do the right thing? Premier to reply three you mr. Speaker. I can't wait to call the OPP on the legal fundraising that the NDP are doing Withdraw and complete his answer Through you mr. Speaker as I was saying I have no problem calling the OPP to Investigate how the fundraising is going with the NDP. That's what I'm concerned about You can't be going around saying here's eight hundred dollars to have access to the leader of the NDP Again, we're a little different all you have to do unlike yourselves. All you have to do is pick up Thank you member for Daven oh Sorry, next question the member for Served training colleges and universities Yesterday the minister released the results of the 2018 student voices on sexual violence survey Speaker the results of the survey are heartbreaking and disturbing They show that far too many of our students are experiencing sexual violence on our campuses Speaker one instance of sexual violence harassment stalking or assault on our campuses is one Too many The results of the survey show that we need to do more Can the minister tell us more about the results of this important survey? Minister training colleges and universities Thank you speaker and thank you to the member from Durham for that for that question and for her good work Our government takes the safety and well-being of our students very seriously And I want to thank the thousands of students who had the courage to share their experiences and as the member notes the results of the survey are heartbreaking and disturbing We know that of the over 116,000 university students who completed the survey Roughly 63% Experience some type of sexual harassment and in the college sector of the over 42,000 students who completed the survey Just under 50% experienced sexual harassment Speaker this is not acceptable. I want to work with students institutions and all Ontarians to improve campus safety and I am looking forward to Sharing the immediate steps our government announced yesterday in the supplemental. Thank you speaker Thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for your Transparency in sharing the details of this survey It's clear that the status quo is not good enough and we need to take more action Speaker this is an opportunity to have an honest and open discussion about how we can do better. I Know that the minister and in fact all members of the chamber will agree That we need to work together as legislators and as Ontarians to make our campuses safer Can the minister tell us what immediate steps our government is taking to improve campus safety in light of this survey? Thank you speaker and the member is absolutely right that the status quo is not good enough and That is why yesterday. I announced various measures to improve campus safety Campus safety grant double it to support universities and Colleges in preventing incidents of sexual violence on campus and we will require every university and college To report annually to their board of governors on sexual violence on their campuses and to have a task force devoted to tackling sexual violence on campus and To review their sexual violence policies order by September 2019 Speaker I believe that that these measures will help address sexual violence and Harassment on campus and I am committed to working with students universities and colleges to prevent sexual violence on campuses across Ontario Thank You mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Education in Ontario We have a French language education system That's doing great the French language Catholic school bards Are growing thanks to the growing number of registrations Representing representatives of this sector came to Queensborough recently to tell us that the government's decisions could have a harmful effect on French language instruction Decisions like that of Friday concerning the increase of the number of students per class Mean that small francophone schools will be forced to offer fewer classes and For school boards that are already having difficulty in attracting qualified teachers Cutting the number of positions will just make the situation worse Has the minister considered the impact that her cuts will have on francophone school boards? Thank you very much for your question on Anglais out of respect for our French speaking Ontarians So they'll appreciate that They know what I mean So speaker speaker in all seriousness I find the game that the opposition party to be very offensive this game that they're trying to play the narrative They're trying to create it's Absolutely wrong. We stand by our francophone students We stand by our francophone teachers and I can tell you the Organizations that do a wonderful job lobbying and Advocating on behalf of our francophone education system in Ontario do a wonderful job And we've got a great relationship Not only myself, but the minister of francophone affairs her PA my PA and that are absolutely Diverse Caucus that we have sitting in the PC government. We know what's needed to get francophone education Absolutely secure in this province and that is thank you Mr. Speaker That's not good enough Billion dollars and ten thousand teachers out of our school system doesn't make sense for francophone students It doesn't make sense for francophone schools. It doesn't make sense for any student this morning The minister on CBC radio was asked how taking teachers out of classrooms would help students She said she was doing this to build resiliency. I guess that's a Tough love approach, but anyways does the minister Believe that she is doing students a favor by taking away their teachers Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker To start off I have to say I think somebody needs two minutes for fake laughing because really Ridiculous the narrative the opposition party is trying to create is absolutely ridiculous Let me tell you speaker that we're investing in education and I feel good about the plan That's going to work for you your kids your grandchildren our teachers our students our employers Everyone in Ontario because we're getting back to the basics and we're going to be fun Funding and investing in math qualifications additional qualification courses for our students We're investing in and a top priority, which is always the learning environment in a perfect classroom scenario And we're going to be standing by our teachers Speaker again, I stand today and correct the member opposite So clarity not one person will involuntarily lose their job. We're going to be investing in school boards today Start the clock the next question the member for Scarborough Guildwood Beaker and my question today is for the premier. I think it's an appropriate question given We have so many young people here today. It's a question of ethics Speaker through you to the premier two days ago, Mr. Hillier made us aware of some of the outrageous actions your government has taken behind closed doors He describes the backdoor and big corporate interests Into the premier's office through Dean French and Chris Fragaard Has the premier done anything since taking office to make sure that his staff and ministry staff have the information that they need To ensure that they are not breaking the law Do they have the training the knowledge that they need to be able to urge corporations to make sure that they are Registered lobbyists and that their lobbyists are registered appropriately What is the premier doing to make sure that his office? Operates within the limits of the law I look to the deputy premier to respond to the minister of economic development. Mr. economic development Thanks speaker and I can assure you and I can assure the house and I can assure everybody watching That the claims have been made by the member from Lanark Frontenac, Kingston are completely Unsubstantiated there is no truth to any of these as a matter of fact the member has not provided any evidence whatsoever other than making some claims in a letter there has been absolutely no evidence that anything occurred and I can tell you That the premier the premier's office and our government are acting with complete integrity. We knew that when The member from Lanark Frontenac, Kingston was initially expelled from the caucus for some comments that he made There were other issues as well that we needed to look at mr. Speaker It's a matter of fact the premier really wanted to give the member a larger voice in our caucus But the member chose to go in another direction and I think it's very harmful to government in general Thank you speaker and back to the minister. He talks about no evidence What I would ask this government is if you have nothing to hide Why not provide us now with a list of all the meetings the premier and his staff have had since taking office? Will the premier tell us where? He and his staff have been Would you cooperate with the integrity commissioner to have a full review of all meetings by you and all members of your staff? Including Dean French and Chris Froggert. Yes or no the minister Thanks mr. Speaker and it's unfortunate that these claims which are completely unsubstantiated they're absurd and their categorically falls Continue to occupy space here in the Ontario legislature and let me remind the member opposite that it was actually her government that had not one Not two not three not four, but five OPP investigations while they were in government OPP investigations Mr. Speaker there is evidence I Remind the government members the minister of economic development job creation has the floor Stopped the clock and I can't hear him and we're very close. I Don't know why they'd be heckling their minister as he responds and interjecting He start the clock and let the minister conclude his response Mr. Speaker I would say that if there was anything in the letter that mr. Hillier sent that was true You know why didn't he act earlier clearly? He was expelled from the PC caucus for a reason and that was because he just didn't want to be a part of the team He didn't want to show up to work and I can see a similar thing occur Members of case they've forgotten but it's inappropriate to make reference to the absence of another member at any time and all of us from time to time Have been away from the legislature during a sitting day Generally for a good reason in most cases I think and that's why we don't do it for anybody who needs to remind There's a reason why we don't do that Because all of us individually might be away on any given day Any of us might be away shouldn't need to keep reminding people Start the clock next question the member for Mississauga Center Thank You mr. Speaker my question my question is For the Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport today we're celebrating the Francophone Affairs Day I know for Francophones and Francophiles in Mississauga Center and everywhere in the province This day is very important. We are underlying the Contributions and the rich history of the Francophones that is over 400 years since our election We expressed our willingness to promote the Franco-Ontarians rights Does the Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport can talk to us about the vision of our government for the Ontario Population with respect to the Francophone interests Mr. Tourism Culture and Sport Je le me si la thank you for the MPP for her question mr. Speaker firstly I Would like to wish all of the Francophones in Ontario greetings French and bilingualism is Something good for Ontario our government committed To be open to others Several meetings with the key stakeholders in the business business world Helped us to identify the obstacles In the enterprise and the businesses and how to Improve the lives of Francophones in Ontario we will continue to be open to education for and for access For French access and education and health and justice Mr. Speaker, thank you for the thank you for his answer. Thank you for Thank you to the Minister of Francophone Affairs for listening to the Francophones mr. Speaker my Constituents as well as the majority of francophones would like the federal government gives its Fair part to Ontario the president of the Treasury Board could Could he please talk about the Ontario stakeholders With respect to francophone affairs You have to refer the question if you're going to prefer it President of the Treasury Board Thank you mr. Speaker our government continues to challenge the Trudeau government and wants the funding for The francophone affairs in Ontario The government the federal government owes money for francophone affairs in Ontario New Brunswick receives 7.31 dollars and Manitoba 35.71 dollars Mr. Speaker our position is that if the federal Liberals were really committed to in Investing in the Franco Francophone Affairs it would increase their contribution in the French services in Ontario So that we could better meet the needs Thank you very much Thank you mr. Speaker My question is for the Premier today. We had the Visit of the francophone representatives to And its objective is to Convey information to people but this time is the opposite that's happening. It's the Franco-Ontarian that came to tell you to Make you hear what the Franco-Ontarians Have been asking since 2018 meaning to put back the French language commissioner as an independent office and to restore the funding of the French University What Do Franco-Ontarians must do so that you could understand what we are wishing for To the Premier Questions refer to the minister of tourism culture and sports. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I think that it's within the government Where we could have the biggest impact and The minister will continue to work to move forward with important files. We know that prosperity and Franco-Ontarian communities Go through economy first. So we are working to make sure that we have economic growth and Red-tape The services are a priority for our government That's why we are working on modernization on the French language Act We are working to protect and improve the services the front-line services in French and in education And in health and in mental health. We are also working in improving access to justice Thank you Mr. Speaker It is deceiving to see that this in this inter-international day of francophone affairs And ask the members to withdraw again Once again These people did not come here To the legislative assembly of Ontario out of politeness just to visit you. They actually came here To you remind you that the conservative government did ignore our community We heard several times that the Transfer of the commissioner to the ombudsman was only for financial reasons But the ombudsman admitted that he will need new money to greet the new team and you didn't understand that Nobody will be laid off Will you be Listening to the Franco-Ontarians? Yes or no minister Thank you, mr. Speaker our government announced That we will propose amendments said to Bill 57 From 2018 To restore responsibility and transparency these coherent these amendments will create the position of Commissioner within the office of the ombudsman our objective is to find the best way to protect the francophones in Ontario While respecting the taxpayers money These amendments will make sure that we will have scale economies And it will make sure that the office will be functioning well, but the commissioner will still Table his reports at the legislative assembly The commissioner will have the responsibility to investigate and to give his reports at the legislative assembly The next question member for Scarborough agent court Thank you, mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of finance Our government has been taking definitive action to put more money in people's pocket And open Ontario for business and for jobs We are cutting the red tape reducing the regulatory burden businesses faces and Providing relief to families and individuals order at the same time We are cleaning up the financial masks left behind by the previous liberal government Our government is taking Please stop the clock Apologize to the member for Scarborough agent court I'm going to ask the member for Waterloo to come to order the member for Essex to come to order the minister of education to come to order Start the clock Apologize to the member. Please conclude your question Our government is taking bold action Yesterday, we hope to find a federal partner committed to restoring Canada's business competitiveness and protecting jobs However, we were once again disappointed by the federal governments in action Could the minister please inform the house how yesterday's federal budget will impact Ontario? minister finance Thank you a speaker and thank you to the member from Scarborough agent party Yesterday's budget confirms the federal government does not share our vision for making Ontario open for business or open for jobs The federal government is threatening manufacturing and small business jobs in Ontario and hurting families with their job Killing carbon tax on April 1 the federal government will reverse the relief that our government has brought to families and businesses the federally imposed carbon tax will immediately raise the price of gasoline by 4.4 cents a liter and it will make more expensive to heat your homes buy your food For your families. We had hoped the federal government would have taken note of the success that we've had in Ontario and maybe followed suit But despite their lack of action our government will continue to restore our provinces finances cut red tape and make Ontario open for business and open for jobs Start the clock supplementary Thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for his Response it is disappointing to see the inaction of the federal government Time and time again Premier Ford and our government have raised the alarm over the federal federally imposed carbon tax coming on April 1 however The people of Ontario can be sure that this government and this premier Will not stop fighting for them. We know our plan is working for the past nine months Our government has been working hard to reduce Ontario's deficit cut red tape for businesses and create a pro-job environment and we are seeing the results Could the minister please explain to the house the successes our government has seen and why the federal government should follow suit Thank you speaker in just nine months. Our government has added 132,000 new jobs Once again, we are seeing vesting again creating jobs and growing our economy the Inaction of the federal government fails to build upon the success of the province of Ontario and speaker We have concerns with the package of concessions the federal government accepted under the Canada US Mexico agreement in our Agricultural sector we continue to call on the federal government to oppose the new Buy America provisions that would negatively affect Ontario business and workers And we expect the federal government to continue to press the US for immediate and permanent removal of tariffs on our steel and aluminum Thank you Start the clock next question the member for nickel belt. Thank you. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I wish you and to Parliamentaries Franco-Ontarians men and women a good International day my question is for the minister of health and long-term current for many Franco-Ontarians men and women Transification of services give access to Services not available before and the access is better than before in a special long-term care establishment Now that the government remove University France at the Ontario and commissioner of language services What will happen with planification entities to the minister What guarantee can she offer that the entities will be maintained? Will have decision-making process and Where will they be in the new? executive structure Minister of Health Services that Franco-Ontarians receive in health care are not Uniform across the province we know that we know that there are a lack of people who are Trained and in service right now in several areas personal support workers registered nurses in certain parts of the province in particular We are conducting a human resources review with a particular emphasis on making sure That people are able to communicate in their first language with the people who provide them with health care services They I know that that is a particular concern to people in the Franco-Ontarian community Especially with respect to mental health services because communication is vital in those areas It is an area that we are working on right now within the ministry to make sure that we have the proper human resource mix In each of the areas hospitals long-term care home spawns and at home care as well. That's a great answer Thank you the minister is right We lack personnel in northern Ontario and in eastern Ontario as well and this affect Franco-Ontarian of In a different manner if you have 90 years old your wife You never work you always spoke French You need help at home and the person who comes to provide services doesn't speak French This is reality of many Franco-Ontarians men and women Particularly in northern and eastern Ontario Where within the bill We see a concrete strategy To compensate for the lack of personnel Because I don't see it Well The member will know this has been an issue for quite some time in fact when we serve together on the select committee on mental health and Addictions ten years ago We did note that this was a particular concern for Franco-Ontarians not receiving Services in their first language. We are continuing to work on that nothing much I'm sorry to say it's happened in that time But we are going to work on that and in the new Ontario health teams that are going to be developed at the local basis Those teams will be responsible for making sure that all of the people that live within the geographic region that they serve Are going to be able to receive languages in their first language. So that will be French It may be other languages But we want to make sure that every person in Ontario will be able to get the right services for them When and where they need them and that includes speaking French as it is first language of many many response particularly for seniors because they Often revert to only their first language as they get older So it is going to be critical that we provide those services and the local Ontario health teams will have that Thank you very much next question the member for Don Valley North My question is for the Minister of Education Last week I was so pleased to hear the minister outlines a new question for education in Ontario I know that after years of the failed Ideological programs students in my writing of Don Valley North are falling behind They are leaving school Without the basic a scared the need Ontario was once a world leader in Education and I believe with this plan it can be again Can the Minister of Education tell us what our government is doing to ensure the Ontario students We are once again be global leaders and subjects like math science and technology Don Valley North you're doing a great job A great job staying connected with his constituents and I really appreciate it receiving the positive reaction and response From your writing about our plan for So thank you for that and I can tell you what we're doing in terms of getting Ontario back in on track with regards to STEM science technology energy or Engineering and math, but there's so much energy I can't even begin to tell you speaker for the plan that we have because after 15 years of failed Ideology that the member mentioned and the experiments that the previous liberal administration chose to do on our students Absolutely failed our spots. So what we're doing is we are going to be investing in Four-year spread strategy where we're going to be rolling out math That's going to get back to the basics and focus in on arithmetic and multiplication and thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for the response I'm so pleased to hear you mentioned how we are going to be preparing students for the future And I am confident that this plan we have bring our education system into the 21st century I also know that we need to be providing our students with the best support Inside and outside our classroom Can the minister explain how the government will continue to involve parents and Support teachers in providing quality education. I want to share with you that We are embracing a team approach to making sure that our students are supported in math You know, we recognize that parents are the primary educators And we're going to make sure that they have all the resources They need to make sure that they can support their students at home because we believe very strongly that parents should be teaming up with teachers To make sure again that our students are getting back to the basics and focusing on the Competitiveness and the knowledge that will help them be global leaders Speaker we feel that when we combine parent support with some of the best teachers in the world that we have right here in our Ontario classrooms, we're setting our students up for success and to that end we want to see our teachers succeed as well We're going to be investing in them any teacher that wants to take additional qualification courses in math We're going to be investing with them and working with them because We're getting education back on track in Ontario and we're going to get it right once and for all restart the box Next question member for Hamilton east Tony creep my question is to the premier Hamiltonians are demanding Answers about why a scathing report was buried for five years showing that the Redhill Parkway was not constructed properly Hamiltonians also want to know why the provincial government never said anything about its own reports Which showed that the asphalt on the Parkway was steadily getting less safe year after year between? 2012 and 2015 there were twice as many crashes on the Redhill Valley Parkway compared to the nearby Lincoln, Alexander Parkway Seven people lost their lives Will the premier apologize to the people of on Hamilton on behalf of the province for failure to raise the alarm bell about the Redhill Parkway problem? Mr. Transformation You very much like to thank the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek on asking that question I have great respect for that member I said I'm one of my friends in this legislature Mr. Speaker we've Looked at this situation, and I do have to remind the member Opposite that the study that he's speaking of that is lost is a municipal study That as somehow I you'd have to ask municipality and I'd answer where that study isn't why it's not been released yet But the MTO has collected data And we have released that information that we collected between 2007 2014 on four lanes in the four kilometer stretch The Redhill Valley Parkway The data collected in the four kilometer section showed the pavement friction met MTO's Satisfaction and we're typical of other stones approved to be used in Asheville a place on a busier highways in the province Mr. Speaker the member is asking a question to the municipality. I refer him to ask municipality for those answers. Thank you very much Supplementary Mr. Speaker my question is back to the premier and I would say that the people of Hamilton do not want to get caught in This this being bounced back and forth. They deserve answers To know who knew about the problems with the Redhill Valley Parkway Who did they tell and what did they do about it? This is a very serious matter above all Hamiltonians need to know why they were kept in the dark all those years When the reports showing that the roadway was getting slippier each in every year So we would like to ask will the premier do the right thing and pick up the tab for the cost of a Judicial inquire so the people of Hamilton can get the answers that they deserve Thanks again for that MTO had no role in Hamilton's 2013 study Hamilton study was completed by a consultant using a British friction Testing methodology that isn't used by MTO Friction testing is one of many considerations would identify in a section of highway for additional monitoring or potential Remedial measures the ministry when they're doing their testing looks at the layout of the highway pavement age traffic conditions and collision data MTO's approach is to achieve friction by selecting an appropriate pavement type for the surface layer and allowing pre-approved high quality Durable aggregates to be used in that layer. Mr. Speaker I don't know what went on with the city of Hamilton with regards to that study or why that study hasn't come forward Mr. Speaker, we weren't a part of that consultant study as the ministry and again I refer the member opposite to please contact the the the city of Hamilton and request the information that you're asking for They should be presenting that data to you that you've been requesting Question the member for Sarnia Lampton Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Agriculture food and rural affairs This past fall was particularly challenging harvest season for farmers in Sarnia Lampton and across Ontario Due to the unprecedented levels of vomitoxin mold on last year's corn crop the impact of dawn was both hard-hitting and far-reaching I heard from many farmers who not only struggled to sell their crops But were also concerned about not having enough feed for their livestock yesterday The minister attended the grain farmers of Ontario's March Classic where he got to hear from farmers Speakers who are a growing momentum for the Canadian grain industry its reputation in their own business However, he also got to hear about concerns facing the industry such as the possible reoccurrence of vomitoxin in the future Could the minister please tell the house about the work the government has done to assist farmers impacted by dawn Thank you very much mr. Speaker and and I want to thank the member from Sarnia Lampton for that excellent question Yesterday, I did have the pleasure of attending the grain farmers of Ontario March Classic in London I heard not only about the impact of dawn, but once again about the dedication and resolve of our farmers and our farm families We are launching a cost-shared program through the Canadian Agriculture Partnership To provide special assistance to farmers experiencing extra cost due to the dawn We are extending the commodity loan guarantee program repayment deadline for the years of 2018 and 19 program I've also asked the federal government to initiate a formal assessment under the ag recovery framework Our government respects the values of farmers and we will be there to assist them through the challenges they face We want to show that not only is this the government for the people. It's also the government for our agriculture community And thank you to the minister for that answer I appreciate all his hard work Advocating on behalf of Ontario's farmers farm families and especially those who were hard hit by vomitoxin last ball Agriculture and agribusiness are vital importance for our province's economy I'm proud that our government has made expanding our agricultural industries a top priority This government appreciates the hard work of our corn farmers and the enormous value of the entire sector to our economy and to our rural communities Unpredictability is a fact of life for our province's farmers However, I'm glad that this government is committed to innovation and developing future solutions to threats like dawn As farmers prepare for the year ahead Could the minister please share more details on what is being done to minimize the risk of dawn and its impact on Ontario's farmers now and in the future Thanks to the member for the supplementary question I've taken steps to prepare for this year's harvest including co-funding the Ontario corn committee study that examined which varieties of corn were most susceptible to dawn I've hosted numerous roundtable discussions with industry representatives impacted by vomitoxin to understand their concerns and to see how our government can help alternate find alternate markets for the high dawn corn This week I was pleased to announce the change to production insurance that will help farmers if we ever experienced this situation again The program will now allow tiered salvage benefits so we can provide different levels of assistance depending on the crop damage Mr. Speaker running a farming operation is not an easy way of life It is critical that our farmers have the support they need available year-round This government is here to support our farmers and our rural communities with the resources They need every step of the way That concludes question period for today Point of order the member for beaches east York Thank you, Speaker I just like to take a moment to welcome members of my Queens Park and constituency team for being to being here today Laura new yin ohana olivera honor con Janessa Duran and Lena Pulido. Welcome to Queens Park The member for Aurora Oak Ridge is Richmond Hill Speaker today is the first day of spring and March 20th is also the first day of Noru's the Persian New Year on behalf of my colleague Oli Gamari and all my colleagues in this house I would like to wish all those celebrating Noru's a very happy and healthy new year nor is it on peruse There are no deferred votes. This house stands in recess until three o'clock this afternoon