 Thank you very much. It is now time for Question and Period, the member from Oxford. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order on overdue order paper questions. On October 21, I made several inquiries to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing including questions on relief funding for the ice storm in December 2013 and the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program. Mr. Speaker, I have not received a response to any of these questions. Thank you. I would appreciate an opportunity to make my ruling. That is a point of order and I would defer to the government house leader that I understand it is overdue and what steps would be taken to have those answers replied to. Thank you. Further? Member from Perth Wellington on a point of order. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to bring this to the Minister's attention of an overdue question that hasn't been answered. It's to the Minister of Transportation. Would he please clarify the government's... I apologize to the House. I was under the impression that the person that was standing was starting Question and Period because I did invite the first question and because of such that they were points of order I'm going to ask the clock to be reset and I'll deal with the points of order. So the member from Perth Wellington, quickly please. I would like to bring this to the attention of the Ministry of Transportation. The question was, it's an overdue question, would the Minister of Transportation please clarify the government's policy on extending ghost transit service to Stratford confirming or denying the Premier's intention to make it. Okay. And I will also make this, if there are any furthers I will deal with them after Question and Period because the time is allotted for Question and Period during this particular timeframe. So I will defer to the House leader again that if this is an unanswered question, if it's time, past time, that it'll be dealt with as quickly and exponentially as possible. I will get that. Thank you. And it is now time for Question and Period. Yesterday's Auditor General's report revealed the incompetence of your Liberal government has reached new heights. $2 billion wasted on so-called smart meters. Project costs nearly double the original estimate and hard-working Ontarians left to pay the bill. A debt ballooning to $325 billion will mean a burden of $23,000 for every child born in 2018. There's one word that keeps coming up over and over again in this report, Premier, and that's failure. A failure to manage money, a failure to manage projects, a failure to manage people, a failure to take care of our most vulnerable, and a complete failure of leadership. Premier, when will you stop failing Ontarians and get your fiscal housing? Thank you, Premier. Very much, Mr. Speaker. And as I have said, as I said in the House yesterday and as I said this morning, we welcome the scrutiny of the Auditor General. As Governments before us have... South Park. The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs will come to order. Now, I anticipate, I shouldn't, but I anticipate that this will be emotional, and if it gets too emotional, I'm going to shut it down. And that includes anyone making any comments at all. Let's get through this properly. Premier, please finish. Thank you very much. So, Mr. Speaker, as I said, we welcome the scrutiny of the Auditor General. We welcome the opportunity to improve services. And in fact, Mr. Speaker, Bill 8, which passed yesterday actually increases accountability of the Government, Mr. Speaker. And so we have worked with the Auditor General. We will continue to work with the Auditor General. Many of the recommendations that the Auditor General made, Mr. Speaker, many of the areas of concern are areas where we have already taken action, whether it's childcare, the review of the immunization system, Mr. Speaker, the adult corrections, adult community corrections, and Ontario Parole Board. Many of those are areas where we have already taken action, Mr. Speaker. On the other areas of concern, we will continue to work with the Auditor General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The disrespect for taxpayers' dollars from this government is nothing short of appalling. Premier, we thought we'd seen it all when we saw a billion dollars lost in the gas plant scandal. Now we learned that you and your reappointed energy minister have doubled down by wasting two billion more dollars on smart meters that don't work. The two billion dollars in costs I've raised, the energy prices on families and seniors who now can't even afford to turn on a space heater. There's nothing smart about wasting two billion dollars and getting no results. Is anyone in your government willing to stand up and be held accountable for this abject failure of management in the US? Can you just say that there are many areas in the majority of the government that the Auditor General has made or things that we agree with and we are completely aligned and will work with her, or we have already started to work to make those improvements. But, Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of areas. Remember from Dufferin, Kalanin, come to order. The member from Stormwood, Dundas, and Selkling, Gary, come to order. Your names are on a list. In the areas, Mr. Speaker, where there is a disagreement and I will address the issue of smart meters, if the member opposite had the opportunity yesterday to hear the head of Toronto Hydro speak, she will recognize that there is concrete success that we can see on the ground. Three percent of Toronto Hydro in off-peak hours has been shifted from off-peak, Mr. Speaker, to save the equivalent of the power to fuel 97 condominium buildings. That is a serious reduction. Smart meter fiasco. Billions wasted on scandal. Billions and foregone tax revenues from jobs you've driven out of this province, not to mention the $11 billion we spend servicing our debt. All of that could be redirected to schools, to hospitals, to those with disabilities, to paying down our debt. But instead, all that money goes to pay for your scandals in an aptitude. These scandals have to stop. Will you show Ontarians the respect they deserve and demand your energy minister resolve it? Come to order. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and just to the issue of smart meters. Let me just relay to the member opposite what some of the people who are experts in the field have said about the smart meters, Mr. Speaker. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario says they are necessary, absolutely necessary for the proper functioning and future functioning of the distribution system for electricity. Smart grid technologies have the potential to improve reliability, reduce system costs, empower customers and lower the environmental impact of the electricity that we use. Mr. Speaker, the reality is we have data because of the smart meters that are in place that we would not have otherwise. We are able to implement conservation mechanisms that we would not be able to implement without smart meters. Now, I know, Mr. Speaker, that the member opposite is not particularly interested in conservation, but the fact is the member from Whitby, Oshawa. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. Yesterday, I watched the Minister of Energy try to defend the indefensible rather than accept the auditor general's indictment of his tenure as Minister of Energy. We watched the minister attack an independent and impartial officer of our legislature. He accused her of getting her facts wrong and being in over her head. His disrespect showed just how out of touch with reality this minister is. Premier, yesterday you said, and you said again today that your government welcomes accountability. Will you live up to those words and show your energy minister to the door? It saw yesterday was a couple of ministers of this government making sure that people understand where we are aligned. Mr. Speaker, there are some differences. And I think if the member opposite looks back to 2002 and some comments by a former minister of her party, she will see that there are times when ministers and governments disagree with some of the recommendations and concerns of the auditor general. That is not that is not an unheard of circumstance, Mr. Speaker. But what the member opposite also should have heard is experts in the electricity field making it clear what smart meters are doing. Mr. Speaker, how they are helping us gather data that will allow us to conserve and will also allow us are already allowing us to gather data on residential usage on commercial usage. Mr. Speaker, that will allow us to conserve into the future. Part of the AG report is the devastating human cost attached to this government's reckless management from patients to pensioners to families with children to businesses and job creators to our most vulnerable. All have been failed by this government on so many fronts. Premier, it's about priorities. You don't spend $2 billion on not so smart meters when people nearing the end of their lives can't get the hospice and palliative care services they deserve. You don't spend $2 billion on a program that doesn't work when developmentally challenged adults are in crisis and are waiting years for residential placements. Premier, when the sort of economic development come to order, human cost attached to your government. You know, Mr. Speaker, there's a there's a massive human cost to us not conserving energy. There's a massive human cost to not having access to information. Anthony Haynes yesterday the head of Toronto Hydro. Thank you carry on Haynes yesterday, the head of Toronto Hydro commented that during the ice storm last year, Toronto Hydro was able to identify people who were medically fragile, who were at risk. They were able to identify where those people were, whether they had power and move to address those concerns. So Mr. Speaker, smart readers are are helping us to gather data that is extremely necessary. But on the general issue of the auditor general, Mr. Speaker, we have worked closely with her. We will continue to work closely with her. There are many, many areas of agreement where we have already started to implement the changes that she recommends, or we will do that, Mr. Speaker. There are a few areas where there are discrepancies, and we will continue to work with her. Speaker. Los count, final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, you can tell by these responses that things have to change. Yesterday's report showed a complete policy failure, a failure to respect Ontario taxpayers, and a failure to take care of our most vulnerable citizens. The callous response from the energy minister cannot stand. Premier, signal to Ontarians that you truly believe in accountability, that you believe in priorities, that you recognize the human cost of your policies, and fire your energy. Very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I reject the premise of the comment and the question, Mr. Speaker. We are working extremely hard to make sure we do exactly that, to take actions that we know are in the best interests of the people of this province, Mr. Speaker. As I have said, it is not unprecedented that there would be some small area of disagreement between the government and the auditor general. And, Mr. Speaker, I'm fairly certain that in 2002, Minister Bob Runciman did not lose his job, and Minister Bob Runciman at that point said, and I think the auditor's report is misleading and inaccurate. That's like a disagreement, or when there is a line manure agreement, we are clear about that, and we're clear about what our actions are to make sure that we conserve energy, Mr. Speaker, that we gather information about immunization, that we make sure childcare is safe. All of those are the... No question. Leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Yesterday, the Minister of Energy attacked the independent auditor general of Ontario. Frankly, Speaker, I have never seen anything like this since I was elected to this legislature. The minister said, and I quote, the electricity system is very complex. It's very difficult to understand, and he said that the auditor quote didn't understand the issues. Speaker, not only is that patronizing, but that is sexist. Deputy House Leader will come to order. The member from the P and Carleton will come to order. The member from Hamilton East Stony Creek will come to order. That's two for the Deputy House Leader, two for the member from the P and Carleton. Sorry, one. I have a list, I check. No, you're not. Please finish. The Premier and her Minister should know that Bonnie Lissig spent 10 years at Manitoba Hydro for her Minister of Energy. For his she is the Minister of this Legislature. Very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, let me just say that the auditor general of Ontario is a professional. She is perfectly capable of engaging with the government on any of the issues that she has an opinion on, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Energy has worked and his ministry has worked closely with the auditor general. We have a great respect for her and for the office and for the work that she has done, Mr. Speaker, and the vast majority of the recommendations and the concerns that she has raised. We are aligned with, we are working on, or we were already working on before she wrote a report, Mr. Speaker. The fact is that it is not unprecedented for there to be some narrow area of disagreement in terms of the report of the auditor general. The fact is that the numbers and the commentary about smart meters in the report were not signed off on by energy officials, Mr. Speaker, in the ministry. And so we will continue to work with the auditor general until we get those final report. Please supplement it. Speaker, smart meters have not brought down consumption. And instead of going down, bills are just going up. The minister wasted $1.9 billion dollars on smart meters that are not smart. But instead of taking responsibility, he shoots the messenger by attacking the auditor. The Liberals need to start taking responsibility, Speaker, for their incompetence. Will the Premier tell her incompetent minister that his job is over and fire that minister? Thank you. Thank you. Premier. Mr. Speaker, I know the minister of energy is very eager to speak to some of the specifics in the supplementary, but let me just address the issue of what smart meters have done or have not done. Anthony Haynes, who is the President and CEO of Toronto Hydro after the press conference that the AG did yesterday, said this, we have seen about a 3% shift off the peak here in the City of Toronto. 3% is 97 condominium buildings, 97 condominium buildings that came on the grid over the same period of time. We didn't have to make any additional capital investment because that shift about 3% provided the capacity within our grid. I often get to ask the question, my goodness, with all these condominiums going up, your grid must be absolutely stretched beyond belief, but in fact, the time of use programs have allowed for that capacity to be there. Mr. Speaker, the smart meters have allowed for that. They have allowed for that degree of conservation and that is happening all over the province. They are working, Mr. Speaker. The Liberals wasted $2 billion on smart meters, but instead of taking any responsibility, the Minister just denied the facts put forward by the Auditor-General and the Premier is just doing it again. The Auditor-General is an independent officer. It is her job to give Ontarians the straight facts without politics, but instead of listening to the Auditor, the Minister of Energy attacked her competence and Liberal Ministers have been taking to Twitter to support that disgraceful attack. Speaker, I was astounded by the Premier's press conference this morning where she actually defended his behavior as well. How can this Premier, how can this Premier, the first woman Premier of this province elected, not only support? Premier, Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, one of the quotes from the Auditor's report states that smart meters have not been achieved. The benefits of smart meters have not been achieved, Mr. Speaker, and I have some third-party validation for the fact that they have been achieved. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario stated, smart meters are a crude investment that will benefit both individual consumers of power and society as a whole. They are necessary, absolutely necessary for the proper functioning and future functioning of the distribution system Mr. Speaker, Brian Benz, CEO of Power Street, representing Aurora, Barry, Markham and Vaughn. Ontario is seen as a world leader in smart meter implementation. Mr. Speaker, Dominique, Vice-President of Ontario Federation of Agriculture. A member from Renford on the second time. All customers will be closer to the actual cost for the power they use. My next question is for the Premier. For years, the Liberals have insisted, Speaker, that smart meters would reduce consumption and save people money and cost about a billion dollars. None of this is true, Speaker. None of it. They haven't reduced consumption. People are paying more and the Liberals spent two billion dollars, not one billion dollars, on smart meters. This incompetence is obvious. It is incompetence, plain and simple, no matter how you cut it, Speaker. And Ontarians expect and deserve much better. If the Premier won't fire her Minister for Incompetence, will she at least fire him for his arrogance? It was the Minister of Energy? Fine. Sorry. This is your new question. Sorry. Mr. Speaker, let me just go to the substance of the question around the smart meters, because as I have said, the smart meters actually are having the effect that we were looking for, and that is they are reducing consumption. Otherwise, the head of Toronto Hydro wouldn't be talking about 3% of power moving off grid, Mr. Speaker. He wouldn't be talking about the capacity having been increased in the City of Toronto because of smart meters. The fact is that independent, independent, impartial officers of the legislature actually disagree. We've got the Environmental Commissioner supporting and saying that the smart meters are a very important aspect of the system, Mr. Speaker, and we've got the Auditor General who has a different opinion. So there is a disagreement, Mr. Speaker. We understand that. We will continue to work with the Auditor General. We will make it very clear, very clear what the costs actually are, because so far estimates have only been... Thank you. Stop the clock. Just before we start, I just want to remind the member from Renfrew and Nipissim Pembroke that he was warned, and I may have been hasty with that, but if he decides to say another thing, he will be named. Carry on. There is nothing smart about smart meters. They went 100% over budget. They haven't brought down bills. In fact, the auditor says rate payers are playing significantly more at an off-beat prices are up more than 100%. Smart meters haven't saved energy, Speaker. In fact, the auditor says reductions, quote, have not yet been achieved. Smart meters simply are not doing their job. But in spite of that, the minister still has his job. Why won't the Premier give her Minister of Energy his walking papers and do right by the people of Ontario? Mr. Speaker, in 2013, the Ontario Energy Board commissioned a study by the extra energy that showed commodity costs per customer are estimated to be approximately $12 per year lower because of load shifting and conservation driven by smart meter enabled time of use pricing. Mr. Speaker, over three years, over three years that represents approximately $150 million in savings, which have not been accounted for by the auditor general. What's more, an estimated 3.3% reduction, the same number that Mr. Haynes used from Toronto Hydro, in residential summer consumption was attributed to smart meter policies. Smart meters represent an ongoing platform for which new applications are being added almost on a monthly basis. And one of the expanding uses of smart meters is a wide range of already in service conservation and demand management initiatives, which are invaded by smart meters suppressing the cost of electricity. Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals were elected, they have staggered from one energy boondobble to another. Hydro bills have gone up by more than 300%. They cancelled two gas plants and wasted $1.1 billion and they overspent on their smart meter program by a billion dollars. The Liberal track record, frankly, Mr. Speaker, is absolutely abysmal in the energy file, but no Liberal ever pays the price speaker. Will the Premier hold someone responsible, finally, for once, and fire her Minister of Energy? Mr. Speaker, that leader of the opposition has voted for every price mitigation measure that was brought before this House, including in the budget that was brought forward first in May, then the actual budget wherein we're removing the debt retirement charge, a legacy tax in the Harris government, two years earlier than planned, saving the average family $70 per year on Hydro bills. The Ontario Energy Board is working on an OESP, which is an Ontario electricity support program, which is in our budget, Mr. Speaker, which will save them an additional $180 after. The Liberal, the opposition third party, Mr. Speaker, voted against those provisions to mitigate rates for low and modest income people. Shame on her, Mr. Speaker. Timons James Bay will come to order, and the leader of the third party will withdraw. Mr. Speaker, and I think the Minister- I'm here. Please stand, withdraw only. Mr. Speaker. No question. Member from the Pee and Carlton. He is also to the Premier. This has to be the morning after the worst day in the history of your government. Yesterday, I say this because it was the worst and most scathing auditor general's report I have seen in my four terms at Queen's Park. The auditor confirmed that debt will cripple our government. Smart meters have increased bills for seniors and small business owners and families. Procurement policies have hosed taxpayers, but above all, since 2009, since you were the Minister of Education, this government has radically reduced inspections into licensed childcare facilities in Ontario, putting 29,000 of Ontario's children at risk. There is no Harper or Harris to blame anymore. It's all with you. Will you scrap bill 10 and put more enforcement into the regulatory regime for our children's childcare, or will you continue on this path of putting our children? Mr. of Education. Mr. of Education. Yes, thank you very much. In terms of the accusation that you're making, I think it's really important to understand that Bill 10 is actually what allows us to fix some of the problems. However, with respect to the backlog in inspections, and we are doing the inspections, we have actually added inspectors, and we've already cut the backlog in half. With the existence of Bill 10, we'll actually be legally able to move to a risk-based inspection system. But we've also been able to introduce a dedicated team of enforcement officers who are dealing with complaints against the home care, unlicensed home care sector, which means that there's an enforcement unit that is doing that work, again freeing up time for inspectors to deal with licensed signatures. Supplementary? That's not adequate at all. We all know what this really is. It's a move to universal child care, and we already know that this government has failed in its four mandates in order to protect children in licensed child care settings. Today, there shouldn't just be one minister who should be asked to resign or who should be fired. There are actually three. It's the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Economic Development, and now the Minister of Education for continued negligence under Bill 10. We now know both the Auditor General and the Ombudsman. Order. Minister of Government and Services, please come to order. And the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, please come to order. No, you are. Please. Back to the Premier. This isn't just about education. It's about failure in energy, failure in public procurement. It's about failure in education. This is a government that has gotten it wrong and then you need to have some accountability. And there are bills that they pass through the House the other day isn't going to cut it. So I ask her again, will you ensure that Bill 10 is repealed and that you ensure our children's safety by having more inspectors in licensed child care settings and allowing those that are right now unlicensed to raise themselves? Yes, you know. Yes, you know. The Minister of Health and Care, the member from Trinity Spedaya come to order. Minister. Yes, thank you. And I'm not surprised that the member opposite wants Bill 10 repealed. They voted against it because they thought we should delete all the new enforcement methods that are in it. They wanted us to delete them. We believe that we actually should have Bill 10 and have the enforcement tools to ensure that all forms of child care be they licensed child care centers, licensed home care or unlicensed home care. We want them all to be safe. You know, another thing that Bill 10 allows us to do is that it actually allows us to carry out another of the auditor's recommendations. We will be able with Bill 10 to require a vulnerable sector criminal reference check which we have not been able to do previously. So with Bill 10 we have greater answer to make sure that our children are safe no matter what form of child care the parent chooses. Thank you. Any questions? The leader of the third party. Thank you speaker. My next question is for the Premier. Let's look at the front bench of the Liberal government. Orange air ambulance wasted millions and put Ontarians at risk but that minister got a promotion. Mars is a boondoggle and the costs keep going up and now we see eight billion dollars wasted on P3's that are nothing but sweetheart deals for Liberal friends but that minister is still sitting on the front bench. The Liberals wasted 1.1 billion dollars on gas plants and not a single Liberal lost their job and two billion dollars has been wasted on smart meters and adult reduced consumption or bills that's 10 billion dollars speaker that's almost our entire deficit right there but no one has taken responsibility and no one has taken the price. Is this Premier so arrogant and irresponsible that she thinks front bench can waste billions of Ontarians and never be held accountable. Mr. Speaker well so in terms of accountability I have to say I was very very surprised because we are talking about accountability of government and scrutiny on government. I was very surprised to see the NDP not support vote against Bill 8 Mr. Speaker. We need to expand the scrutiny on government and so I would have thought that they would have voted for Bill 8. Mr. Speaker on the issues of building transit and transportation infrastructure which is what the one of the things the leader of the third party is talking about on the issue of conservation Mr. Speaker which is what smart meters are a part of we are doing everything in our power Mr. Speaker to make sure we build the infrastructure that's needed I was at the up express announcement today Mr. Speaker that's a piece of infrastructure that has been built has been possible because of our procurement. Thank you. Supplement. Liberal legislation is exactly why this province is in the mess that it's in and we're proud not to support that. It's just about the safest job in Ontario. The Liberals are cutting healthcare but the minister just denies the facts. The Liberals are cutting schools but the minister just denies the facts. The Liberals are not inspecting long-term care homes but the minister just denies the facts. The Liberals wasted two billion dollars on smart meters that didn't do their job but the minister just denies the facts. The Liberals wasted eight billion dollars on P3s that are just sweetheart deals for insiders but the minister just denies the facts. The Liberals waste over a billion dollars on gas plants and delete the evidence and not a single liberal faces their job loss. Just how many chances does the Liberal minister get Speaker before the I would ask during the round of questions that the member from Trinity Spadina and Barrie do not engage in a conversation with the member from Hamilton East Stony Creek which means the three of you have been warned. You just don't believe what it looks like from here. Premier. Very much Mr. Speaker. You know not one of us on this side of the house denies the facts and denies the complexity of the issues that we're tackling Mr. Speaker. We do not deny that it is a challenge right now for Ontario that we have to build infrastructure we have to build transit transportation infrastructure roads and bridges across the province Mr. Speaker and then we need to do that in a way that allows the private sector to work with us because government doesn't have the capacity doesn't have the project management capacity to actually do all of that building. So we are doing it in a way that allows those projects to get built whether it's hospitals or schools or transit projects Mr. Speaker. We don't deny the fact that there's complexity involved in gathering immunization information Mr. Speaker or implementing electronic health records Mr. Speaker. All of those things are complex and I actually I actually would welcome an exchange of ideas across the floor that acknowledged that complexity and didn't. Thank you. New question. Members from Alden. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Great Minister. Minister the pork industry is an important part of our diverse agricultural industry here in Ontario. Made up of family farms dedicated to producing safe nutritious pork this industry contributes over five point six billion dollars to the provincial economy. Minister my writing of Halton is home to a large agribusiness sector that is a key pillar of our local economy and our farmers are responsible for providing residents both inside and outside of the riding with a wide variety of local, fresh and delicious food and pork is a key product. When it comes to local food Ontario pork is definitely a fan favorite with seven out of 10 consumers regularly buying pork in Ontario. Mr. Speaker can the Minister please inform the House on how our government is helping the pork industry adapt to the challenges faced today while evolving to meet the pressing needs of tomorrow. Remember the members of agricultural food and rural affairs. Thanks very much Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Halton for the question and her commitment to the agriculture sector and the wonderful riding of Halton. Our government's support for Ontario pork producers is clear since 2010. We supported research and development on innovative insurance products for the province's hog sector. We increased the sector's ability to execute emergency responses. We've been expanding Ontario pork brand at retail food service We commenced an industry wide enhancement to biosecurity across the province including a special intake under going forward too to assist with PED's impact earlier this year and to mitigate this disease as we head into the fall of winter representing about nine million dollars Mr. Speaker in funding. My ministry has and will continue to work with our industry partners ensuring the vitality of Ontario's pork industry and Mr. Speaker the spirit of the season members should enjoy an Ontario ham with an Ontario turkey at this Christmas season Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his answer Ontario's pork industry is resilient having faced challenges like PED and Russian sanctions and time and time again they come out strongly. In addition our government's swift response to PED has empowered producers and industry partners to carry out a dedicated and systemic approach to biosecurity that is unequaled across North America. From small family farms to major operations 2,500 pork producing farms contribute over one billion dollars to Ontario's farm cash receipts helping to build a strong successful agri-food sector in Ontario. Minister last year Premier Wynn issued the Agri-Food growth challenge and called on the sector to double its rate of growth and create 120,000 new jobs. Considering my writing of Halton's vast agri-food industry Mr. Speaker can the minister please inform the House on how our government is working with the pork industry to help it meet the Premier's challenge moving forward. Thank you Minister. Thanks very much Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for the supplementary. It's a big goal but every day I see farmers who will need those in the pork industry embracing that challenge. I can tell you that we're happy to support Ontario's pork branding and marketing to help meet that challenge. Just recently I announced that our government is providing Ontario pork with up to $2 million to help marketing efforts. These funds support a campaign that encourages more people to choose Ontario pork where they shop whether it's at a butcher's shop a grocery store restaurants or farmers market. Mr. Speaker Ontarians are happy when they can access delicious local food our farmers are happy when their demand for their product increases. Working together with Ontario's pork producers our government is strengthening Ontario's agri-food sector and ensuring that all Ontarians have access to excellent locally produced food. Mr. Speaker Thank you. Any questions? The member for mentoring at the same time. Thank you very much Speaker my question to the Minister of Energy Minister yesterday when you were pressed by the reporters on why the public should accept your numbers while rejecting those of the auditor general you shamelessly said and I quote I'm not going to have a further debate on these details in public. Well Minister I've got news for you when you blow a billion dollars you're accountable to the public and you'll be asked questions in public numbers. We the opposition the press and the public stand by her numbers we all know you blew 1.9 billion dollars on smart meters will you rise in your place retract your comments attacking the auditor general in her report and apologize for so egregiously mismanaging the smart meter program Thank you I didn't get quiet for you to carry on and you are on very thin ice right now it's an old trick but I was here before you Minister Mr. Speaker I have a quote here Mr. Speaker it says I'm telling you the smart meter program was a deal changer the smart meter program is the best thing we've done in the decade Mr. Speaker that's from Anthony Haynes President and CEO of Toronto Hydro Mr. Speaker again Brian Bank CEO of PowerStream Aurora, Barry, Mark and Vaughan all communities within PowerStream's responsibility Ontario is seen as a world leader in smart meter implementation PowerStream continues to be a strong supporter and advocate of the provincial government smart meter initiative and recognizes it as being a key component to further developing Ontario's conservation and demand programs Mr. Speaker smart meters have been instrumental in enabling us to move forward with our conservation programs that are saving businesses and families hundreds of millions of dollars a year Mr. Speaker Thank you supplementary Wow Minister your failure to take responsibility for the smart meter fiasco shows how complacent and arrogant your government has become this smart meter disaster is another billion dollar scandal your attacks on the AG are unprecedented your unwillingness to take responsible responsibility right here and now proves that you've held power for too long Minister will you do the ethical thing take responsibility for your actions and your failures this smart meter mess do the honorable thing and tender your resignation Thank you Minister Mr. Speaker I have a professional disagreement with the auditor general that's number one Mr. Speaker in terms of disagreeing with with an auditor general the PCC say that disputing the auditor general's findings is unprecedented and it's a resigning issue Mr. Speaker they clearly don't remember former public safety and security minister Bob Brunseman calling an auditor general report misleading and inaccurate I would never use those terms Mr. Speaker we have a professional disagreement and they should look at their own record before they start throwing stones thank you that's about the third time so the member from Prince Edward Hastings is warned and for those that don't remember no more chances after that member from Windsor to comes thank you Speaker my question this morning is for the Premier good morning Premier yesterday's auditor general's report made clear that since 2005 the government has overpaid eight billion dollars of hard-earned taxpayer's money on P3 infrastructure projects six and a half billion of that wasted money came from the highest the higher private sector borrowing cost that P3's incurred Speaker earlier today the Premier toured one of those P3 projects the spur line of the Union Pearson Express project financing for that project was provided by some of Canada's largest and most profitable banks how does this government justify picking the pockets of the question of Ontario to fatten the profits of Canada's largest banks thank you thank you Mr Speaker let me begin by thanking the auditor general for the recommendations that she did make with regard to infrastructure Ontario I have a letter from the Board of Infrastructure Ontario that was submitted to me yesterday saying that they will indeed look into and work with all of those recommendations what I can say though Mr Speaker is that it's incorrect to suggest as the member suggesting that eight billion dollars has somehow been lost in these projects the fact of the matter is you can't point to a cost without also including the benefit the benefit Mr Speaker and it's in the report is 14 billion dollars in savings as a result of costs Mr Speaker that have been shifted to the private sector which means Mr Speaker when you analyze that with the costs it's about 6.6 billion dollars in net savings to Ontarians Mr Speaker as a result of the 74 AFQ projects that we've resided that's the full story Mr Speaker that's what the member should be referring to supplementary Speaker thank you the Minister can try to spin this all he wants but the auditor made it clear made it clear there was no solid evidence for going the privatization of the 74 projects in fact her predecessor said the same thing in 2012 about the Union Pearson express surline he said very clearly that the numbers used to justify the p3 were basically made up the government didn't listen then it refuses to listen now the government has already wasted eight billion dollars on public-private partnerships how many more billions will the government waste before it listens to the advice of not one but two auditor generals Mr Speaker I know this member to be a sensible member of this legislature so it sort of surprises me when he would throw out a cost without also referring to the benefit so I refer Mr Speaker to page 203 of the report Mr Speaker where it clearly outlines where the difference is between what he's saying and what the auditor has said the leader of the stock market of the report it indicates on page 203 that there are 46.6 billion dollars that have been spent on the traditional program remember from Lee's read under AFP those costs are 40 billion dollars which is a saving of 6.6 billion dollars a saving is a saving Mr Speaker you've got to include the benefits when you talk about the cost it's that simple thank you Mr Speaker my question is for the minister responsible for seniors affairs recently the minister along with some of my colleagues attended the Ontario senior achievement award speaker right here at Queen's Park honoring 20 outstanding seniors who after the age of 65 have made significant contributions to their communities Mr Speaker seniors across Ontario have given a lifetime of service towards building this country our province and their communities they are a part of a proud history of giving back and our lifelong contributors both in their working life and now as volunteers I was humbled and inspired by the remarkable achievements of all the recipients Mr Speaker would the minister kindly please provide us with additional details regarding this wonderful event and program and how Ontario continues to recognize and celebrate our seniors thank you Mr Speaker thank you minister responsible for seniors and thank the members from Worland and for the question a good question actually speaker celebrating our seniors as part of Ontario's commitment to build a successful compassionate province where everyone has the opportunity to connect contribute and enjoy a high quality of life we have celebrated the extensive contributions of Ontario senior speaker for the past 28 years with the Ontario senior achievement awards and each year we are reminded of just how much they have done for us speaker along with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario the Honourable Elizabeth Donswell and I had the pleasure of representing 20 incredible seniors with this honour speaker for every hour and every act of dedication the seniors have made our quality of life improves our communities and our provinces make stronger because of the extraordinary work that they do on our behalf speaker thank you supplementary thank you Mr Speaker and I'd like to thank the minister for his response speaker I'm delighted to inform this legislature that an outstanding senior from my riding of Burlington Mr William K. Ferris was celebrated at the ceremony Mr Ferris has volunteered with the Canadian Red Cross for more than 20 years he's taken on various leadership roles and assisted with deployments to the Mississippi and Manitoba floods northern Ontario forest fires as well as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane aftermaths in the United States he's quite an exceptional person as you can see I was very humbled by the accomplishments of this incredible senior from my community and I was pleased to recently congratulate him on receiving this important award Mr Speaker could the minister please tell us more about the recipients that received this wonderful honor thank you Mr Speaker Mr Speaker thank you I have to thank the member for Burlington for her very strong advocacy and representation on behalf of the senior senior community Speaker seniors over the age of 65 who qualify for this award have contributed in many different fields including art, literature, community service volunteers and education environment fitness and human return and others this exemplary senior speaker have taught others how to overcome late life depression they have brought the gift of music to young and all the like they have preserved the beauty and nature in their communities for all to enjoy and so much more Speaker yeah what are we Speaker the awards they have received are symbolic of how much we respect honor and admire them all and so they represent the collective wisdom and compassion that have brightened the lives of many others and their accomplishment are an inspiration to us all and we will continue to the more fortunate speaker to remember some learn athletics in that thank you very much speaker speaker my question is to the minister of economic development minister over the past three months you've used baffle gab and gobbly gook in this house to deflect from your utter mismanagement and incompetence while taking taxpayers for a ride to mars let's review your litany of malfeasance you couldn't loan money to mars so you changed the law mars still couldn't lease the building to 80 percent so you broke the law I'm I'm going to ask the member to withdraw and I would not advise him to say that other thing he just said so withdraw please I withdraw okay you couldn't so you bended the law that you had just made mars got the loan but couldn't make the monthly payments so you had another ministry make the interest payments form question then you bailed out a re to get back to square one minister why should anyone in this province have any trust in you turn this mess around this economic development component and infrastructure well mr. Speaker litany of personal insults aside I'm pleased to respond to this this question and again I want to thank the auditor for her coverage of the mars issue and the auditor general's report she spent a great deal of time rolling out the narrative on this from the very beginning mr. Speaker right through to today I think that's a valuable piece of work because what it does mr. Speaker is it indicates the challenges it verifies that that building would have been left with one more winter in the ground rotting in the ground which would have created some great expense and it indicates mr. Speaker when and why the government had to step in to provide support to mars now I'm looking forward later today mr. Speaker to getting together with our expert panel and announcing a positive step forward I hope that the member wants to join us in putting this project on to solid footing I suspect mr. Speaker he has alternative agendas I think you yourself thank you supplementary minister I was at your press conference you did not welcome the minister and the auditor general's report whatsoever but let's also look at your terrible list of decisions as cabinet minister first you cancelled the gas plant and wasted a billion dollars and your colleague took the fall for that mistake you were caught using frankincickers that you weren't legally allowed to so you let your staff member resign in disgrace it's quite clear that you have a impeccable record at skirting your responsibility and you know and now you have the gall to question the auditor general's numbers yesterday in the press conference and that she got it wrong minister I know that mara stands for medical and and research services but I think it's more likely order to really mean the minister's annual repeated screw-ups and I'll be at the technical meeting today and I'll thank you I'm going to ask him to taper his language minister well Mr. Speaker I would never respond by attacking the members integrity and his own party will do that for us like I suspect because they don't agree that on a regular basis and that's fine but I will say Mr. Speaker as I am looking forward to the announcement we'll be making this afternoon this project needs to be put on solid footing we need to protect the taxpayer investment in this project Mr. Speaker the announcement we're going to make later today will do just that we need to see this project Mr. Speaker be finished because that's going to create jobs that's going to create economic growth that's going to help build a stronger innovation climate in the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario we're looking forward to making that announcement I don't expect to have the member support on this that member wanted this building to rot in the ground Mr. Speaker we're going to build it up we're going to create jobs we're going to create economic development and Mr. Speaker we're going to finish that project thank you Mr. Speaker to the premier yesterday the minister of energy patronized the auditor general by saying that the electricity system was too complicated for her to understand it was patronizing it was sexist and today he said this about my life order please order please thank you please finish and it was shocking yesterday but today he said this about the leader of our party I won't take lessons from that woman you said that in this house this morning you didn't say not the leader of the party you said not the member from Hamilton Centre that woman will the premier do the progressive thing and have her minister apologize for that kind of language in this house thank you premier well Mr. Speaker let's talk about the substance of the issue because I think what the I think what the party opposite is trying to do is to deflect from what we're really talking about because we're actually not talking about gender Mr. Speaker we're actually talking about a competent and a respected officer of this legislature who wrote a report that we have accepted that we understand there are concerns Mr. Speaker that need to be addressed we will continue to work with that professional officer of the legislature Mr. Speaker but what we also will do is we will point out where there are points of difference Mr. Speaker what our minister of energy has done is he has simply said we agree with much of what the auditor general has said but there are some points of disagreement and we need to continue to work with her on those so that the people of Ontario will know exactly what the programs we've put in place have accomplished Mr. Speaker Thank you Supplementary Premier you're missing an opportunity to address the very issue that this house is facing around sexist behaviour you're missing it right now the minister of energy has attacked the auditor he's on the record is doing so now he's using sexist unparliamentary language to refer to Arleigh in the minister's head but he should be more respectful when it comes when when things come out of his mouth will the Premier fire her minister for his behaviour toward the auditor and toward the leader of this party the member from Hamilton Centre do it right now Mr. Speaker thank you Premier for your energy wow Mr. Speaker I have five adult daughters they come over and have dinner with me at my house frequently they're very very interested in public policy issues and discussions and we get involved in some very animated the debates Mr. Speaker sometimes are fairly heated debates but they're very respectful I respect my daughters I respect the auditor general we had a professional disagreement she came to my office I met with her with my staff we discussed some of the issues and we explained our position to her and we agreed to disagree Mr. Speaker that has nothing to do with the allegations that are being made on the other side Mr. Speaker when I'm dealing with people with women I see my daughters across the table thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Order please the member from Timmins James Bay will come to order thank you the leader of the third party will come to order please Minister of Labor will come to order thank you new question the member from the Tobacco Lakeshore thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to our incredible Minister of Education Mr. Speaker student well-being is one of our key priorities my daughter and tens of thousands of other young Ontarians are already benefiting from full-day kindergarten but we know as children grow older physical activity does more than improve health and well-being it also builds confidence leadership productivity and creativity research and science also shows that physical activity in school improves the students concentration attention span and mood ensuring they're prepared to learn providing more opportunities for children and youth to stay healthy and succeed in school supports our government's economic plan for Ontario as well that's why I was so pleased to hear about the 60 minutes of physical activity initiative that you and the Premier announced recently could you please elaborate on this announcement and how we'll get more children active throughout the day Minister of Education thank you so much and thank you to the member from Etobicoke Lake Shore and I wish his daughter well in school but I was pleased to join the Premier and the Associate Minister of Health last week it seems like ages ago now but just last week to announce a partnership with active at school and the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association which we refer to as a FIA to get children more active each and every day active at school we'll be working with Ontario and a FIA to provide kids with the opportunity to participate in 60 minutes of physical activity for kids connected to the school day in some way or another meeting this goal of 60 minutes of physical activity a day is part of our government's renewed focus on student well-being including healthy eating physical activity a supportive and safe school climate and mental thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Minister for your fulsome response student well-being is one of our key priorities we know that when children and youth are physically active they're healthier and better able to succeed in the classroom and beyond my five-year-old daughter is already fascinated by the lore of electronics and video games and my wife and I certainly don't want her and her friends just sitting on a couch playing games we want her and her friends to be healthy and active so our goal as parents and I know your goal as ministers to ensure that our children are getting at least an hour a day of physical activity by 2018 we're trying to give her that already now Minister can you please explain how the partnership between Afeja and active at school will help to meet our goal of 60 minutes of physical activity a day thank you minister thank you so much thank you so much and you know when I think about my grandchildren they're really active they spend a lot of time biking and skating and swimming and they're really active but that isn't true of all kids we want to make sure that all kids are getting the physical activity that they need to to thrive so when we think about this initiative there's a number of ways in which we can reach that 60 minutes it might be through an organized sport it might be through extracurricular activities it might be through the gym class it might be through activities in the regular curriculum it could be in what we call active transportation and encouraging kids to walk or bike to school there are so many ways speaker that we can do it on an excellent job and so getting our children more active than they are today thank you thank you nice try well that's what you have that's what you have to say in order for me to recognize you a member from Bruce Gray Owensound on a point of order speaker just wondering in the spirit of transparency and accountability of who we could have you now to consent for me to do my question agree hey a member from Bruce Gray Owensound is seeking unanimous consent to ask his question do we agree well I I find this rather interesting announcement that I have to make that I'm going to remind everybody before we do the deferred vote not to run away because this is the opportunity that you've been presented with a collective photograph of the entire house is immediately after the vote and immediately after that the women's parliamentary picture will be taken as well we have a deferred vote I I think I've been pretty patient but I'm getting heckled just to make an announcement that's regrettable we have a deferred vote on the motion a third reading of bill 21 an act of safeguard health care integrity by enhancing the voluntary blood donations act 2014 and by amending certain statutes with respect to the regulations and pharmacies and other matters concerning regulated health professions please call in the members this will be a five-minute members take your seats please making a phone call members take their seats please on December 9th Mr. Bradley moved third reading of bill 21 all those in favor please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Mr. Nackney Mr. Nackney Mr. Bradley Mr. Bradley Mr. Shirelli Mr. Shirelli Madame Mayor Madame Mayor Ms. Wynne Ms. Wynne Ms. Matthews Ms. Matthews Ms. Sandals Ms. Sandals Mr. Dugud Mr. Dugud Ms. McCharles Ms. McCharles Mr. Cole Mr. Cole Mr. Takkar Mr. Takkar Mr. Barardinetti Mr. Quadri Mr. Orzetti Mr. Orzetti Mr. Gravel Mr. Gravel Mr. McMeekin Mr. McMeekin Mr. Chan Mr. Chan Mr. Moriti Mr. Moriti Mr. Coteau Mr. Coteau Mr. Leel Mr. Leel Mr. Flynn Mr. Flynn Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mr. Delaney Mr. Delaney Mr. Balfasen Mr. Balfasen Ms. Albanaise Ms. Albanaise Mr. Dixon Mr. Dixon Ms. Manga Ms. Manga Mr. Crack Mr. Crack Ms. Wong Ms. Wong Ms. Hunter Ms. Hunter Mr. Sergio Mr. Sergio, Mr. Morrow, Mr. Jassett, Mr. Del Ducca, Mr. Domerloss, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Ballard, Mr. Doms, Mr. Hogarth, Ms. Kowala, Ms. Amla Lon, Ms. Molly, Ms. Martin, Ms. McGarry, Ms. McMahon, Mr. Milchins, Ms. Nidoo Harris, Mr. Pots, Mr. Renaldi, Ms. Renial, Mr. Walker, Mr. Arnott, Mr. Hardiman, Mr. Hardiman, Ms. McLeod, Ms. Elliott, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Acabasco, Mr. Clark, Mr. Miller, Perry San, Ms. Cota, Ms. Jones, Ms. Thompson, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Monroe, Ms. Scott, Mr. Yurek, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Nichols, Ms. Marteau, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. McLaren, Mr. Pettipes, Ms. Jelena, Ms. Horvath, Ms. Horvath, Mr. Vantaw, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Ms. Sattler, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Natashack, Ms. Armstrong, Mr. Sing, Ms. Fife, Ms. Forrester, Mr. Mantha, Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. French. All those opposed, please rise for a time to be recognized by the court. The ayes are 93, the nays are zero. The ayes being 93 and the nays being zero, I declare the motion carried. Third reading of the bill. Be it now resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion. There are no further, how do we do this? There are no further deferred votes. This house stands recess until 3 p.m. this afternoon.