 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the Leader of the Official Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. I also want to start by wishing everyone a happy Halloween and hope that children have a fun night but a safe one as well. My first question is to the Premier. Under changes that the Premier is making to the Employment Standards Act, people will now lose a day's pay if they miss a day for illness. On top of that, they'll be required to get a sick note, which most doctors charge for. Does the Premier think it's fair for people to pay just to take a sick day? Minister of Labour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank the member opposite for the question. Look, for the first time in Ontario, workers are going to be protected with eight protected pay days of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, most businesses work well with their employees. They want to have good employees. And we want them to have good jobs. And we want good employers out there, Mr. Speaker. That's why it's open for business. Mr. Speaker, the Province of Ontario, under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, have said Ontario is open for businesses. So businesses can have the confidence to come, to expand, to provide good-paying jobs in the Province of Ontario. And that's the best thing we could do for workers. Fox supplementary. Minister of Labour has conferred with the Premier about eight paid days off for workers in emergencies. That would be a progressive change for the future that I think workers would welcome. However, doctors in this province are raising some concerns. The head of the Ontario Medical Association says, and I quote, with prolonged wait times and hallway medicine, we need to find ways to let people stay home to recover from minor illnesses. Why is the Premier ignoring the advice of medical professionals and forcing people to lose a day's pay when they fall ill? Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I meant to say eight unpaid protected days. I'm sorry for that, Mr. Speaker. Opposition benches come to order. But, Mr. Speaker, we want Ontario to be open for business. Opposition benches come to order. We're providing workers with, for the first time, three days of sick leave, three days of family responsibility and two bereavement days every year for every worker. This is in line with other problems, Mr. Speaker. The employers have the choice if they want to ask for a medical note from a registered health practitioner, Mr. Speaker. Most businesses that we deal with and that I know in the province of Ontario, they want to have good relationships with their employees and this opposition keeps demonizing businesses at that place. They are not. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that the Minister of Health, or Minister of Labour, just confirmed that her Premier is more interested in helping the bad actor businesses in this province than making sure that workers can take a sick day off of work. The restrictions that have paid sick days have paid sick days for a year, Mr. Speaker. Business owners actually celebrate them. Quote one, a sick server could get 120 people sick. They're touching glasses, silverware, having people work in a kitchen or wait on you when they're ill does not make sense. In fact, in US cities that have paid sick days, the majority of people use only half of the sick days that they have. Does this Premier have any evidence whatsoever that forcing people to lose a day's pay every time they fall sick is actually good for business or just good for bad businesses? Mr. Speaker, most businesses again don't want their workers coming in sick. They're going to work with their employees. Look at this was... That eight unpaid days are similar to what happens across Canada. The previous... Government House Leader, come to order. ...was a disaster for businesses and a disaster for employees if businesses couldn't keep employees employed. Mr. Speaker, open for business is our motto. We're going to attract good paying jobs, better jobs for employees, better programs for employees, better benefits for employees. That's what we want to achieve in the province of Ontario. And that's what we're going to do because... Minister of Education, come to order. Government House Leader, come to order. Start the clock. Next question. Leader of the Opposition. My next question is also for the Premier, but I have to say I don't know how this government thinks they can justify making things worse for workers is somehow going to make it better for workers. It makes no sense whatsoever, Speaker. For some people, the cost of taking a sick day is actually more than they can actually afford. Last year at hearings on employment standards, one doctor related the story of a patient of hers from Marathon, Ontario. Marathon is a three-hour drive from Thunder Bay and most medical services are only available Monday to Friday. So someone needing a CAT scan had to take at least two days off in order to receive potentially life-saving care. This patient did not undergo that procedure because he felt he couldn't afford to take two days off of work. Does the Premier really think that that's a choice that a person in Ontario should have to make? Premier. Minister of Labour. Minister of Labour. Well, Mr Speaker, look it. What we saw under the previous... Premier, come to order. Okay, stop it. Stop it. Member for Essex, come to order. Stop it. Minister of Finance, come to order. Member for Essex, come to order. Member for Niagara West, come to order. The Member for Essex will come to order. The Member for Essex is warned. We're worried. We're worried. We're currently on a response by the Minister of Labour. Start the clock. Minister of Labour. Thank you, Mr Speaker. What we saw under the previous Liberal Government's Bill 148 was a disastrous effect on our economy with job losses. We saw in January 1st, the first month of the Bill being implemented, we saw over 50,000 job losses. In August, we saw over 80,000 job losses. Most of those, part-time, most of those youth. How has that helped workers in the province of Ontario? It hasn't. They've lost their jobs. They've lost their jobs to businesses, our job creators in the province to invest and create better pay. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, regardless of this Minister of Labour's rhetoric, which is not backed up by facts, working parents should not have to choose between losing a day's pay and staying home with sick children. That's just the bottom line. The evidence is very, very clear, Speaker. We need to give people a little financial protection when they get ill. It is the responsible, the humane, the proper thing to do for everyday workers in this province. If anything, Speaker, it also protects businesses who don't need sick people on the job. Why does the Premier think Ontario's workers should choose or should have to try to choose between getting paid and getting well? Minister. What the opposition has against better opportunities in the province of Ontario? What have you got against people having chances to have better jobs with benefits? What have you got against that? What is the best thing we can do for our businesses to create better employment opportunities? Is cut, ridiculous amounts of red tapes and regulations giving them a secure business environment at a safe and protective workplace? Minister. Open for business for Ontario is what we are trying to do. And we're going to give people more. Final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. What we do have something against is a mean spirited, ill-informed, out-of-touch government. That's what we have something against. Working people in this province don't ask for much. But having to lose a day's pay and then having to pay for a doctor's note just so you can go home and actually get better choice for people to have to make. And for some people, it's no choice at all. Why does this mean that Ontario's workers should choose between getting paid and getting well? Minister. But, Mr. Speaker, I don't know what's wrong with the dignity of giving people good-paying jobs with compassion. I don't see how you for years supported the previous liberal government and making life unaffordable. Why do you listen to this? This needs to be a debate. Let's make our comments through the chair. Remind members, we've got a long way to go. There's only 12 minutes into question period. And I will remind members that there are a lot of people watching this question period. And they're developing an opinion about whether or not we're debating these matters in a respectful way. Our constituents are watching. Okay. Start the clock. Next question. Leader of the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is to the Premier. With each day, the concerns about the Premier's changes to the employment standards are getting louder. Whether it's doctors raising concerns about forcing people to lose a day's pay and getting a doctor's note when they fall ill or working moms who have been counting on an increase in the minimum wage, will the Premier commit to comprehensive public hearings from all concerned stakeholders before ramming this bill through? Premier. Through you, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, we've consulted businesses, we've consulted unions, we've consulted frontline workers. The most important thing that they want, businesses want to be able to be profitable to reinvest in the employees, reinvest in their equipment to make sure they have a thriving business. When I talk to the employees, they want a secure job. They want to know that they're going to get a paycheck. They want to know the access of being spent properly. Unlike the Leader of the Oppositions, through you, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, all you know how to do is spend, spend, spend, tax, tax, tax. Start the clock. Supplementary. Speaker, thousands of Ontarians are going to be hit hard by the changes the Premier is proposing. Temporary workers may be hit hardest of all. Yesterday I asked the Premier about the ongoing labour investigation into the death of a temporary worker at FIERRA Food's facility. The fourth temporary worker to die on the job at FIERRA Food's. The ongoing investigation may in fact have much to teach us about the nature of temporary work in Ontario and the impact of changes to the employment standards. So instead of rushing this bill through, I ask the Premier again, will he wait until the results of this investigation are made public, have some robust public policies before this legislation becomes law? Well, I mentioned yesterday, Mr. Speaker. I think it's deplorable that families out there right now hurting and grieving and the Leader of the Opposition wants to politicize it. She wants to politicize it when the Leader of the Opposition knows that the employment standards inspections are unrelated to health and safety inspections, but you want to tie it all in together. Tie it all in together as the families are grieving right now. Why don't you have a little bit of compassion rather than try to politicize it after a death of a loved one that's who wants to politicize it. We want to make sure that that family is taken care of. We want to make sure that they don't have to hear it on the nightly news running over and over again. I think it's pretty disgusting, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I would encourage all members to make their comments through the chair. And I would caution all members on the use of intemperate language. It doesn't help us get through question very. It doesn't help enhance the debate. Next question. Start the clock. The member from Mrs. August streetsville. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Our government promised the people of this province that Ontario will be open for business. Speaker, we know the importance of Ontario's film, television, interactive digital media and book publishing industries in creating jobs for Ontarians. We know that this is an industry that helps drive growth across all of Ontario's culture sector which contributes over $25 billion annually to the provincial economy and supports nearly 270,000 jobs. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister update the House on how our government support for this key economic driver? Mr. Tourism, Culture and Sport. Thank you so much and for the members in the chamber who were able to join us at the breakfast this morning at Film Ontario. Thank you because I think it's important that we remind everyone the importance of the film industry in the province of Ontario. Three, it's not a trick but it's a lovely treat that $3 billion is part of our economy as a result of this industry including 54,000 well-paying supported jobs. I think that we need to share that good news more often and I also think that we have an opportunity in the province of Ontario with a premier who understands that we are open for business and has made that a tenant of our administration that we're open for business and we're going to continue to expand this industry and support it unlike the previous Liberal Government who tended to only put uncertainty in the industry. Through you Mr. Speaker to the Minister, thank you for that response. I'm proud to hear that our government is engaging with lead industry professionals to help build a strong, prosperous economy for our province. It is important for Ontario to have sufficient film studio capacity to meet the demands of a growing industry. However, the film industry is reporting that Ontario's film studio space is at capacity and as a result Ontario is losing over $100 million in potential investment due to lack of studio space. Can the Minister elaborate on how our government is engaging with stakeholders to address their concerns? Minister. Thank you to the member from Mrs. August Streetsville. I think she understands better than most frankly because there is a recent announcement that impacts the community of Mississauga we've heard very recently in Markham and Ottawa and frankly it speaks to the confidence that this industry has in Ontario that they understand this government is welcoming them wants them to produce in the province of Ontario. We will continue to ensure that that business confidence is there and we will continue to support the expansion of the film industry in Ontario. Thank you. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday the Premier seemed to be pretty stumped by a pretty simple question. How much of the people's money would he be spending on his plan to put up vanity road signs across Ontario? We have to conclude that the Premier either has absolutely no clue or he simply won't say. Can the Premier tell us which one it is? For you Mr. Speaker this is one of the best investments we could do advertising to the world but Ontario it's not about the taxing it's not about regulations and the red tape. We're getting rid of regulations we're getting rid of red tape we have to advertise to tell the $489 billion of trade that we do with the United States back and forth we have to make sure that our friends south of the border know that we're open for business open a company here and create good paying jobs supplementary Speaker it's pretty shocking the Premier can't give us a simple answer to a simple question. What's next Speaker is he going to tell us don't worry Mexico's going to pay for these signs? I mean come on Speaker the people who sent us here sent us here to handle their money with care but the Premier seems unwilling or unable to tell us how much of their money he's spending. One of the first questions most people ask before making a purchase is how much is it going to cost but perhaps the Premier doesn't care because it's not his money. We know the Premier has no problem paying for his former tour director $350,000 job to sit at a desk in Washington let me try to make this easy Speaker is the cost of the signs more than $350,000 or less than $350,000 give us a ballpark answer come on a guesstimate a rough estimate anything here through you Mr. Speaker I understand the member of Essex wants to know a price and we're going to unveil that price when we put up the signs and it's going to be the most reasonable price for marketing across this province than you've ever seen we're going to hit 12 borders as billions of people are coming across this is simple business 101 but the member of Essex we're not a clue about marketing we're not a clue about sales or next question member for Cinco Nord Mr. the Minister of Trading, Colleges and Universities Speaker I've heard from many businesses and people looking for work in my riding about their concerns with the skills gap and the legacy of failed and reckless liberal economic policies they are frustrated that after 15 years of liberal government propped up by the NDP have locked people without the skills they need and businesses unable to compete this is particularly true in the area of skilled trades where I'm hearing from both employers and young people that many are having great difficulty becoming an apprentice in their desired trade can the minister tell us what our government is doing to make sure there is enough skilled labour in Ontario and that young people can enter their field of choice Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Speaker to the member opposite for the question and their strong advocacy for the people of Cinco North are good jobs and make Ontario open for business my focus as minister is making sure that Ontarians have the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow so that liberal policies will not haunt job and employers for years to come and that is why I am pleased that our government introduced legislation that if passed would standardise ratios for skilled trades in Ontario Speaker employers are saying that this change would create good quality jobs for the people of Ontario Cam Bessling of Bessling Mechanical says quote these changes to Ontario's apprenticeship ratios will allow our company to immediately start recruiting and hiring more young people these changes will help to create job opportunities throughout southwestern Ontario we fully support Ontario open for business and addressing the skills gap I understand that many businesses would hire more apprentices but are barred from doing so by the current ratios the Ontario Electrical League recently released a port that said 73% of Ontario's electrical employers would hire more young people to fill the skills gap by increasing access to apprenticeships can the minister tell us more about why standardising ratios and filling the skills gap would bring career jobs to Ontario minister descriptive ratios in Canada a single standardised one-to-one ratio will reduce red tape on employers and the economy and make it easier for employers and employers to navigate the system addressing the skills gap is an essential part of making Ontario open for business again our government is listening to employers they are telling us that they support our plan Jan Fortuna, senior vice president Canadian contracting limited says the skilled trade shortage is the number one issue facing our company and lowering apprentice ratios will help us engage, train and retain the young trade apprentices to develop Ontario's future skilled labour force this is a great move by the government and is welcomed by all construction employers and employees we promise the people of Ontario to make good trust and make Ontario open for business the member for York centre is warned the member for York centre is warned stop the clock order start the clock next question the member for Brampton North thank you Mr. Speaker this question is to the Premier there is a disturbing media report today revealing that the minister of community safety and correctional services and his law firm have been embroiled in multiple legal proceedings that include serious allegations of misconduct and fraud over a period of almost two decades was the Premier aware of this history I don't believe this question is relevant to government policy the member for Don Valley West Mr. Speaker my question today is for the Premier I'm sorry I missed that little exchange my question is for the Premier last night I had the opportunity to attend the final Massey lecture of 2018 that the member for Beaches East York the member for Kuwait Nong and there may have been others who were there the series was given this year by Tanya Tilaga who is a journalist she is an author, she is an Indigenous woman who has shone a light on past and current abuses that have created the urgent crisis of youth suicide in Indigenous communities Mr. Speaker I've sat in many seats in this legislature starting up in the visitors gallery in the 1990s Mr. Speaker and in every seat that I've sat in I've been able to see the increasing harshness of the debate in this House Mr. Speaker it occurred to me again last night that one of the serious casualties of partisan political polarization is the possibility of any collaborative move towards reconciliation so Mr. Speaker my first question is really to simply ask the Premier if he will accept this gift from two of Tanya Tilaga's books which I purchased for him Seven Fallen Feathers which is a story of racism, death and hard truths in the Northern City and all our relations which is finding the path forward and I would like to send them over to the Premier with Aliaha Thank you Minister of Community and Social Services and I can't receive gifts Thank you You just refer it, you don't add information. The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for her question I've spoken obviously with the author Tanya Tilaga who used to be a reporter here at Queens Park on the work that we're doing in this space particularly for children what happened in Thunder Bay was a tragedy but we accept the coroner's report between 2014 and 2017 when we lost I wasn't the Minister, we weren't in government at the time but I did indicate that the buck does stop with me and we have made arrangements immediately within our ministry to ensure that those children who are in group homes and who are funded by my ministry and supported by Children's Aid Society need to have the wraparound services I was disappointed to learn that many of the young girls that took their lives in the care of the province during 2014 to 2017 were actually trafficked taking important steps to make sure that we work with their indigenous partners the Minister of Indigenous Affairs the Minister of Health to make sure that we have appropriate mental health supports as well in place supplementary Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I believe that the Premier will find that the gift of the two books falls well within the ability of the Premier to accept the level of gift Mr. Speaker the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission were sweeping the minister's response on the thunder based situation Mr. Speaker but there were over 90 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on how we as indigenous and non-indigenous people might be able to move together forward in order to give every person and particularly every child in this province a fair shot at a healthy life and education is at the core of those recommendations Mr. Speaker now I know the Premier and I do not agree on much but I'm asking today that we together find a way to work toward reconciliation there's a lot of knowledge in this house and in the community Mr. Speaker even if it were possible to have informal and informative sessions with elders with indigenous youth where any of us in the house could bring our knowledge and our experience without the expectation of being included in any formal action we might find a way to raise the bar there have been actions in this house the apology for example what I know having begun this journey as a young woman of 25 is that there are no easy solutions and that we have to all play a role my question to the Premier is will he and his ministers let us help? Thank you Minister of Indigenous Affairs Minister of Indigenous Affairs Thank you Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question and that members ties as a young person to this opportunity as well as my own somebody who started out in my early 20s working and living in indigenous communities across Northern Ontario Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Arctic Circle I have a deep investment some of my best friends are from these parts of the country I take this opportunity very seriously and that's why I've had an opportunity to reflect over the past 15 years and I still see particularly in Northern Ontario a situation that's unacceptable suicide rates high unemployment rates a clear lack of economic opportunity that rests with the previous government so we will pick up that torch we will commit to those indigenous communities form full partnerships and create economic opportunities for a new educated indigenous youth that wants to get out there in the workforce contribute and lead their communities moving forward Thank you Next question the member for Burlington Thank you Mr. Speaker of Education after 15 years of reckless liberal mismanagement EQ AO results have shown that nearly half of grade 6 students have fallen behind in math for years Ontario's become significantly less competitive in the STEM field poorly crafted legislation has allowed individuals who sexually abuse children to remain in the classrooms where they are able to hurt students without consequences and the lack of clear policy on service animals across the province has caused confusion and frustration to many many families Speaker through you to the minister how does this government for the people plan to repair and improve for future generations the apparent damage to our education system Minister of Education Thank goodness so good to have you back for so many reasons but back to the question I would like to say Mr. Speaker through you I am pleased to inform Ontarians of the work that our government is doing to revitalize the education system for students and parents across this province when it comes to math in particular we're going to continue on focusing on getting back to the basics we will ensure teachers are supported and have the tools necessary to teach math in turn parents will be able to have the confidence that their students are learning the fundamentals that they and employers across this province are looking for furthermore we're going to fix the poorly worded legislations which have created loopholes for child abusers we will ensure that children are kept safe from individuals like that Mr. Speaker this is all about restoring trust in the education system and we're doing just that as for service animals we know how important they are and we're supporting our families and getting it right once and for all Supplementary Thank you for your thoughtful answer minister I'm glad to hear that the education system is being returned back into the hands of Ontarians and I'm sure my constituents will welcome the news this introduced legislation is underpinned by great ideas but I know that my constituents are full of great ideas as well minister I've heard countless perspectives on how we can improve Ontario's education system I know that parents, students and educators all have valuable opinions on how we can restore trust back into our education system Speaker can the minister advise the house, my constituents and Ontarians across the province on the process for sharing their opinions directly to the government Thank you Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'm always pleased to stand in this house to talk about the amazing consultation that we're facilitating and I want to encourage everyone in Ontario and all our members here in this house as well www.fortheparents.ca and get started and share your comments we want to hear from Ontarians on subjects like mental health health and physical education the legalization of cannabis and how to improve student performance when it comes to STEM, math etc science, technology, engineering that's what we're hearing from employers those are subject areas and competencies that are frankly missing after 15 years of bad management you know what, we also want to talk about how we can limit distractions in the classroom like cell phones this government for the people will review input from all people participating and we're going to fulfill our election promise because we're focused on creating the best environment for students to achieve start the clock next question, the member for the miscommunication my question is the premier last Friday there was the documents demanded by the select committee were provided to the committee the equivalent of a million pages on Monday there was a request by several agencies that due to their commercially sensitive nature that these documents not be made public as a business person that made sense they're commercially sensitive we made that case at the committee quite frankly I was shocked that the government members of the committee forced it through releasing a million pages of documentation to the public, premier why did you direct your members to do that because it certainly isn't business 101 their comments through the chair, premier response thank you very much Mr. Speaker as you know and as the members know the select committee is currently meeting to look into the mistakes that have been made and the decisions that were made quite honestly over the last 15 years by the previous liberal government when it comes to playing with the finances of the province of Ontario and not ensuring that the numbers that were being signed off on by the officers of the legislature were an accurate reflection of what the government's books actually were that's why it was very important for us to strike this select committee Mr. Speaker to get to the bottom of the decisions that were made by the previous liberal government we have a $15 billion deficit in Ontario now and the numbers that were given to us by the previous government they weren't signed off on at public accounts Mr. Speaker and the auditor general refused to sign off on those documents that's why we need to get our hands on those documents to ensure that we get to the bottom of this supplementary once again to the Premier and we're talking not about mistakes the past government we're talking about mistakes were made by this government at the committee so on Monday on Monday the government that claims to understand business releases a million the equivalent of a million pages of possibly some of the information commercially sensitive and private on Tuesday we come to the committee and I will read from the letter from the ISO we have discovered that confidential and commercially sensitive information that could jeopardize the ISO's very important relationship with electrical sector participants has been disclosed to the public by the committee forced through by your members for 24 hours you put up in a very competitive business I'm just a dairy farmer and I understand that that is crazy why Premier why did you allow that to happen I'll ask members to make their comments through the chair Premier rather sorry the first thing I would say there's no such thing as just a dairy farmer we respect our dairy farmers across the province including the member opposite what I would say though is that we really want to get to the bottom of what occurred by the previous government you know and that's why we have ordered the documents that we've ordered over a million documents and I can understand Mr. Speaker why the NDP doesn't want us to shine a light on what happened under the previous Liberal government and the reason that they don't want to shine a light on that is because they are complicit they are complicit under what occurred under the previous government situation Mr. Speaker we want to get to the bottom of what happened and we are committed to that for the people of Ontario next question the member for Stormont Dundas thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Environment Conservation and Parks the people of Ontario are stretched in many to the breaking point in giving us a mandate to government the people told us they could not afford the former Liberal governments costly ineffective cap and trade system nor can they afford those carbon tax I've heard recently from my constituents in Stormont Dundas in South Hungary who feel first hand the mounting pressure of rising cost hard working families every day are finding it increasingly difficult to pay the bills the Terrians are frustrated at seeing their hard earned tax dollars being put into policies and programs that don't deliver results last week Trudeau made his intentions clear by imposing a carbon tax on Ontario can the Minister share with us what support we have in our fight against the Trudeau carbon tax Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks Mr. Speaker through you thank you to the member from Stormont Dundas South Hungary for that question the members quite right families cannot afford the Trudeau carbon tax we know and we've heard from the FAO the price of that carbon tax we will take every step that we have in our power to fight it that's why our Premier met with the Premier of Saskatchewan on Monday to talk about our joint fight against that that's why just yesterday he met with the leader of the official opposition to talk about how we could fight against that it's clear Mr. Speaker that it isn't even just conservative leaders who are taking on this fight in PI the Liberal the Liberal Party is talking about against the carbon tax the NDP the NDP are against the federal carbon plan I'd ask the opposition will they join their ideological soulmates and fight this job killing federal carbon tax start the clock supplementary thank you Speaker it is clear that with increasing support against the carbon tax plan Trudeau's promise to give back more money to the people is their admittance that they have lost the argument with Canadians I know that my constituents are proud to have a government that holds true to their word and is ready to do what they need to do to fight against the imposition of a Trudeau carbon tax Mr. Speaker, Ontarians need a government that is willing to do what it takes to make life more affordable to them they need a government who has their best interests in mind in every action and every decision they make Speaker, back to the minister can the minister share with us how the imposition of this carbon tax will adversely impact the working people of Ontario Mr. Speaker I thank the member for his question this tax is going to raise costs for families and costs for business when the prime minister talks about taxing polluters we know what he's talking about he's talking about taxing commuters he's talking about moms and dads taking their kids to hockey he's talking about people who need a vehicle to go back and forth to work every day he's talking about life in Ontario what he's talking about now we have watched the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in Ottawa ask for months how much will this carbon tax cost what is the cost they have met with redacted documents fortunately the financial accountability officer has told us $648 per family $648 by 2022 and that's just the beginning for this government I'd ask again will the Leader of the Opposition in this House stand up with her comrades in arms in Alberta and stand with the people of Ontario stand with the people of Alberta stand with Canadians against this order start the clock member for Davenport last week the government jumped the gun on their own consultations and introduced legislation to create a new math test for teacher certification though the details of their plan remain secret we now know that funding meant to help teachers upgrade their skills in math is set to come to an end with no indication the government will keep up that investment how can the minister justify imposing a new math test for teachers with one hand while cutting the funding meant to strengthen those skills on the other thank you very much Mr. Speaker and first and foremost I would like to suggest to the member from Davenport that and to the rest of the party actually as well I would like to say NDP no drama please because what we dollars that we're going to be putting forward in our EPO funding pockets if you will and the fact of the matter is we're doing so much for teachers just on the weekend I had a teacher come up to me at dinner and she said she loved the math resource guide that we provided to help them transition from Discovery Math thank you the clock supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker well I think I would invite the minister to come and meet with the many many many teachers that I have met with who are very disappointed in the direction this government is taking on almost every single issue and particularly in math the funding to support additional teacher qualifications saw 15,000 applications for mathematics alone by introducing a new test at the front end of a teacher's career but taking away those opportunities to build on the skills and keep them sharp down the line it's clear that this government is more interested in playing politics than actually improving outcomes for students the minister is going to tell me that she already put in this August and that I just want to say up ahead of her is actually existing dollars so we know that that's not new dollars that have been assigned Mr. Speaker will the minister hit the pause button on this latest funding cut and make sure teachers have the money they need to teach minister because what I said is we're refocusing funding to support our teachers as well actually to the tune of 55 million dollars to help teachers transition from discovery math to getting back to the basics and you know what that's what people want to be hearing the responsible government ensuring our teachers are prepared to help our students what the great member from Durham actually has done a consultation herself in her own riding and Allison in Durham stated during this consultation that she's traveled around the world and notes our students are at least two years behind Wally a retired elementary teacher wants more focus on math and the development and return to the basic of foundations and algebra we interrupt the minister because the applause on the government side was such that I could not hear the minister next question the member for Brampton south thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of health and long-term care I know that our government has taken the necessary steps to protect short and long-term health of the people of this province with flu season quickly approaching it is crucial to have policies in place to ensure Ontario families are supported here tonight as kids across Ontario go trick-or-treating we may not be able to protect them from the stomachs filled with too much candy but what we can do is protect them from the flu can the minister can the minister of health please tell us about the flu shot and how people can get one in Ontario minister of health and long-term care the member for this very timely question the flu can be a serious illness so it is important to protect yourself and your loved ones the best way to do that is to get the flu shot it's the single best defense against the flu virus especially for all of the kids out there they're going to be playing in the school yard tomorrow and trading their Halloween candy you can book an appointment with your doctor or nurse practitioner or visit your local pharmacy or public health unit as a matter of fact I got my flu shot to get there it's quick it's easy and it's free so the sooner you get your flu shot the sooner you'll be protected thank you Mr. Speaker back to the minister I know the minister has been active on social media along with many of my colleagues promoting the need for Ontarians to get their flu shots this year every year there are countless hospitalizations due to the flu across province Ontarians should know just how important it is to get the flu shot and how serious the flu can be can the minister of health please tell us why getting the flu shot might just be the best decision someone can make to keep themselves and their families healthy to reiterate the dangers of the flu and the need to get the flu shot when you get your flu shot protecting yourself but you're also helping to protect your loved ones the flu shot helps stop the spread of the virus and reduces the number of visits to the doctor as well as hospitalizations and even deaths due to the flu we know that the flu can lead to serious complications for some people one of the reasons we stress getting the flu shot is because it helps to protect those who are most vulnerable like children under four years of age over 65 years of age so this makes getting vaccinated against the flu every year an important part of keeping you and your loved ones healthy please get your free flu shot it's an important defense to protect yourself and everyone else the member for beaches east York thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of children community and social services the daily bread food bank just released its annual report this morning it said that almost a million Torontonians needed to visit food banks over the course of a year food bank use remains 14% higher than it was in 2008 and continues to climb in the inner suburbs of Toronto where it is harder for food banks to reach the people who need it instead of addressing the issues that people need their government to tackle like food insecurity poverty the premier has instead cut in half the planned increase to OW and ODSP minister how much longer will Ontarians be left to fend for themselves while the government continues to make cuts that harm our most vulnerable citizens minister of children community and social services thanks very much to the member for her question this is very serious one in seven in the province of Ontario that's why we're taking immediate steps through the minister of economic development and trade in ensuring that we have an open for Ontario business act so we can get more jobs in the province of Ontario that's why in the fall economic statement our minister of finance is going to tell us how we're going to get back on track after 15 years of waste scandal and mismanagement and that's why in the next week and a half I'll be outlining some of the changes that we're going to make in social assistance so we can get back where they can get a job and when they can provide better supports for them I have to say though I'm really happy to be the minister of community and social services because the work I've been doing for the past 15 years with Barhaven's food cupboard raising tens of thousands of pounds of food twice a year and tens of thousands of pounds of dollars for that food cupboard I'm going to continue to work with the Barhaven food cupboard but all food cupboards across this province so we can make sure that those who need a social safety net get it after year poverty levels are deepening in Ontario more seniors are needing to use food banks and jobs aren't going to help them over 60% of food bank clients rely on that OW and ODSP that got cut and for many of those people they can't work so jobs won't help them and even then the top three reasons that people still missed a meal were to pay for rent phone bills and transportation they were fairly unacceptable people should not go hungry because they have to take the TTC or pay their rent on time when is the minister going to stop this outrageous disregard for Ontario's most vulnerable and start taking real action on the issues that matter to most of Ontarians Minister you know speaker I completely reject the premise of the question we raise social assistance rates 1.5% across the board immediately after assuming office ministries in this government that's what we're committed to doing we do not want to see a continuation of the disjointed patchwork silo programs of the previous Liberal administration supported 97% of the time by that party so what we're going to do is make sure that we look at that $10 billion program in social assistance that 1 million people are relying on and see how many of them can get back on track through a total means of support but as I've mentioned many times when we value the work of our food cupboards I personally value the work that I do with our food cupboards but the best social safety net is a compassionate society the best social circumstances of what people are working and the best social program is a stop the talk next question the member for Peterborough Court will send a question for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry this year we've had one of the worst forest fire seasons ever in Ontario we saw more than a thousand fires burning in central and northern Ontario in mid-July upwards of 154 fires were burning simultaneously that put a strain on our firefighters our government took immediate action to support our emergency responders most of whom were working around the clock under the leadership of the Doug Ford government we invested additional resources to make sure our firefighters had the tools they needed Mr. Speaker last weekend we saw snow in Peterborough Cawortha winter is almost here can the minister update this house on the current fire sorry the current forest fire situation that question Mr. Speaker the wildland fire season is officially ending today and I'd like to announce to this house that we have officially extinguished all the fires in the province firefighters from across Canada and around the world for their dedication putting out these fires our government was able to provide over 100 million dollars in funding this past summer to successfully combat these blazes this significant funding along with the hard work of the emergency responders allowed for an organized and effective response for the devastating forest fires throughout this province Ontario is an internationally recognized leader in wildland fire management annually the government provides base funding of almost 70 million to deliver frontline operations to fight forest fires we couldn't have done this without our partners from the United States across Canada and we thank them for their work restart the clock supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the minister for his response that's fabulous news I'd also like to give the proverbial tip of the cap a huge thank you to our frontline workers they would be remiss of me not to mention the support of the other provinces and countries who stepped up to help us we would not have been able to beat this without that combined effort Mr. Speaker this was one of the first files that the minister had to tackle when our government took power in June I'd like to commend both him and the team he leads for the hard work and dedication they showed can the minister of natural resources and forestry the information on how his ministry played a key role in battling the record number of fires and keeping the residents of Ontario and their property safe this year the ministry of natural resources would like to thank all of those personnel who left their family for much of the summer to battle these blazes I'd like to especially recognize Jerry Godwell a resident of the Kiwan Korea First Nation in Alberta who paid the ultimate sacrifice after he died while working the fires in Red Lake his death is a reminder of the dangers these firefighters face each and every day on the job Mr. Speaker my ministry alone provided 780 highly trained professional firefighters 9cl415 heavy water bombers 3 twin otter medium water bombers 13 initial attack helicopters along with other aircraft to combat these blazes Mr. Speaker in this house I would like once again to thank the best firefighters in the world for helping make sure that they are safe in North sure is this question thank you Mr. Speaker is to the Premier can the Premier lay out the ethical standards he sets for members of his cabinet and where he sets standards in terms of professional conduct we'll be very clear I know where the members going here but let's be very clear let's be very clear we have the most ethical most transparent caucus not just cabinet but caucus I've ever seen in politics they bring some they bring transparency accountability they make sure they don't make the back room deals that we've seen in other governments they don't do the back room deals that he supported 97% of the time we have an ethical group of people here and I'm proud to say that we have the greatest government I've seen in decades that concludes question period for today I'm going to order the member for Sucker it's not a point of order to introduce Marcus Bavar I neglected to introduce someone I introduced his father Jose Bavar earlier welcome to Queens Park Marcus I'm going to order the member for Nagar West I know today is Halloween and I want to wish a very happy Halloween but I would also like to acknowledge as I missed it last year is also the 501st anniversary of the time when a young Martin Luther nailed the 95 thesis onto the walls of the cathedral Wittenberg starting a great reformation across Europe which has an enormous impact on our democracy and on religious freedom right across the globe so I want to acknowledge that as well member for London Fanshawe I would like to welcome the CEO Candace Chartier of the Ontario long-term care association for legislature welcome to the legislature today minister of children community and social services thanks very much speaker it's my pleasure today to rise and acknowledge a frontline police officer from the city of Ottawa and a mentor to many in the Somali community my very close friend Abdul Abdi thank you for your service pursuant to standing order 38A the member for Davenport has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the minister of education concerning funding cuts to education this matter will be debated today at 6pm we have a deferred vote on the motion for third reading of bill 4 an act respecting the preparation of a climate change plan providing for the wind down of the cap and trade program and repealing the climate change mitigation and low carbon economy act 2016 call on the members this will be a 5 minute bill members please take their seats on October 30th 2018 Mr. Phillips moved third reading of bill 4 an act respecting the preparation of a climate change plan providing for the wind down of the cap and trade program and repealing the climate change mitigation and low carbon economy act 2016 all those in favor of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the minister of education minister of education minister of education minister of education minister of education minister of chair let me take a seat for the real Dask please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerks Mr. Tabit Mr. ETF Mr. Glober Mr. Morris Mr. Acosta Mr. Harding vs. Monteer Barrow Mr. Hassan Mr. Hassan Mr. Fraϡ Ms. Whig Mr minus Mr. Chotot Ms. Hunter Ms. Hunter Ms. Hunter Ms. H Hunter Ms. Humper Ms. Humper Ms. Humper Ms. Humper Ms. Humper Ms. Humper Mr. Trump Mr. Trump Mr. Champ Mr. President Mr. President concerning the urgency of climate action regarding debate of private members notice of motion 28. The member for Guelph is seeking unanimous consent of the House to move a motion regarding debate of private members notice of motion 28 concerning the urgency of climate action I hear or no. This House stands in recess until 3 p.m. this afternoon.