 It is time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thanks very much, Speaker. Speaker, before I start, I just want to welcome the thousands of people who are tuned into an OFL-hosted virtual gallery this morning. But my first question, of course, is to the Premier. Speaker, we're here because this Premier is desperately trying to silence his critics and cling to power. Ontario has never used the notwithstanding clause. In fact, every other government in Canada has managed to put in place election laws without using the notwithstanding clause. No other government has had to do that. They've all been able to figure it out, except this government. So why is the Premier unable to bring in reasonable legislation instead of trampling on our democracy? Again, just the opposite, Mr. Speaker. Of course, we are bringing in legislation, reintroducing legislation, of course, that will guarantee third parties access to the Ontario elections, as is their right to do so. And we are doing that, Mr. Speaker, at the highest levels in Canada, bar none, Mr. Speaker. So that's the legislation that we've brought forward. We think a 12-month period where there is criteria, again, with the highest limits in the entire country, is the right balance, Mr. Speaker. This supplementary question. Well, Speaker, certainly this House leader is smart enough to bring in a constitutional law that we could have had passed in a day. Apparently not. Because this Premier's go-to is to be vindictive and punish his enemies. He was booed at a public event. He stops doing media avails. He's got families who are looking for justice and long-term care. Instead, he brings in a law to reduce the right to sue. Court rejects his legislation, deems it unconstitutional. He invokes the notwithstanding clause. The people of Ontario need a government that's focused on helping them through the last of this crisis, not helping a desperate Premier cling to power. Why is the Premier's only goal to get back at his enemies and keep his job? Mr. Speaker, we know that the opposition would prefer that there be no rules with respect to pre-election spending. Mr. Speaker, we saw that for a number of years in Ontario that was a fixture. It was a fixture that, of course, the Chief Electoral Officer himself said had to be fixed. And that's why we are moving forward with what we believe is very balanced legislation, recognizing that the highest limits in Canada should be offset by a 12-month period where there are rules in place. When asked about what the NDP thought those limits should be, Mr. Speaker, I note that the deputy leader of the NDP was unable to provide an answer. Now we know what the answer for the NDP is, maximum three months or no rules whatsoever, because they thought all weekend to try to have no rules whatsoever. We think that to ensure fair elections, Mr. Speaker, we have to have rules in place. The ruling suggested that that had to be the case. The response? The constitutional, Mr. Speaker, the Chief Electoral Officer has asked us to do this. We're moving on it, and we think that we've struck a good balance. Final supplement, please. Speaker, unfortunately the competency of this government house leader apparently excludes the ability to bring in constitutional legislation around election financing laws. But you know what? The Premier just doesn't like to listen in Ontario. He doesn't like to listen to parents and teachers. He doesn't like to listen to families of children with autism. He doesn't like to listen to science advice or public health experts. Instead, he brings down the hammer. He brought down the hammer on his former colleagues at Toronto City Hall that he didn't like. He is bringing down, of course, the hammer on his critics because they speak out against his bad choices and big cuts. He's gone too far, Speaker. Here's what one of the former allies, I guess, of the Premier said. And I quote, petty dictators wield power to silence the voices of their critics. In liberal democracies, we demand better. None other than the taxpayers' federation, Speaker. Overriding the charter rights of Ontarians in the middle of the night in the dark of the night is not the Ontario we know. How can the Premier justify such an unprecedented attack on people's rights? Mr. Speaker, it's no surprise to me that, given the opportunity, the leader of the opposition would go personal because for her, Mr. Speaker, it's not about the policy. It's not about ensuring fair elections. It's not about putting rules in place to ensure that third parties can participate in an election, Mr. Speaker. I would submit that's probably why the NDP under her leadership sat in opposition for 14 years, Mr. Speaker. We will not stop doing what is right to ensure that elections are fair in the province of Ontario. We saw what happened in this province when there were no rules in place in Ontario. More money was being spent by third parties than all other provinces and federal elections combined. That is what the opposition is fighting to retain, Mr. Speaker. We heard the Chief Electoral Officer suggest that that is not what is in the best interest of Ontario, that Judge himself in making his decision suggested that limits are in fact needed and confirmed that they are both needed and constitutional, Mr. Speaker. So if the opposition won't stand up for fair elections, we certainly will. The next question, leader of the opposition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier, but I can assure this House leader that we are in fact fighting for the charter rights of the people of Ontario and against the government that's taking them away. Look, this debate is just another example of this Premier's bad choices. We could be working on a plan for safer schools to make sure that our kids whose education has been disrupted badly in the last two years are getting the support they need to succeed. We could be ensuring that kids are actually getting the vaccinations they need before school starts. Instead, this government is trampling on people's rights and freedoms, attacking parents, teachers, and education workers instead of working with them to support our kids. Why is the Premier so willing to trample on people's charter's rights to help himself politically, but not willing to put forward a real plan to support our kids as they return to school in the fall? Of course, Mr. Speaker, as I've said on a number of occasions, and as you continue to see here today, the NDP will stop at nothing to try to eliminate rules which should be put in place, which has been confirmed by the Chief Electoral Officer, which has been confirmed by the Justice in his ruling. They want a system where there are no rules. Like the Liberals, the NDP seem incapable of winning elections based on their policies. So they want other means to do that. We insist that elections be done fairly. It's the hallmark of what good governments do. Having said that, I know that the Minister of Education has been working very hard to give us one of the safest return to school programs in North America. It has been extraordinarily successful. I thank him for that. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Health, along with the Solicitor General, have done a record-breaking vaccination program in the province of Ontario, which has allowed us to move up our opening across this province and to get our economy roaring back. I know those are things that the NDP don't support, but the people of Ontario certainly do. The supplementary question. Well, Speaker, we will stop at nothing to fight against what the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says is petty dictators wielding power to silence the voices of their critics. Look, we could be here talking about the crisis in our healthcare system. The surgical backlog now sits at about 400,000. We know there are about 2.5 million tests and procedures that have been delayed or postponed that need to be addressed. We have PSWs who are still only getting a temporary increase, and we have long-term care homes, Speaker, that are scrambling to try to find enough staff to take care of our seniors in long-term care. So why instead of fixing our healthcare system is the Premier sitting through the dark of night to override the basic charter rights and freedoms of Ontarians in an attempt to cling to power? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know, it's almost as though the Leader of the Opposition wasn't here all weekend to hear what the Attorney General had talked about. Can I ask the Member to withdraw? Don't withdraw. Can't make reference to the absence of a member indirectly or directly. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Attorney General outlined why this was important. I know that we have been talking about why it's important. Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition suggests they're going to work so hard to ensure that this does not pass, Mr. Speaker, and use all of the tools, but then suggesting that we took away all the tools. But when asked what tools we took away, what did the Leader of the Opposition say? Nothing. Could it name one tool that was taken away by this government to stop them from doing what she says they want to do? Then when asked, the Deputy Leader of the NDP when asked, what do you think the limits should be? Nothing. No suggestions as to what those limits should be. Mr. Speaker, we know that 12 months with the highest limits in Canada strikes a very good balance in a parliamentary democracy with a fixed election date, and we're going to pass this bill to make sure that that happens. Thank you. And the final supplementary. Speaker, this Government House Leader knows very well that he could have brought constitutionally acceptable bills into this legislature, a bill into this legislature, and it could have gone through in a day. But he chose not to, because, as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says, petty dictators wield power to silence the voices of their critics. In liberal democracies, we demand better, and that's what your official opposition is doing today. We're demanding better from a government who thinks it's okay to override people's charter rights. But here we are. Could have been making better choices today. We could have been talking about local businesses that are hanging on by a thread. And all of those families who are worried about their futures and all of those folks who lost their jobs because this Government didn't want to put a plan in place to help them out. This Premier has no plan to support local businesses. Instead, we're meeting in the middle of the night, in the dark of night over the weekend, to suspend charter rights so this Government can hold on to power. Why? Instead of putting a safe return to rather a safe reopening grant in place for our small businesses in Ontario, our local community businesses, is this Government shutting down democracy? Some of us were working overnight to ensure that that happened, Mr Speaker. I have said right from the beginning that I would use every tool at my disposal to ensure that this legislation passed. That's how important it is to ensuring a fair election in the province of Ontario, Mr Speaker, and that's what we will be voting on later today. Now, it is important to note that when we brought in measures to help our small businesses, this leader, the opposition, and her party voted against it. When we brought in a second round of supports for our small businesses, they voted against it, Mr Speaker, and didn't support it. When we brought in measures to increase long-term care, they voted against it, Mr Speaker. When we brought in measures to increase healthcare funding to the highest levels that this province has ever seen, they voted against it, Mr Speaker. When we brought in transit and transportation, infrastructure improvements, they voted against it, Mr Speaker, because before, during, and certainly after a pandemic, we will continue to focus on the things that make this province great and that will ensure a vibrant and strong economy that leaves the nation like it did before a pandemic, like it will after the pandemic, Mr Speaker. And the one thing you can be certain of, the NDP will be against every single one of those members. Next question. Member for Kiwet and all. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, I've spoken many times here on how there are two Ontario's. Your Ontario cannot be proud of your COVID response when there's a humanitarian crisis happening in Kassashua. There are now 222 cases of COVID in a community of 1,800 people. About 70% of the cases are children and youth, 17 and under. Mr Speaker, the youngest is seven weeks old. Families in Kassashua are now calling the Chief to ask for help feeding their children as the whole family is sick and the parents cannot do it. What is Ontario, your Ontario doing to help Kassashua? The Premier and Minister of Health. Well, the member raises a very important question, one that needs considerable assistance. We did have a good response with operation remote immunity for first doses, where we worked with Orange, we worked with leaders in the First Nations communities to make sure that anyone who wanted to receive the first vaccine was able to do so. But we're also working on second doses as well and we're also working with communities that have had breakouts where there are situations that demand assistance in a very timely manner. We want to work with the communities to make sure that we can deal with the cases of COVID and then also make sure that people receive the doses as soon as they're able. A seven-week-old child isn't able to receive a dose, but of course we want that baby to be brought back to good health and we will work with you to make sure that that happens. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister, we eye-spoken to the Chief this morning. Not one Minister made a courtesy call to Chief Friday to ask his needs. We have an 18-year-old kid taking care of 11 children. The youngest, two months old. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, COVID is impacting all the Creek communities along the James Bay coast, especially Qashish one. I'm asking, no begging, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs to work with the communities. The communities desperately need supplies, humanitarian assistance, isolation tents for families already living on unsafe and overcrowded conditions. Community leaders and workers who are not in isolation or exhausted and burnt out. We cannot sit here and act like nothing is happening. Mr. Speaker, will this government step up and provide resources and assistance to Qashish one and the rest of the James Bay to get through this crisis? Mr. Health. Well, yes, of course, we will provide assistance. Whatever is required in order to make sure that people receive the immunizations, but those who are ill, they receive the health needs they require as well as the other resources. We know that as a result of COVID that there are many different communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID. And our goal is to make sure that we protect the health and well-being of every Ontarian, regardless of where they live in the province. So to answer your question, of course, we will provide assistance. Next question, the Member for Milton. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General. I was pleased to see that our government passed the Combating Human Trafficking Act with all parties support. This fulfills a key commitment by the Premier during last year's announcement of five years anti-human trafficking strategy that Ontario would take a hard look at legislative options available to combat this heinous crime. I know that all members of this House agree that human trafficking has absolutely no place in our communities across Ontario as demonstrated by all parties supporting this bill. But Mr. Speaker, I'm sure that this is no easy feat. Given Ontario has the most reported incidents of human trafficking in the country, can the Minister please provide more details on how this legislation will help whole defenders accountable so that those who perpetrate this heinous crime face real justice? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I reply with the Solicitor General. Thank you and thank you to the Member for Milton for raising this important issue. It was a real honour when the Premier asked myself and my co-lead Minister Dunlop, the Associate Minister for Children and Women's Issues to lead this important work, and I am pleased that we have had support from all members and parliamentarians. So as you know, our young people are at the greatest risk of being exploited by traffickers. The average age of an individual who is recruited into trafficking is just 13 years old. The Combating Human Trafficking Act creates a number of very important tools to help ensure that investigations into human trafficking can proceed quickly. The legislation will provide police services with authority to access hotel guest registry information and authority for non-compliance of $5,000 and provide the authority to expand guest registry requirements to other accommodation providers. It also requires companies that advertise for sexual services to have a contact for law enforcement and other agencies to request information in support of human trafficking investigations. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Assistant General for that answer. It is definitely reassuring to hear Solicitor General highlight how the proposed legislation would provide new tools to more effectively hold offenders accountable. But this House is most concerned with the victims. I've heard the Solicitor General speak at length how important it is that we remember the survivors of human trafficking. So my question to the Solicitor General, can she identify what resources were being available and putting in place for the survivors of this heinous crime? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Attorney General. Thank you. The member is absolutely right. Human trafficking investigations can be complex, spanning across jurisdictions and over many years. I'm proud to say that today we have announced we are investing $5 million over two years to enhance services and supports available to victims of intimate partner violence and human trafficking through the new Victim Support Grant program. We continue to provide our police services and community partners with the funding they need to develop new or enhanced services, supports, and resources that will strengthen local prevention efforts and help protect victims and survivors. Successful applicants will be able to use the grant funding to support a number of projects and initiatives such as developing multi-sectorial teams to support specialized intervention in suspected incidents of intimate partner violence or human trafficking. Setting up collaborative community initiatives to build local capacities to support victims and survivors. Supporting initiatives that are survivor led and or involve meaningful collaboration and involvement of individuals with lived experience. There is so much happening on the human trafficking file and I'm pleased to share just a small bit of it today. Next question, the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much. My question is for the Premier. I'm glad that the committee has, I know that we are notshirevering the voices of small business owners to this house as they begged this government for additional supports. But a hopeful and successful restart may not be possible if we can't control the outbreaks. A lesson this government should have learned by now. Waterloo regions COVID cases over the weekend were just shy of Toronto's. We need to put this fire out vaccinations. These are urgent concerns, but we are here during this, but we're here during this emergency session, and we're not addressing the rising cases in Waterloo. We're not addressing business support concerns. And we are here so that this government can override Ontarians charter rights. That's why we're here, instead of the real concerns of Ontarians to the government. Why is violating charter rights more important than stopping the outbreaks in Waterloo or Keshavon or anywhere else in the province of Ontario? And why are your priorities so out of whack with the people of this province? Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the member for the question. It is a very important one. We are continuing our work with vaccinations and we are receiving significant responses. We have now vaccinated 74% of the people of Ontario with at least one dose. We've administered over 11,300,000 vaccines, but we still know that there are variants of concerns out there, particularly the Delta variant, which is why as of June 14th, individuals who live in areas of high Delta prevalence, including Houlton, Peel, Porcupine, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin, Guelph and York Public Health units who've also already received their first dose of the vaccine before May 9th will be able to receive their second accelerated dose, because we want to make sure we can continue with the opening up of Ontario that we don't allow these variants, particularly the Delta variant, to take over. So we are concerned about it. We are dealing with it, particularly in Waterloo area. Speaker, there seems to be a lack of urgency here to prevent a fourth wave or support small businesses. There has been very little understanding of the challenges that small businesses have faced during this pandemic. Take commercial insurance, for instance. How can small businesses be part of the economic recovery of the province if they can't access affordable insurance? But have we been debating legislation to help small businesses access affordable insurance so we can be open for business in the province of Ontario? No, we have not. We are here because the Premier wants to silence his critics using the notwithstanding clause and overriding charter rights. Why is this PC government so disconnected from the real needs of Ontario? You need to put the people of this province first ahead of your own political interests. Members to make the comments to the chair. In respect of economic development, child creation and trade. Thank you very much, Speaker. And thank you very much for the important question about Ontario's small business. Speaker, we have had an unprecedented and historic level of support going out to businesses, one that was made necessary throughout this entire pandemic. To date, we've made almost $3 billion in grant payments to support over 110,000 businesses across Ontario. And right now to the end of the month, these further small businesses in the tourism and the travel sector can apply for up to $20,000 in further government support and grants. So Speaker, there has been, as I said at the beginning, an absolutely unprecedented and historic level of commitment from this government towards our community to help to the small business sector. Thank you. Thank you. Next question, the member for Ottawa. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And we're nearing the end of the premier's five alarm, all hands on deck emergency debate, rushing to override the charter and people's rights. Yet he didn't utter a word in debate, other than a heckle directed at the member from Windsor Essex. Not a peep about why he didn't look for a stay or consider other options available to him. That would be the reasonable thing to do. Instead, he's killing a fly with a sledgehammer. The notwithstanding clause is about protecting people's rights, not taking them away. The courts told the premier, you've gone too far. Now it's like his house is on fire. An urgency that's been missing all year long. So, Speaker, through you, why isn't the premier in such a hurry to override people's charter rights when there are other more appropriate and reasonable options available to him? Of course, Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely no surprise to me that the Liberal Party would like to see no rules in place. Now, between 2000... Order. Ottawa South, come to order. Government House Leader. You know, Speaker, it's unfortunate that the opposition always have to revert to character assassination and insults to try to make a point. It is precisely why we are here, Mr. Speaker. Order. Government House Leader, please reply. It is precisely why we're here, Mr. Speaker. We are here because the Chief Electoral Officer of this province understood that third-party involvement in Ontario elections in the first, second, third and fourth Liberal administrations, which there were no rules on the table, was inappropriate, Mr. Speaker. Sponsor. We had limits that ensured that more money was being spent in the province of Ontario than all provinces and federal elections combined. That was inappropriate. We struck a good balance, Mr. Speaker, and that is why we're going to pass this legislation later today. Speaker, I was looking for an answer, not piety, okay? So not withstanding clause is not a get-out-of-jail-free card because you don't get your way. The Premier has shown his urgent priorities are his friends, MZO's, the university, the top job. He has no plan for the two million children who are waiting to go back to school. They're still waiting for a plan. Families of children with autism, they're still waiting. So waiting for a commitment to implement the long-term care commission's recommendations. PSWs are still waiting for a permanent wage increase. Clean water. I could go on and on. The Premier's priority is his political interest, not those of Ontarians. Clearly his priorities, they're just out of whack. So, Speaker, through you, why is the Premier putting his own political interests ahead of what's most important to Ontario families? I remember really getting up and asking a question like that. Let's look at what he said. We have no priorities, he said, Mr. Speaker. Let's put it this way. We are prioritizing the construction of 30,000 long-term care beds when his government for 15 years built 600, Mr. Speaker. We are prioritizing education. While they were closing 700 schools, this Minister of Education and this Premier were building schools, Mr. Speaker. While they underfunded healthcare, we started to reform healthcare, bringing in Ontario health teams and bringing funding to the highest level in provincial history. Although they could not build transit and transportation, this Minister of Transportation is finally building subways in Toronto, Mr. Speaker. Subways that will reach all the way to York Region for the first time, Mr. Speaker. Every single thing he mentioned in his question, he highlights the failure of his government, not over one, not over two, not over three, but four liberal administrations, Mr. Speaker. A record of failure unsurpassed by any other party in the history of this province. We start the clock. The next question, the member for Milton. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Associate Minister of Small Businesses and Red Tape Reduction. Minister, we know that small businesses are the backbone of the economy, the heart of our local communities, and will be key to restoring confidence in a safer return to in-person commercial activity. With Ontario taking the first step on the road map to reopen on Friday, can the Minister tell this House how the government is using rapid testing as a tool to keep small business employees, customers and communities at large safe? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Associate Minister of Small Businesses and Red Tape Reduction. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for Milton for that question and his steadfast support of small businesses during this pandemic. Speaker, Ontario has been a national leader in the deployment of rapid tests, and we've managed our supply of rapid tests to ensure ongoing availability for organizations and businesses across the province. We know that rapid tests can prevent workplace outbreaks from otherwise asymptomatic employees and keep our hardworking businesses open. That's why we have partnered with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, their Chamber of affiliates, municipalities across the province to introduce more COVID, the COVID-19 rapid screening initiative. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to report that less than a month after the launch of this program, Ontario has shipped over 2.4 million rapid tests into these chambers and communities across the province. I look forward to continue working with these chambers and municipalities to deploy more tests. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank the minister for that answer. Helping small businesses operate safely while protecting the broader community will be a key to keeping us progressing on the roadmap to reopen. And I'm pleased to hear that the success of this initiative for small businesses across our great province. Could the minister please tell us how rapid testing is accomplishing similar successes for essential businesses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Associate Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member once again. Ontario has delivered over 12.3 million rapid antigen test kits to over 2600 work sites across the province. This includes the COVID-19 rapid screening initiative with the OCC. Our total rapid testing strategy effort is helping businesses and other organizations keep employees and their families safe by helping keep the virus out of those workplaces. For essential businesses that are allowed to stay open and require staff to be on site, the rapid antigen screening at the workplaces giving peace of mind and ensuring that operations continues steadily and safely across Ontario and especially in hotspot areas. Test shifts to essential industry workplaces has nearly tripled since April, and this includes 719 essential industry sites, many of which are in hotspot regions. We look forward to continuing to work with us, our partners across the province to continue deploying these rapid. Thank you very much. Next question, the member for Davenport. Thank you, and good morning, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Premier. Speaker, lack of transparency around the decision to keep schools closed this month has parents once again worrying about what's going to happen in September. There's been no planned table to show what public health metrics will be used to determine reopening in fall, no public information on how many education workers are fully vaccinated or how many will be, no update on how guidance will change on masking or cleaning or screening based on new evidence. We could be debating that now this weekend so that kids are back in school this September. Instead, we're here debating a bill to silence the Premier's critics. Speaker, will school boards, education workers and parents be left waiting again until August before they see any kind of plan for safer school reopenings? Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have announced over a month ago the grant for soon needs as well as the PPF funding in that announcement. I made clear this July the incoming Chief Medical Officer fell. Dr. Moore will provide the final council and advice the province based on public health indicators and vaccination rates. What we have intended to do notwithstanding that advice will come in some weeks once we're closer to September is creating more normal, stable and, yes, safe September for all children and staff. I'm proud to report that nearly 40% of children aged 12 to 17 have received their first dose of the vaccine. And Mr. Speaker, we're well on our way by August to get every student, every staff member who wants one a second dose ahead of September. That's part of our plan for the broader population to be double dosed this summer. Mr. Speaker, we've allocated $2 billion in increased investment, $1.6 billion specifically for COVID resources to maintain asymptomatic testing, the doubling of public health nurses, the enhancement of cleaning our schools and strict spending before kids and staff enter. As well, Speaker's additional money for learning loss. We're going to continue to invest in mental health, learning loss and the COVID-19 resource to ensure students and staff remain safe this September. Speaker, this is what we're worried about. Is it going to be mid August, late August before they change the plans again? And school boards are scrambling and families are struggling. Speaker, the minister is offering families more of the same things that led to the longest closures in Canada. Vague promises, a lack of transparency, $800 million less according to the financial accountability office for our schools. Getting kids safely back in school must be our top priority, both for their well-being but also for our economic recovery. We could be working through the night on a plan to do that instead of the blatant abuse of power we witnessed here this weekend. Speaker, can the Premier explain to families and to the thousands of Ontarians who are watching through the OFL live stream right now why he's prioritizing his own political future ahead of our kids' education? The opposition have foreshadowed what they're offering this September, which is fear for the population instead of working with the government to ensure students and staff are safe. It's why a month ago, well before this week, and we announced an investment within the grant for student needs, which is the principal vehicle funding for school boards, over $500 million more this coming year than last year, Speaker. $1.6 billion in COVID-19 reasons, unlike last year, provided in part by the federal government, entirely provincial dollars to make sure we maintain every infection prevention protocol to ensure Ontario remains one of the lowest jurisdictions in the country with case rates for children under the age of 18. Mr. Speaker, we've also invested an additional $85 million for learning recovery, recognizing reading and math have seen regression really right around the western world. That's why we put in place a plan to support expanded summer learning as well as tutoring for children for mental health, recognizing, as was noted earlier, the unprecedented impact of this pandemic. We have insured an $80 million investment, 400% higher than when the former Liberal government was in power, because we're committed to the wellness as well as the success of students now and into the future. Thank you. The next question, the member for Ottawa Vane. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. At trial, the Attorneys General's own expert witnesses conceded that the present third-party spending restrictions during elections are strong enough to prevent electoral interference. Given both broad experts' recognition of the strength of the existing spending restrictions for third parties and the clear conflict of interest that the government creates when it changes the rules of the upcoming election, why does the government think that this is an appropriate instance to use the notwithstanding clause for the first time in Ontario's history? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, because we believe that in a parliamentary democracy with a fixed election date that confirming the highest spending limits in the country, even higher than the federal government, Mr. Speaker, and extending those protections to the elections for 12 months is an appropriate balance, Speaker. That is what we brought forward when we brought forward this legislation early on in the spring session, Mr. Speaker. We went through extensive debate in this house. We went through committee hearings in this house, and that legislation is passed. That is the will of this parliament, Mr. Speaker. The judge also confirmed that such limits are important, are necessary, and that they are constitutional, Mr. Speaker. So we will stand up for those principles. We will stand up for fairness in elections, Mr. Speaker. We won't be dragged kicking and screaming like the previous Liberal government was, Mr. Speaker. We think we've struck an appropriate balance. And that is why we're here today, and that is why we will use every tool at our disposal to make sure this fairness for Ontario elections remains in place. The supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, Ontarians have been able to rely on our Charter of Rights and Freedoms for Protection when they have found their rights compromised by government policy. LGBTQ plus people, refugees and persons with disabilities are all examples of communities who have used Charter litigation to fight discrimination and live dignified and fulfilling lives in Canada. Ontarians are right to be concerned that this government is now sending a clear and very concerning message that it is willing to use notwithstanding clause as a simple tool to override their protected Charter rights when their rights conflict with the government's policy agenda. So moving forward, my question is to the government, what will be the government's bar for invoking the notwithstanding clause to override Ontarians Charter rights? Mr. Speaker, what honestly, what an unfortunate question to ask, especially given what this province has gone through in the last number of days. Mr. Speaker, we are using the notwithstanding clause to protect the fairness of Ontario's elections. I don't have to remind the member opposite that in fact this House spoke in a unified voice led by the Minister of Small Business when we discussed and debated the use of the notwithstanding clause in another province specifically on taking away people's rights and their ability to show or use symbols that this other province considered not acceptable. We spoke as a unified voice against that, Mr. Speaker. What we are doing today is ensuring that elections are fair. We saw in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2014, a chief electoral officer who saw out of control third party spending. Again, four Liberal administrations, four failures were moving quickly in our first term to ensure elections remain safe and fair. The next question, once again, the member for Milton. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. For over a decade under the former Liberal government, our students fell further and further behind due to the outdated discovery math curriculum. Too many children were not being prepared for the world of tomorrow, and we've seen great strides to write the ship in terms of math education in Ontario with updated crippling now being provided from grade one to nine. Last week's announcement was another by the Minister of Education that shows our Premier's dedication to preparing youth with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow. Can the Minister of Education please share with the legislature what is changing in grade nine math curriculum in Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Milton, for his advocacy for financial literacy within Ontario's education and curriculum. Indeed, we have unveiled a new curriculum in this province. Last June, we announced a modernized grade one to a math curriculum. And just last week, a new grade nine de-streamed math curriculum fulfilling our commitment to the people of this province in the last campaign to end discovery math and revert to a system of learning the foundations and building up numeracy in Ontario. It's why we announced a four-year 200 million-dollar math strategy to do just that, of which 40 million dollars is flowing this year alone. The new curriculum we unveiled for the first time puts a real emphasis on real-life application of mathematical concepts, connecting the theory to the everyday experiences of students through their journey in life, from owning a home, taking a mortgage, paying tuition, to paying taxes. These are the foundations of learning that we need in our curriculum that at this September students of grade nine will have. We're also creating a greater understanding of STEM education, skill trades, and the opportunities in these high-wage industries. We're going to continue to champion modernization of our curriculum to ensure students achieve the full potential in Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister, it is great to see that this government is providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in this world. It is also very exciting to see that the announcement of new curriculum has been receiving high praise from employers to quote Matthew Wilson, senior vice president at Canadian Manufacturing and Exporters in iCode. By updating its grade nine math course to include coding, data literacy, and mathematical modeling, Ontario is taking key steps to ensure future prosperity through a growing and innovative manufacturing sector. End of code. First, robotics Canada president is also excited about this new change and he said in iCode, we are excited about this change. End of code. Can the minister tell us more about why employers are receiving these curriculum changes so positively and how we will continue to modernize the curriculum to best prepare our students the future? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Order. Minister of Education to reply. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question from the member opposite because it underscores a truth which is over 16 years that the curriculum in this province is outdated and disconnected from the labour market needs of our young people. It is not a coincidence, Speaker, that in the former Liberal government, youth unemployment was twice the rate of the average. It's unacceptable. Young people want to work. They want to own a home. They want to aspire to fulfill their life's dreams and yet they were impeded by often out-of-date curriculum disconnected from the job market and the skill sets that they need in life and in employment. And that's why we have unveiled a new curriculum from grade one to eight and again, a new grade nine math curriculum that is going to really help make the difference. We are going to go further, Speaker. Applied the same critical lens of connecting the fundamentals within our curriculum to the job market in the grade 10, 11 and 12 math curriculums. We're going to go further. We're going to continue to build momentum to ensure young people graduate with the life skills, the job skills that will ensure that they have a competitive advantage when they graduate in this province. Well, very good. Next question, the member for Brampton Centre. Thank you and good morning, Speaker. And I'd just like to start off by also echoing the comments made by the leader of the official opposition this morning at the beginning of question period and welcome the members of the Ontario Federation of Labor who have filled our virtual galleries for today's proceedings. Speaker, nearly 4,000 seniors and staff lost their lives in long-term care. There was no emergency debate for that. The Canadian Armed Forces released their report in May of 2020 outlining the crisis in long-term care. The government didn't think that it was an exceptional priority to debate that crisis and address it at that time. Speaker, as of today, 46% of our homes, long-term care homes, still do not provide air conditioning to residents in their rooms as we prepare for a sweltering summer. That should be a priority for this government, but it's not. No emergency debate to help manage the ongoing staffing crisis in long-term care, Speaker. This government needs to get its priorities straight. Question. Speaker, can the Premier explain to families and residents of long-term care why ramming through undemocratic changes to the Election Finances Act is more important than protecting seniors in long-term care in the province of Ontario? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Well, in fact, there actually have been two debates with respect to the use of emergency powers in this province, Mr Speaker, the Solicitor General, as well as the Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Minister of Health have appeared in front of a committee with respect to the COVID-19 response and the emergency powers that are within that, Mr Speaker. I note that, of course, prior to the pandemic, we were talking about long-term care, unlike the opposition, that was not. We said that we needed to build 30,000 new long-term care beds, Mr Speaker. We did that, Mr Speaker. We are well on our way to building 30,000 new spaces. We said that we had to have more PSWs. That's why we're hiring over 27,000 additional PSWs. We said that our homes needed to be air conditioned, Mr Speaker. That is why we are progressing and have almost completed that work, Mr Speaker. Response? We are hiring 2,000 new nurses, Mr Speaker. Four hours of care, Mr Speaker. On every single measure before, during, and certainly after, we continue to focus on long-term care, continue to focus on the priorities of Ontario. Thank you. And the supplementary. Speaker, it's clear to everyone in the province of Ontario that this government dithered and delayed on actually taking action in long-term care, and that's why we had more deaths in long-term care during the second wave than we did the first. So they can pretend they were taking action while seniors died, but they did nothing. Families of residents of seniors in long-term care, personal support workers, and frontline heroes have been raising the alarm bell about the crisis in long-term care, but there was no urgency from this government to act. They waited an entire year before actually releasing any form of a staffing strategy. These are workers like members of the Ontario's Nurses Association, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, and the Ontario Federation of Labour Speaker. They are speaking up because this government is trying to silence their voices. They have called this bill an undemocratic power grab aimed at silencing those that this government hurt the most. Families, workers, nurses, seniors in long-term care deserve to have their voices heard. Speaker, why is this government trying to silence those that they hurt most? They're critics. For their own political gain, rather than protecting workers and families in this province speaker. So I remind the Deputy Leader of the NDP that when asked specifically what would you do differently, she could not answer, Mr Speaker. When it comes to long-term care, we have provided significant resources in light of the fact that the previous Liberal and NDP administrations, the coalitions did matter. We decided that we needed to move quickly in ensuring that long-term care was taken care of. Thousands of additional PSWs. Hundreds of new beds, Mr Speaker. This is the legacy of this government in only its first term, Mr Speaker. So we are very proud of that. There's much more work to be done. And as they have mentioned, the OFL is watching today and to our friends in the OFL and the labor movement, I can tell them good news for them is also on the way with hundreds of... Vigil opposition, come to order. ...us always being built. Expansions of GO train, Mr Speaker. Highways being built. The future looks good for labor, Mr Speaker. The backbone of those individuals who will be building these new roads, who will be building these new... Expansions, Mr Speaker. The future looks good for them, unlike what we saw in the previous administration where hundreds of thousands of people lost their job on terrors, on the right path to growth and sustainability for a long term to come. Thank you. Next question. Member for Guelph. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. This past weekend was revealing. It showed how quickly the government is willing to act, to violate people's charter rights and silence critics to address government priorities. Re-election. I don't understand why the Premier doesn't move with the same urgency to make pandemic pay permanent or to support small businesses. Many eligible small businesses have not even received their grant money yet from the Ontario Small Business Support Grant program. Others, such as small contract brewers and independent travel agents, have received no support whatsoever. So Speaker, will the Premier show the same urgency and support small businesses by fixing the Small Business Support Grant and delivering a third wave of funding to get us through the third wave of the pandemic? To reply, the Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Production. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. We recognize the significant challenges that many small businesses have been facing and have been going through during this pandemic, and that is why we rolled out the largest investment to help support those small businesses. To date, $2.9 billion of direct payments have been made to small businesses in Ontario that have been highly impacted. We recognize that along with that, we have put forward programs to ensure that 100 percent of their energy costs are recovered, 100 percent of their property tax are covered. We will continue to work with small businesses as we have since the start of this pandemic. I have personally done over 130 round tables with small businesses, industries, association, business owners to see what other supports are needed, how we can better support them. We have on the back end of the Small Business Support Grant tripled the support to get through those applications because we recognize how important it is to get the supports and money to those businesses as the $2.9 billion have already flowed through. Let's talk to the next question. Speaker, there's no need for more consultation or asking. Small businesses have been telling the government for weeks and months now that the Ontario Small Business Support Grant is broken. Many eligible businesses have still not received funding. Others have completely fallen through the cracks. So I guess the answer from the Associate Minister was no. But Speaker, I'm going to give the Associate Minister one more opportunity why we're still sitting. Will the government will the government deliver a third round of funding to help struggling small businesses get through the third wave of the pandemic and will they fix the eligibility criteria of the grant program to support all small businesses in this province? The Associate Minister. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And as I noted, I've noted before, every eligible business in the Small Business Support Grant that has applied will receive their money, Mr. Speaker. On top of that, as we continue to look at other businesses to support, this government introduced the Travel and Tourism Support Grant that increased the access to that Small Business Support Grant to those in industries that have also been impacted. Those are payments of up to $20,000 for businesses, a $100 million program that we encourage all businesses that can apply and are eligible for to apply to. You know, this government, since whether it was the start of the pandemic or before the pandemic, has always supported small businesses. The members opposite voted against a 9% reduction in the Small Business Support Grant. They voted against WSIB premiums being reduced for small businesses. They have voted against $333 million in regulatory reform and cost reduction for small businesses, Mr. Speaker. This government will continue to do whatever we can to support small businesses. The next question, the member for Washington. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier, residents of Ontario find it puzzling that it took you less than 48 hours to recall the legislature to jam through a law that silences your critics. Meanwhile, for the entire month of January, you refused to recall the legislature as the province was seeing the highest monthly numbers of COVID-19 deaths. In Niagara, we saw weekly peaks where seniors or family members were dying every three and a half hours. However, you recalled it back for this. So many sacrifices like patients that heartbreaking have had their surgeries delayed. Within my community, there is a significant backlog with surgeries. This is because many residents have had their surgeries postponed because of concerns with ICUs and hospital capacities. Premier, what do you have to say to the residents that still are waiting on surgeries? When your priority is to recall the legislature to silence your critics and be silent on hospital funding. Minister Kelle. Thank you very much and thank you for the question. Getting people to their surgeries that were delayed because of COVID-19 where the hospitals were full is a priority for us. We know that many people have been waiting for a very long period of time to have surgeries done and diagnostic procedures as well. We know that we have to get back to that as soon as we can and we have, although I would note that even during the course of the pandemic of people needed surgery, most hospitals did over 88% of their targeted surgical allocation and were able to complete over 430,000 scheduled surgeries even during the course of the pandemic. However, recently because we are seeing that the numbers are going down because of so many people in Ontario doing the right thing and becoming vaccinated, that we first of all rescinded directive 2 which allows hospitals to go back to conduct a number of surgeries and now there's been a further direction indicating that in addition to day surgeries inpatient surgeries can now be completed. So we are work actively working on reducing that backlog and the number of people that require those surgeries and procedures starting as of today. Several weeks ago, as a matter of fact, we've been working on it. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and while I have the chance, I'd like to thank the thousands of OLAFEL members that are watching this debate today. We need hospital funding that makes a difference back in the first or the second or the third wave. Ontario residents needed investments to stop hallway medicine before the pandemic. We've been left flat footed. No one will ever forget the June before the pandemic. Ontario's own data collection agency has shown it was the worst June for hallway medicine ever. Hospital funding was a problem under your watch before this pandemic. Now, Ontarians predicting an elective surgery backlog of nearly 420,000 by the fall. These backlogs were created because of our hospitals needed more supports during the pandemic as ICUs were overrun. Will this premier turn and speak to the residents in my community waiting for surgeries and explain why it is more important to call back the legislature to pass a law that helps in silence as critics rather than pass a lot of health patients to get their health care. Thank you. So much. Thank you very much. And I'll remind members again to make their comments. Minister of Health to reply. Thank you very much, Speaker. Well, our government recognized the issue with hallway health care. And it was one of the promises we made to the people of Ontario as part of the last election that we would deal with it and we are dealing with it. We have put in hundreds of millions of dollars into hospital funding. We have since the start of the pandemic to over 5.1 billion dollars and hundreds of millions of dollars even before that. We're also dealing with the backlog and scheduled procedures. That is a priority for us because we know that people have been waiting for a very long time. But again, thankfully because of the efforts of the people of Ontario in getting tested and getting vaccinated, we are starting to see the numbers in our hospitals go down. We're going to continue to invest money but we're going to continue to invest in the surgical procedures that we know need to be made in order to get people the surgeries that we need. We've put 500 million dollars into advancing that and we'll do more as we need to make sure that we can get the care that they deserve. There's no point to order during question period. The next question, the member for Don Valley West. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And my question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, last night I attended two vigils, one in Thorncliffe Park and one in Flemington Park for the family that because of Islamophobia was murdered in London this week. And I know that every member of this legislature mourns the loss of Talat and Salman Afzal, Medea Salman and Yumna Salman. And we all worry about the future of nine-year-old Fayez. And we will need to hold him in our hearts, Mr. Speaker. But in order to tackle Islamophobia here's what else we need to do. We need to make an action plan. We need to be really specific about the steps we can take as policy makers. If ever a situation called for an all-party process, Mr. Speaker, this is it. Speaker, will the Premier agree to work with all parties in the legislature as well as civil society organizations to develop an action plan to tackle Islamophobia that will include reinstatement of the anti-racism directorate? And to reply, the government knows that. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Of course, we'll continue to work with all parties in the legislative assembly. I think that goes without saying. As I said earlier in question prayer, this assembly spoke as one voice earlier on in its mandate with respect to how this legislature jointly felt with respect to the use of the notwithstanding clause in another province, Mr. Speaker. So there is a lot of work that needs to be done with respect to not only Islamophobia but all forms of racism. I know that the Solicitor General has been working very closely with other members to ensure that we not only strengthen the anti-racism directorate, Mr. Speaker, but I know it is a priority for the Premier, it is a priority for this government. And I certainly know that it is a priority for all members of this legislature. So we will continue to do that important work, all of us, and I'm sure it's work that will not stop and will go beyond the life of this parliament, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. That concludes our question prayer for this morning. Member for Waterloo has a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to move a motion regarding the immediate passage of Bill 153, the Long-Term Care Homes Amendment Act till death to us part, brought forward by myself to help ensure that seniors are not separated from their spouses in Ontario long-term care homes. Member for Waterloo is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to immediately move a motion. The unanimous consent of the House to move a motion regarding the immediate passage of Bill 153, the Long-Term Care Homes Amendment Act till death to us part. Agreed? No. Agreed. We're to no. Member for... I'll go with Manitoula. No, I'll go with her. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to immediately pass private members motion 137, table by the member for Davenport, calling on the forward government to implement a back-to-school plan with improved funding for classroom caps, better ventilation, and a safety committee made up of experts, parents, students, education workers, unions, and boards. The member for Algoma, Manitoula is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to immediately pass private members motion 137, table by the member for Davenport. Agreed? No. We're to no. We're to no. We're to no. Member for Hamilton Mountain on a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to bring forward a motion to pass Bill 244, the No COVID-19 Evictions Act table by the member for Toronto Centre so we can better protect Ontario's tenants from losing their housing during the pandemic. Member for Hamilton Mountain is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to bring forward a motion to pass Bill 244, the No COVID-19 Evictions Act table by the member for Toronto Centre. Agreed? No. We're to no. Member for Brampton East has a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. I seek the unanimous consent to bring forward a motion to pass Bill 239, the official opposition's paid sick day bill so we can follow the science tables advice to protect Ontario's workers from COVID-19 and make sure that no one has to make the difficult choice between staying home when they're sick and being able to pay the bills. Member for Brampton East is seeking the unanimous consent of the House, bring forward a motion to pass Bill 239, the official opposition's paid sick days bill. Agreed? No. We're to no. No. We're to no. No. We're to no. We're to no. Member for Thomas Swing Cochran has a point of order. I seek unanimous consent to immediately pass private members' motion 136, calling on the forward government to provide financial assistance for small businesses not eligible for other supports during the pandemic. Member for Timista-Ming Focker and is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to immediately pass private members' motion 136, calling on the government to provide financial assistance for small businesses not eligible for other supports during the pandemic. Agreed? No. We're to no. Member for Longstreet and London West has a point of order. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to move a motion regarding the immediate passage of bill 297, the Centering Youth and Pandemic Recovery Act brought forward by the members for Davenport and University of Rosedell to make sure the needs of Ontario's children and youth are prioritized in the measures to recover from COVID-19. Member for London West is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to move a motion regarding the immediate passage of bill 297 that's centering youth in Pandemic Recovery Act brought forward by the members for Davenport and University of Rosedell. Agreed? No. We're to no. Member for Waterloo has a point of order. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to move a motion regarding the immediate passage of bill 199, the Taxation Amendment Act, Travel Ontario Tax Credit brought forward by the member for Niagara Falls to help Ontario's tourism sector recover from the pandemic. Member for Waterloo is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to move a motion regarding the immediate passage of bill 199, the Taxation Amendment Act, Travel Ontario Tax Credit brought forward by the member for Niagara Falls. Agreed? No. We're to no. We're to no. We're to no. Government House Leader has a point of order. Thank you, sir. I seek unanimous consent of the legislature to pass bill 299, Anti-Asian Racism Education Month. Government House Leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to immediately move a motion regarding bill 299. We pass the bill 299, Anti-Asian Racism Education Month. Anti-Asian Racism Education Month. Agreed? Agreed. The House has given unanimous consent to move a motion regarding bill 299, an act to proclaim May as Anti-Asian Racism Education Month. Someone's got to move the motion if it's going to be considered. Government House Leader? So as you can now I seek unanimous consent to move a second and third reading of and pass immediately bill 299, Anti-Racism Education Month. Government House Leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to move a motion second and third. So I'm advised that the Government House Leader has to move it in place of the member whose bill is in his name. So move the motion for second reading. I move the motion for a second reading of bill 299, Anti-Asian Racism Education Month. On behalf of the member for I move the second reading. I move the second reading. Bill 299. On behalf of okay I move second reading of bill 299, an act to proclaim May as Anti-Racism Education Month. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Calander has moved second reading of bill 299, an act to proclaim May as Anti-Asian Racism Education Month. Further debate. Member for Brampton East. Thank you Speaker. The issue of Anti-Asian Hate is an incredibly important issue. And this is an issue that has impacted, we've seen the impact of this hate across North America. And it is such a pervasive kind of hate and we've seen in the context of COVID-19 it's become more pervasive across the province. We've seen the tragic lives that have been lost unjustly so, inspired by this hate-filled rhetoric and belief towards people from Asian community. Actually the benefit of recently speaking to a group of students about the impacts of anti-Asian hate. And as someone of Asian background I shared my own stories, my own experiences of growing up and facing a lot of bullying. Growing up and facing and feeling this sense that I didn't belong because of who I was, because of my heritage, because of my background. And there's a lot of ways that that impacted me, the anxiety they would create, the stress they would create. And I think that's why it's so important that we need to recognize that though I did experience a degree of racism, there are those who experience far more negative consequences as a result of this hate. And that's why it's so important that each and every one of us speak unequivocally against anti-Asian hate. And each and every one of us understand that we have a responsibility in acknowledging the impacts of anti-Asian hate. And also beyond that go further and start looking at it. And this is a conversation that has come out now with respect to the really terrible and tragic terrorist attack that had happened in London. And that was fueled by a variety of forms of hatred and bigotry. But what people are calling for now more than ever is systemic change. We are calling for systemic change and that's what people want from government. What's so important that we unequivocally condemn forms of hate. And that's something that we need words in that respect. But we can't have just words. If we are limited to just words then we do a disservice towards those who are victims of hate. And that's why people are calling for systemic change to combat all forms of hatred and including anti-Asian hate. And since this is my first time rising speaker and it is very applicable to the conversation that we're having the debate we're having right now I do want to take a moment to address the terrible terrorist attack towards the family in London. The Asfal family. And to think that a family that was going for a stroll was then victim to a terrorist attack that killed four out of five family members. Leaving a nine year old boy with serious conditions who's going to wake up and realize that his whole family was taken away from him just because they were Muslim. This kind of evil hate this terrorist attack is fueled by things like Islamophobia, racism, anti-Asian hate. And that's why it's so important right now that we have across the board an unequivocal condemnation to what happened in London and that we use the appropriate words that we call it a terrorist attack that is fueled by white supremacy, by right wing extremism, by Islamophobia, by anti-Asian hate that we unequivocally denounce this hate but beyond that we commit to systemic to systemic change to combat this kind of hate. And that's something that each and every one of us and this legislature and every single legislature across Canada need to commit to because if we do not look at this from a systemic angle then we are going to be in a position where we're going to see continual forms of hatred continue because it's not enough to just say we need to condemn this hatred and people have been saying this I was at a rally actually on Sunday sorry on Saturday it was on a walk in support of the Asfalt family and there people were very clearly stating that the time the time for words alone is over we need commitment and when we talk about what are those forms of systemic change we understand that systemic racism is pervasive in a variety forms of structures that impact that so let's look at at what are the forms of recent that impact folks we know that we have direct racism the impacts of violence and murder and attacks upon folks but we also have cultural we have structural forms of racism and that's what when folks are calling for a systemic approach a systemic approach towards combating racism these are the angles that they want to look at and I do want to take a moment actually to talk about another way that we can oppose these forms of hatred and it's something that's connected to folks with Asian backgrounds there's something I've spoken about in the past many many times and I want to talk about it again right now because it's important so my name is Goraten Singh it means the jewel of the bringer of light into darkness I think of other beautiful names from diverse communities across where I think the names within my own family my brother's name Jagmeet friend of the world my mother's name Harmeet the friend to the universe there's so much beauty in our names even names from other communities in other cultures names like Mohammed the to Horewate from indigenous communities names like Sol Mamakwa which are so beautiful and diverse but it's so important that we have our names said properly and that we ourselves say our names properly and one of the ways that we can empower ourselves in combating all forms of hate is by embracing the diversity that makes us unique embracing the diversity that makes us distinct embracing the diversity that often makes us the subject of discrimination or of hatred or of being felt being made to feel the other and that's why I'm calling on everyone to embrace their names to love their names say their names properly say them with pride and recognize that you don't have to change your name because you think it's easier for someone else to pronounce as someone can say anesthesiologists Saskatchewan if they can say those words and they can say Guraq then sing they can say Mohammed that they can say Ravi they can say the beautiful diversity of names that make up who we are as a community so let us embrace our names let us love our names let us love who we are and by doing so not only lift ourselves up but lift others up around us and I want to make a challenge to other folks if you have a problem communicating or pronouncing someone's name then just ask them and you always tell people if you're confused ask an individual and we're more than welcome to help pronounce it I know folks amongst the caucus sometimes they have a hard time pronouncing Guraq then and they come to me and they say how do we say it properly and I'm more than willing to communicate that name properly but I think it's a part of this conversation of combating hate and combating anti-Asian hate specifically when I think about my brother actually has spoken about this a lot and it's an experience that you know it's you have to reflect on it when I grew up in the 80s and 90s you know I grew up in a school where I was probably one of the few not only people of Asian heritage but people of racialized backgrounds as a whole and in that time as being one of the few racialized folks it was a time where I you know I've spoken with this many times and brothers you know shared this experience it was tough growing up not only that I have what was perceived of as a funny sounding name as also something that you know people were not aware of the Sikh community they were not aware of our Sikh traditions they were not aware of our practice of keeping long hair they weren't aware of our traditions and our beliefs and when people are not aware ignorance is often the ground in which fear and prejudice grows and as a result of that I face a lot of bullying I face a lot of tough experiences being one of the few racialized kids in my school with on top of it a name that others perceived as difficult to pronounce or as funny sounding and I'll say really long hair and it was something they'd never seen before and it was something that resulted in a lot of taunting and bullying and a lot of schoolyard fights and in that process though you know I had an opportunity where at a decision I could say at a decision where I could begin to resent those aspects of me that made me unique or different or I had an opportunity to double down to love myself even more despite those who would make me feel or want to make me feel lesser for being different and I was lucky because I had a really great role model my brother had gone through a lot of these struggles himself and he always taught me and showed me this way to say that the response towards hatred is by loving ourselves more and by doing so we can be in a position of strength and a position of of really fostering our own self-worth as we oppose this kind of racism and hatred and it was something that would I hesitate to interrupt the member but I need to to ask the house to come to order quiet and down so I can hear the member for Brampton East who has the floor I can't hear you if you're in the office member for Brampton East thank you and I appreciate your words speaker because this is one of those issues like of anti-Asian hate that I really think that it's something that each and every one of us in this house should be paying attention to because especially in the current context where we know the impact of this hate is incredibly it's always been existing we know that forms of hatred and bigotry have especially towards Asian communities exist for quite some time now but in the current context of COVID-19 we know that wrongly so it is being used Asian communities often use as a scapegoat to for the spread of COVID-19 the Asian community being used as a scapegoat right wrongly so for the spread of COVID-19 and we've seen the resulting acts of hatred of terror of violence towards communities and people from Asian backgrounds as a result of this hatred and so I really do think it's important that especially on a subject like this we do have all years focused and and being ready to partake in this conversation because it's so important that we tackle anti-Asian hate in the same way that I think as a whole the conversation is being constructed towards how we start properly opposing hate across the board and what that is is opposing hate in a form where we do condemn it you need to condemn it and you need people and positions of power and authority to condemn it but it's not enough to just condemn it because when you only use words it doesn't actually reflect the systemic inequities that result in the spread or the negative impacts of this kind of hate because hate is pervasive in a variety of ways you do have direct hate you have structural hate you have cultural hate you have these different forms of violence that result in communities that are marginalized being either further subject to violence or further subject to structural violence or cultural violence and that's why when we talk about our role as people in legislature it's really important to recognize that this is where we talk about properly funding the anti-racism director this is where we talk about this is where we talk about ensuring that communities that are disenfranchised that are marginalized have access to resources that they need so they can live their best lives this is where we start looking at it from a from a manner which is not just about saying you know I give this example in a variety of ways just to kind of articulate how structural approaching and fighting hate in a structural form is so important so I have a lot of privilege and I recognize my privilege I am a lawyer I am a man I'm an elected as a political representative and so if someone calls me a racist name or calls me something that is hate filled or something which is something that's born out of bigotry it hurts me and it impacts me but it doesn't impact my ability to put food on my family's table and there's a distinction in that because when you talk about forms of structural hate and structural racism and when you talk about forms of cultural hate and cultural racism when it impacts an individual's ability to feed their family to access resources access education that becomes a far more impactful form of discrimination because you're talking about now and a person's ability to put food on their family's table to provide for their family to be able to provide an education for their family for me when I when I am a victim to racism and I've been many times been documented publicly in many forms in the end of the day because of my privilege it impacts me differently than it may impact a new Canadian who doesn't have the same fluency in English who may be struggling to find gainful employment may be struggling to get access to the resources they need to ensure that they're living their best lives and ensuring they're able to get the help that they need and that's why we must look at this anti-Asian hate from a form that is both direct cultural and structural and I hope that the government will actually not just pass this legislation which is so important to pass but also provide a commitment for funding to start fighting anti-Asian hate because we need to start looking at it from that lens and this is to do otherwise in the current context will come off as tone deaf I was just at the walk for our London family in Mississauga and there on the stage people said we've had enough words from elected officials we now need a commitment a commitment then in a true commitment in this fashion is one that will have a commitment of funding that will tackle this structural form of hatred that will result and has resulted and continues to result and people of different backgrounds being victim to to racism structural direct and cultural it is so important that we understand from that commitment I encourage the government to listen to the moment that we're in right now listen to the moment we're in and ensure that the actions that they're taking are one in which you will actually hear the pulse of Ontarians of Canadians especially in light of the terrible terrorist attack that has happened a couple of days ago just a couple of days ago and we need to are understanding how do we combat anti-Asian hate and a part of that is having that conversation of looking at what are those factors that inspire anti-Asian hate that means challenging white supremacy that means challenging Islamophobia that means challenging right wing extremism because we know that these are the factors that are propelling and they are motivating and they are inspiring these evil acts of hatred of terrorism across the world and of course in our province as well so as I look to the clock and I see that my time is coming to an end I want to recap on the importance of the passage of anti-Asian of anti-Asian hate the passage of this month to ensure that we are recognizing the importance of passing the recognizing of anti-Asian hate but I want to ensure that we are looking at it in a manner that looks to how we not only condemn this as a legislature because that's important I will not never take that away because that is an important step but it's not the only step so we have to look towards beyond condemning it I hope to see that we have a commitment from the government for funding to battle and fight anti-Asian hate I also hope that we look towards continuing to challenge and have this direct approach towards really approaching a head-on fighting white supremacy right-wing extremism Islamophobia bigotry and hate in all its forms I also then want to ensure that we are looking at this and maybe I'm speaking right now to that young Guratun who was growing up in Windsor and faced a lot of racism and to those young folks out there right now or folks from quite frankly from any age group who may be feeling alone right now because of the impacts of this hate and to really say that we need to challenge it structurally but we also need to send that message to say love yourself stand with your head tall and proud say your name properly with pride with love love your community understand that a tree is only as strong as its roots so understand your roots feed your roots let them go deep into the ground let them hold up the tree that you are and together we can fight anti-Asian hate and we can do it in a manner that lifts each and every one of us up and also I want to end by saying this we need to fight anti-Asian hate we need to fight anti-black racism we need to fight anti-indigenous racism we need to fight Islamophobia we need to fight anti-sick hate we need to fight every form of hate that exists and holds people back and by doing so we'll create a more just province thank you speaker for the debate member for Barry Innisfil thank you speaker I rise to obviously support my colleague from Don Valley Norrisville and the importance of it we recognize the need and we are taking action whether it be on anti-Asian racism anti-black racism anti-Semitism Islamophobia anti-indigenous sentiments you name it our government has been elected to represent the people from day one whether it's helping newcomers or people have been in here for many generations I know my family was newcomers but we're helping them all friends whether it's a small business grant whether it's making sure their kids are safe in school and they have the right mask skills to get ahead on all friends we're putting all people first and we recognize that there is no there should be no tolerance for for any sort of racism in Ontario especially when people are coming from all different countries to this great province when they're fleeing tyrannical regimes when they're fleeing intolerance and they're coming to a province that really thrives off of its diversity so on that note speaker I am very thrilled to support this private private members bill and I move adjournment of debate the member for Barry Innisfil has moved adjournment of the debate are we agreed I heard a no all those in favour please say aye all those opposed please say nay in my opinion the ayes have it yes there will be a vote so call in the members there will be a bell prepare the lobbies please