 It is therefore now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Office. Thank you and good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Just hours after the Government tabled its election document last week, the Minister appeared on TVO's The Agenda with Steve Paken. His comments, quite frankly, were shocking. It actually seems to us that the Minister had not read the budget document. Five times, Speaker, five times the Minister made statements that weren't accurate. In fact, the polar opposite of those statements were actually true. The most egregious of those was to suggest the deficit was quote, slayed. When he's forecasting six straight years of deficits and 32 billion dollars more in deficits, how can that be slayed? Speaker to the Minister, who does he think he's trying to fool? Mr. Speaker, we underwent a great recession, the largest in the world at this time. And many Ontarians fought hard to continue to provide some stimulus, and we partnered in that stimulus. We invested heavily contrary to what they wanted us to do, which is to do across the board cuts and put the economy in harm's way. We went from a $19 billion deficit at the depth of the recession, so did the conservative federal government, Mr. Speaker. They had a $50-some-odd billion deficit. We then fought hard to invest and to bring down that deficit, Mr. Speaker. Not only did we bring it down to zero this three-year, Mr. Speaker, we have a $600 billion surplus. We're proud of the work that people of Ontario have done to fight hard to bring our economy to lead Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Back to the Minister. Well, just as he repeated here, the Minister on TV tried to claim the books were balanced when he first had to use the reserves, and good luck trying to convince the Auditor-General of that, by the way, who has three different versions for him. But let's continue with the inaccuracies. The Minister also claimed job creation's numbers will, quote, be 140,000 every year. Well, however, when you turn to page 193 of the budget, it shows declines in job creation every year from 125, 121,000 this year, all the way down to 60,000 jobs in two years. It's no wonder that people think the Minister did not read his own budget. Speaker to the Minister, why would Ontario voters trust him when he's making such blatant comments? Mr. Speaker, not only do we have a $600 million surplus this year and third-quarter results show it, and that's an independent review of the books of the government. That is what it's provided, Mr. Speaker. Furthermore, it's independent economists and those outside of government that are saying this. We have a solid economic performance Ontario's economy has grown more than Canada's and other G7 countries, Mr. Speaker. We also have the quality of those job gains, over 800,000 net new jobs since the recession, the majority of which are full-time high-paying jobs in our province. And thirdly, Mr. Speaker, the proof is in the numbers. Our unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in two decades, and Mr. Speaker, we're going to continue fighting for Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. Final supplementary. Back to the Minister. Well, the Auditor General quotes his numbers as, quote, bogus. The Minister insisted, quote, we are the top in foreign direct investment. Well, Speaker, we've fallen to third. He knows this because I remind him in this legislature many, many, many times. And he seemed to be trying to calm the jittery markets by saying Ontario's debt to GDP, quote, is remaining the same and then tapering down. Well, Speaker, the budget clearly shows our net debt to GDP is going up by half a point, not remaining the same and not tapering down. It's growing from 37.1 to 37.6 this year, all the way up to 38.6% in 2021. That's just absolutely blatantly wrong, Speaker. So I would say to the Minister again, why would Ontario's voters trust this Minister, this government, and this Premier when they're making such blatant comments? Thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, there are 50 states, 13 provinces and territories, and Ontario this year is number three of our foreign direct investment at North America, Mr. Speaker. That is pretty much top of the heat when it comes to supporting economic growth and investments in our province. And Mr. Speaker, our debt to GDP is an important number to assess. When we compare Ontario to other provinces, Quebec, for example, is still hovering close to 50%. Ontario is indeed, as mentioned, 37.1% down, Mr. Speaker, from a high of 39.3%. And it was estimated to be at around 41%. We have indeed reduced our debt to GDP and we are indeed taking the necessary steps to benefit future generations from the investments we're making. Three-quarters of the debt that we are taking, Mr. Speaker, is for capital improvement. Roads, bridges, hospitals, public transit, things are needed to be competitive. Yes, we're in warnings. I'll get a handle on it. New question. The member from Leedspender. Thanks, Premier. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Premier. Yesterday, the judge in the gas plant scandal had some damning words in his sentence. My question is simple. Does the Premier condemn the Liberal government's affront to and attack upon democratic institutions and values? Thank you. Ernie General. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. And, Mr. Speaker, as I have said before in this House, and as all members know, that our Premier and our government take the responsibility around transparency and accountability very seriously. A member from here on Bruce is warned. That doesn't make any difference. Carry on. Speaker, we are committed to being an open, accountable and a transparent government. As a result, Speaker, from the moment the Premier has come into office, she made sure that we strengthened the laws around accountability to ensure that there are good policies in place for document retention. And, Speaker, to train all staff, including the Chiefs of Staff to ministers, so they know exactly what their responsibilities and obligations are under the law. Speaker, that is how the government should always operate. And that is how our government is very much committed to openness and transparency. Answer. As demonstrated by our Premier and this government. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, I'm not surprised the Premier doesn't want to answer because the Gas Plant scandal has her fingerprints all over it. The Premier was the campaign co-chair. She signed the Order in Council. And then her first order of business after the 2014 election was to shut down the Gas Plant Committee. Speaker, isn't the Premier just as responsible for attacking our democratic institutions? Speaker, the Premier has always worked hard to make sure that our government is open and accountable. She, Speaker, promised and delivered on completely opening the government. And we have done so, Speaker, in an unprecedented manner. Speaker, we have done things like sending directives to all political staff. We have developed mandatory training programs. We had appointed Chiefs of Staff who are accountable for record keeping. Speaker, we have improved archiving requirements. We've also, Speaker, bought in an Accountability Act that would prohibit the willful deletion of records and will create a penalty for doing so. Speaker, we have also have worked very closely with the Integrity Commissioner and the Information and Privacy Commissioner. They have, in fact, have endorsed the steps we have taken and we continue to work with them to enforce these rules. Final supplementary. Speaker, back to the Premier. Mr. Livingston attempted to thwart the core values of accountability and transparency. That are essential to the proper functioning of a parliamentary democracy. Justice Lipton said... The member from Durham is warned and the member from Barrie is warned. Carry on. Justice Lipton said, Mr. Livingston's plan was to deny the public the right to know about government decision-making with regard to the gas plant controversy. Mr. Speaker, I want the Premier to answer and so do Ontarians. Does the Premier condemn this liberal operative's actions? Thank you. Speaker, the Premier and the government is absolutely committed to accountability and transparency. And that is why, Speaker, the Premier and her government have taken concrete, decisive steps to ensure that we have the rules. Member from Leeds, Granville is warned. Carry on. The Premier and the government have taken decisive actions so that we have the laws, the rules, and the appropriate training. Okay, the member from Granville, Nipissing Pembroke, is warned. Carry on. Speaker, the training is in place to ensure that document retention is taken seriously and the rules that are put in place are fully complied with. Speaker, I just want to quote, for example, what the Information and Privacy Commissioner said. She said, the Commissioner, at that time, I have appreciated the cooperation I have received from Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Minister of Government Services the Premier issued a directive in accordance with the recommendations made in the report and committed to government. Thank you. New question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Yesterday I asked the Premier a really simple question, but I couldn't get an answer, so I'm going to try again. Does the Premier believe that Ontario has a hallway medicine crisis? Thank you. We have demonstrated in our budget that we recognize that because of growth, because of aging demographics, there is a need to make a substantial investment in hospitals in this province. $822 million, Mr. Speaker, which is the quantum of funding that the Ontario Hospital Association has identified is needed, Mr. Speaker. That's nearly 5% increase, Mr. Speaker. So we recognize that hospitals need support in order to be able to get health care to people more quickly. That's why that is in our budget, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, for years the Liberal government froze and underfunded hospitals. The hallway medicine crisis that we're facing right now was absolutely totally predictable. Overcrowding is the direct result of liberal decisions. Yesterday the Premier said to me, and I'm going to quote, why would the Premier of the province of Ontario want to create a health care crisis in hospitals? That's a good question. Why did she, Speaker? Thank you. Well, I did. In terms of the funding every single year has increased in health care, Mr. Speaker. Every single budget. Health care funding has increased, Mr. Speaker. Every year. We have absolutely, in this budget, recognized a number of things, Mr. Speaker. The hospital funding that I just talked about, $822 million. But, Mr. Speaker, mental health supports are critical. You can't have good health if you don't have good mental health. And quite frankly, as a society, we are catching up. 25 years ago, Mr. Speaker, there was not nearly the awareness of the mental health challenges that there is now. So we are putting $2.1 billion, Mr. Speaker, into mental health. We also recognize that with the aging population there needs to be a continuum of supports. We have been investing billions of dollars into home care. We recognize that more is needed there. But also, Mr. Speaker, we have committed to building 30,000 new long-term care beds. Mr. Speaker, there is a range of supports that we have put in this budget in recognition of the health care, the importance of the health care system. There is cause and there is effect. The Liberals froze and underfunded hospital budgets. That is the cause. And now, we have hospitals packed to the gills. And people are being treated in hallways. That's the effect. Hallway medicine didn't just happen. It was caused. Why did this premier cause today's hallway medicine crisis? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, let's look at what some of the external analysts have said about what's happening in Ontario. So there are a number of third parties that have validated our health care system as one of the best in the world. And just most recently, the Kaihai report that has come out. But it's Kaihai, it's the Fraser Institute, the Wait Times Alliance have all agreed that wait times in Ontario are the best wait times in the country, Mr. Speaker. That is not the result of an underfunded health care system. That is the result of a health care system that has been funded, that has been nourished, that has worked in partnership with government to make sure that the investments are there when they're needed. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, we have an aging demographic. The fact is that the health care system is going through a transformation. More people want care in the community. We have funded that care, Mr. Speaker, but we know that there is more to do and that is why our budget has the supports in it, guys. New question? The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. Last week in Chatham, I met a young woman named Christine. She's a dental hygienist who owns and operates Bright Smiles, a community dental hygiene office. She saw how many people in her community couldn't afford dental care. They couldn't get dental care, so she set up days when anyone could come in for a free cleaning. People like Christine are incredible, and I congratulate her for her big heart, but we can't build dental care on people who are willing to offer care for free. Why doesn't the Premier have a plan to get people the dental care that they need? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, again, I appreciate that the leader of the third party is now starting to talk about dental care. We've been working on putting in place supports through the Healthy Smiles program, expanding that program, Mr. Speaker, working with the dentist in this province to fill what is, quite frankly, a gap in Medicare. As I've said many times, Mr. Speaker, if we were building a Medicare system today in this country, pharmacare and dental care would be included. They were not, and so what we are doing here in Ontario is we are taking steps to make sure that people get the care they need. Last year with OHIP Plus, Mr. Speaker, we made the biggest step forward in expanding Medicare in a generation. All children from birth till their 25th birthday received free prescription medication, Mr. Speaker, all medication. 4,400 medications that are on the formulary. Not a few medications, Mr. Speaker, but all of the medications that are on the formulary. And I'll speak more about the dental plan and the supplementary. Mr. Speaker, when I was at Bright Smiles I met a gentleman named Justin who was there with his daughter. His daughter had five cavities. The Premier's plan to give Justin 50 bucks for five fillings doesn't fix the problem. But Justin told me that dental care for everyone would. Here's what he said. It means an end to the terrible stress we feel every time the kids need medicine, a checkup at the dentist, or a filling. That's what Justin told me. Why is the Premier ignoring the dental needs of Justin's daughter? Thank you, Premier. That quote is very telling because the stress about medicine is no longer something that Justin has to worry about. And I have every sympathy for a family that can't afford to get the prescription medication or the dental care for their children. That's a good thing that family doesn't have to worry about paying for prescription medication. Mr. Speaker, let's be honest about what the plan is that we've put forward. It's $700 for a family of two adults and two kids. That $700 can be used to offset costs. I know it's not perfect. I know that a full care plan would be perfect. I know that a full pharma care plan would be perfect. But we've taken huge steps forward. We will continue to move forward in this province as we work to fill that gap in Medicare that does need to be filled. Final supplementary. Getting your mouth looked after should not be a luxury. It should be a fact of life in our province. As a country, we've decided that everyone should be able to take care of their children not just when they can afford it. I think people should be able to see a dentist, too, Speaker. Why doesn't the Premier? Thank you. Minister of Health and long-term care. Minister of Health, long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Premier said, we do welcome the third party coming to these conclusions in the recent past. Of course we have, as we've said and achieved over the last many years, our Healthy Smiles programme. Some 470,000 children that can access important dental services. And of course this number continues to grow because we continue to expand the programme. And so since 2016 the amount of children enrolled in the Healthy Smiles programme has increased by some 45,000 children. We have more to do. We also support public health units in a number of 100 clinics that public health actually provides for dental care across this province. Thank you. Good question. The Leader of the Opposition. Thank you. My question is for the Premier. The CEO of Hydro One has been handed a $1.7 million bonus. All in, his take-home pay is now over $6 million. Wow. This is unacceptable at a time when taxpayers are fearful of heating their homes when businesses are shutting down when taxpayers are suffering all due to skyrocketing hydro bills. Mr. Speaker, how can the Premier continue to support her $6 million man? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, I know that the leader not the house leader, but the leader Mr. Ford is talking about firing the CEO of Hydro One and firing the Board. I think that is something that he has said he was going to do. I have no idea how that will help any person in the province of Ontario. The reality is that Hydro One's electricity bill and there is a guy to the south of us who is governing by firing and I am not sure that is going so well. The reality is that we need to know what this party is talking about when they are talking about how they are going to run the electricity system in this province. What is the plan? How is that going to work? Back to the Premier. Mr. Ford's first action as Premier will bring an end to this outrageous Hydro One contract. The PCs will use every power at the disposal of this government to remove the $6 million man as well as the entire Board. Mr. Speaker does the Premier support removing her $6 million man? Thank you. It must be a bit galling for the member opposite to have to stand up and put that out as policy. You know Mr. Speaker policy is about how courts to people, policy is about how do we build this province up so that it has a bright economic future. That is not policy Mr. Speaker that is a slogan masquerading as policy. Warnings are still in effect. No question. The member from London West. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. 3,000 York University TAs, RAs and contract faculty are still on the picket line. They are taking a stand against insecure academic jobs and the chronic underfunding of our post-secondary system even if this liberal government is not. When the member for Welland raised this issue earlier this week the minister said she was urging both sides to get back to the table. Speaker, one side is at the table and has been for the last six weeks. Yet York University, a publicly funded institution, sat down for just one day of bargaining. Now instead of negotiating with their employees they have requested binding arbitration. Will the Premier step up show some leadership and direct York University to get back to the table? Thank you. Thank you Speaker. Thank you to the member opposite for the question. This is a situation that is concerning Speaker. It involves our students and we know that the priority has to be to settle this agreement and focus on students education. Mr. Speaker, my call to both sides in this situation is to get back to the table and recognize that compromise is needed on both sides. If we put the needs of the students first and they're learning I ask both sides to do that and to come to an agreement that is fair for both parties. Collective bargaining is something that we support on the side of the House and we're really calling on both sides in this instance to come together, to come to the table and discuss an agreement that is fair to both sides and that might require compromises on both sides so that we prioritize the needs of our students and that they can complete their learning Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The integrity of the bargaining process is not the only issue at stake. The root of the problem is years of underfunding of post-secondary education in Ontario. Now the lowest in the country that has led to an explosion of secure, unstable and low paid academic jobs and undermined the quality of post-secondary education. It's not only Carleton and York where these issues have come to a head Western graduate teaching assistants may soon be on strike and other universities may follow. Ultimately as we know it is students who are most affected by these labour disputes. After 15 years in office why has this liberal government in Ontario to sink to the bottom in terms of per-student funding for post-secondary education? Thank you. Mr. Speaker. My primary concern in this situation is for the students. It's very important that we focus on getting both parties back so that they can come to a fair agreement and the best agreements are done at the bargaining table. But Mr. Speaker, the member opposite down our post-secondary education system, Mr. Speaker. Ontario has a world class recognised education system at the post-secondary level, Mr. Speaker. And you know what Mr. Speaker? We have made under the leadership of our Premier historic investments with the new transformation of OSAP 235,000 students are going to school with free access to tuition under that program. It's creating more access. 34% more Indigenous students are accessing post-secondary through the new OSAP. We have more lone-parent households accessing, Mr. Speaker. And we're going to continue to build up our education system. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. This weekend, Ontario will celebrate its four-year anniversary of the phase out of coal-fired plants. This move remains the single largest greenhouse gas reduction initiative completed in all of North America. The elimination of coal-fired plants has been a major contributing factor in improving the quality of air that we breathe. Thanks to clean air and clean energy, Ontario has saved more than $4 billion in annual health and environmental costs. The small days dropped from 53 in 2005 to zero in 2017. Can the Minister please explain how the elimination of coal-fired plants places Ontario in a competitive advantage? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And of course, I want to thank the member from Barry for that question and of course for all of her hard work. Our government is proud to be a leader in the global fight against climate and as of last year, the electricity that we consume is over 95% carbon free thanks to the early action we took to close coal-fired power generation plants, Mr. Speaker. The overwhelming consensus is clear. From climate and health experts, both in government and in independent organizations, this has resulted in significant reductions in air pollution and improves the lives of the people of Ontario. Just earlier this week, Mr. Speaker, the Environmental Commissioner released a report in which she praised our government's action on eliminating coal saying that taking coal out of the electricity system has dramatically reduced Ontario's greenhouse gas emissions and hasn't improved air quality and public health, Mr. Speaker. So as you can see, unlike the official opposition, our government is taking concrete action to ensure that our kids and grad kids can breathe clean air. Thank you, Minister. It is wonderful to hear that our electricity generation in 2017 was over 95% free of the emissions that cause climate change. I understand this is thanks to the nearly $70 billion that has been invested to modernize the system since 2003. This benefits the people of Ontario today by ensuring that we have clear air. In 2012, the last year of the coal fire power in the province, we had 30 smog days in the six years since we've only had three. These investments have also provided good jobs and opportunities to invest in future generations. I understand that the Lakeview Generating Station, a former coal plant, has been sold. Can the Minister please provide details what the sale of this land means to the province? Minister? Minister of Finance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to talk about the sale of the Lakeview lands. Not only does this site, 177 acres, give us a chance to transform those industrial lands into a waterfront destination where people can play and work and raise a family. The former coal plant, the four sisters as it was known, was the worst polluter generation of pollution and now it's generating over $200 million to the Trillium Trust. Money that will be reinvested in public transit, transportation and infrastructure right across Ontario. Mr. Speaker, this is part of our $230 billion over 14 years to build Ontario up. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to also acknowledge that inspiration Lakeview to revitalize this precious waterfront will enable mixed use and enable our local community to do better. We've had over 30-40 smog days in the past as a result of these initiatives. We've had zero this year, Mr. Speaker. And the late Jim Covey, who just died a few months ago was a champion for inspiration Lakeview and I want to acknowledge his efforts in our community as well. Good question, your members are with the Oscar. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development. Speaker, this is the sixth week that more than 51,000 university students are not in class. 51,000 students Speaker, the Liberal Government failed to act last fall when they let the community cause strike go on for five long weeks putting the students semester in jeopardy. Yet again, the Premier and the Minister have failed to show leadership for Ontario's post-secondary students. Speaker, how many more weeks of class will York University's 51,000 students have to miss before the Liberal Government takes action? You know, Speaker, this is a very challenging situation and I know that students are feeling the effects of the strike but Mr. Speaker, the university has worked to keep the school open so that a portion of their students can continue while the strike is happening. I know this is difficult on all parties Mr. Speaker, but the school is open. What we are asking here is that both sides return to the bargaining table that they think about what compromises can be made on both sides so that they can come to a resolution that is fair to all parties, that is fair to both sides. The best deals are done that's what we believe on this side of the House at the collective bargaining table. We respect the bargaining process and at this point we're asking both sides to come back and to strike a fair deal that is fair. Thank you, supplementary. Back to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development Speaker, on April 10, 2018 the President of York University wrote a letter to the Canadian Union of Public Employees asking that this matter be sent to binding arbitration. The letter said Speaker, in just over one more week we will be facing a possible loss of a summer term with even further consequences for our students. Speaker, will the Liberal government act now to save the semester of 51,000 York University students? Minister of Labor? Minister of Labor. Thank you and thank you to the member for the question about York University. Speaker, it's at times like this that we need to remember that Ontario's got one of the best track records when it comes to collective bargaining between 99% of agreements year after year are reached without either of the parties having to resort to a strike or to a lock out speaker. Speaker, this is an exceptional circumstance. Both sides obviously are availing themselves of their right under the process but I would ask members to remember that the process needs to be respected. The best deals, the best long-term deals in the interest of the students, in the interest of the employees, in the interest of the administration at York University, is best reached by all those parties coming to an agreement around the table. We're a confident speaker that if the right attitude is brought to this that agreement can be reached and the students can be put for a speaker. Thank you. The leader of the third party. Thank you, my question is for the acting premier. In her new budget, the premier proposed that the province assume ownership of Toronto's subway lines. This is the same idea one former conservative leader floated back in 2014 which was roundly condemned at the time by Toronto city councillors the TTC, transit advocates and the public. It is also the same idea that the conservatives are floating in their current plan which again has been roundly condemned. Why would the premier even consider breaking up the TTC speaker? Thank you. The minister of transportation. Thank you very much speaker and I appreciate the question from the member opposite speaker. The TTC subway system has been an incredible bonus to many, many residents in Toronto. This is a very much a world-class transit system and we continue to operate it and collaborate with the city of Toronto to make sure that we can continue increasing service and continue to increase world-class world-class service on this line. I know that with the increasing cost as we continue to build the system out there has been some discussion amongst all of our different stakeholders regarding the cost of running the subway and how best to offset it. These discussions are just starting to see if it is feasible that we will be entering into any agreement with the city of Toronto. But these discussions are worth having in the short term. I'll answer more in the supplementary. When the TTC is properly funded, speaker, it works. When the province paid 50% of the TTC's operating cost it was the envy of the world. The TTC works because the buses, streetcars and subways work together in an integrated network. But now the Premier is proposing to take a page from the Conservatives, the same people who filled in a hole where the Eglinton subway should be and then cut off provincial funding for TTC operations. The Premier is proposing to break up the TTC. Will the Premier stop listening to the Conservatives and start listening to transit riders who want their transit properly funded, not broken up? Thank you very much speaker and we're continuing to move forward with an unprecedented transit build in the GTHA much of which is taking place right here in Toronto. And if the member opposite was listening correctly, she would hear that some of the announcements with the integrated fare announcement, with the continuing transit build of smart track as well as the city's and RER, unprecedented historic build out. But specifically the province will begin discussions with the city of Toronto to determine whether provincial ownership of TTC subway lines could better to provide better transit services for residents in the GTHA. But also allow for a better sharing of costs for transit expansion between the province and the city of Toronto and we are at this time we're engaging with the city to consider what options are available and what could lead to the best results for transit users and any decision that we made will be based on evidence what happened in collaboration and consultation with the city of Toronto. Well we appreciate the NDP's ideas on support for multiple transit operations. The NDP proved once again that they have no real plan on helping to build the much needed transit in this city. New question Members from Carlton, Mississippi Mills Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Minister the Tamil people of Sri Lanka have suffered persecution by their government continuously since independence in 1948 the liberation tigers of tamaleelam were created as a military body to protect the Tamil people the Tamil tigers were a strong fighting force the Canadian government was persuaded to place a terrorist designation on the Tamil tigers in 2006 the civil war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009 with the complete decimation of the tigers. The terrorist designation is not needed anymore. Minister I support the request of Tamil Canadians to ask the government of Canada to remove the terrorist designation. Thank you Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member from Carlton, Mississippi Mills for the question and the member is correct this is an issue that is solely under federal jurisdiction as public safety falls under their purview I sympathize with the community for the tragic decades long conflict which ended in 2009 the tragic war in Sri Lanka resulted in unnecessary loss of tens of thousands of civilians lives many within the Tamil community as Canadians we remain committed to the values that we cherish justice, human rights and fairness both in Canada and in Sri Lanka. Countries like Canada have all recognized that grave atrocities took place during the war in Sri Lanka Ontario does as well. Our focus as a government is our engagement with the northern province of Sri Lanka as well as the vibrant Tamil community here in Ontario and I'll elaborate in the supplementary supplementary Minister the terrorist designation on the Tamil Tigers still exists it is like a black cloud hanging over the heads of Tamil Canadians. The terrorist designation effectively causes a social stigmatization of Tamil people in Canada Tamil people cannot even publicly mourn and remember their fallen people at their Mavarri or Naal remember and services on November 27 of each year the Tamil Tigers no longer exist they will never be a fighting force again. Minister will you come to Parliament Hill with Tamil Canadian leaders to ask the Canadian government to remove the terrorist designation. Thank you Minister. Thank you Speaker, thank you to the member for the question once again Mr. Speaker, our Premier was the first head of government in Ontario to host the Chief Minister of the Tamil dominated northern province of Sri Lanka during his January 2017 visit to Canada and this was an opportunity for the government to convey Ontario's strong interest in seeing and supporting further progress in strengthening this relationship following their meeting last year there was a continued dialogue between our two jurisdiction and just this week the Premier sent a letter to the Chief Minister proposing a possible memorandum of understanding and women's economic empowerment. Mr. Speaker one of Ontario's greatest strength is the diverse community. We are proud of our vibrant Tamil community and the contributions that they have made that they continue to make in all fields to our province. We were also the first to declare as legislature the Tamil heritage month. Thank you. New question from Kingston in the audience. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Our government is investing more in care and services that people need. Our government is committed to easing the pressure families are facing by taking action to improve mental health supports in schools. We know that nearly one in three Ontarians will face a mental health or addictions issue over the course of their lifetime. This includes the two million young people in our schools reflecting the future of this province. In my riding of this group of people who have courageously shared their stories of themselves, their friends, or members of their family facing mental health challenges. Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister, what is our government doing to support well being and a better, brighter for the students of Ontario? Minister of Education. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Kingston . Mr. Speaker, we know that our fast paced lives mean that our young people today are dealing with increasing demands and pressures. And those challenges can mean our students are dealing with serious stress and anxiety in their lives. That's why our government recently announced an additional 2.1 billion dollars for mental health and addiction services in Ontario. This is the largest provincial investment of its kind in the world. And this is the highest investment in our school community and history. So just think about that. For our students and educators, these funds mean more support in our school community and more help. In fact, our budget adds 400 mental health workers to high schools across the province enhances our educators and staff school mental health literacy and equips our students with a happy and healthy and well. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to be part of a government that is driving students' success with more classroom supports. I know that we are doing more to better prepare children for the future by investing in care and not cuts. We can't afford to cut vital services that means so much to students, their families and staff. One billion dollars in cuts from teachers to teachers means that at least 7,000 teachers, early childhood educators and educational assistance would be fired putting all of this progress in jeopardy. Adding 400 new mental health workers in schools is part of our government's plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable for the people of Ontario. That's what our government is doing to support student well-being in our schools. Thanks again to the member for the question. Speaker, we know mental health challenges can begin at an early age. In fact experts say up to 70% of mental health and addictions issues begin in childhood. That's why it's important speaker to make sure supports are there when students need them most. In fact, educators can often be struggling with a mental health concern like panic attacks anxiety or depression. That's why our plan puts direct supports in place in the classroom in the curriculum and on school boards. We want to ensure that our young people get the tools and resources they need to be able to meet their mental health challenges. So we're adding 2,000 more educators to our schools including psychologists, social workers and guidance counsellors and funding by $625 million starting next year. We heard from students that these are the supports they need to be successful and that's why students are at the centre of this historic announcement towards mental health supports. Thank you. Thank you to the minister of natural resources and forestry. Industry experts as well as environmental advocates in my writing and across the country and across the country. Thank you. Tell me that they continue to receive template responses from this government when it comes to concerns raised over the closure of the Ontario tree seed plant. The decision to close the facility was made by this government without any consultation with the industry or the broader community. The government talks about a supposed new tree seed archive and the new tree seed plant. The government is digesting the province of expertise, facilities and a network of people that will be gone forever. Without the Ontario tree seed plant how does the government plan to ensure a sufficient supply of high quality source identified seed for dozens of native tree seed throughout the province? Thank you. Thank you for the question. Actually the program that we are working on is the way in which tree seed will be distributed in Ontario. It will be a better program that will be cheaper for Ontarians and will respect the quality that we want in the tree seed plant. We are committed to biodiversity and ensuring our natural heritage committing to ensuring that Ontario seeds continue to be used in forest planting. So we knew that indeed 80% of the market was done. The seeds were provided by the private market and we are actually moving forward in creating a better program for Ontarians in that respect. So I think I'm happy to provide more details in the supplementary. Thank you to supplementary. Back to the minister. Tree growers across the province remain concerned where they will find appropriate seed needed for future crops. They will find an influx of unidentified seed sources into the Ontario market that favors cost over quality and adaptability. This works completely against the minister's new seed transfer policy. So they asked me to ask you how will the government ensure that the private sector develops the capacity to plan for, collect, process and bank enough seed to respond to catastrophic events in Ontario such as beetle and forest fire devastations and government-assured growers that the private sector will readily replace seed in time for normal annual reforestation projects. Thank you. Minister. Thank you for the question. Actually I think we have there's two instruments that the government has at this disposition. First of all there's the seed zone policy that ensures that actually you provide the seeds in the appropriate zones in Ontario where the seeds are being planted. So we want to preserve the natural heritage in doing so. We also have what we have called the new genetic archives that is in the way and I will certainly continue to work with you in trying to ensure that it does meet the needs of Ontarians. I think the government is actually quite involved in ensuring that we have a modern system that responds to the range of needs for Ontarians that are needed to be committed to ensuring biodiversity but also respecting our natural heritage in Ontario. Thank you. My question is to the acting Premier. On Tuesday the Minister of Transportation claimed that this government has already passed vulnerable road user laws but road safety advocates across Ontario including friends and families for safe streets, cycle Toronto, walk Toronto, bike streets and so on. They have pointed out that in the vast majority of cases a driver who seriously injures or kills a cyclist or pedestrian would not even be charged with the new careless driving offence but will plead down and escape any meaningful consequences for their actions. This happens every day. Will the acting Premier or the Minister of Transportation or anybody on that side of the track in Bill 37 which is a true, comprehensive, vulnerable road user law? Thank you. Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Speaker and thank you for the question. It's amazing to me that even the information I gave this member on Tuesday she has not recognised that we passed a bill that our law enforcement officers were asking us to in order to increase penalties for careless death versus careless driving causing death or bodily harm. It comes with up to a $50,000 penalty, up to two years imprisonment and a license suspension for up to five years. This is a new charge that was not previously available to our enforcement officers and it provides them with a strong tool, one that they have asked for and will help them to do it. It does take time to enact the bill. Officers need to be trained. IT systems need to be changed so that they can respond to this. This is not enacted yet until those very necessary pieces are doing but this new charge is the first of its kind in Canada incredibly important to our road users. Mr. Speaker, Bill 37 defines and expands who vulnerable road users are. Your right to do that. It does mandatory license suspension, mandatory community service, mandatory driver training and the offender must appear in a court for a victim impact statement. Right now, people who are injured or killed in this province, their families do not even get their day in court and so it is incredibly disappointing that the Minister would claim that the new careless driving offence would not have been possible. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Smith, who was here on Tuesday, he was a cyclist who was seriously injured in an accident. He had a hundred medical appointments. The driver got a $125 fine. Surely we can come to some common ground that this is not acceptable. Will this government finally acknowledge that you do not have a driver's license? We only have 12 more days to do it. Thank you, Speaker, and I think that the member opposite misses the fact that we've heard from enforcement officers, they will use the tool. This is what they've been asking for and they are looking for the full enactment of this tool to keep our vulnerable road safety users. It is there in the sentencing. It allows us to keep our vulnerable road safety users in front of them. But for the families, for our most vulnerable road users, including children and seniors and cyclists, we have a duty to do more and to do better. We will continue to ensure that the officers and the justice system have the tools that they need to look after all road users. A new offence for careless driving road users in this province that is up to all of us to ensure that all of us get home safely at the end of the day. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Community and Social Services. Over the past decade, our government has taken positive steps to reduce poverty and support low-income individuals in Ontario. However, while Ontario's economy is strong, I know that not everyone is affected by poverty. And in my riding of Beaches East York, I have heard from constituents and anti-poverty advocates about the need to make substantial changes to our income security system. I've met regularly with interfaith leaders from our community who on behalf of their congregations believe that the 2008 election should be about voting to end poverty. And that's why Speaker, guided by the Minister of Community will not want to improve the system. Will the minister please tell us about our plans for low-income Ontario? Thank you, Minister. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. Thank you to the talk about income security. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the advocates who worked on the security workgroup with us to build the roadmap. More than 900 of them right across the province who shared their ideas on how we can better position Ontario when it comes to supports for low-income Ontarians. And I'm pleased Mr. Speaker to be part of a government that in its budget is committed $2.3 billion over the next three years for these substantial reforms. This is a huge contrast, Mr. Speaker, from when the Conservatives were in power and we know that the former Conservative government made over almost 25% cut to supports for low-income Ontarians, people who are injured, people who are sick, people who can't work, and we have an opposite approach because we believe the best investment is investment into our... Thank you. Supplementary. Well thank you, Speaker, and I want to thank the Minister for his exemplary work on making sure that all Ontarians get to participate fully in our society. Because our government, Speaker, knows that there is a need to make real change to reduce poverty in the province. It costs less to support inclusion and a better quality of life to prevent illnesses and to keep people from falling further behind. And I know that many anti-poverty advocates are proud of this government's unprecedented investments to support low-income Ontarians. In fact, Neil Hetherington, the CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank, says with the measures in this budget there are substantial commitments that help reduce barriers for people living in poverty. This budget sets the stage for serious transformation of our province's income security system. Speaker, Mr. Hetherington could be more right. So Speaker, will the Minister tell the House what other improvements this budget will include to help support low-income Ontarians? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the next three years, we'll see a 9% increase in ODSB and Ontario works here in the province of Ontario. And I think Ontarians need to pay attention to what comes forward in the next few weeks in regards to our budget and this commitment and what the alternatives proposed by other parties, in particular the progressive Conservatives. Mr. Speaker, I think the best understanding on how well we do as a society here in Ontario is how well we work with those who need help. Someone who's injured themselves on the workforce, someone who, because of a challenge, can't get to work to do the type of work to pull in the type of income necessary for the family. When you have a progressive Conservative government that was in power that cut almost 25% off of that funding line, to me, people need to pay attention because. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a question for the Miners of Francophone Affairs. We have a chronic problem in access to French language services and a very good solution for the lack of professionals will be education in French for students in Ontario that could join the public service and does provide the solution for this lack of service. Unfortunately, there's not enough teachers of French in our system and this government was told by experts that this was a problem, that budget cuts cost problems to training for French language teachers. Last month, I asked the Minister of Education if she has a plan, but she does not have a response. There's no response for the Minister. Thank you for the question. It's always a pleasure to speak in French and answer in French questions in French. We are very proud of what we've done. Our government does for the Francophones in Ontario and elsewhere. There's always more to do. That's true. And in this at this moment, we see in the school system how dynamic our teachers are and parents that choose education, immersion education. It's really extraordinary what's happened. So we must be very proud of this success. For me, what's important, Mr. Speaker, it's to work with our school boards. I know that the Minister of Education has a plan and together with our predecessor, Minister Hunter and Nidu Eris, my present colleague, and they continue to work with the school system to develop a system that will help to improve the situation. Thank you. We have a deferred vote on the government notice of motion number five relating to allocation of time on bill six, an act to enact the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Act 2018 and the Correctional Services and Reintegration Act of 2018 to make related amendments to other acts and to repeal and act and to revoke a regulation. Call on the members. This will be a five minute bill. It was due. All members, please take your seats. On April the 11th, 2018, Mr. Leo moved government notice of motion number five relating to allocation of time on bill six, an act to enact the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Act 2018 and the Correctional Services and Reintegration Act 2018 to make related amendments to other acts to repeal the act and to revoke a regulation. All those in favor, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Nack, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Bradley, Mr. McMahon, Mr. Sousa, Mr. Sousa, Ms. Wynne, Ms. Nidu Harris, Ms. Nidu Harris, Ms. Jassy, Ms. Jassy, Mr. Shurella, Mr. Shurella, Mr. Chan, Ms. McCharles, Ms. McCharles, Mr. Dakar, Mr. Dakar, Mr. Duga, Mr. Duga, Ms. Sandals, Ms. Sandals, Ms. Matthews, Mr. Gravel, Mr. Baler, Mr. Baller, Ms. Amalola, Ms. Mereti, Mr. Meriti, Ms. Hunter, Ms. Hunter, Mr Code佟. Mr. Code佟, Mr. Leo, Mr. Leo, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Flynn, Mr. T Evil, Mr. T Evil, Ms. Albaniasus, Ms. Albaniasus, Ms. Lunale, Mr. Lunale, Mr. Cole, Mr. Cole, Mr. Barnetti, Mr. Barnetti, Mr. D'Lain, Mr. Delaney, Mr. Dillon, Ms. Dahmerlock, Ms. Dahmerlock, Ms. Verneal, Mr. Miltjen, Mr. Miltjen, Mr. Dest dieseMNd, M aller, Ms. Mnelli, Witham Dougar, Witham LaNderozian, Mr. Cod massacre, Mr. Mr. Fraser, Mr. Frasier, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baker, Mr. Don, Mr. Don, Mr. Hogan, Mr. Hogan, Mr. Koala, Mrs. Koala, Mrs. Martins, Mr. Potts. Mr. Potts. All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Harner, Mr. Harteman, Mr. Hardiman, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Clark, Mr. Clark, Mr. Yakobusky, Mr. Miller Perry Siamaskoca, Mr. Scott, Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Martot, Mr. Walker, Mr. Walker, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Ostra, Mr. Ostrahoff, Mrs. Monroe, Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Miqu den Herr. Mr. Miqu den Herr. Mr. Petipis. Mr. Petipis. Mr. Coe. Mr. Coe. Mr. Choe. Mr. Choe. Mr. Vantog. Mr. Vantog. Mr. Vantog. Mr. Tawbatt. Mr. Tawbatt. Mr. Tawbatt. Ms. Tawbatt. Ms. Taylor. Ms. Taylor. Ms. Gratsky. Ms. Gratsky. Ms. Gratsky. Mr. Gaitis. Ms. Gaites. Mr. French. We have a deferred vote on the motion of 2nd Reading of Bill 3. An An act to, Respecting Transparency, touches no error with the通uding of an employment call on the members, this would be a five minute call. On March 26, 2018, Mr. Flynn moved to second rating of Bill 3, an act respecting transparency of pay in employment. All those in favour, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Nack. Mr. Nack. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. McMan. Mr. McMan. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Don, Ms. Hogan, Ms. Hogan, Ms. Koala, Ms. Koala, Ms. Martin, Ms. Martin, Mr. Potts, Mr. Potts, Mr. Vantog, Ms. Spite, Ms. Frank, Mr. Tavis, Ms. Natasha, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. Gates, Ms. Gates, Ms. French, Ms. French. All those in pulse, please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerk. Pursuant to the order of the House dated April 11, 2018, the bill is ordered, referred to the standing committee on social policy. Point of order to the member from Ottawa South. Senator, Senators, jerseys would like to meet all those in least jerseys out in the hall after we're done. Just two reminders. Thank you, Member from St. Catherine's. Just two quick reminders. I've been asked to remind people to return jerseys from people that you've borrowed them from. The legislators need to have them. And a reminder that as a sign of our respect, we would like to take a picture of all of the members in the main staircase. And we'll provide that to Humboldt and the Saskatchewan legislature. Thank you very much. There being no further deferred votes.