 The members will know it's time for a question period, so the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. No matter what this government tries to spin, the reality is this government is gutting health care. In order to pay for liberal government scandals, waste, and mismanagement, they have made the choice to cut health care, 815 million taken out of patient care, 50 medical residency spots cut, despite the fact 800,000 Ontarians do not have a family doctor, 50 million dollars taken away from seniors for physiotherapy, and 1,200 nurses cut in the last year. The impact is clear to patients you are dealing with and the quality of care that we expect in Ontario. So Mr. Speaker, my question is simple. What other cuts can we expect in today's budget? What other surprises are we going to see in store for our health care system? Because we cannot sustain this ongoing assault on our health care system. Premier. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, and I want to also welcome the RNAO to Queens Park. And I want to just say to the member opposite and to the people of Ontario that we continue to increase health care funding year over year. So the contention that the leader of the opposition is putting forward is just not accurate, Mr. Speaker. The fact is we continue to increase health care funding. Over 24,000 more nurses are working in Ontario since over 10,800 RNs have been added since 2003. So Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we continue to increase funding. We invest in the capital dollars in terms of hospitals, Mr. Speaker. We're investing in home care. We're investing in mental health supports, Mr. Speaker. All of that in recognition of a changing government order and increasing in health care system. And I look forward to the budget this afternoon, Mr. Speaker, to see how those investments continue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. If you really wanted to welcome nurses to Queens Park, you can start by not cutting 1,200 nurses. But the attack on health care goes beyond the cuts to nurses. What I'm seeing across Ontario is significant cuts to small- I've had to ask both sides to come to order when the question or the answer is put. If that's not going to be satisfactory, I'll move as fast as I can into warnings. So this is your first warning about warnings. Beyond the cuts to nursing, what we're seeing is an attack on small-town hospitals. I look at my own writing, where George and Bay generals facing a proposed $5 million cut by the Minister of Health. It's going to wipe out the obstetrics unit. I look at the news coming out of Welland, where they're worried, very worried they're going to lose their hospital, given what we're hearing from the Ministry of Health. So Mr. Speaker, my question for the Premier is, will she start standing up for small-town Ontario and recognize that you can't give up on all these hospitals? You know, I think there are a couple of issues that the Leader of the Opposition has raised. There one is about how to deliver the best health care in a region where there may need to be a change in or a consolidation of institutions, Mr. Speaker. Again, I think that it is very responsible that in a community like Welland that there would be a discussion about how to best deliver services and to make sure that the most modern and most up-to-date facilities are in place, Mr. Speaker. And in terms of the positions in the health care system, we have to deal with the facts. No matter how much the Leader of the Opposition wants to make his rhetoric true, if it's not the fact, Mr. Speaker, then that's just not possible. So the reality is, over 24,000 more nurses are working in Ontario since we took office and 20,800 RNs have been added since 2003. Mr. Speaker, we have increased the number of nurses in this province. We will continue. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, this isn't a game. What you're doing to the health care system is having a real damaging effect. Everyone knows you're switching full-time to part-time. Everyone knows you're diminishing the investments in health care. Since 2003, you're saying health care spending has gone up. That's 13 years ago. We have 150,000 new patients in the system. Of course, there's going to be cost. I'm just looking at the recent headlines right now. The headlines come out in the last few months. Ten nurses cut at Allmont General Hospital. Seventeen nurses cut at Southlake Regional Health Care. Twenty full-time positions cut at soldiers. Twenty two nurses cut at Southlake Regional Health Care. Two things. Make sure you're making your responses and questions to the chair. Second thing is I now will move to individual members closing in on the warnings. Please finish. Twenty two nurses cut at the Sioux area hospital. Thirty three nurses cut at Cambridge Memorial. A hundred and twenty nurses cut at Windsor Regional Hospital. I hear comments and heckling from other side. Don't be so angry. I'm angry about 1200 nurses being cut because it's affecting our health care system. The beaches East York will come to order. The minister of agriculture will come to order. The minister of natural resources will come to order. The deputy house leader will come to order. The member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke will come to order. The minister of economic development trade will come to order. And if there are any more comments, I'll move to name you. That round is over. I'll switch to warnings because I loathe to think that anyone would not want to sit here for the budget. Premier. Long-term care. Mr. Health. Long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And what's damaging to Ontario's health care is the position of that party, Mr. Speaker. The position where they fired 6000 nurses, where doctors were fleeing this province because they were so disrespected by the PC party, where they made a commitment, Mr. Speaker, in the last campaign to fire 100,000 workers, including 5000 health care workers, Mr. Speaker. And frankly, what Ontarians should be angry about, Mr. Speaker, is that member's position when he was a part of a federal government. Goes both ways. While I think maybe the member is stretching in a little bit, so the member from Simcoe great, please finish. So what's been damaging to Ontario's health care system is that member's position when he was a member of the Harper government that decreased the federal Canada health transfer to this province, Mr. Speaker, and he knows he was one of them. Mr. Tourism, Culture and Sport will come to order. The member from Hamilton Mountain will come to order. New question. The member from Leeds, Grenville. Thanks, Speaker. My question to the Premier. Over the past week, the Ontario PC caucus has made three straightforward, reasonable demands on behalf of the people of Ontario of this year's budget. In doing so, we told the story of 74-year-old widow Kathy Van Breta and her astronomical hydrovilles. We asked the Premier to come up with a plan to make energy more affordable for Kathy and thousands of seniors like her. And we asked that the plan include stopping any further sale of Hydro-1. This budget must take action. Speaker, will the Liberal government stand up for families, seniors and businesses by tackling Ontario's skyrocketing hydro rates, and will they stop the further sale of shares in Hydro-1? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, let me just say to the members constituent and to anyone in the province who is in need of support in terms of paying their electricity bills, Mr. Speaker, there are a number of programs that we have put in place, the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit, Mr. Speaker, can save individuals up to $973 a year and up to $1,100 per year for qualifying seniors, Mr. Speaker. The low-income energy assistance program, Mr. Speaker, provides emergency financial support and the Ontario Energy Support Program, Mr. Speaker, is designed specifically for low-to-modest income families to help them, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that we have made investments in the energy sector, which was degraded when we came into office, Mr. Speaker. Answer. It was all maintained by the previous government. Those investments have now meant that we have reliable, clean energy in this province, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. There are thousands of Cathy Brand-British that are looking for help and relief from this government, not lip service. No, you're not. Back to the Premier. Secondly, we noted time and time again. The member from Ottawa or Leeds has come to order. Scandals, waste and mismanagement is costing us funding for essential services. Most notably, we've seen how Ontario's government is no longer able to properly fund the healthcare system that families and seniors deserve. The government's cuts to frontline healthcare are well-known, Speaker, $815 million cut to physician services, $54 million cut in the 2015 health budget, $50 medical residency positions cut, and $50 million cut to physiotherapy services for seniors. Mr. Speaker, will this government's budget reverse the current and planned cuts to doctors, nurses and hospitals? Thank you. Let me just, as I did yesterday, speak to the requests that are coming from the other side. I've heard a number of members speak to these three contradictory issues, Mr. Speaker. So I expect that the next gambit that the member will take is on eliminating the deficit, Mr. Speaker. The reality is we are increasing healthcare funding. We continue to increase healthcare funding, Mr. Speaker. We continue to hire healthcare workers. There are hospitals right now, one of the hospitals that the Leader of the Opposition mentioned, Soldiers Hospital, that is posting to hire nurses, Mr. Speaker. So the fact is that if you look at the changes, you have to look at the whole picture. You have to look at the hiring. The member from Perth Wellington has come to order. The energy crisis, Mr. Speaker. We have supports in place. Cancer? We have programs in place to help people, and we're on track to eliminate the deficit, Mr. Speaker. So we're tackling all of those things, not in the contradictory way that the Opposition would. Thank you. Final supplementary. And to the Premier. Finally, Speaker, I think we need to have a credible plan from this government to balance the budget, including immediate action to pay down the debt. It can't just be another liberal stretch goal. If the government doesn't act, they're going to continue to cut healthcare funding. They're going to close needed schools. They're going to keep cutting services from our most vulnerable in this province. And just to make up for their scandal, their waste, and their mismanagement. Mr. Speaker, will the government finally stop the Minister of the Environment, Fantasyland, and commit to a plan that will pay down our debt? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, could we have had that plan in place? We have overachieved on our targets. We are on track to eliminate the debt by 2017-18. The Member from Leeds-Grenville is warned, especially when I'm standing. Mr. Speaker, in his report, the Financial Accountability Officer said that we were on track to lower our 2015-16 deficit. Mr. Speaker, the fact is that plan has been in place. But the first impetus of this government, the first imperative for us, Mr. Speaker, is to make sure that we continue to support the services that the people of Ontario need. And that we continue to create jobs for the economy, Mr. Speaker. And the fact is the plan that we have been implementing to invest in the people of this province and infrastructure is working, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to implement that plan. I look forward to the opposition's response when we bring forward the budget, which is the latest in stock of that plan. Thank you. The Member from Remarie, Lauren Molton. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have a question that's to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised that auto insurance rates would come down by 50%. They even put that in their budget. But people aren't getting the savings that they were promised because the Premier called that a stretch goal. A goal that was achievable, but the government simply did not make a priority and did not achieve. The Premier promised not to cut healthcare, not to cut education services. But I guess that was a stretch goal as well because nurses are being fired and education services are being cut. Do you understand, as you know, which of the upcoming budget promises will be trusted and which ones are going to be stretch goals? Thank you. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, the Member opposite knows full well that the auto insurance rates on average across the province have gone down by over 7%, Mr. Speaker. There are some companies, Mr. Speaker, who have already attained the 15% reduction in premium rates, Mr. Speaker. And it's an important goal for us, Mr. Speaker. We continue to work on it. We continue to work to get costs out of the system. But we're not going to put up with a situation where people can't actually find auto insurance, Mr. Speaker, because companies have left the field completely. We will continue to invest in healthcare, Mr. Speaker. You know, I would ask both the member of the third party and the opposition to look at where the hiring is happening across the province, Mr. Speaker. You have to look at the whole equation to determine how healthcare system is improving in the province and the healthcare workers who are in place. So, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to... Thank you. Mr. Speaker, it's shameful that there are fewer nurses per capita now based on our population that there were in 1986. I remember in 2014 asking the Premier about the sale of Hydro-1 and she said to me, quote, we are keeping these assets in public hands, end quote. Of course, she's already sold 15% of that public asset. Now 15% of it is in private hands and she's planning to sell off control. I guess it was a stretch goal to keep Hydro-1 in public hands. Can the Premier tell Ontarians whether this budget is going to show that even keeping that 40% was actually a stretch goal and now we're going to see all of it sold off? Mr. Speaker, let me just be clear that we ran on a plan, Mr. Speaker, we're implementing that plan and that plan is working. We said to the people of Ontario, we are going to invest in your talent and your skills. We're going to make sure that we have the most highly educated workforce in the world, Mr. Speaker, we said we're going to invest in 21st century infrastructure, the roads, the bridges, the transit, the water systems. The member from Dufferin County, come to order. The necessary for economic growth. We said we are going to work with the private sector. Yes, we are going to work with business to make sure that we put the supports in place and we partner with them to bring business. The member from Sturmox done that so clearly, come to order. For foreign direct investment for two years in a row, Mr. Speaker, and we said we're going to ensure that there's retirement security in this province for everyone who has worked throughout their lives. That's what we're doing, Mr. Speaker. And you know, I would have expected that the NDP would have found a lot in that plan to recommend it to them. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that it is... Thank you. Can you see her, please? Can you see her, please? Final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to see this premier take, Mr. Speaker, that question that she ran on selling off Hydro One to the public and ask Anchirians if that's what they believe because I think she had a very interesting answer to that question. People deserve healthcare when and where they need it. Students deserve an education that's second to none. People deserve to know that when this government says they're not going to sell a public asset, they're actually not going to sell off that public asset and instead give it to their friends and hand it away without any sort of consultation. These are the fundamentals. This government is getting those fundamentals absolutely wrong. In this upcoming budget, will Ontarians see their priorities being addressed like stopping the cuts to services, like stopping the sell-off of a public asset, or will it be more of the premier putting the interests of her friends instead of the interests and needs of the people of Ontario? So, Mr. Speaker, let me just continue to emphasize to illustrate why I believe that the plan that we have put in place, the plan that we ran on, which in terms of the fiscal foundation was exactly the plan the NDP ran on, Mr. Speaker, except they were going to take $600 million more out of services. Mr. Speaker, we can look at objective assessments of what's happening. Let's look at the facts. The 2015 third quarter results show that Ontario's real GDP has grown by 0.9%, which outpaces both the Canadian and the US economies. As I said, we're ranked first for foreign direct investment in North America for the second year in a row, Mr. Speaker. Ontario was the only province in Canada to gain jobs in January. So, Mr. Speaker, we're doing a little bit better than other parts of the country. There's more that we have to do, but the plan that we put in place is working, Mr. Speaker. You'll see the latest installment in the budget this afternoon. Thank you. Any questions? Remember some kitchen and water. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the premier. Over the past two months, members from all three parties have traveled across the province to Hamilton, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Toronto, and Windsor to hear what Ontarians needed to see in today's budget. They shared their concerns about the economy, about education, about healthcare, and the high cost of energy. Today's budget day, but the finance committee is still writing the report that would normally inform this budget. This has never happened. It's a new era of pretend consultation under this Liberal government. It's been reported recently in the media, and I quote, Ontario's pre-budget consultations have gone from polite fiction to political farce. We will all be poor for it. The only thing that's clear to new Democrats and the people of this province is this government's blatant disregard for what Ontarians have to say and the reality of their lives. Will Ontarians finally see their priorities reflected in today's budget or it will be peppered with more broken promises and cuts to frontline services? A very close attention, not just in the lead up to the budget, but the day after the budget is released, Mr. Speaker, we start having conversation with the people of Ontario about the next budget, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that we're listening to people all the time. I travel the province personally. My colleagues are all over the province talking to people constantly. I know that the reason that the finance minister went to the committee, Mr. Speaker, was that he wanted to have that interaction. We determined that it was important that we get the budget out early, Mr. Speaker. It is early. It's an early budget. I acknowledge that. There's a lot of uncertainty in this country, Mr. Speaker, about the economic realities. We wanted to make sure that the people of the province had the information. They had the latest update that they knew what the plan was going to be in order for them to be able to understand the year going forward. And that's what this budget is about. That's what the early game was about, Mr. Speaker. What's up, Senator? Premier, I want you to hear what Ontarians told us. Bev Mathers from the Ontarian Nurses Association said RN care in Ontario hospitals is being seriously eroded. In 2015, we lost 779 RN positions. Since January 1st, 2012, more than 25 RN positions have been deleted. A cut of 2,500. A cut of 5 million patient care RN hours. Tom Cooper, director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, told us precarious employment affects approximately 44% of employees in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. He implored this government to take action because there are enough kids using food banks in Hamilton alone to fill 270 classrooms. David Mushi, CEO of the Windsor Regional Hospital, where 169 RNs were just cut, told us that their hospitals' hydro costs are increased by $700,000 just this year. Will Ontarians see their voices reflected in this budget today? Yes, they will. Absolutely will. And on the issues that the member opposite has raised, Mr. Speaker, whether it is support for hospitals, whether it is the hiring of nurses, because the reality is that the member opposite doesn't talk about the nurses that are hired. She's not talking about the healthcare workers who are being hired. And in terms of precarious work, I was surprised, quite frankly, that the NDP wasn't more supportive of the support that we put in place for personal support workers and developmental support workers and early childhood educators, Mr. Speaker. A direct increase to the salaries of those workers who have been at the bottom of the salary scale. I would have thought that in terms of precarious work, they would have been lauding that. Actually, your time was up, but I was also standing to have a little bit of quiet. Final supplementary. Premier, what is more than disappointing is that this budget consultation was so flawed. New Democrats are hopeful, though, that in the 2016 budget, we're finally going to see a strong commitment to improving healthcare and education, to creating good jobs and stopping the sale of Hydro One. That's what Ontarians asked us to focus on, and that's what we are doing. Speaker, business leaders from across this province asked us to focus on more affordable energy. Community leaders emphasize that this government has no mandate to sell Hydro One and correctly identified the lost revenue for this cash-strapped province before that you actually put in place, Premier. Because the Finance Minister rushed this budget forward, he doesn't have the report that the Finance Committee is still writing. This government doesn't have all the information, and apparently you're not interested in getting any of this information from the people of this province, but you also need to watch for the chair. Again, a reminder to all members, you speak to the chair. You're speaking to people in the third person. It helps with the debate. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I acknowledge that the budget is early this year. The delegations and the information that came to the committee is a matter of public record, Mr. Speaker. And the fact is that people will see their voices reflected in this budget. But, Mr. Speaker, I would note that the member opposite in her, in her rant, in her rhetoric, in her rhetoric, Mr. Speaker, and in the rhetoric that I heard from her leader on the radio this morning, Mr. Speaker, said nothing, said nothing about the need, the crying need for infrastructure to be built in this province, Mr. Speaker, said nothing about the need to increase support for the roads and the bridges and the transit, Mr. Speaker. The member from Hamilton, Stony Creek. You know, this member is from the Kitchener Waterloo region, Mr. Speaker. She should understand how important it is that we have the resources to make the investments that are needed to make that corridor functional, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question to the member from Haldeman Norfolk. Premier. Some of us have puzzled about media reports on today's budget, a budget being tabled two months earlier than usual. In December 2013, the government panel proposed to hike gas taxes up to 10 cents a liter across the land. That dampened Christmas spirit faster than screwed stealing presents. People in rural, northern, right across Ontario don't have alternatives to driving. They can't afford higher gas taxes. In spite of the panel's recommendation, Premier Nguyen eventually said there would not be a gas tax. She broke a promise. Now, two years later, we have suggestions of a new gas tax sold as a carbon tax. Sold as a carbon trading, a cap and trading system of tax. Premier, you said no gas tax. Question. You're now bringing in a gas tax? Thank you. Now, Mr. Speaker, this party, you know, they're asked that they've put forward in terms of the budget are completely inconsistent, but here's consistency, Mr. Speaker. This is a party that has no interest in dealing with climate change. There has no plan to deal with climate change. You know, they think that it's a big challenge. There's no plan. There's no acceptance of the reality that you actually have to take action if you're going to tackle climate change, Mr. Speaker. So the reality is we are putting a cap and trade system in place, Mr. Speaker. There will be mitigations. In fact, we expect that there may be a four or a four point three cent on average increase in gas, Mr. Speaker. But in fact, in terms of the cost of electricity, for example, we expect that there could be a reduction in the cost of electricity for the health of cap and trade, Mr. Speaker. But we have to tackle climate change. The cost of not tackling climate change is far, far greater. Thank you. Well, my point, 13 years ago after the election, we all realized, hang on to your wallet. In relatively short order, Mr. Ginty brought in largest income tax increase in the history of Ontario. So-called health tax, he promised no new taxes. 2007, he did it again. He broke his promise, largest consumption tax. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The HNT. Now the wind budget, the stamped heat, a cap and trade tax, a reported 4.3 cent tax on a leader of gas. And that's just at the wholesale level. What extra tax on gas will we pay retail? After markups, after the HST, what are we going to pay the cost? Two years ago, Premier Wynn said no gas tax. Is this an early budget just to sidestep public consultation, sneak in your gas question, to break your promise of no gas tax, essentially to lie to the people of Ontario? You see it? Remember, we'll withdraw. I will withdraw. And now I am going to warn everyone, if this continues a trend, I will name. It's not gonna happen. Premier. Energy and climate change. Thanks. Environment, sorry, environment and climate change. Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have to commend the opposition. We've finally seen them show their true colors. The leader of the opposition, Mr. Speaker, for 10 years. The member will withdraw. Let's draw. Carry on. As I said, I have to compliment the opposition for showing their true colors finally. Because this little be anything you want to be to anybody who will ask you a question has been just too cute by half, Mr. Speaker. The leader of the opposition spent 10 years in Ottawa, leading as a leading voice in a government that sabotaged every single international climate change initiative and will go down in history as the last decade of climate change. Now the official opposition has said they can deal with climate change with no price on carbon. Even though in British Columbia and Quebec, when they put a price on carbon, Thank you. Thank you. The member from Prince Edward Hastings is second time. The member from the P.N. Carlton, come door. New question. I keep doing this. My question is to the Deputy Premier. Speaker, recently we learned that the province is currently not tracking deaths of Ontario homeless and has no real understanding of the scope of the tragedy. In the 2015 budget, we learned of a major cut to the local poverty reduction fund before the program had even begun. Speaker, the liberal rhetoric and record on homelessness and poverty simply don't match up. My question is simple. Speaker, how can the government claim to be ending homelessness when they don't even have the necessary data to do so? Thank you for the question. I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to say that the local poverty reduction fund is alive and well and actually taking shape in this province. It's $50 million over six years. 41 organizations, collaborations across the province are actually driving poverty reduction in their communities. There are some fantastic initiatives under that fund and we're looking forward to the next round and then we're looking forward to the third round, Speaker. So the local poverty reduction fund and I urge all members to be aware of what it is and to encourage their communities to participate in this. It's a very exciting initiative and I have changed based on evidence. Speaker, perhaps in the supplementary I'll deal with the issue of homelessness. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. In pre-budget consultations which the Deputy Premier should read since the budget was written without actually listening to Ontarians Poverty-Free Thunderbabe reported that in 2013 deputy health center second time member from Ottawa was 123%. This is unacceptable. Some grassroots numbers say the number of homeless deaths in the GTA alone are more than 800 people many of whom are simply and tragically named John and Jane Doe's. The most vulnerable Ontarians are becoming invisible statistics in death. They deserve better from this government. Speaker, will we see more cuts to poverty reduction programs in the impending budget? Thank you. I look forward to this afternoon where you will see a continued commitment to address poverty and homelessness in this province, Speaker. Our homelessness, our commitment to end chronic homelessness in 10 years is underway and some communities that are taking leadership roles like my own of London are Finished, please. We're actually seeing organizations like the Salvation Army converting their homeless shelter to supportive housing They are with us on the notion that homelessness is just unacceptable. We need to provide a place where people can live It saves us all money It saves our health care system We will be better off when we have faced this problem head on. That work is underway It's a bright future in this province Thank you. New question for the minister of health and long-term care. Registered nurses play a valuable role in our Ontario health care system As a former registered nurse and a nursing professor, I know nurses are the largest group of health care professionals who provide quality care in my writing of Scarborough agent court and across the province in the hospital, in the community correctional services, schools long-term care and retirement homes. The influence and impact nurses have on their patients the families in this province can't be qualified or measured The dedicated, hardworking, knowledgeable and caring group of individuals who give so much of themselves at work and in our community every day Speaker, through you to the minister can he please inform the House what is our government doing to support the hardworking nurses in our Ontario Thank you Thank you to the member from Scarborough agent court for this important question. I'd like to once again recognize the nurses that we have with us today and say yet again on behalf of all of us, welcome to the park Mr. Speaker, I'd like to also say it's so important to hear from our outstanding health care providers in Ontario we did this, you'll recall with the Bola we listened to our frontline health care workers particularly our nurses through their expertise and their good advice and we were much much better prepared as a result. Nurses are in so many ways the ears and the eyes of our health care system so our government values the work the hard work that they do here in Ontario every day so let me say again Mr. Speaker on my own behalf and also on behalf of Ontarians Thank you, thank you for the work Thank you for your commitment Thank you for making Ontario a better place You're on too. Again a reminder to speak to the chair supplementary. Mr. Speaker I want to thank the minister for his dedication to nurses in Ontario we have expanded the nurse practitioner scope of practices enabling them to improve patient care by providing services emitting and discharging patients from hospitals ordering laboratory tests and prescribing medications as well as giving nurse practitioners the ability to refer patients directly to a specialist we know nurse practitioners are advanced nurse practices who are well trained experienced and competent the expansion of the scope of practice working in home food nurse practitioner clinic in my riding of Scarborough agent across the province to deliver timely quality primary care in the hospital community and the long term care facility this is extremely exciting Mr. Speaker for both the nurses in Ontario and for our patients providing faster accessible to the right care in the very healthcare system Mr. Speaker through you to the minister can he please inform the house in 2003 Thank you Mr. Speaker and the member from Scarborough agent court is absolutely right when she is talking about the expanding a nursing scope of practice and I would like to reaffirm our commitment as a government to our end prescribing to this house Mr. Speaker our government's investment have helped to ensure that there is a stable nursing workforce now and for the future since taking office in 2003 our nurses in over 10,800 more our ends are working in our healthcare system according to the College of Nurses of Ontario Mr. Speaker in 2015 there were 719 more nurses working in Ontario hospitals than in the previous year and these numbers of course don't account for the nurses employed outside of hospitals or in home and community care our government importantly has also increased the number of nurses working full time 30% Mr. Speaker and through our government's investments in nursing we're not only ensuring a stable workforce but Ontarians are receiving the best possible care Thank you Speaker Yesterday I spoke about the crisis of domestic violence gripping rural Ontario and the tragic consequences that resulted because of this government's failure to take action on this tragic problem Yesterday the Premier stated she would not be taking any lessons from me in relation to domestic violence facing rural women Speaker what is it exactly that the Premier believes dis Stop the car The member from Etobicoke North come to order Finish please What is it exactly that the Premier believes dis qualifies me from speaking on this issue Is it because I'm a man a husband a mistress a father to my daughter a grandfather of four Is it my three term You have time to wrap up Or is it my three terms as an MPP representing all issues and all concerns What exactly is it that this Premier believes dis qualifies me and justifies her arrogant condescending dismissal of me raising the government's failure Well Mr. Speaker I will speak to what we have been doing to address the issue of violence against women Mr. Speaker I'm very pleased when anyone in this house raises the issue I'm especially pleased when people find a renewed interest or a new found interest in an issue and this is one that is very very important it's important to all of us it's important to men it's important to women it's important to our whole community Mr. Speaker that everyone in our society feels safe that we have the supports in place so our sexual violence action plan it's never okay speaks to that Mr. Speaker it speaks to that commitment we you know and I said yesterday we recognize that there is a deep misogyny throughout our society I don't think that there is anyone who can deny that in every aspect of society misogyny has been part of the way men and women interact with each other we have to eradicate that Mr. Speaker Yesterday the Premier said she would not be taking lessons from me and she won't answer that question today this government is failing rural women and their families from keeping them safe and providing adequate support and resources yesterday she mentioned 100 million and I believe that's a fantastic fact in the right direction however it does nothing to address those same failings for rural women and their families and the thoughts on my inability to contribute to productive dialogue by the Premier is not something shared by her caucus or cabinet colleagues both the Attorney General and the Minister for Public Safety and Corrections have agreed to meet face to face with me to discuss these failings and to find solutions will the Premier have an epiphany today is it in her need to set aside her ideological differences and condescending attitude and work with me to help vulnerable women and her families the member will withdraw Thank you very much Mr. Speaker this is actually an issue that is way way too important to all of us in society to let it devolve into either a partisan or an acrimonious debate the fact is there are women who are being killed there are women who are living in violent situations it is our responsibility to do something about that Mr. Speaker that's why we introduced our sexual assault and violence plan Mr. Speaker I'm 62 years old my whole life my whole life from the time I started kindergarten as the eldest of four girls I have tackled in my own little way but throughout my life I have tackled the assumptions about what women can or cannot do I have done it in elementary school I did it in high school I've done it throughout my professional career I'll continue to do it Mr. Speaker and it is about all of us the member of the committee it is about every single one of us but the fact is we know that the more women we have in positions of leadership like all the members here the more we tackle these issues of deep rooted misogyny that are here with us for centuries the opportunity that I'll interrupt when I'm standing new question to the member from Hamilton East Stony Creek my question is to the minister of tourism culture and sport last year's budget claimed that the Ontario music fund had created or retained 2000 jobs in the first year alone the minister subsequently told billboard magazine that in the first year the fund had been responsible for the creation of 2000 new jobs that's new jobs but speaker as it's often the case with this government the evidence sings a very different tune the Ontario media development corporations own statistics show that just 263 new full-time jobs were created by the fund and another 569 retained that's one quarter of the 2000 claimed could the minister explain the jarring between the government's claims and its reported facts thank you Mr. Speaker yesterday I had the opportunity to talk a little bit about the culture sector here in the province of Ontario it's a 22 billion dollar sector and of course music is a big part of that sector we as a government put forward a new fund the Ontario music fund to really allow for different artists here in the province of Ontario different companies and different labels to really accelerate the work they're doing we see this as an economic development piece and we know the music sector here in the province of Ontario are creating thousands of jobs they always have and we're seeing an increased acceleration of jobs here in the province of Ontario we're seeing music that's being used now in our video games in interactive digital media music that's being used in our film in our television and I hope that the members often support the culture sector and the music fund because we see it as a huge opportunity for continued economic growth here in the province of Ontario thank you no answer again Speaker in last year's budget the Ontario music fund was established on a permanent basis while the Ontario sound recording tax credit was discontinued the Ontario independent music industry expressed its concern that the change model from tax credits to a grant-based regime would unduly favour large multinational record labels at the expense of small Ontario producers the data bears out this concern Ontario record companies were awarded grants averaging $115,000 each in the fund's first year and $144,000 in the fund's second year but the three large foreign record labels Sony, Universal and Warner were awarded $5,000,000 between them over the last two years could the minister explain why the Ontario taxpayer is subsidizing big multinationals at six to seven times the rate of our own domestic producers and will today's budget do a better job for protecting our own independent music industry thank you thank you the Ontario music fund is a fund that we are very proud of as a government that last year we made permanent this is a permanent fund embedded into our budget and Mr. Speaker when you have other provinces like British Columbia really copying our fund in order to accelerate their sector I think that's a vote of confidence on our side but let me tell you a little bit of a story Mr. Speaker the weekend international superstar from Scarborough, Ontario Mr. Speaker when he first started he accessed the music fund to help build his career and look at him now the guy just won a Grammy I think we should stand up for our artists here in the province of Ontario and stand up for the music fund because it will allow for this sector to continue to grow Mr. Speaker thank you very much Mr. Speaker New question, member from Sudbury Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker we are the Minister of Transportation Mr. Speaker on Sunday, January 10 that approximately 3pm the Nippagon River Bridge was close to travellers due to safety concerns we were all pleased to see MTO staff work quickly and decisively that day and I know Mr. Speaker that we are thankful that no one was hurt during this incident Mr. Speaker this is an absolutely crucial section of the transportation network in northwestern Ontario, linking east and west. Mr. Speaker, I know the MTO crews have been working very hard to restore traffic to two lanes. So Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please provide members of this House with the latest information on the reopening of the Nippagon River Bridge? Thank you. Thank you. Thanks very much, Speaker. I want to begin by thanking the member of the Sudbury for this question and for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of his riding in all of northern Ontario. Speaker, I also want to take a very quick moment to pay tribute to the Minister of Northern Development of Mines who showed extremely strong local leadership within hours of this incident occurring back in January, Speaker. And I also want to thank the municipalities, First Nations communities and all of those traveling Highway 1117 for their patience and understanding as we've taken the necessary steps to bring the Nippagon River Bridge back to full service. Speaker, as Minister of Transportation, my number one priority is the safety of all those using the roads and highways in this province. And that's why I'm extremely pleased to announce that the Nippagon River Bridge has reopened as of 10 o'clock this morning, Speaker. I want to thank the Minister of Northern Development of Mines. I want to thank the member from Sudbury. Our other members from Northern Ontario, Speaker, we will continue to make crucial investments in highway expansions across Northern Ontario and in all forms of infrastructure right across this province, Speaker. I encourage all to pay close attention to this afternoon's budget in which I'm sure the Minister of Finance will continue to outline our plans to build Ontario up. Thanks very much, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to thank the Minister of Transportation for his response. I know that many Northerners will be relieved to hear that the Nippagon River Bridge has reopened. This bridge is being constructed as a component of the expansion of Highway 1117 between Nippagon and Thunder Bay, and it is just one example of the investments that our government is making in Northern Ontario. As the member for Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, I know that my constituents are glad to have a government that is willing to make those investments that truly count for Northerners. So, Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Development and Mines, please tell members of this House what our government is doing to support Northern roads and bridges? Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, the Minister of Northern Development and Mines. Well, thanks so much to the members of Sudbury for the question. I sure please have an opportunity to thank my colleague, the Minister of Transportation, and certainly the hardworking staff in his ministry for their dedication to ensuring that this, the reopening of River Bridge is safe and available to travelers across the North. May I say, Minister Del Duca was in touch with me immediately after the incident on January 10th. In fact, I think we spoke a great length twice that means Premier Wynn spoke to me as well. And the Minister Del Duca has remained a very accessible response of not only to me as a local member, but with the community's impact and ensuring to up to the minute information was publicly available. So we are very pleased that indeed the two lanes are open and we look forward to seeing the results of the investigation. Speaker, this very minute, sir. Commitment to Northern Highway infrastructure, five million dollars over the last ten years in terms of Northern Highway rehabilitation and expansion. Thank you. And again, we look forward to good news in the budget. Thank you. Any questions? Members from the PN Parliament? My question is actually to the Premier, she boasts about open government, transparency and accountability. But the facts compared to the spin are quite astonishing, Speaker. You just have to look at the deleted gas plant scandal. You look at the leaked budget documents we received over a year ago. Now today her government will table a budget almost a month earlier than previously scheduled and without the Standing Committee of Finance and Economic Affairs reporting on the extensive pre-budget consultations held throughout Ontario. You're making a mockery out of public consultation to the people who actually care about what happens in this assembly. So can the Premier explain to me, to my colleagues and to all of those across Ontario who spent time and valuable resources on their presentations why her government is ignoring them? Just before we move, I'd like to remind the Government House Leader and all members that we do not reference anyone's attendance in this place. Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I should point out to the member who has this great concern about consultation that, first of all, you're always demanding on the other side that we have an earlier budget than a later budget. Now you've changed your mind on that, but I want to point out that the Government has collected more than 2700 ideas from thousands of Ontarians, nine weeks of engaging with Ontarians in person online and writing and by telephone, 20 in-person consultations, 12 cities and heard from over 700 people. For the second year in a row, launch budget talks where over 6500 Ontarians registered as users. That information has been very valuable as we continue this process and those who voice their opinions will have their opinions taken into full account and you will see that they've been reflected. I'd actually like to go back to the Premier as much as I respect the Deputy Government House Leader. The reality is there were consultations that took place, formal consultations for this Assembly. The Committee responsible for those pre-budget consultations hasn't even written their report. So you are basically and effectively acknowledging that this is a scam. And I want to go back. You talk a lot about stretch goals, aspirational budget, revenue tools, all buzzwords like openness, accountability and transparency. And the Premier may want to sit over there and laugh at the opposition. She may want to laugh and thumb her nose at the public who can no longer afford her high tax budget increases like we just saw. Let's talk about the Premier in the last elections campaigning against a gas tax and then just this week implementing one. They do one thing after they say they'll do another. It's a pattern of behaviour that I've seen over the past 10 years. Winning at all costs and the public be damned. My question back to the Premier, will you admit the public interest isn't your interest? I will gently caution the member in the use of certain language that was used. I was missing carefully and it was right on the border. And if it gets used again, I will have to call it within a withdrawal. Deputy host there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I should correct the member. No one over here is laughing at those circumstances. When people have a smile on their face, it's not an assumption immediately that they're laughing at anything that's coming from the opposition. I certainly would never laugh at anything the member from the PN has to say in this house at all. I want to say first of all that the Minister of Finance invited members of the committee, including both finance critics, to meet to discuss what issues had been raised at the committee. The Minister also attended the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs to join them for an open discussion. That's the first appearance I can remember since 2005 before the committee. The committee also provided the government with one hundred and thirty four documents and those documents and on the consultations. So the committee was monitored very carefully by the Ministry of Finance and all of the opinions heard will be taken into consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Good morning, Minister. Speaker, we all know we are in crisis in this province when it comes to the availability of safe and affordable housing. We all know there are 80,000 people in Toronto on a waiting list among the 170,000 people in line across the province. Minister, the waiting list in Windsor is now at 3,000. Some of these good folks have been waiting seven years for safe and affordable housing. Speaker, would the Minister agree this is disgraceful and it's time this government did something about it? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, this Minister would agree that it's time we did something about it and I'm pleased to share a little bit about what's happening in that regard. One of the first things that I did as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing was to pull together an expert panel on homelessness, which the member opposite, thank you for the question, by the way, is aware of, and we're also working very hard on developing a new and update to our long-term affordable housing strategy, which I anticipate will be released in the next couple of weeks. I can also say it's not just Windsor and Toronto. Sudbury has the highest waiting list it's had in years. Other municipalities as well and our partners at the municipal level are raising the issue as I am raising with caucus and cabinet and I'm looking forward to some assistance from perhaps from our final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, Windsor is at the top of the unemployment rate in Ontario. Small shelters, which were serving 20 meals a day, are now providing 200. Food banks are busier than ever before. Without housing, people can't look for employment. We're better off in some places in the province because we have 8,700 affordable housing units, but they need more than $60 million in upgrades. Speaker, when is this government going to take seriously the crisis and safe and affordable housing in Windsor and right across this province? Thank you, Minister. Well, thanks again. We announced just about 10 days ago on infusion of $92 million to assist with rehabilitation of housing units. I could reference the largest contribution of any Ontario government in history. I won't do that in terms of affordable housing or the number of units we've helped create. I won't do that. We've helped stay in homes. It's a serious problem. It's one that needs serious attention. And it's going to get that attention from this minister and I'm hoping our government, the other piece of good news, the other piece of good news, the stars are winding up. Chair, please. The stars are winding up. There's still some clouds in the sky, Mr. Speaker, which we need to move. For the first time in recent history, we have a federal government that's committed to working with the province and municipalities to develop a national housing strategy and to make sure that the homes out there that were needed are retro... The question... The member from... New question. The member from Etobicoke Center. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Associate Minister of Finance. Minister, since being elected to represent my riding of Etobicoke Center, I've heard about a range of issues from my constituents and one of the issues that I hear about a lot is the need to strengthen retirement. As a young person, I probably don't think enough about this issue, but I have heard from young people in my community and, more often than not, I also hear from seniors who I represent who hope that the next generation, their children, their grandchildren, will be able to enjoy the retirement security that they deserve and retire comfortably. That's why I'm proud of the leadership that our Premier has shown, not just in Ontario but across Canada in advocating for enhancements to retirement security, not just here in Ontario but across the country. Minister, as you know, I also have a business background and I have spoken to you and your staff on a number of occasions to relay what I have heard from businesses, some of whom have expressed questions and concerns about the economic impact of the ORPP and the impact on business. Last session, I was asked, please, Minister, when you committed to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to study the economic impact of the ORPP, could you share with us what the analysis was uncovered? Thank you, Speaker. And I want to thank very much the terrific member from the Hoboken Centre for this important question. Mr. Speaker, last December our government fulfilled its legislative commitment and tabled a cost-benefit analysis of the ORPP. This independent analysis was conducted by the Conference Board of Canada. The findings are clear. Accounting for all factors, the analysis shows Ontarians and the economy will be better off under the ORPP. The report found that the ORPP had a long-term positive impact on Ontario's economy. When factoring reductions in EI and WSIB premiums, disposable income will be $63.3 billion higher than the base case for Ontario's economy. GDP will be $62.7 billion higher than the base case scenario. As lower management fees associated with the ORPP will save middle-income individuals upwards of 43%. Pursuant to standing order 38A, the member from Lanark-Fronach, Lenox and Addington has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Premier concerning domestic violence. This matter will be debated on Tuesday, March 1st at 6pm. In the Speaker's Gallery today we have a guest from the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Please join me in welcoming the youngest ever MLA, Thomas Dane from the member from Edmonton Southwest. Member from Barrie on a point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn't get a chance earlier but I'd like to welcome Barrie constituent Rebecca Harbridge, who is here today with RNAO. Thank you. There are no deferred votes. This House stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon.