 It is now time for Question Period, the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. My question is for the Premier, in the case of the teacher strikes in Peele, Durham and Sudbury, the fact that 72,000 students, high school students were severely impacted had absolutely no effect on this government. Settlement talks were sporadic at best. The Education Minister seemed thoroughly confused. The reality is these students are back into class today because of the Ontario Labour Relations Board's decision, not because of any positive action taken by this government. Now 800,000 elementary students are going to be held hostage unless this government gets serious about reaching a settlement. Premier, is 800,000 a big enough number for you to finally get serious about doing your job and negotiating a settlement with the elementary school teachers? Question, thank you. Minister of Education? Yes, and I want to say how pleased I am this morning that the students in Durham and in Rainbow and in Peele are back in school today. I want to thank the Labour Relations Board for pointing out what we've said all along, which is that central strikes need to be about central issues and that local strikes, which is what this was, should be about local issues and that the Labour Relations Board did in fact confirm what I've said all along and that this was in fact an unlawful strike in the sense that it was local but based on central issues. And I do want to thank the Labour Relations Board for their ruling because had it not been for the OLRB ruling, the... Thank you. Supplementary. Remember from Central North. Thank you very much. This question is to the Premier as well, Mr Speaker. The elementary teachers Federation of Ontario will wrap up their work to rule job action on June the 1st. Teachers will no longer make themselves available to meet with parents to discuss students' transition to the next grade. Field trips for the next school year will not be booked. Teachers will not participate in professional development activities. Premier, you've been preaching to us in this house for weeks about your commitment to negotiated settlements. But now we hear that you're not even at the table with the elementary teachers Federation trying to negotiate a settlement. Premier, where is your sense of urgency? When are you going to get back to the negotiating table and the chaos you've created in Ontario's education system? Yes, and I think this issue of a sense of urgency is really important because we had a sense of urgency that we needed to go to the Education Relations Commission, get the ruling that the school year was in jeopardy, get the table back to work legislation. The kids could have been back in school even earlier in the week had it not been for the NDP blocking the legislation. But I would like to thank the three school boards who got the cease and desist order very late in the day like yesterday. I would like to thank the three school boards for working very hard yesterday evening to make sure that the school board... ...answered students back in the classroom today. So thank you to the boards for that. You know she hasn't answered either one of the questions. So back to the Premier. The job action announced by the elementary teachers Federation of Material will have an immediate impact on students. Special needs students will suffer because teachers will no longer make themselves available to talk about students transition to the next grade. Field trips to the next school year won't be booked. Premier Education Minister has had over a year to negotiate collective agreements with all of these unions. In that time she has made absolutely no progress and it is astu... Two different conversations going on other than the person putting the question including members from that side as well. It stops. Whoever said that's close to getting turf too. I'm standing. Please carry on. Premier, it is the students that are suffering and their parents. Premier, you've got three months left until the beginning of September the 1st when the kids go back to school. We know we have chaos now. Premier, will you fire this Education Minister and put someone competent in there who can get the job done and end the anxiety for Ontario's parents and students? Thank you. Thank you. Minister. As the member just pointed out we have three months left to negotiate with ETFO and we will do that. We only have ten days left to make sure that now the students are back in class. They stay in class. And that's why we need to go ahead and work our protective... Pass our Protecting the School Year Act is to make sure that those students who are back in class today stay in class for the rest of the school year. And that is exactly what we intend to do is make sure as our top priority that we get our legislation passed so that the kids who have gone back today can stay there and benefit for teaching for the next month and get their school year completed and graduate for those who are in grade 12. That's our priority. Question leader of Ramesses' Loyal Opposition. Thank you. Back to the Premier, Mr. Speaker. When the Ombudsman released his report on the building practices of Hydro-1 the findings were astonishing and astounding to say the least. Mis-treatment, abuse, deceit and deception. Just a few of the words that described Hydro-1's business practice as outlined in the Ombudsman's report. For now Hydro-1 is a Crown Corporation for which the Minister of Energy is ultimately responsible. It appears no one was held accountable for the findings of the Ombudsman's report. Premier, will you hold the Minister responsible? Will you fire your Minister of Energy for his complete incompetence on this file? Apologize to the tens of thousands of Ontario Hydro-1 customers who were misled. Apologize to the officers of this house who were deceived and lied to and put a new Minister in place that we can have confidence in. Good check. The member from Hamilton Mountain needs to be reminded that you're even a little closer now and I can hear you. And so with that I will also ask the Deputy House Leader that when I'm standing, stop. And I'm going to put the new rule that I've been working with that if I'm standing and you want to chirp, you're gone. Premier. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, I want to again thank the Ombudsman for his report and for his recommendations. And we've acknowledged that during the transition to the new billing system, Mr. Speaker, there was an unacceptable number of mistakes that there were too many customers who experienced service issues, Mr. Speaker. And in fact, the CEO of Hydro-1 has apologized to all customers. And prior to the review by the Ombudsman, Mr. Speaker, Hydro-1 had begun to make changes. So there was already an acknowledgement that there was a problem and there were changes put in place. Having said that, we're pleased that the Ombudsman has done the review and there are more recommendations that have come forward. But Mr. Speaker, I hope that the leader of the opposition is aware of the fact that as we talk about broadening the ownership of Hydro-1, one of the things that needs to happen is it needs to be a better run company, Mr. Speaker. And I think that this latest incident makes that very clear. Mr. Speaker, I don't think back to the Premier, Mr. Speaker. I don't think selling Hydro-1 is going to give you the oversight and the accountability that you should be exercising today. In fact, you'll lose majority control, you'll lose oversight, no more Ombudsman, no more freedom of information. And we won't even know because you won't put this before the Parliamentary Budget Office or the auditor prior to signing the deals with your new private sector partners whether or not we're getting a good deal or not for the people of Ontario. The government has deceived the officers of this legislature, that they deceived the members of this legislature, impeded our ability to serve our constituents properly because we didn't have honest and direct information. No one seems to ever take responsibility in your government. No one at Hydro-1 has been dismissed. I ask you again today at least to dismiss the minister. Show them some respect. Mr. Speaker, well, I am so pleased that the leader of the opposition raised the issue of a fire sale, Mr. Speaker, because it is the fire sale of the 407. And I don't say that with a smile. Here we are. Mr. Speaker, the leader of the opposition knows full well. We are retaining 40% of our members of the Stony Creek. He knows that the regulatory controls that are in place now are going to continue to be in place. He knows that the setting of prices, that the process that is in place now will continue to be in place, Mr. Speaker. He knows that we will have control over the appointment of the CEO. So, Mr. Speaker, I think that one of the third party needs to understand that the way the 407 was sold off with no ongoing revenue to the people of Ontario with no control over that amount, Mr. Speaker, and undervaluation of that asset, Mr. Speaker, that is the backdrop against what we made decisions and we did it different. Thank you. That's a mess. They dodged, deflected and denied. That's their apparatus operandi. But they failed to answer the question. They failed to be accountable to the people of Ontario. Back to the Premier. On December 17, 2013, the Minister of Energy's office wrote to the Hydro One CEO asking about the absurdly high number of complaints about Hydro One service. The CEO responded that everything was good. The level of complaints was nothing to be concerned about. He told the Minister of Energy's office that despite senior officials at Hydro One's referring to the organization as being in crisis mode over the level of complaints, Premier, has the CEO of Hydro One been held accountable for lying to the Minister's office? No. Mr. Speaker, we know that Hydro One has been working hard to resolve outstanding issues, Mr. Speaker. And Hydro One has outlined that work in detail. However, further work in remediation is still clearly required, Mr. Speaker. And that's why I've asked the chair of Hydro One, David Denison, to report back to me within 40 days with the detailed action describing how Hydro One can further address the recommendations and the ombudsman's report, Mr. Speaker. What we need to say is that this government has provided more additional oversight than any other government in the history of this province. Mr. Speaker, we created the position of financial accountability officer, made the French language services commissioner independent, put into place a provincial advocate for children and youth, allocated new powers for children and youth, Mr. Speaker. Expanded the ombudsman's role, Mr. Speaker. Expanded the ombudsman's role to include oversight of municipalities, school boards, and publicly-appointed universities. You take no message from those people. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. On Tuesday, the minister of education stood in her place and said, I quote, the act that we will be introducing this afternoon is obviously designed to get kids back into the classroom. We want kids back in the classroom as quickly as possible. Well, kids are back in the classroom. Why is the Premier stopping a strike that isn't even happening when instead she should be stopping the chaos in the schools? Well, Mr. Speaker, yes, the kids are back in the classroom. They could have been back in the classroom two days ago, Mr. Speaker. They hadn't been for the... Students stay in the classroom until the end of the year as the minister of education has outlined, Mr. Speaker. There's no guarantee that that would be the case. And so we need to continue to work to put the legislation in place. So that there will be a guarantee that the students in those three boards in Rainbow and in Durham and in... That's the third one. Peel. And peel that they are in school for the duration of the school year, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. On Tuesday, the Premier said, quote, Speaker, we want those kids back in school. We want the collective bargaining process to continue. In 2013, the Premier said her style is collaborative, which is leading from within a team, bringing people to the table, end quote. In 2014, she wrote to her Labour minister and told him to, quote, uphold and respect collective bargaining process and maintain a respectful labour relations climate. The strike was over, Speaker. The kids are back in school. It's time for this Premier to keep her word, respect the process, bring the people to the table and get an agreement with the teachers. Will this Premier stop making things worse by continuing with Bill 103 and instead end the chaos by spending the next little while at the negotiating table trying to get a collective agreement? Mr Speaker, please. Mr Speaker, please. Thank you. The member from Essex is inches away. I'd like an acknowledgement from the member from Essex that I spoke to him. Thank you. Minister. Thank you very much. And I think we actually need to look at the ruling from the OLRB. What the OLRB has directed is I direct that these strikes cease for at least two weeks from the date of this decision. In other words, Speaker, the strikes can resume with different signs on June 10th. Now, if the leader of the OLRB would actually read the legislation, she would discover that the legislation not only brings people back into school, it keeps them there for the rest of the year. There will be no more strikes and there are no more strikes of the year. We need to pass the legislature so the kids stay in school. Final supplementary. The government takes no responsibility whatsoever for the chaos that's happening in our schools. It's because they're refusing to bargain on this mess in the first place. They lost kids six weeks of their education because they are not being serious in terms of their obligation to bargain. But you know what? Apparently, the Premier doesn't have any confidence in her minister to get a deal, which is why she's using her majority to stop a strike that isn't even happening. The only way we can get stability is to get a deal. But instead of bringing people together, the Liberals are driving the sides further apart and inflaming an already very bad situation, Speaker. Will this Premier pull her bill and focus on getting an agreement that will end the uncertainty and the chaos in our education system, Speaker? Thank you. Minister? I find it quite appalling that the leader of the party offers it. I have all wanted to maintain and continue what has turned out to be an unlawful strike. Now, she doesn't want to make sure that the strike doesn't want to resume in two weeks. We want to keep the kids out of the strike. Please finish. And, Speaker, it's also important to note that the legislation from before the House actually sets up a scheme to have mediation and if either negotiations are mediation or successful. Wrap up sentence, please. So the bill actually does ensure that negotiations mediation and, if necessary, arbitration take place. And that's what exactly what... Thank you. New question. We have the third party. Questions for this Premier, Speaker. On the 20th, the Premier stood in her place and said Ed Clark has said quite clearly that he doesn't believe that selling those assets is the right answer. He has said that. I believe that the leader of the third party is probably having a bit of a hard time framing the question because, in fact, Ed Clark has said he agrees that selling those assets is not the right thing to do. Now, six months later, here we are, Speaker, is selling off Hydro One. How can the Premier say people knew what her plan was because she keeps saying that? Everybody knew what her plan was, apparently. But not only did she not run on that plan, but she spent months after the election denying that plan and even Ed Clark had no plan to do this a couple of months ago. Where's the Premier coming from, Speaker? Member from Eglinton, Lawrence. Member from Eglinton, Lawrence. Member from Eglinton, Lawrence. Come to order. Premier. Mr. Speaker, let me once again go through what we are proposing to do and what was in Ed Clark's final report, which is that we need, well, I know you're talking about the interim report, but there was a final report, Mr. Speaker, and the recommendations in the final report are the recommendations that we are going to implement, which mean that I would ask that the leader of the third party listen to the answer of the question that you put. Carry on. In order to be able to make the investments in infrastructure, in transportation infrastructure, roads and bridges and transit, Mr. Speaker, in order to be able to do that In order to be able to make those investments, Mr. Speaker, we are broadening the ownership of Hydro-1. We are retaining 40% ownership, Mr. Speaker. No individual or entity will be able to own more than 10%, Mr. Speaker. The regulatory controls and price controls will remain in place, Mr. Speaker. The ability of the government to determine where a line will be built, Mr. Speaker, will remain in place. Those controls were very important to us as well as the retention of Thank you. Supplementary. On October 27th, the Minister of Finance said, and I quote, we have made it clear that we are not going to sell our assets. Here we are six months later, and the Premier is selling off Hydro-1. One of these things is not like the other, Speaker. It seems not only did the Premier keep Ontarians in the dark about her plan to sell off Hydro-1, but it seems she kept her Minister of Finance in the dark as well. How can the Premier say people asking about her plan when as of October 27th, even her own Minister of Finance had no idea? Mr. Speaker, he said that we were going to review the assets owned by the people of Ontario in order to be able to invest in the new... Member for Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke is warned. Finish, please. In order to be able to invest in the assets and the infrastructure that are needed for the 21st century, Mr. Speaker, that's what we ran on. That's what he said we were going to do. He said we were going to ask Ed Clark to give us advice. He did that and that's what those recommendations are the recommendations that we're going to invest in, Mr. Speaker. We're going to implement. And I would ask the leader of the third party which projects that we are implementing, would she would she cancel, Mr. Speaker? Would she cancel the Hamilton LRT? Would she cancel the expansion of Highway 7, Mr. Speaker, to Kitchener Waterloo? Would she cancel the Edmonton Crosstown? Would she cancel the... Thank you. Final supplementary? Mr. Speaker, in October of last year, the Premier stood here and I stood here and the Premier said to me, quote, it must actually be very hard for the leader of the third party to ask these questions. She knows we're not selling off the assets. She knows perfectly well that that was one of the parameters as Ed Clark went into this review. She knows that we are keeping the assets in public hands and, quote, well, here we are. Here we are. The Premier is selling Hydro One. But six months ago she looked at me in this chamber. She looked at me in the eye and she said she was not selling off our assets. I believe that she has been upfront with Ontarians, let alone this Legislature Speaker, where six short months ago she insisted that Hydro One was not going to be sold. Thank you. I would say to the leader of the third party today that it must be equally hard for her to ask questions that she knows perfectly well, undermine a plan to invest in the people of this province to invest in it. She thinks it's just fine to step back and say we don't need to make investments in infrastructure. We don't need to build the roads and the bridges and the transit in her own home, Mr. Speaker. We have a plan to build that infrastructure. We're going to do that. The member from Hamilton, East Stony Creek for the second time. New question. The Ombudsman report said that they learned from internal emails that Hydro One deliberately sanitized the script it used at that meeting with the Ombudsman. A Hydro One official wrote in an email if we simply state that we are essentially in line with the expected customer reaction that's a healthy story. That official was deliberately misleading an independent officer of the legislature and they tried to hide the truth. Premier, has the Hydro One official been fired for misleading and obstructing the Ombudsman? Mr. Speaker, we know that the Ombudsman did a very comprehensive and thorough study of this particular issue We have accepted his report, Mr. Speaker. We've also we're proceeding on the basis of having asked the current chair David Denison of Hydro One to follow up on the Ombudsman's report to report back publicly within 40 days looking into all of the recommendations as well as any other relevant matters around the billing issue, Mr. Speaker. We will have a thorough report from the current chair. We will assess the situation at that particular time, Mr. Speaker. There were three senior officers of the Corporation who were associated with the IT system who are no longer with the Corporation. They left the Corporation, Mr. Speaker, around the time that the extent of the billing errors came to light, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Again to the Premier. The Ombudsman's office called Hydro One to ask about a billing issue. When that conversation ended, the employee emailed their manager. The manager replied and I quote, if you get the feeling that they're going to investigate more aggressively or escalate let us know and good warning in case they come knocking. Please keep holding the line with messages like you conveyed. It is obvious that the manager knew something wasn't right and instructed their staff to at the very least bend the truth or perhaps outright lie. Premier, has that manager been fired for instructing their staff to mislead the Ombudsman? Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I'll just repeat what I said Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, I'll just repeat what I said in the main question, Mr. Speaker. It's very clear that Hydro One has been working to address the outstanding issues, Mr. Speaker, but we're going further than that. We want to make it perfectly clear that we're going to be receiving a report from the new chair of Hydro One. Mr. Speaker, and the newly appointed chair of Hydro One, David Denison, is overseeing a process to select a CEO moving forward, Mr. Speaker. And the chair and the minister of energy are in the process of restructuring the board of directors, Mr. Speaker. It's going to be a better company. It's going to be a more efficient company, Mr. Speaker. And it will be a very accountable company. Do you have a question? The member from Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Education Premier. Speaker, the Liberal Government I stopped the clock. I'm going to offer some advice and that is just the title, which was we've done before and it'll stay that way. The last time it said. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the Liberal Government's chronic underfunding of education in our province has left our schools in chaos. The minister of education about the fact that she cut $250 million from education over 2014. Goes both ways. The minister of education actually boasts about the fact that she cut $250 million from education over 2014 2015. The minister boasts about the fact that her government has closed 88 good neighborhood schools. The minister is proud of her record of cutting $7 million from the geographic circumstances grant, which supports small, rural and isolated boards. All of this and the minister is impressed in the education sector. The minister was given a simple task get a deal with the teachers and she failed. Speaker, will the minister of education immediately? Minister of education? Yes, thank you very much and I think maybe we should start by reminding the members opposite about the plan that they ran on for education and health. The plan they ran on for education and health said that they'd start with the budget that we had last year and then they would take out $200 million from the budget we had which would seem to me that might have been about $250 million out of education and about $350 million out of health because health has the bigger budget. So in fact, their platform was to take $250 million out of the education budget beyond the $22.5 billion that we started with. So I'm quite surprised that this is somehow now a problem because a year ago, that's what they... Thank you, Speaker. Back to the premier. Speaker, the minister of education has been sitting on the sidelines not taking this seriously for weeks. The minister has been playing the blame game desperately trying to skirt responsibility for the mess that her government has made in education. The minister has insulted families and students by saying I had protests outside my office before the last election and I seem to have gotten re-elected. It's obvious she's more interested in playing political games and getting a deal. The minister was responsible for getting a deal with teachers and she has failed, leaving parents and families to pay the price. We have members of QP here from the education sector and she's not taking with them seriously either. They've been waiting since June. Speaker, will the premier take responsibility for this mess and fire the minister of education? The question actually is when are the NDP going to stop blocking the legislation that enables us to make sure that now that the students are back in their classes in Durham, in Peele, in Rainbow that ensures that they'll stay there because the PRB ruling did issue a cease and desist and get the kids back into class but it doesn't keep them there. It says a start can restart on June the 10th. We need to pass the legislation quickly that will ensure that the kids stay in their classes. The member from Essex, second time. The member from Windsor to Comsy. Wrap up sentence. The legislation that is before the house students stay in their classes in those three boards for the rest of the school. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister responsible for the Pan Am Parapan Am Games. On May 30th in just three days Mr. Speaker the Pan Am torch will be arriving in Toronto where it will begin its 41 day journey. I was excited to learn that on June 2nd as one of its first stops the torch will be arriving in my riding of Sudbury. And I know many of my constituents are getting excited to welcome the torch and the Pan Am spirit to Sudbury Mr. Speaker and there will be a celebration in Bell Park. After it leaves Sudbury Mr. Speaker the torch will begin the journey across beautiful northern Ontario. That's enough comments I'm hearing are just way over the top. It's not the place for this. Finish please. The torch stops in Thessalon Blind River in North Bay just to name a few of those beautiful places. From the north the torch will travel around the province until it reaches the opening ceremonies on July 7th. So Speaker, through you to the minister minister can you tell us about the torch relay and the journey the Pan Am play will make across our great province of Ontario. Member from Hamilton Mountain second time. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the member for the question. I'm so excited to know that the flame is going to arrive here in Ontario this week. There's been so many people involved in the planning of these games and I think the arrival of the torch really captures the momentum we're building here in Ontario. And as the member mentioned the torch will arrive in Toronto on Saturday and it will travel to northern Ontario landing in the beautiful city of Thunder Bay. And we wanted to make sure that everyone in this province Mr. Speaker has an opportunity to participate in these games and that's why we made sure that there would be 130 stops throughout the province and then the opening ceremonies will take place on July 10th. I encourage all members of this legislature to join in the celebration and to participate at these 130 locations and I'll give some more information in the supplemental. Thank you minister and thank you speaker. Torchbearers include Canadian icon such as Chris Hatfield, Alex Billidow and Simon Whitfield. They're among over the 3,000 torchbearers who will be carrying the torch during the relay. Citizens from all walks of life will get to be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity and it's great so many people will get to participate Mr. Speaker. And let's not forget Mr. Speaker from around the province will come out to witness this incredible event happening in over 100 communities. Mr. Speaker, I know that all communities are planning unique cultural and sporting events to celebrate their connection to the games so Mr. Speaker, can the minister tell the members of this house about how our government is supporting communities in their efforts to celebrate the games? Question? Thank you minister. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member for the question. I'm happy to hear from the members of this house about a great program that I had the opportunity to announce in Milton. Our government has developed the torch relay community grant to support the arrival of the Pan Am Parapan Am Flame in local communities. The torch relay community grant is part of Ontario's 40 million strategy to ensure everyone in this province has the opportunity to benefit from these games. Funding is being made available to municipalities and band councils for the celebration or communities hosting an official torch relay event. This is about supporting diversity Mr. Speaker, it's about supporting inclusion and accessibility and activities that will build on the excitement of these games as well as ensuring as many Ontarians get to participate in these incredible games that are coming to Ontario. Thank you. My question is for the premier on January 2nd 2012 18 year old Tori McIntyre Corville phoned her mom to tell her she loved her and that she'll be home. The next day Tori and three teenage friends were all killed in a horrific crash in Perry Sound. It appears the roads were not safe for travel and it took the auditor general to tell us why. In 2009 to save 36 million dollars winter road maintenance was drastically reduced and the public was never told. Ministry officials were not only aware of this they complained to senior levels. Premier, you took over as transport minister in 2012. What did you know about this major reduction the deputy house leaders warrant? Finish please. You took over as transport minister in 2010. What did you know about this major reduction in safety and what did you do about it? Minister of transportation Minister of transportation Thanks very much Speaker and I thank the member for this question I've had the opportunity to say a number of times here in the legislature that as minister of transportation whenever I hear of an injury or a fatality on any of Ontario's highways throughout any season over the course of the year of course I offer my heartfelt condolences and I feel deep sympathy for the family and friends of those that have been impacted the auditor did come forward with the report there were eight recommendations contained in her report the ministry of transportation accepted all eight of those recommendations and I accept gladly accept the responsibility for making sure that going forward we continue to improve this program so that it provides the people of every corner of this province of Ontario with the kind of highway maintenance that they expect and they deserve thank you very much Speaker. Thank you Mr. Secretary. Premier not only were those four teenagers killed there were 10 deaths within eight days all kids under the age of 20 in fact one was eight years old you changed the winter maintenance rules and didn't tell anybody about it you cut back on winter maintenance to save money you put people's lives at risk and for five years you and your government said that that never happened everyone up north kept saying something's different something's not right with our roads it took the auditor general to come out and tell us the truth I first called for a coroner's in quest in 2012 Premier will you finally do the right thing and ask the coroner to hold an interest into these terrible deaths Thank you minister Thanks again Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the follow-up question before the auditor was asked to go in and conduct her review back in 2013 the Ministry of Transportation did conduct its own internal review of the winter maintenance program Speaker and as a result of that internal review there's 105 pieces of additional equipment that have been deployed both in southern Ontario but also northern Ontario specifically in the north for truck climbing and passing lanes Speaker in addition more inspectors were brought to bear in every region of this province the other aspect of the auditor's report that the member opposite doesn't reference is that she acknowledges that the Ministry's moves with respect to improving this program deserve some recognition in addition to that Speaker it's also important to point out that over the last 13 years the province of Ontario has consistently ranked first or second in North America for highway safety and we will continue to work on this program going forward Thank you Speaker my question to the Premier can the Premier tell Ontarians whether there will be any review of selling off Hydro 1 to foreign owners Thank you Minister of Finance Thank you Mr. Speaker we've been talking about the review of a number of assets actually we've been talking about this review since April of 2014 the most progressive budget in Ontario's history that was denied by the opposition who didn't even show up for lock up Mr. Speaker and in it we've discussed a number of initiatives going forward we're talking about broad ownership of Hydro 1 at this stage recognizing that it's about giving opportunities for our retail and certain institutions but it's broadly spaced in Ontario Speaker and we'll further discuss it in the months to come so I guess that's a no the Premier knows the Premier knows that foreign owners can litigate under NAFTA they can litigate under the WTO independent research from the legislative library confirms that any amount of foreign ownership can open the door to litigation and legal experts confirm investors have the right to sue the government if the government gets in the way of maximizing their profits and they specifically say quote the balance between the public interest and the rights of foreign investors would be tipped decidedly in favor of foreign investors why is the Premier handing away control of a strategic asset like Hydro 1 to foreign investors Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Hydro 1 will be one of the biggest companies in Canada it's going to enable us to have a progressive and growing corporation housed right here in Ontario owned by Ontarians Mr. Speaker and it's going to enable us to provide even greater increase in dividends and opportunities for the public who will be able to have the opportunity to buy into the company Mr. Speaker it is about protecting the public interests as well and we'll continue to do that with the opportunities that will exist as we do with other major corporations in Canada we're talking about the first trot of being only 50% the public and Ontario will still have 85% of the company this year as we proceed forward to assess the dynamics of what will perhaps occur thereafter all with the intention of protecting the public interest and more importantly for the province and for the people of Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Recently our government announced that Ontario will be working towards a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 37% below 1990 levels by 2030 this ambitious but achievable target keeps our province on track to reach our 2050 target of 80% below 1990 levels on April 15 the federal government announced a 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target of 30% below 2005 levels which is equivalent to only 14% below 1990 levels this is less than half of Ontario's commitment to fighting climate change yesterday the federal government had some difficulty explaining to a House of Commons committee how much Canada would have to reduce its emissions by to reach 2030 emissions target could the Minister please tell the House how many megatons will Ontario need to reduce its emissions by to reach our 2030 emissions target and how we'll reach that Minister of Environment and Climate Change Thank you Mr. Speaker it is challenging right now all of the weight of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada has fallen on the backs of the provinces to do that our coal plant closures amazing programs in Quebec and British Columbia provinces have stepped up to actually reduce emissions Mr. Speaker was disappointing to see that the federal minister couldn't even tell us what the numbers were in their plan well they don't have a plan Mr. Speaker which is probably why they can't tell us what the numbers are our commitment Mr. Speaker is consistent with other jurisdictions which is 37% that actually is a 65.5 megaton reduction which will be one of the most significant the introductions of members initiatives like our carbon market working with California and Quebec are the kind of hard practical policies that will actually get us there Mr. Speaker Thank you Minister I'm really pleased to hear that our government is taking the issue of climate change so seriously and has a firm grasp of the reductions we will have to achieve to reach our important greenhouse gas reduction goals many constituents in my writing of Cambridge, North Dumfries and indeed Waterloo Region recognize that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and poses a threat to our infrastructure food supply, drinking water and our economic competitiveness increasingly provinces and states have stepped up to provide leadership where national governments have failed to take meaningful action on one of the most important issues of our time this is especially clear when we see the federal government announcing a 2030 GHG emissions reduction target which amounts to less than half of what Ontario has committed to. Speaker through you could the minister inform this house on the ways in which Ontario is working with other jurisdiction to take action on climate change. Thank you Minister Thank you Mr. Speaker and you can't just pull numbers out of the air the reason that we chose 37% is because that's what we're tracking to Mr. Speaker. I'm very proud to be part of a government with Premier Wynn that's actually continued to meet our commitments we met our 2014 target Mr. Speaker our five year plan said we'd be at 6% by 2014 we know we've met that and may have actually exceeded that. Mr. Speaker we're now developing our next five year plan for 15% by 2020. These numbers are important because they have to be sufficient to keep us under two degrees Celsius and we just I was just signing the under two MOU with Governor Brown and others progressive governments the problem with the federal target of 14% below 1990 levels it's less than half what's necessary to keep us under two degrees so it really it's like putting a bandaid on a heart attack Mr. Speaker it just simply doesn't do the job and the provinces in Canada want to see the Government of Canada there in Paris sufficient to keep us under two Mr. Speaker Thank you. New question member from Kitchener Conestoga. My questions to the Premier. Premier this morning in the media studio we heard heartbreaking stories detailing life changing impacts to the small number of Ontarians suffering from PKU a rare inherited brain damaging disorder that can lead to severe intellectual disability without treatment. Premier every province began testing PKU in the 1960s but the families of the few hundred who suffer across Ontario are asking why this province is denying access to one of those only medications available extreme restrictive criteria you've set out has meant that two years after being cleared for managed access not a single patient has received publicly funded access Premier do you think it is fair that PKU sufferers are forced to come cap and hand like so many before to plead your government for medication question that will change and often save their life Thank you Minister of Health I greatly appreciate the question from the member opposite I also appreciate the fact that John Adams and his colleagues colleague is here from the association representing those families and individuals who are suffering from PKU which is an absolutely devastating disease and illness particularly if it's not detected very early on in life that being said it is a challenging process to determine which drugs to provide public funding for and which not to and we rely on our clinical experts we in fact have depoliticized the process so that we get the best possible scientific and clinical evidence to determine whether a specific drug is effective or not I'm pleased to say that it's an interim period because there is a national process underway to review this drug but through the exceptional access program we do on a limited basis provide a funding for this drug Kuvan which is incredibly important in this condition Premier people with rare diseases can't wait Maddie Vanstone couldn't wait the AHS sufferers who were here a month ago can't wait as you make feel good announcements when they're facing you continue to force them to jump through hoops for access when they leave the building it's not right and you know it at the end of question period I will be asking for unanimous consent to introduce a motion to strike a select committee into funding for rare diseases in Ontario and that the house leaders determine composition of that committee before the end of this calendar year Premier will you join me in doing the right thing support the creation of a select committee for rare diseases and end the suffering for those forced to plead with you for life altering medication thank you Mr. Speaker I'm absolutely certain the member opposite agrees with me that this shouldn't be a process which is politicized it should be based on the best scientific and clinical evidence possible. Ontario has asked the national process the common drug review to revisit this drug Kuvan to actually help establish the clinical criteria that will allow us to provide it to those individuals who will benefit from it Mr. Speaker I have to say that it has been this drug was reviewed by the common drug review on a national basis it was not recommended for public funding despite that Ontario and one other jurisdiction I believe Saskatchewan went ahead and put it on its exceptional access program and as I mentioned we've gone back to the federal process asked them to review the clinical criteria but through the conversation I had this morning with the advocates for those suffering from this disease I will be asking our ministry to review those clinical criteria again thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier conversion therapy has caused far too much pain for far too many Ontarians it needs to stop and it needs to stop now and we can do that by passing Bill 77 but the government seems to be doling Speaker the government house leader has asked a member of government bills to pass before he calls Bill 77 many of those bills have already passed Speaker the remainder are scheduled to pass and still the government refuses to pass Bill 77 but every day that the Premier forces Bill 77 to sit in limbo is another day that conversion therapy is practiced here in the province of Ontario why won't the Premier stop the political games do the right thing Bill 77 to committee and third reading now thank you Minister of health and long-term care Minister of health and long-term care thank you Mr. Speaker I and this government this party we fundamentally believe that patients that Ontarians deserve the right to be treated with dignity and respect in support of their human rights and defending those human rights and the leader of the third party knows this well the Premier of this province spoke herself in this legislature directly in support of the private member's bill that's coming from the member from Parkdale High Park and I appreciate we all appreciate the work that the member from High Park Parkdale High Park is doing on this it's also important to reference the fact that I have had my ministry working hard on this private member's bill with the member from Parkdale High Park she met with them last week the proposed legislation the bill itself to make stronger so that we can all be proud when it comes to that moment in time when we're able to debate in the legislature and pass it so this conversion therapy is no longer permitted anywhere in this province I'm now even more confused than I was before everybody in this legislature actually supports the bill in this legislature supports the bill the liberals profess over and over again that this conversion therapy is wrong and it doesn't belong in the province of Ontario we have an opportunity in these next few days to get through that third reading process get through the Committee process put those amendments forward that the Minister of Health talks about and let's get it done everyday that we wait another young person is in jeopardy of having their lives ruined from conversion therapy speaker this is a liberal majority government and knows that there are things that need to change. We can get this done by June 4th, and it's their job to make sure it happens, Speaker. Thank you. Can you see it, please? Thank you. Minister. House Leader. House Leader. Well, Speaker, it is absolutely shameful and disgraceful of the leader of the third party to put the lives of young LGBT kids in jeopardy, Speaker, because for the last three weeks, Speaker, for the last three weeks, she is single-handedly obstructing the passage of Bill 77. And I've had many conversations, Speaker, from the member for Parkdale High Park, who shares my view of the obstruction from the leader of the third party, but not only she's obstructing that bill, she's also obstructing from a very good bill from the member from Holdenmore Norfolk, Bill 27, and the member from Ottawa Orlees, which is Bill 83, Speaker. The three House Leaders have been working very closely to make sure that we pass very good private members' bills through this legislature, but the leader of the third party, single-handedly, has been obstructing the passage of Bill 7, and she should be regretful and shameful of that. Good question to the member from BGC, Mr. York. Mr. President, my question? Thank you very much, Speaker. I have a question for the Minister responsible for Francophone affairs. As you know, the year 2015 is a milestone in the history of our province, the 400th anniversary of the French presence in Ontario. More than ever, this is an opportunity to celebrate the significant role of Francophones in the success of our province since 1615. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister describe to us how Ontario is investing in penitagration in the context of the commemoration of the 400 years of the Francophone presence in Ontario? Minister responsible for Francophone affairs. I'm very impressed by my colleague's mastery of French. Our government recently announced an investment of $1.4 million for the redevelopment of a place that has great importance, great historic importance in Ontario, the Penitagration Poor Park. In fact, this is where the meeting between Samuel de Champlain and the Chief Huron Wendat occurred. 400 years later, we are proud to participate in efforts to redevelop the Penitagration Park. I would like to thank the member from the Central North for his help in bringing the federal government into this project for a contribution equal to our own. I would also like to thank the Mayor of Penitang, Jerry Marshall, for his great enthusiasm for this project. A supplementary question. Thank you, Minister, for your kind words about my French. I would like to thank the Minister responsible for French affairs for her answer. We can see that she's very proud, very enthusiastic and has devoted a great deal of energy to this project. I'm also happy to see the extent to which the government believes that the contribution of First Nations and Francophones must be commemorated. These are two communities that contributed and continue to contribute to shaping our province and our country. Speaker, I have another question for the Minister responsible for Francophone affairs. Would the Minister explain to us how this Penitagration project came to be? Minister, thank you very much, thank you very much. Of course such a major project required close collaboration among a number of stakeholders both at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. I would like to thank in particular the Rotary Champlain Wendat Park initiative was first and foremost a citizen initiative. I would like to note the determined leadership of Ms. Anne Gagnier and Mr. David Dupuis. Without whom the project never could have become a reality. Thanks to their tireless efforts for Francophone interests we are leaving a heritage to the people of Penitagration but also to thousands of Ontarians, Canadians, foreign tourists who will be able to come to see this wonderful park and learn more about Francophone history in Ontario. My question this morning is for the Minister responsible for the Pan Am Games. Minister, a freedom of information request from your ministry states that over $5 million was spent on production and advertising for the Pan Am Invade ad that was in 2014. We know that you're now airing a lot more ads, you're producing more ads, you're even putting them on during expensive times like during the Stanley Cup playoff game last night. We also hear that you've hired a famous director. Good choice. Finish please. Thank you. We've also heard that you've hired a famous director to film people leaping off the CN Tower for a new ad. We can suggest a few things. I don't want to hear about the flame. I don't want to hear about the medals. I don't want to hear about patchy. What I do want to know is how much have you actually spent to produce and air advertisements for TO 2015. Thank you. Minister. Thank you, Mr Speaker. It's interesting on one side of the house we hear we're not doing enough for advertisement on the other half. They're saying we're doing too much in advertising. But the one thing I do know, Mr Speaker, is that there are only days before the torch comes here to Ontario. We have 44 days until we welcome the world to Ontario and still the progressive Conservative Party in the province of Ontario are not on board. In fact, Mr Speaker, the member opposite would know exactly how much we're spending on advertising if he actually showed up for technical briefings. We have five member from the progressive Conservative showed up. When will the progressive Conservative Party stand up for the athletes in the province of Ontario, stand up for this province and join us as we welcome the world. I'm waiting for the other person beside you to sit down so I can identify you. The member from Leeds-Grindel on a point of work. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I'd like to introduce my girl's government group that's in the gallery facing and representatives of girls in Leeds-Grindel. Welcome to Queens Park. Member for Kitchener, Conestoga on a point of work. Yes, Speaker. I would like to seek unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice respecting the establishment of a select committee to research funding for rare diseases. Member from Kitchener, Conestoga seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice. Do we agree? I heard a no. Member from Parkdale High Park. Yes, thank you, Speaker. I'd like to introduce Equal Voice and thank them for a wonderful breakfast and panel discussion this morning and for, of course, sponsoring Girls' Government Day. Thank you. We have a deferred vote on the motion. The third reading of Bill 40, an act to amend the Crop Insurance Act, Ontario, 1996, and to make consequential amendments to other acts calling the members. This will be a five minute bill. Take your seats. First, please take your seats. Go slow. Twenty-fifth, Mr. Leal moved third reading of Bill 40. All those in favor please rise one at a time to be recognized by the court. Mr. Leal. Mr. Naphqee. Mr. Navy. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Shrellee. Mr. Shrellee. Mr. Dameira. Mr. Sousa. Ms. Sousa. Ms. Wynne. Ms. Matthew. Ms. Matthew. Mr. Haussen. Mr. Hauss's indications. Ms. Sandel. Mr. Djuga. Ms. Mr. Gravell Mr. McMeacon Mr. Murray Mr. Chan Mr. Moriidi Mr. Kotel Mr. Flynn Mr. Zimmer Mr. Delaney Mr. Dixie Mr. Crack Mr. Crack Mr. Wong Mr. Hunter Mr. Ballard. Mr. Don. Mr. Don. Ms. Hogarth. Ms. Koala. Ms. Koala. Adam Lalonde. Ms. Molly. Ms. Molly. Mrs. Martin. Mrs. Martin. Mrs. McGarry. Mrs. McGarry. Ms. McMahon. Mr. Milchin. Mr. Milchin. Ms. Nidu Harris. Ms. Nidu Harris. Mr. Pot. Mr. Pot. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Rinaldi. Ms. Reeniel. Ms. Reeniel. Mr. Tebow. Mr. Tebow. Mr. Barrett. Mr. Barrett. Mr. Barrett. Chris. There's a time thing here in this film. Mr. Arnold. Mr. Houda, Mr. Hardiman, Mr. Hardiman, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Willson, Mr. Yakibusky, Mr. Clark, Mr. Dunlop, Mr. McNaughton, Mr. Jones, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Monroe, Mr. Scott, Mr. Yurek, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Marto, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Vantal, Mr. Harbaugh, Mr. DeNova, Mr. Miller Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Mr. Sattler, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Nadeshak, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Angelina, Mr. Hathfield, Mr. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Mr. French. As opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 96 and the nays are zero. The ayes are 96 and the nays being zero. I declare the motion carried. Third meeting of the bill. All of that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion. There being no further deferred votes, this house stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.