 Therefore, it is now time for a question period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Does the Premier believe that it's appropriate for ministers to fundraise from stakeholders with active files from within their respective ministries? Yes or no, is that conduct appropriate? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, and I do appreciate the member opposite's newfound interest in this issue. I think we need to raise money in order to campaign and to fund the democratic process. I've been clear about that publicly, Mr. Speaker. Our government plans on introducing legislation, Mr. Speaker. I have said in the fall, but, Mr. Speaker, we are going to introduce that legislation in the spring. I believe that we can agree that this is an important issue and there needs to be... Thank you. In this case... In fact, Mr. Speaker, I had announced last June that we were committed to making further changes. We will introduce legislation in this spring, Mr. Speaker. And I have responded to the letters of the opposition leaders. I have asked them to come and meet with me, Mr. Speaker, to join with me, to talk about, to give some input into that legislation, Mr. Speaker. And I look forward to that. Thank you. The member from Prince Edward Hastings will come to order. Supplementary? Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, I'm not asking about future conversations the Premier may have around election finance reform and whether she's actually interested or not, whether it's sincere or not. What I'm asking about is the conduct of her ministers. My question is, as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, did the Premier allow these fundraising targets and does she still believe they're appropriate? Is it appropriate for members of your cabinet, members of the Premier's cabinet to have fundraising targets? The member... Stop the clock. The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport come to order. Please. Mr. Speaker, there have... There's been a set of rules in place that every party in this legislature has followed, Mr. Speaker. We have followed... Member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke come to order and I've now decided I'm going to go after those individuals who have decided they're just going to chirp because they feel like it. Thank you. Carry on. As I've said, Mr. Speaker, I've invited both party leaders to join me for a meeting within the next few days to discuss important issues and to give input into legislation that we'll bring forward this spring. I want to give leaders time to consult with their respective parties so that their feedback and input can be reflected in the legislation that we introduced, Mr. Speaker. And then that legislation will be debated... The member from Prince Edward Hastings, second time. And I'll move to warnings now. Carry on. That legislation will be debated publicly. It will go through the committee process, Mr. Speaker, and there will be opportunities for the opposition and the public to participate. And I would ask our member opposite to share their ideas with Ontarians and with the legislature, Mr. Speaker. We're committed to, especially the intention to transition to a ban on corporate union donation. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, does the Premier acknowledge that setting fundraising targets for cabinet ministers forces them to fundraise from stakeholders with active files within their respective ministries? It is impossible to avoid that ethical contradiction. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier do something about this? Mr. Speaker, again, I go back to my initial comment, which is I think everyone in this legislature agrees that there is a need to raise money in order to run campaigns. I don't think anyone would believe that only the wealthy should be able to run for office, Mr. Speaker. There has to be a contribution and participation by other people and other organizations in fundraising. There has been a set of rules in place, Mr. Speaker. We have determined, and some time ago, that there needed to be changes. We have started to make changes. The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change is warned. The member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke is warned. Carry on. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we've already undertaken an issue to make elections more accountable and transparent. In 2007, we introduced third-party advertising rules for the first time, Mr. Speaker, and introduced real-time disclosure for political donations, which, as the member will know, other provinces are just catching up with. We know there need to be further changes. I look forward to the input from the opposition, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, has a stakeholder with active files before any ministry been asked or made to feel obligated by the Premier, a minister, a member of her staff, or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party to raise funds for the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting, an approval, or a policy change, yes or no? The member from Newmarket Aurora is warned. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, the exchanges that I have with Ontarians all across the province, whether in a fundraising context or not, Mr. Speaker, are about gleaning the best ideas that we can so that we can write policy in government that reflects the needs of the people of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, that is the intention and that is the sole purpose for my exchanges, the exchanges of my members. The member from Stomart Dundasca and Glary is warned. Finish, please. No, if you look at some of the major... Oh, sorry. If you do not understand my resolve, it's very clear. Stop heckling. Carry on. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As I said publicly this past week, if you look at many of the major initiatives that we have undertaken in this House, Mr. Speaker, whether it's increasing minimum wage, the poverty reduction strategy, the investments in... The investments in personal support workers and in early childhood educators, developmental support workers, Mr. Speaker, those are initiatives that have taken place because of feedback that we've heard from people around the province. It absolutely... Thank you. ...nothing to do with anything... Thank you. A couple of entries. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. That was a lot of spin and talk for a yes and no question. So I will be more specific. On December 7th, the Ministers of Finance Energy took part in a fundraising dinner hosted by the people that ran the sale of Hydro One. Much of the Hydro One syndicate was in attendance. A syndicate that made over $29 million from the sale of Hydro One. Further to that, the dinner raised a reported $165,000 for the Liberal Party. That seems to me like a thank you dinner. Mr. Speaker, did the Ministers pressure the companies to host? The Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure is warned. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, on the other side, if you're sensitive in the face of facts, did the Ministers pressure the companies to host and attend this dinner in exchange for being given the right to sell Hydro One? A bad deal, by the way, for the people of Ontario. Thank you, Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, as I have said many times, the sole purpose of interacting with people in the province, and my experience of fundraising, Mr. Speaker, is that many of the people who give money to one party actually give money to all the parties, Mr. Speaker, because those conversations, I assume, Mr. Speaker, that those conversations that we have about policy are the same conversations that the opposition parties would want to have, Mr. Speaker, so that they can be informed by the expertise of people who are in the field. I assume that that is the reality, Mr. Speaker, on the other side of the House. That is certainly the reality on this side of the House. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Since I can't get an answer on the thank you dinner from the Hydro One sale, let's talk about the overpayment for renewable energy. Energy that could have been produced at a much lower rate if they did not hand out 20-year contracts to their Liberal friends at an additional cost of $9.2 billion to the people of Ontario. Consequently, it seems that win company after win company donate to the Liberal Party coffers every year. Mr. Speaker, did any of these companies that received win contracts just happen to attend the $6,000 plate dinner with the Minister of Energy on March 10th? Yes or no? Did the individuals that received contracts attend that dinner? Thank you. Your opposite can get lists of who donates to our party, Mr. Speaker. In real time, Mr. Speaker, those lists are available. I look forward to the policy initiative from the other side of the House, Mr. Speaker, that suggests that what we should do is bring back coal in this province. That suggests that somehow... Thank you. I'm not waiting for the last person to say something. Mr. Speaker, I would just say to the leader of the opposition that if that's not the plan and he doesn't approve of what we have done in terms of a clean electricity grid, I would suggest that he tell us that he's not going to bring back coal, Mr. Speaker, that that is not the agenda that he's going to put forward. Thank you. New question to the leaders of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Every voter in Ontario should have an equal voice. But Ontarians are concerned that their voice won't be heard by their government unless they write a big check. It's time to stop the undue influence, Speaker, that big money is having on politics in this province. And my question is to the Premier. Does she agree? Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the new found interest on the part of the third party in this. We have for some time said that there needed to be changes, Mr. Speaker. We have in fact brought forward changes. And as I said to the leader of the opposition, we intend to bring forward legislation in this spring. I have said publicly in the fall, but we're going to move that up, Mr. Speaker, because I agree with the contention that people in the province need to have a good, long opportunity for input, Mr. Speaker. If we bring forward legislation in the spring, there can be a good consultation with the public on that legislation. In advance of that, I look forward to meeting with the leaders of the opposition so that they can bring forward their ideas as that legislation goes to completion of drafting, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, I did receive the letter, the Premier's response to my letter, agreeing to meet with me and the leader of the other opposition party. And we're looking forward to that meeting, Speaker, but it shouldn't be the case that opposition parties provide input and the Premier makes the decisions. That's why I will be calling on the Premier to establish a process, Speaker, a process that's undertaken outside of this legislature, headed by Ontario's chief electoral officer. Because I don't think that these decisions should be in the hands of a single political party. They should be in the hands of Ontarian, Speaker. So will this Premier agree to set up a process that engages all political parties and broader civil society in order to fix our broken system? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, you know, I understand the need for the public to have an opportunity to comment on and to give us input. Mr. Speaker, that's why we have moved up our intention to introduce legislation from the fall to the spring. There will be a good opportunity for lots of input to the legislation, Mr. Speaker, in the committee process. You know, it's pretty clear to me, Mr. Speaker, that we need to move to ban corporate and union donations. That, to me, I think is not a question at this point. I think it's clear. If we look at what's happening in other jurisdictions, including at the federal level, Mr. Speaker, that's something that we are going to do. So, what I'm interested in... A member from Dufferin, Caledon is warned. Carry on. What I'm interested in is hearing from the opposition leaders on what they think the transition should be to that. Mr. Speaker, we took a number of years at the federal level to get to the point that they're at. Now, I'd like to know from the opposition leaders where they think how that transition should work in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, I don't believe that changing the way political parties fund campaigns should be up to any single political party. We agree that this process should be very broad, but should also include parties with significant support in the last election, whether or not they have representation in this legislature. Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, if the leader of the third party is asking whether Mike Shiner from the Green Party should be allowed to take part in the process, absolutely. If we have a public process with legislation that can be amended, that can... where we can get input on, Mr. Speaker, the public can take part in that process. That's how legislation works, Mr. Speaker. So what I'm proposing is that the leaders of the opposition parties work with their folks, work with their parties, bring forward to me in our meetings some proposals about what they'd like to see in the legislation. We draft the legislation, Mr. Speaker, and then that legislation becomes the grist for the public discussion, Mr. Speaker, and we can have a broad public discussion about where we should go. But there are some givens. I think that it is quite clear that banning union and corporate donations is where we need to go, Mr. Speaker. And so I would look forward to their advice on how we would make a transition to that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. People in Ontario should feel confident that politics in this province is not under the undue influence of big money, bottom line. And as I've said, changing how all political parties fundraise shouldn't be up to just one political party speaker. And if we are going to give people the confidence in the system they deserve, then these decisions shouldn't be up to just politicians, Speaker. Does this Premier agree that the Chief Electoral Officer should take the lead role and include representatives of academia, civil society, business and labour? Well, Mr. Speaker, it makes me wonder what the leader of the third party thinks happens at committee consultations, Mr. Speaker. When I sat on committees as a regular part of my job as an MPP for three years, I heard the most intelligent, the most thorough analysis of issues. When we talked about whether it was healthcare or whether it was electricity, we heard a very full range of delegations and input from people across the province. That's what I know happens at committee, Mr. Speaker. That's why I fully expect that as this legislation goes out, Mr. Speaker, once we've had the input from the opposition parties, I fully expect that there will be a very, very complete discussion around the province, from academics, from community leaders, Mr. Speaker, from people who are part of unions, from people who are part of corporations who want to have a role in that political discussion. I look forward to that, Mr. Speaker. I welcome it. Supplementary? I don't think we need to tell the Premier what happens at committee. The Liberal majority shuts down the opinions of the opposition. Big money on a serious note, getting big money out of Ontario's politics is a pretty obvious first step, but it can't be the only step, Speaker. This shouldn't be about how we make our democracy, rather this should be about our entire democracy more fair and not just about dealing with only the issues that are getting the highlight of attention right now. So does the Premier agree that this needs to be a comprehensive and open process and not one that just benefits the Liberal party? Well, Mr. Speaker, I think that this process can only benefit the democratic system and can only benefit the people of Ontario. That is the purpose of the democratic process in this province, Mr. Speaker. That is the purpose of government, which is not separate from the people of the province, but is part of the way our society works. So Mr. Speaker, the leader of the third party may want to denigrate big money, as she calls it. I don't know what she means by that. I don't know if she's talking about the money from teachers. Is she talking about the money from teachers, federations, Mr. Speaker? Or is she only talking about money from the private sector? Because the reality... In some cases, some people have been warned maybe that's not enough. Finish, please. We have all been operating under a single set of rules. Those rules are going to change and I look forward to the input from the leaders of the opposition party on what they think should be in that legislation. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to end my questioning this morning with a pretty fundamental question to this Premier, because I think it's important that we understand whether or not she has an intention to make this process open and transparent. Will the Premier commit to an open process that's headed by Ontario's chief electoral officer with representatives from all political parties, academia, business, labour and civil society in order to ensure that the people of Ontario can feel confident about their electoral system and how it is funded? Thank you, Premier. What I would say to the leader of the third party is that I am committed to an open process. I am committed to making sure that we get input from every corner of this province, from anyone who wants to give us input starting with the leaders of the opposition parties. But Mr. Speaker, I think there are some fundamental directions that have been established for some time in this legislature. Certainly on our part on this side of the House we believe that there are some pretty clear steps that we need to go in. One of them is the banning of corporate union donations. I would love to hear from the leaders of the opposition parties how they think that transition should happen, Mr. Speaker, and any other issues that they think should be included in legislation that can then be broadly and fully publicly debated. Thank you. Your question, Linda, from Guffin Calendar. After 13 years in power, that's quite an epiphany. My question is for the Treasury Board President. Thank you. Speaker, has a stakeholder with active files before this minister been asked by the minister a member of our staff or a member of the Interior Liberal Party to raise funds for this minister or the Interior Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting, an approval or policy change? Thank you. We obviously know where this is going and what I can tell you is that I meet with people every single day with a variety of opinions about what we need to do to make Ontario better. It's part of my daily job. I bet it's part of your daily job as well. All of us in this House regularly meet with people who have expertise, who have ideas. I listen to them and we develop public policy on the basis of what is best for the people of this province. Thank you. I didn't hear no, so I'll try again. Speaker, has the stakeholder with active files before this minister been made to feel obligated to raise funds for this minister or the Interior Liberal Party by the minister a member of his or her staff or a member of the Interior Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting, an approval or policy change? Excuse me. The Deputy House Leader is warned. Finish, please. Speaker, I think every single person in this House ran for office because we want to make this province better. That's what we're doing. The member opposite says she's never fund raised. That's hard to imagine. It might be true and it's hard to imagine. But you know, Speaker, we made changes. We, this party, the Government Party made changes to require real-time public disclosure of donations. That is a very important part of the transparency agenda of this Government. Anyone can go online at any time and see who is making donations to what party, Speaker. I encourage people who are watching at home or people leaving in this House to actually look and see who is making those donations. While I definitely understand the thrust and perry of this place and the idea is to allow for some of those donations to be loose, I just want to remind people when I say you are warned, the next time I speak to you, you will be named. Just to be clear. And there are a few people that are on the edge now. You wrap up sentence, please. Speaker, we believe that the transparency that we brought into donations is the right thing to do. We also think it's time to make the next step. And as you heard, we'll be making changes very soon. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The media are asking about the legality of how cabinet ministers are raising money. Who's the question, too? The question is to the Premier. Media are asking questions about the legality of how cabinet ministers are raising money for the Ontario Liberal Party. Now the question is, has the Premier done her due diligence? Has she taken steps to ensure that assurances are made very clear from her ministers that their actions are beyond question and in fact legal? Given that in addition, questions are being asked about how cabinet ministers are raising money from organisations that have an interest in the decisions that these ministers themselves make, I'm sure the Premier wants to know that there is absolutely no question about the legality of how this money is being raised. So my question to the Premier is this, can the Premier tell Ontarians who she's asked to investigate whether these allegations are true and will she make this report public? Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, we all operate in this House, we all operate under a certain set of rules. Those rules have been in place for a number of years, Mr. Speaker, and I can only assume that everyone on the other side of the House follows them. We are absolutely committed to following those rules, Mr. Speaker. I have said and we have been working on changes already, Mr. Speaker. We intend to bring forward legislation in the spring that will allow for a full public discussion of changes that we need to make, but I think it's pretty clear, Mr. Speaker, that some fundamentals need to change. We need to move towards corporate and union, a ban on corporate and union donations, Mr. Speaker. I think that is very, very clear so I look forward to input from the leaders of the opposition from their parties as we draft legislation and then we take it out for full public discussion, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. New question? The member from, excuse me, the member from Elgin Middlesex, London. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Mr. Speaker, as a stakeholder with active file has been asked by the Minister, a member of his or her staff or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting and approval or policy change. Good question. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and as my critic knows, I take my job as Minister of Health very, very seriously and an important part of that job is to make sure that I interact with and discuss and get the best possible advice from literally hundreds of individuals around this province on a regular basis. We have one of the best healthcare systems because we have some of the best the best healthcare providers and experts and so an important part of my job is to interact. I interact with many, many people over the course of a regular day while we're sitting, Mr. Speaker, and I've had opportunities to do that on an ongoing basis as all members of this legislature I believe engage in fundraising activities. When I engage in fundraising activities, Mr. Speaker, I do that according to the rules at home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's easy to note that we didn't hear a straight no to that question, but back to the Minister, Mr. Speaker, has a stakeholder with active files before this Minister being made to feel obligated to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party by the Minister, a member of his or her staff or the member of the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting and approval for policy change? Well, the member knows that's not how it works, Mr. Speaker, but what I'm very proud of, Mr. Speaker, is long before the Progressive Conservatives first raised this issue today, Mr. Speaker, long before the NDP first raised this issue today, this Premier has been engaging in a process which she's outlined where changes, fundamental changes to the way donation The member from Prince Edward Hastings is warned. Carry on. Long before it was raised for the first time today by these or in the last days since media attention has been drawn to this issue, long before that this Premier has recognized that important changes can and should be made. Mr. Speaker, she has indicated for seeable future, she'll be introducing those changes. I look forward to seeing those. And I look forward to getting the good advice from the member's opposite on how we can further strengthen those rules. Good question to the member from Kitchener Waterloo. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Minister of Finance. Does the Minister of Finance see any issues with asking the companies that he hired and paid to sell off Hydro One to attend his fundraiser dinner to donate thousands of dollars to the Liberal Party of Ontario? Good question. Mr. Speaker, again and as the Premier has explained it's interesting that the NDP who receive funds and do fundraisers like the progressive considers, we all abide by the rules in this House as we should to enable us to support our campaigns. And let me be clear my priority is around policy initiating the concerns of Ontarians. That's why the document and the budget is one of the most progressive that we've had in history talking about the things that matter to Ontarians. That's my priority. That's what drives me and that's what I care about Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. It's been reported that the Minister of Finance has a quota and he needs to raise half a million dollars for the Ontario Liberal Party. That's a lot of money. Has the Minister ever discussed his quota with the Premier of the province of Ontario? Well that's been reported. Actually I haven't discussed with the Premier. What I do discuss with the Premier are issues around policy the preparation of the budget the concerns that we share as a government to support the policies that are important to the people of Ontario. That is what we talk about and that is what initiates. The member opposite who also fundraisers also does the very same thing as the rest of us to support her campaigns. That is a reality that we have as the rules pertain to it. I look forward and we welcome any opportunities from the opposition to support the Premier in her initiative to reform the system. We welcome it. We're open to it. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. Ensuring students receive the best possible education across Ontario is our government's top priority. Ontario has a lot to be proud of in terms of student achievement thanks in large part to our great educators and our staff. Our schools are recognized across the country and around the world for excellence in education and this is something we are extremely proud of. Minister this morning you announced the renewed math strategy to help students across the province become better learners. Speaker through you to the Minister what is the Ontario government doing to raise student achievement in mathematics. Minister of Education. Thank you. Thank you to the member who I suspect uses her math skills every time she plans a cycling route across the province. But to talk about renewed math supporting effective learning and teaching in mathematics has been identified as a top priority for Ontario schools. This morning I was proud to announce that we are dedicating more than $60 million to help support students across the province achieve better results in math. Math is a critical requirement for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The renewed math strategy is informed by research and lessons learned from the education sector itself. It focuses on the needs of students, their families, educators and schools while encouraging shared responsibility to support student learning. The strategy also supports our renewed vision for Ontario education. Thank you. Thank you Minister. We are extremely proud of the investments made towards education. It is important that we will continue to focus on improving the achievement of all students in mathematics because it not only helps to enhance their full potential but it contributes to our economic strategy by ensuring a skilled workforce. In fact that skilled workforce is just one of the reasons Ontario leads a foreign direct investment and so I'm pleased to hear that the students in my writing of Burlington will have better supports in place when it comes to mathematics. Minister, can you please tell this house what types of supports and opportunities you and our government will be providing as part of the renewed math strategy. Thank you. Yes and speaker starting next September key elements of the renewed math strategy will be introduced including a minimum of 60 minutes each day protected learning time for effective mathematics instruction and assessment for students in grades one to eight. Up to three math lead teachers in all elementary schools coaching for principles of select secondary schools to lead improvement in math among their students support for learning at home through parent resources that provide helpful tips and information on the math curriculum better access to online math resources and math supports such as homework help or SOS DuBois. Math support for grades six to nine outside the school day and finally opportunities for educators to deepen their knowledge in math learning teaching and leading including a dedicated math professional development day to further improve. Question from Oxford. My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs Mr. Speaker has any stakeholder with active files before this minister been asked by the Minister a member of his staff or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting and approval or a policy change. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker my question back to the Minister Mr. Speaker has any stakeholder with active files before this Minister been made to feel obligated to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party by the Minister a member of his staff or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting and approval or a policy change. No. Thank you. New question. Thank you Speaker. My question to the Premier the Minister of Energy told the Ottawa citizen that he didn't have any ethical issues with using his ministerial portfolio to raise money. But he told the Globe and Mail that he wanted reform. Can the Premier tell us if the energy minister is okay with the current ministerial quota system or not? Premier. Mr. Speaker you know I don't know how the NDP operates. I don't know where team ethic is Mr. Speaker I don't know how well they work together but here's the thing we know as a party that we have to fundraise in order to run our campaigns and do our work Mr. Speaker and we're a team and everybody does their bit Mr. Speaker that's how it works on this side of the house I have no idea how it works in the church basements of the NDP Mr. Speaker Minister of Energy ever discussed his quota with the Premier and did he ever tell the Premier he wanted to see campaign finance reform? Mr. Speaker I have not talked with my ministers about quotas we are part of a team Mr. Speaker and the only reason I use the church basement Mr. Speaker is that the leader of the third party was suggesting that somehow the fund raising done by the NDP was somehow more pure than the fund raising done by everyone else. The fact is Mr. Speaker in the best interest of the people of Ontario to talk to people around this province to run our parties Mr. Speaker so that there can be a political dialogue as part of our democracy there has been a set of rules we are going to change those rules I look forward to input from the opposition party Mr. Speaker Have you seen it please? New questions the member from Newmarket Aurora My question is to the Minister of Transportation I was at the 20th annual Newmarket Home Show over the weekend and had a number of constituents ask me about changes to the electric vehicle incentives program perhaps it was the launch of the new Tesla vehicle that sparked this interest but actually I believe it's my constituents genuine concern for the environment I understand the minister recently announced some changes to the electric vehicle incentive program Mr. Speaker can the minister tell members of this house more about these changes that Americans can expect to see under the new program Mr. Speaker I want to begin by thanking the member from Newmarket Aurora not only for his question but for taking a very keen interest in issues relating to transportation and how we modernize some of these important programs as many members of this legislature will recall our government launched our first electric vehicle incentive program back in 2010 a program which has provided incentives for electric vehicles in Ontario I was very pleased to join with Premier Nguyen with the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure in February to announce some changes to this program change a speaker that will help make it even easier for Ontarians to switch to an electric vehicle our new modernized program increases the current incentive range for e-vehicles to between $6000 and $10,000 it also provides an opportunity to increase the amount of solar incentive for vehicles with larger battery capacities and the program speaker will also give up to $1,000 for the purchase and installation of chargers for private home and business use Our government continues to make investments that will help us secure a healthy clean and prosperous low carbon future for all Ontarians Thank you Thank you Speaker I want to thank the Minister for his response I know that those living in Newmarket Aurora are glad to hear about these changes In fact, this initiative actually builds on our government's December 2015 announcement that an additional $20 million from Ontario's Green Investment Fund will go toward creating a network of fast charging public EV charging stations but Mr Speaker this is only one of the progressive investments we're making in the vehicles we drive I understand in January we also launched a new automated vehicles pilot Mr Speaker, can the Minister please tell members of this House more about this new pilot and how it will change the way Ontarians drive Thank you very much Speaker I thank the member again for his follow up question He is quite right Speaker On January 1st, our government launched a new pilot to allow the testing of automated vehicles on Ontario's roads and highways The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers has forecasted that by 2040 autonomous vehicles could account for 75% of all vehicles on North American roads Speaker, that is a potential massive shift with respect to how we live and drive And that's why I'm so proud to see Ontario leading the charge on this new and innovative technology Ontario is the very first province in Canada to permit the testing of automated vehicles and related technology on road This means that we are the first to enable nearly 100 companies and institutions involved in the sector to conduct research and development on Ontario rather than competing This is another example of our government's commitment to making those investments that will ensure that Ontario remains a global leader in this sector Thank you very much Thank you and good morning Speaker My question is for the Minister of Finance Speaker, has a stakeholder with active files before this Minister been asked by the Minister a member of his staff or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting an approval or a policy change Thank you No finance I do see a great list from the Conservative Party which includes very much those very stakeholders but I have not had that pressure Thank you Speaker Back to the Minister While we all may raise funds this Minister is selling access to meeting Come to order please Thank you Speaker, while we may all fundraise it's this Minister who gives out contracts and it sells access to the government Speaker So my question Has a stakeholder Excuse me, stop the clock please I'm good to ask the Member to withdraw because of what he said You may finish the question Has a stakeholder with active files before this Minister been made to feel obligated to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party by the Minister a member of his staff or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting an approval or a policy change Thank you I've already said that's not the case but I want you to be clear what we are concerned about is this document, the work we do to put policies in place to provide for increased minimum wage free tuition for those students that are most vulnerable to ensure that we support those with autism increased funding for hospitals and education support infrastructure projects and ensure that we have a fair society by breaking the cycle of poverty all those things Mr. Speaker that are important to the people of Ontario That's our priority Nothing else Thank you My question is to the Premier The Premier has acknowledged that former Cabinet Minister John Garrison complained to her about his fundraising quotas Will the Premier tell Ontarians what she said to John Garrison when he complained about the ethics of Cabinet Ministers being given fundraising quotas Well Mr. Speaker what I have said publicly and the member opposite can look at my comments from last week what I've said is that many of the comments that John Garrison made become part of the discussion that we're having right now Mr. Speaker and they have fed into my conviction that we do need to make changes that moving to band corporate and union donations is the direction we need to go Mr. Speaker and as I've said I look forward to input from the opposition parties and then I look forward to a full public debate Mr. Speaker as legislation goes to committee Thank you Thank you Speaker The Premier has acknowledged that John Garrison complained about using his ministerial portfolio to raise money for the Ontario Liberal Party Other ministers are calling for changes How many other ministers have complained to the Premier about having to use the ministerial portfolios to raise money for the Liberal Party Mr. Speaker as has been said that is not how it works we are a team we raise money to do the work of the party as I expect the NDP and the Conservatives both do Mr. Speaker and we all operate within a set of rules and those rules Mr. Speaker are going to change I look forward to input from the opposition parties and I look forward to a full public discussion Mr. Speaker as legislation goes out for consultation Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure Minister last January you officially launched four new streams for the Jobs and Prosperity Fund a 10 year $2.7 billion support fund which includes the new economy stream the food and beverage growth fund the forestry growth fund and the strategic partnership stream and as you've said before we are focusing our investments in order to help smaller businesses scale up to continue to strengthen our commitment to innovation create high value jobs and to target key industries that will act as our anchor investments in Ontario but at the same time there have been critics who suggested that we are picking winners and losers and they have expressed concerns about transparency of our investments Mr. Speaker could the Minister please inform this legislature if those concerns are legitimate and infrastructure Thank you Mr. Speaker let me begin by saying how proud we are the investments we've made in our business support initiatives through the years in fact I want all Ontarians to be aware of each of those investments because they've proven to be hugely successful in creating jobs and attracting investment to our province most of our investments are already available online and we welcome any public interest in those important initiatives that we've been working on since 2004 leveraging $29 billion in private sector investment and creating and retaining $160,000 as for picking winners and losers we are picking winners we're investing in growth firms and innovation leaders and we're driving to compete globally that's what you need to do to compete Mr. Speaker in today's competitive global economy so we can build an economy we can be proud to pass on to our kids and grandkids Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the minister for his answer it's very encouraging to learn that there are measures in place to ensure transparency and accountability for all our businesses and as we're providing strong supports Mr. I know that you've been very busy lately announcing partnerships across the province of Ontario in Waterloo, Ottawa, Markham Newford, London, Hamilton and other areas of the province in my own community of Kitchener Waterloo my constituents were very excited to welcome new jobs at Sandvine an innovation leader that is going global and I know that we were very happy to host both the minister and the premier at a recent tour in my community Mr. Speaker could the minister please tell this house about that visit and other companies that we have been partnering with the minister I'd be delighted to Mr. Speaker I want to share a few of our recent investments with the legislature we've partnered with Metsui High Tech an advanced manufacturing company producing parts for electric vehicles creating 48 new highly skilled jobs and you're writing Mr. Speaker of Brantford our $2 million investment leveraged $38 million in private sector investment we've partnered with Bayless Medical to support a research and manufacturing we invested $4.2 million leveraging $32.5 million in private sector investment creating 84 jobs and retaining 194 more we also partnered with Sandvine as the member indicated in KW an ICT innovation success story here in Ontario we invested $15 million leveraging $169 million in private sector investment creating 75 year jobs retaining 267 these are good investments contributing to an all 160,000 jobs created and retained here in the province a new question thank you very much Mr. Speaker if sincere I wonder why the premier and her government did not make the changes when the electoral officer Greg Asenza has raised this twice in this legislature during their report and myself I've raised this private member's bill last October and my colleague Rick Nichols raised it before me so if they were sincere if they truly felt this was unfair Mr. Speaker they'd have already had legislation changes in they wouldn't be dragging it out so they could continue to fundraise over the next year probably by the time they get it done to their benefit Mr. Speaker so I asked the premier are you really sincere and why is it not already legislation like the rest of the province of Canada and the federal government thank you very much Mr. Speaker so I've said we're bringing the legislation in this spring Mr. Speaker we're going to we're going to have a public discussion about the legislation Mr. Speaker but as I have said make no mistake there will be a new set of rules that doesn't mean that people will stop having to raise funds Mr. Speaker the reality is in order for our democracy to function parties need to be able to work with, communicate with run campaigns, work with the public that is part of our democratic process so there will be new rules in place Mr. Speaker forward to the input from the opposition and from the third party thank you supplementary Mr. Speaker it's a matter of trust this was brought to this legislature by an officer of this legislature that said you need to make changes two reports ago Mr. Speaker this is yet again we've got caught we've got the heat turned up by the media and now the premier in her cabinet is saying oh we need to do something but we need time if you were truly sincere there are other provinces that we could have this legislation today Mr. Speaker she was really sincere we could already have this we do need to get to a select committee so we actually have some say we're very concerned that they would just take this like they have the green energy act for example and ram it through under their provisions but we need to ask about the sincerity we need to ask about how much insurance trust this premier in her government to truly make changes Mr. Speaker we want to ensure that this government will actually do the right thing for a change of legislation Mr. Speaker I want to ask the premier have you held any fundraisers with sponsors in the room with donors in the room that could truly influence legislation thank you very much Mr. Speaker well as the member knows full well we announced last June that we're committed to addressing the recommendations that have been made by the chief electoral officer Mr. Speaker recommendations that were made in the election we are we are committed to that he said we were and we're moving forward Mr. Speaker but I have to say that when I read in the press that the opposition was looking for a select committee on top of bringing legislation forward and having a public discussion as a result of committee hearings Mr. Speaker the first thing that came to my mind is that they actually want to stall they actually want a longer process Mr. Speaker and that's unacceptable the status quo is not acceptable we're going to move forward legislation this spring and we're going to move forward and make those changes Mr. Speaker thank you and good morning to you my question is to the premier good morning premier can the premier explain why she believes the liberal government should be making the decisions about all political parties fund campaigns and why she believes this process should not be led by Ontario's chief electoral officer well Mr. Speaker and I don't know if the member heard what I said to the last question the fact is that the chief electoral officer has made recommendations some of them pertain directly to this discussion that's been happening in the public realm in the last couple of weeks some of them go beyond that but Mr. Speaker we have accepted those recommendations we're working on them Mr. Speaker and we're going to be bringing forward legislation and the fact is Mr. Speaker we're going to have a public consultation as we bring that legislation into the public realm and Mr. Speaker I look forward to the input from the opposition leader and the leader of the third party after consultation with their colleagues about what they would like to see in the legislation so that it can be debated publicly I look forward to that process Mr. Speaker which is supplementary Mr. Speaker the premier insist that you'll take this process and as we know she also said that the budget would reflect input from the finance committee's pre-budget consultations but as we all know the ink was drying on the budget before the committee was done hearing from the experts in Ontarians alike we need to ensure that this process is open and is enough to one single political party will the premier agree to have this process headed by Ontario's chief electoral office I think I've been clear about what the process should be going forward I look forward to the input from the leaders of the opposition parties Mr. Speaker I trust that they will be talking to their colleagues and that they will engage in a very energetic and enthusiastic way in the public discussion that we'll follow as legislation goes forward Mr. Speaker that is what is required of us it is what is necessary to come to good policy decisions and Mr. Speaker as I said I think there are some very clear directions whether it's from the chief electoral officer or the public debate that has ensued for the last couple of weeks around the banning of corporate and union donations we need to get on that Mr. Speaker and that's why we're moving the legislation up we're going to bring that legislation forward in the spring rather than in the fall Mr. Speaker Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Community Services Minister as you know every day there are women across the province who experience domestic violence and this devastating reality can affect people from any community or any walk of life Minister I know that your ministry provides violence against women agencies across this province with funding to support women and their children who have experienced domestic violence these hardworking agencies such as Mison at the Lude House in my riding in Hawkesbury provide vital services such as services and housing supports to help women and their children who require these services but we all know that there are unique challenges experienced by shelters in rural, remote and northern communities Speaker through you can the Minister please tell us how your ministry is recognizing and helping to address these challenges Thank you. Thank you to the member for the question I understand he celebrated his birthday this weekend so happy birthday and our government certainly takes the role of supporting women and their children who have experienced domestic violence very seriously and I have had the opportunity Mr. Speaker to visit some 21 VAW shelters across the province since I became Minister and I'm very aware of the unique service delivery challenges being experienced by rural, remote and northern shelters and that's why in January I visited the women's rural resource centre of Strathroy an area to announce that we would be establishing a rural realities fund this new two year one million dollar fund will help shelters and agencies in these communities address their local challenges and I'm pleased to let this house know that my ministry is now welcoming applications to the rural realities we know this is just part of the solution we will continue to work with the agencies in these communities Thank you. Thank you Minister for that information on the rural realities fund and I understand that rural shelters and agencies were very pleased with this recent announcement for example I know that the chair of the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses and Executive Director of the Leeds Grenville Interval House said that she was thrilled with the recent announcement for the rural realities fund Speaker she commented our government on our commitment to improving the lives of women and girls in Ontario and she looked forward to continued collaboration her front line staff cover over 3300 square kilometres and a population of over 96000 people and these funds would be used to improve their outreach and counselling services to women living with violence. Speaker through you Minister I understand that your recent announcement you also spoke about the crisis framework and that will help your agencies develop coordinated plans. Could you minister please share with us how the the Ministry is doing on this file. Thank you. Consider the tragic shootings in Villeneuve last fall, and the most recent shootings in Odessa last month. We know that there is more that we must do. And that is why I also announced that we would begin working with agencies, my Ministry's VAW expert group, and with other ministries to develop and implement a crisis response framework. We need to work together with the VAW sector and other community partners to help identify the steps we can take to prevent these tragedies from occurring. And we will work with VAW agencies to find ways to better support them when crises do occur. The creation of the Rural Realities Fund and Crisis Response Framework were recommendations to the province from the Premier's roundtable on violence against women. Both of these initiatives support the Ontario Government's goals of ending violence against women and providing better supports for survivors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, has a stakeholder with an active file before this Minister been asked by the Minister, a member of his or her staff, or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting in approval or policy change? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, of course, I thank the member opposite for his interest in this topic. As the Premier has said repeatedly today, as have colleagues on this side of the legislature in consultation with both of their party leaders and other stakeholders interested in this topic over the next number of days and weeks, Speaker, there will be a modernization or an update brought to political finance reform or to political financing laws here in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, I think it must be clear by now because there have been multiple responses on this side of the legislature. That we look forward to working closely in collaboration with members from both opposition parties and others external to this building, Speaker, to make sure that we get it right, which I think is of utmost importance to the people of Ontario. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, back to the Minister. Mr. Speaker, has a stakeholder with active files before this Minister been made to feel obligated to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party by the Minister, a member of his or her staff, or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party in order to obtain a meeting, an approval or policy change? Thank you. Minister? Thanks very much, Speaker. So I believe I've answered that question by and large with the first response that I gave, Speaker. What's interesting to me, though, I have to say last week, I know a number of people on this side of the legislature and the government in caucus were out across the province of Ontario making fundamentally important announcements in a variety of communities across Ontario and my own area of responsibility, Speaker. I remember being last week in Wellington, Halton Hills, to announce funding support for the Morrison bypass, for example, Speaker. Speaker, I also remember standing alongside the member from Barrie in Orillia announcing cycling infrastructure funding, Speaker, doing the same thing in Markham, connecting links, funding, Speaker. So what the finance Minister said earlier today about Ontario budget 2016, Speaker, this is what this government is focused on. Building the province up, moving it forward, a stronger economy, a better quality of life, Speaker. That's what this Premier and this government are working hard on. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank you. New question. The member from Timmins, James Baker. Well, my questions to the Premier, my leader in our caucus that put the proposal forward that the chief electoral officer be charged with looking at what changes need to happen in the fundraising rules in the province of Ontario. We know if the chief electoral office does it, it's going to be non-partisan. It'll be an issue that the public will be involved and we're going to come back with something that's workable. Why does the government and why does this Premier refuse to go that route and instead have a process where she's going to control the outcome and why should people have any trust in you considering your record in fundraising? Mr. Speaker, I'm sure that the public would like to know that the NDP and the Conservatives would bring forward suggestions on that legislation, Mr. Speaker. I said earlier that I've responded to the letters from both the leader of the Conservatives and the leader of the NDP. I've said I welcome a meeting with them so that they can bring forward their suggestions and then Mr. Speaker, we need to have a full public discussion as part of the commentary on the legislation. I think that is absolutely the way to go. Mr. Speaker, I think it's quite clear from having looked at this because this last week was not the first time that we had thought about this, Mr. Speaker. Contrary to what the member opposite may want to chuckle, the fact is we have been looking at this. We understand, we understood that there needed to be changes, Mr. Speaker, and that's why we're able to bring legislation forward this spring, Mr. Speaker, and move on it quickly. And as I say, I look forward to input from the party's opposite. Thank you. I'm going to vote for the vote. This House stands recess until 1 p.m. this afternoon.