 It is now time for oral questions that I recognize the member for Brampton Center. Thank you and my question is for the Premier. Speaker, this pandemic has shown how after years of neglect from the Liberals, the Conservative government has allowed the horrible conditions in for-profit long-term care homes to continue. The Canadian Armed Forces had to be called in to provide staffing support and shore up services in our long-term care homes. The Armed Forces also found horrifying conditions in seven of the homes where they were located. They found the seniors died after frontline military personnel revealed that all they needed and all, quote, was water and a wipe-down, end quote. It's clear, Speaker, for-profit care should not be the blueprint of Ontario's future. So why is the Premier and the Minister doubling down on the wrong model and increasing the number of for-profit homes here in the province? You're on behalf of the government, the Minister of Long-Term Care. Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question and appreciate the opportunity to talk about our plan to fix long-term care. Mr. Speaker, there are currently 220 projects ongoing, Mr. Speaker, to build new long-term care homes. As the member opposite noted, and I'll add some detail to it, during the seven years prior to this government's election, only 611 net new long-term care beds were built. Mr. Speaker, that was unacceptable, and that's why this government committed to building 30,000 beds. Mr. Speaker, those are in the form of those 220 projects. And in fact, last week we sent out an invitation for more opportunities to build beds. But Mr. Speaker, the opposition's plan would stop in their tracks 140 of those projects, stop the building of new homes, stop the creation of modern facilities for our seniors. I'd like to hear from the member opposite how that is a plan to fix long-term care. A supplementary question. Speaker, the only thing the opposition is trying to stop is rewarding the Conservative government's friends and insiders with for-profit projects. That's what we're trying to stop. But last Wednesday the minister very clearly said in a meeting at the Canadian club that he was dramatically increasing privatisation of long-term care homes in Ontario. He told attendees that he would be allocating 140 projects out of the 220 that are proposed, about 64% of them, to the private sector. Speaker, that's more for-profit long-term care homes than even the Liberals allowed here in Ontario. We currently have the highest proportion of private long-term care homes in the country at 58%. So, Speaker, why after all we've learned throughout this pandemic is the Premier rewarding his buddies in the for-profit care sector with even more contracts instead of helping this province transition to more public, not-for-profit homes in Ontario? Mr. Speaker, and the member is also the long-term care critic. I know she follows the file closely, but she may not have noted that that is just the announcements we've already made. That wasn't news. That's in fact the choices as we've built these new beds, as we bring these new beds online, even in her own community, and I'll speak to that in my final supplementary. But, Mr. Speaker, we have a plan to create new long-term care beds. Our plan focuses billions of dollars, almost $3 billion, on building those new long-term care beds. Through the last allocation of long-term care beds, in fact, two-thirds of those were for the not-for-profit sector. So we will make sure that there's not-for-profit, municipal, and yes, for-profit beds. But, Mr. Speaker, that is in opposition to what the opposition's plan is, and it's good for them for putting out a plan. They would spend billions and billions of dollars paying off those same-for-profit care providers by expropriating their assets, Mr. Speaker. We're going to spend billions and billions of dollars building new long-term care homes and hiring more staffers. The final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the pandemic made it clear that this system in Ontario was ill-prepared for a pandemic, and that resulted in nearly 4,000 seniors losing their lives in long-term care. We need investments in safe, quality spaces in long-term care homes. New Democrats have laid out a plan to build 50,000 new quality beds that are properly staffed, so that seniors enjoy the dignity that they deserve. The for-profit model is the wrong way to go. Frontline heroes and PSWs know it. The Canadian Armed Forces personnel saw it. So instead of continuing down the wrong path with for-profit care in Ontario, why won't the government show some leadership and ensure that new homes are built solely by public, not-for-profit entities? Dan, reply to Minister of Long-Term Care. Mr. Speaker, to answer that question bluntly, because we're not going to spend billions and billions of dollars to pay private companies to expropriate their assets, Mr. Speaker, instead, and I'll just focus on Brampton for one, between 2011 and 2018 of the 611 net new beds that were built by the previous government, and I'll remind people that 2011, 2012, 2003, it was supported by the NDP, zero of those beds went to Brampton, zero. Mr. Speaker, we currently have 680 beds, more than would be outward built to the entire seven-year period in the province here, just in the community of Brampton, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're not done with, we're not done yet. Mr. Speaker, we will continue to fund the building of beds through the various means that that can be done. We will continue to fund training of staff, and we will bring legislation that will support increased transparency, increased accountability, and increased enforcement for the long-term cost area. The next question, once again, the member for Brampton East, Brampton, Senator. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Federal support programs for individuals and businesses are coming to an end, and it's unclear what, if anything, will follow. This has left a big gap that leaves small businesses just barely hanging on. In Brampton, I've heard from businesses needing supports, and they're concerned that they will continue to fall through the cracks. It hasn't been an even playing field for many of the small businesses as they struggle to reopen, while big box stores throughout the pandemic were able to stay open. Small businesses need leadership right now, Speaker, not promises of new supports sometime in the future. Will the Premier be introducing a third round of supports to keep our small businesses afloat this fall? Would you reply to the Premier? For the question, and through you, Mr. Speaker, we stood up when the small businesses needed us. We spent over $4 billion in supporting the businesses, and we're going to give credit where credit is due with the federal government as well. We were taking care of payroll. We were taking care of their rent. We were taking care of their heat. We're taking care of their taxes. We made sure that they were taken care of because I know they were struggling. We're going to continue making sure that small businesses and all businesses in this province thrive and grow and prosper. Let me just remind the member from the NDP. We gave a reduction of 8.75% to small businesses, but they voted against it. They voted against every single item that we put in place to support small businesses. It's always no, no, no. We're going to continue supporting small businesses. Small businesses are going to thrive. The most important thing, like I said last week, Mr. Speaker, we need great people coming here. They need, every single small business has help wanted in the window. So things are thriving, unlike when they do. Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, Speaker, not every small business can line up for a meeting in the Premier's backyard to request support. We also know that businesses like restaurants have been ignored by this government with the tourism minister skipping a vital meeting just a week ago. The tourism sector is reeling, Speaker, and we need better leadership in this province. We need to see this government provide real support, like a tax credit for Ontarians to help keep the tourism sector afloat. Will the Premier step up and help these businesses, particularly in the hospitality and tourism sectors, to survive this challenging time? For you, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Small Business, especially tourism, we put a fund together for $100 million to help these folks in the tourism business. They were hurt. There's no doubt. But we also have tax credits for stay vacations, and right now the small businesses and tourism are bouncing back. I talk to so many people every single day, and you're right. Not everyone shows up in our backyard. Only about 250,000 people have showed up over the last 20 years, which we're proud of, because you have two options down here, Mr. Speaker. You sit down here in the bubble, I call it, and listen to bureaucrats and politicians out there in the NDP and the Liberal there, just constantly negative, where you actually get on the phone, you put your phone number out, and you start talking to people right across the province and listen to the small businesses that I do every single day. And you hear the great ideas that they come up with, and then we implement those great ideas to support them. But I can assure you, we have the... Thank you. Thank you. And the final supplement, please. Mr. Speaker, businesses need a real strategy, especially in this time in between programs, and the Premier can show leadership and help these businesses with a third round of business support grants. That would include things like a $1,000 tourism tax credit and a plan for businesses to help them reopen and stay open. It would also include targeted support for personal care businesses that have really struggled to survive, Speaker. And it would also include things like readily available loans for businesses struggling to access funds. The Premier had no problem stepping up to the plate to help Big Box stores and his buddies. Will the Premier stop listening only to his buddies and start helping the small businesses in communities across Ontario that need a hand to get through the winter? Thank you for your applause, Premier. Through you, Mr. Speaker, this is what I keep saying. So ironic listening to the NDP and the Liberal. What the NDP member forgot to tell the people listening today, they voted against all the help that we were given, the $4 billion. They voted against it. They didn't believe in it. I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, we're going to continue supporting small businesses. And as for my buddies, I don't know anyone in these big, huge corporations, but I can tell you who I do know. I know the mom and pop shops. I speak to them every single day. And yes, I always take care of the little guy and the little gal. And it's shown over and over again that they constantly vote against anything we do for small businesses. And as I say, the little guy and little gal that runs their businesses, you don't like them. You will never vote for them. And it's very simple as that. You can't stand business. You hate businesses. Order. The next question, the member for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas. Mr. Speaker, my question this morning for the Premier. It's good to see you this morning, Premier. The medical community has given clear advice that Ontario needs mandatory vaccines for healthcare workers. Last week, the science table said, and I quote, there's already significant fatigue and burnout among hospital health care workers. There will be further strain and at risk for burnout if their unvaccinated colleagues are unable to work due to COVID-19 infection. So will the Premier listen to his own experts and bring in mandatory vaccines for frontline healthcare and education workers? Mr. Speaker, it's easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize, but the reality is that right now we're already down 15% healthcare workers. And what they don't take into consideration, because they live in their little bubble here, they don't think about the hospitals in Timmins or hospitals in Thunder Bay or hospitals in Sudbury in the rural areas. And I'm still waiting for a response from the hospitals. I went to the experts. I went to the CEOs and asked them, what is their plan? What is their plan to catch up on the backlog surgeries? What are their plans for the diagnostics? What are their plans to catch up on the cancer surgeries? That's what we need to know before we determine that. But it's easy to sit back and say, let's just cut another 20,000 healthcare workers off the top, or let's cut off 40,000 people in the education system. And then you ask the people of Ontario when little Johnny is sitting at home online because we don't have enough teachers, we don't have enough custodians at schools, or we don't have enough custodians in the hospitals. Take care of things. Everyone changes their opinion. Thank you. Thank you very much. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure if the Premier is saying that the science table sitting on the sidelines criticizing, I think they've been doing excellent work in the province. Other medical experts that you may think are on the sidelines have an opinion as well, and they've weighed in. The Ontario Hospital Association wants provincial action to mandate vaccines. They said, quote, far too many healthcare workers remain unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, posing a significant and ongoing risk for patient safety. The Ontario Association of Family Health Teams also wants a vaccine mandate. They said it's critical to protect patients and will help to address the severe staff shortage we're seeing in healthcare. So again, will the Premier finally listen to front-line healthcare workers and hospitals and experts and bring in an immediate vaccine mandate that covers all hospitals in Ontario? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much. Well, certainly, we can appreciate that there are many different positions on this, which indicates this is not just a simple do it and everything will be fine. It's not that way. As the Premier indicated, we have to listen to the experts in the field, the people that run the hospitals, the people that are knowledgeable, the nurses groups, the doctors groups, everybody else to understand what the ramifications of a mandatory vaccination program would be. It's not good if somebody comes in and affects someone because they're not vaccinated, but on the other hand, if a whole group of people leaves, then there's nobody to take care of people in the hospital. So the Premier has done his homework. We've received some responses. We're still receiving others in order to be able to make a proper decision based on the clinical evidence, based on the knowledge that we have out there. So we need to take this in proper order, and we're going to do that to make sure our hospitals will be able to continue to run and our schools will still be able to operate. Next question. The number for Scarborough... Agent Court. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Ontario is the destination for many who have immigrated to Canada in search of greater opportunities for themselves and their families. Immigrants create businesses, fill much-needed roles, and spark our entrepreneurial spirit. Will the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development please share with us the changes he's proposing to help thousands of internationally trained immigrants practice their profession or trade? Thank you. Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member from Scarborough Agent Court for this very important question. Mr. Speaker, he's right. Ontario welcomes more immigrants and refugees than any other province in the country. We're facing a generational labour shortage with 300,000 jobs today going unfilled. Yet only a quarter of newcomers are working in a job that matches their skills. Mr. Speaker, because of the leadership of Premier Ford and our government, we're breaking down barriers so newcomers can unlock their full potential here in Ontario. We're eliminating unfair requirements for Canadian work experience, streamlining language testing and ensuring licenses are processed faster. We're the very first province in Canada to be levelling the playing field for skilled professionals. Thank you. Back to the member for Scarborough Agent Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hear firsthand from the constituents in my riding how connecting a newcomer with a job here or she is qualified to do means more than just a paycheck. It returns to them a sense of meaning, dignity and purpose and allows them to provide for their families. Can the minister please explain more about how these proposed changes if passed will strengthen immigrants, their families and their communities. Thank you. Mr. Labour. Thank you again to member for this very important question. Mr. Speaker, the changes we're making aren't contentious, they're just long overdue. The endless bureaucracy and red tape newcomers face has denied many the chance to contribute in professions they've trained for all their lives. Our government is working for workers and helping them restart their careers would be life changing. We know, Mr. Speaker, that the NDP is the party of no. But it is wrong that they want to deny newcomers a chance to succeed and keep the engineers and architects we desperately need in taxis. Thank you. Next question, member for Toronto Senate. Thank you, Premier. My question is for the Premier. Over the last few months, tenants have been reaching out to my office shocked to learn that this government will not have rent freeze even though we are still in a pandemic. Many are only now learning that the new apartments and condominiums that they've moved into during the pandemic do not have rent control because of a loophole that this Premier wrote into law in 2018. Gregory is a new resident to Toronto and he contacted my office after learning that his rent would be increasing by 18% that's an extra $350 a month his rent is going up by and that's just for this year. He moved into a brand new unit not realising at the end of his one year lease that his landlord would be able to increase his rent with absolutely no limit. Gregory is furious he wants this government to explain why they cut rent control protections and why this outrageous loophole exists in Ontario at all. Good question. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question. The question highlights the fact that increasingly there is more supply that is in Ontario. Increasingly there is more supply that is coming online in the rental housing sector. Bit ironic coming from this member because she fought very hard to stop affordable housing in her own right. Having said that, we're going to continue to soldier on because we know how important it is to bring more housing supply not only for renters but for individuals who at one day would like to stop paying rent and own their own home. That's why we've brought forward as you all know this will help unleash development of new housing affordable housing around transit locations, transit hubs so that people can get to work even quicker. Having said that, rent control is still in place in the province of Ontario and we will continue to work not only for tenants but for all of those individuals who want to bring more supply online so that we can have really more opportunity for all Ontarians. And the supplementary question. Respectfully back to the government house leader, what is the point of building any new amount of affordable housing if it's not affordable because people are getting $350 a year a month rent increases every single year? Speaker, this government's decision to remove rent control on rental units occupied for the first time after November 15, 2018 because of that tenants now have to worry every single month about being forced out of their units by unaffordable rent hikes. We are talking about economic evictions with no due process. On top of that we know that many of these tenants are still struggling from income and job losses caused by the pandemic. We need to help tenants catch up on their rent to stay housed and then not take the chair out from underneath them before they've had a chance to recover. What does this government have to say to tenants who are now struggling to cover deeply the costs of this government's decision to roll back rent control? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the member obviously will know that during the pandemic we did stay any evictions, Mr. Speaker. We of course have limited rent increases I believe about 1.2% speakers so a lot of work is being done to ensure that rents remain affordable for the people of the province of Ontario. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, what we want is to do a supportive system that brings more supply online. That is what will help drive down rents not only in Toronto but across the province. We saw for many, many years that that just simply wasn't the case in Ontario so that is why things like transit oriented communities and other opportunities to speed up development in areas where affordable housing is needed is so important. It is unfortunate that the opposition continues to say no to those types of initiatives, Mr. Speaker, but as the Premier has said, we will say yes to tenants, we will say yes to those individuals that want to invest in bringing affordable housing even in ridings that are represented or don't seek that represented by the NDP. The next question, the member for Don Valley wants. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The people of Ontario are getting a lot of fundraising messages from the Premier these days and in fact, Speaker, yesterday afternoon I received a solicitation from Mr. Kathleen on my work email for claiming that he is the yes man and that I should send some money his way. As I read the email, he's proud of saying yes to the unnecessary Highway 413 and no to environmental protection. He's proud of saying yes to his developer friends and sprawl and no to responsible community building. Needless to say, Mr. Speaker, I am not sold. And Speaker, neither are the thousands of education workers and healthcare workers, the families, the institutions and students who simply cannot understand the big no from this government on mandatory vaccination for education and healthcare workers. Why is the Premier insisting on saying yes to damaging the environment and no to protecting our most vulnerable people, Mr. Speaker? Great to see the former Premier in here today and I find it ironic about fundraising. Yeah, because we get a lot of people who have a lot of traditional liberal vote and traditional NDP vote. They know it. That's why we're here and they are over there. But in saying that I want to remind the leader, the former leader of the liberals, we don't sell $10,000 seat dinners and special events with the ministers like they did. I also want to remind I also want to remind the previous liberal leader that we have not touched the streets, but we've touched it down to seven times, Mr. Speaker. We've even played a grass out of the green belt that we do in backflips, but not with her, buddies, her buddies. It's all about changing the lines. You're going to get a piece of property. You're going to get a piece of property, by the way, go and ate to my campaign for $10,000 a seat at a dinner until we quarter loved me because we cancelled that highway, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, I have a niece who is disabled and who has a severely compromised respiratory system. Her mom died in January and my sisters and I are doing our best to care for her in her home. But, Speaker, we do need to bring in outside caregivers. We all had a shock a couple of weeks ago when we learned that one of the PSWs who was coming into her home was not vaccinated and did not believe in the vaccine. Speaker, even though she was being tested every week, she was putting my niece at risk. Speaker, why does the Premier think it is appropriate to put an already compromised young woman at further risk of illness or death? Minister of Health. Thank you very much. And I'm sorry for the situation with your family member. But we expect health care workers to be vaccinated. We're asking everyone to be vaccinated. That's why we've had one of the most successful vaccination campaigns, not just in Canada, but in the world. We have over 87.8% of everyone over 12 years of age of older having received the first vaccine. We're encouraging people to receive the second vaccine. However, there is a situation as the member will know with health human resources. We expect that if people have not received the vaccine that they are being tested regularly before they go into anyone's homes or before they go to work in hospitals because there's other consequences that could arise as a result of a mandatory vaccine campaign or requirement, which means that we could lose vast numbers of people working both in the home and in hospital who wouldn't be there. So we need to have those people to be there in the hospitals and in home care. But there are safeguards in place for people currently. If they're not vaccinated, they need to be tested regularly to ensure that it is safe for them to go into someone's home response. So I'm going to remind us that the supplementary question needs to be related to the initial question and must follow it logically follow up on the issues that were raised in the initial question as opposed to introducing a brand new issue. The next question, the member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Speaker. I was happy to hear last week that the government announced that the 2020 to Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund allocations were made so early this year. Ontario's municipalities have faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have faced a variety of new challenges and a once in a century health crisis on top of the old ones. And it's these municipalities, frankly, that are really on the front lines against COVID-19 and fighting our battle there and are also responsible for so many of the services that ensure our quality of life here in Ontario. So Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Finance to please tell this house how the government is supporting Ontario's municipal partners through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund and other measures. Thank you. The great member for Eglinton Lawrence for that question, Mr Speaker, she couldn't be more correct. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our government has been steadfast in our commitment to make every necessary resource available to protect people and to protect jobs. And part of that, Mr Speaker, is supporting our municipal partners. And we know just how important the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund is to so many Ontario communities. And that's why we announced the OMPF allocations this year, the earliest they've ever been announced, Speaker. And we heard from municipalities that they wanted stability and predictability, which is why we are maintaining both the structure of the OMPF and the $500 million program envelope for 2022. Because, Speaker, our government is the government that says yes. And we are committed to saying yes to supporting growing our municipal partners who've been on the front line supporting Ontarians since day one of this pandemic. Thank you, Speaker. It's great to hear that this government is using the OMPF to help ensure stability and predictability for Ontario's municipalities in these very challenging times. And I know the news has thrilled many municipalities. But the many people at home may not be familiar with programs like the OMPF or how much the province actually works with municipalities to ensure that they can provide vital services to their residents. So, Speaker, back to the Minister of Finance. Could the minister please provide some detail on any other ways the government has worked with municipalities to support them during the COVID-19 pandemic? Great question. Thank you, Speaker. And again, I want to thank my colleague for the question. And again, she's absolutely right. Supporting municipalities throughout the pandemic has been a huge priority for our government. And keeping the stability of the OMPF envelope is just one part of that effort, Mr. Speaker. From day one, we have been working with all levels government to ensure the municipalities have the support, flexibility, and the tools they need to address the critical public health and economic challenges brought on by the pandemic. In March of this year, we provided almost a billion dollars in additional COVID-19 financial relief for 2021. And this is on top of the historic federal provincial safe restart agreement that our government negotiated. This program allocated $4 billion in assistance to all 444 municipalities in Ontario and 11 public transit systems. This government will never, ever let our municipal partners down. We'll stand with them and support them along the way as they have done for the people of Ontario throughout the pandemic. Thank you. The next question, the member for London. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Casper Van der Helm is 90 years old and lives independently at home. He had a catheter inserted after day surgery and was told to wait for a call from the paramet home care clinic to remove it. Speaker, he never received a call. When he contacted paramet himself, he was told they didn't have time to see him and he would have to wait two more days for the catheter to be removed. Later in pain and with pus at the site, Casper was prescribed antibiotics because the catheter had been left in too long. Speaker Casper's story highlights the abysmal treatment that too many home care patients received from paramet and other for profit agencies. Will the Premier apologize to Casper? And will he explain why his government is further privatizing home care when it continually fails the patients who need it? Very much. Well, the situation with Casper is unacceptable. I would agree with you. However, we are working to deal with situations such as Casper's where people often when they leave hospital, they don't know when they will receive home care, who will be providing it or what care they will be receiving. That's why we are transforming our health care system with the introduction of Ontario Health and the local Ontario Health teams. With those teams in place, the situation such as Oscar experience should not happen because the partners will provide a warm handoff when someone's leaving hospital to go to home care that they will receive it. Before they even leave the hospital, they will know who's providing the care when and what services will be provided. That's what we need to do to make sure we create an all inclusive, comprehensive, patient centered system of care so that people like Oscar don't have to have the same experience again. Speaker, I didn't hear the minister answer the question as to whether Casper will get an apology. Casper is doing everything he can to manage his own care needs at home, which is important for his well being, but also reduces pressure on our health care system. He deserves home care services that are there when he needs it. Instead, he felt ignored, dismissed and disrespected by Pyramid and developed an infection because of their unacceptable follow up. When my office called the Southwest Linn about Casper's experience, the Linn said they will escalate it, but are having difficulty getting Pyramid to return any of their phone calls. Thousands of patients like Casper are being failed by privatized home care. Again, I asked the minister, where is the accountability? Where is the oversight when even the Linn can't get its calls returned? Well, as I indicated to the member across earlier, this is not a situation that's acceptable. This is something that I will follow up with to understand what the situation is to make sure that Oscar gets the support and services that he deserves. However, the situation, as I described with the local Ontario health teams, is also very important because that is what connects the care for patients. So the patients don't ever feel that they're shut out of their home care system or their health care system in any respect. That's what's been happening to too many people. That is why we are transforming our system of health care to make it truly patient centered. We are also looking at our home care service provision to make sure that home care is there when people need it and that they know what they're going to be receiving and that they have the services they need and the equipment that they need. So while I will look into Oscar's specific situation, we are dealing with the situation, generally speaking, to make sure that every patient receives the care that they need in their home when they need it. Thank you. And the next question, the member for Chatham, Kent Leamington. Thank you very much speaker and my questions to the Minister of Health. In order to get the vaccine numbers up, the science table recommended kids 12 to 17 evaxed. You may remember how when I was back in caucus, I even questioned the safety of such a move. What scientific data? What clinical testing? Size of the test group? Short, mid and long term side effects. It was all inconclusive. Now, many students have developed irreparable heart issues, myocarditis, and then decisions were made to jab kids without the need of parental consent. Only informed consent was given by whom? Peer pressure, coercion, and now you want to inject kids five to 11 years old. How do we know these jabs will be safe? My big guess is that Big Pharma doesn't really know a certainty, but we're given a get out of jail card free because of the rush under emergency youth ossurization. Yet unintended consequences are not acceptable. And I'm fighting for my grandkids and the millions of other little ones who have suffered way too much. So my question, Minister, is why is the government pushing so hard to inject little ones with an experimental drug without parental consent? Doing so was criminal, unconstitutional, and illegal. I'm going to ask the member to withdraw. I withdraw. Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. And let me say through you to the member that we are not speaking about an experimental drug. These vaccines have been accredited internationally by the World Health Organization, by the FDA, by Health Care Health on Canada, as well as by the national advisory community on immunization. They are safe. They are effective and they are saving lives. We do not give any inoculations or vaccinations to children where parental consent is required. We do not do that. We always obtain parental consent if it is necessary. The 12 to 17-year-olds are already being inoculated. We are waiting for Health Canada consent to be able to inoculate children ages 5 to 11. But it is safe, it is vital, and they are saving lives and hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions. Thanks, Speaker. Back to the Minister of Health. Doctors are seeing increases in unexpected, vascular adverse reactions in their patients. These include strokes, heart attacks, blood clots, and a never seen before concept of micro-vascular clotting. This is suggested by huge increases in a clotting test called D Diamond. Now in the vaccine clinical trials, the pharmaceutical companies never tested any subjects of blood in the range, in the large phase, rather, in the large phase three trials. And now you want to start jabbing kids 5 to 11. Don't you think that until these trials are completed that the administration of these experimental products should be halted before more Canadians are harmed of all ages? How can the Minister and Health Canada assure Canadians the vaccines are safe when they never looked for safety signals, which were so easy to perform? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. And once again, we are not speaking about experimental drugs. These are vaccines that have been tested at the highest levels. I'm not in a position to comment on the specific trials that were conducted and the effects of them, because I'm not a doctor, nor is the member opposite. However, we do know that people who are experts in this field, the epidemiologists, the people who have developed the vaccines, they've been tested and tested and they are working, they are saving lives, they are saving young people, teens, adults and seniors. We can see that by what's happening in Ontario right now. We have one of the lowest rates of hospitalizations and intensive care unit. Our intensive care unit now has about 130 people in it. Whereas months ago, before these vaccines were being delivered, we're at six, seven, eight hundred. Clearly these vaccines are working. Clearly they are safe and clearly they are needed for everyone. Thank you very much. Next question, the member for Kitchener, Conestoga. Well, thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Labor Training and Skills Development. Minister, our government, under the leadership of the Premier, is making every effort to protect and support our frontline heroes, including those who have kept products that families depend on moving throughout the pandemic. On average, over 200,000 people in Ontario work as mail couriers, messengers and door-to-door distributors. Can the Minister please share with this House how his ministry is proposing to make every day on the road easier for these workers? Minister of Labor Training and Skills Development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member from Kitchener, Conestoga for this very important question. Mr. Speaker, we applaud the truck drivers, couriers and delivery workers who have been bringing food to our tables since the start of this pandemic. Thank you for your selfless service to families right across Ontario. Last week, Mr. Speaker, we announced changes to make it law for business owners to let these women and men use their company's washrooms. Delivery workers are part of our team and they've been there for us throughout the pandemic. It's time that we were all there for them. Giving people a clean washroom is a matter of common decency. Thank you. Supplementary question. Well, thank you very much, Speaker, and I can tell you in my riding of Kitchener, Conestoga, I've heard directly from couriers and delivery workers. And these people are really excited to see these big changes. And it's clear our government is standing shoulder to shoulder with hardworking people across my riding and, of course, across the province of Ontario. Earlier in the pandemic, we opened additional rest stops for truck drivers, and it's great to hear we're now doing even more, Mr. Speaker. So, may the Minister please share with us why our government is taking these actions now? Mr. Labour. Well, thank you again to the member for that question. Mr. Speaker, every day our government is working for workers. Last week's announcement is just one of the many ways we are lifting people up and not just going back to where we were before. It is a disgrace and it's wrong that those who go above and beyond to serve our communities need to plan their day around when they can find an open door. The changes our governments introducing give drivers the respect and dignity that each one of them deserve. Mr. Speaker, I hope the NDP doesn't vote no to giving workers a place to go. Next question, remember from a Schegelach James Bay. Thank you, Mr. President. My question is for the Premier. My question is for the Premier. Government made an announcement about reducing gas tax by 10 cents a liter. Looking at gas pricing in my riding today, it is clear that this government did not intend to protect consumers. I say this at a time when the lowest price of gas in my riding sits at 157.9, 144 in Huntsville and an average of 142 in Kingston. Nordiners need to travel for medical appointments, for work. Having to pay 157 for gas is frankly unacceptable and practically unaffordable. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier act rather than continue to stall like the Liberals before them on a problem that is hitting Nordiners harder than anyone else and offer relief at the pump? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, of course, we offered relief the moment we came into into office. Mr. Speaker, we didn't wait. Speaker, we knew how important it was to continue to make life more affordable for the people of the province of Ontario. It was this member who supported initiatives by the previous Liberal government that saw the gas tax increase, Mr. Speaker, through a carbon tax. We have said right from the beginning that we were not going to support a carbon tax. We fought against the carbon tax, Mr. Speaker. We were able to reduce the cost to all Ontarians when one of the first things that we did was remove that tax on the people of the province of Ontario. Speaker, he now supports and his party now continues to support a federal carbon tax colleagues that could reach 38 cents a liter. Speaker, 38 cents a liter, we will continue to fight that speaker because we don't believe that is the best way to reduce our emissions in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, we've seen the cost of the carbon tax all across, not only Ontario, but across Canada. And I would ask the member to support us in stopping that. Mr. Speaker, the premier again. I feel like the member of this government do not understand what a promise is. Considering the price of the gas prices right now, families have to choose between gas or to eat. Residents in my constituency are have are struggling because of gas prices. It's already three years with nothing being done. You could have act on this front, but there was a bill that was tabled by the Prime Minister, but it's still on the table. Obviously, this government is not listening. Will the premier stop ignoring this problem and wait or wait until gas prices reach $2 before he acts on his electoral promises? Thank you, Speaker. This is not true. We have reduced taxes for all Ontarians immediately. We've started on day one. We wanted to eliminate with the we wanted to eliminate the carbon tax, obviously. It is not. That tax is not in the best interest of taxpayers in Ontario. Consider again. How important it is that we eliminate this carbon tax, Mr. Speaker. A thirty eight cent carbon tax will not help the people of Northern Ontario. We are seeing the impacts of that every single day. Inflation has gone up across the board, not only in Ontario, but all across Canada, Mr. Speaker. We said it right from the beginning when you increase the cost of getting goods to market, prices will increase. That is why we fought the carbon tax, Mr. Speaker. But that doesn't mean we have to stop fighting to make our environment cleaner, Mr. Speaker. And that is why we do that. Thank you very much. The next question to member for on a lot so. Thank you much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the premier. Ontario's nurses have been in the front lines of the pandemic. They've been working flat out for the last 19 months, often going above and beyond the call of duty. So many of them are exhausted and burnt out. We have a nursing shortage due to stress and an increasing workload that's causing too many to leave the profession. So the premier calls the nurses heroes their reward bill one twenty four and a one percent wage freeze. The premier can say that he values nurses on one hand in one breath and then say in the next breath you don't have the right to bargain fairly for your wages. And by the way, they're frozen. So speakers through you will the government show that they really value nurses that the premier really values nurses by repealing bill one twenty four. Allowing the bargain for a fair wage and address the nursing shortage here in Ontario. The parliamentary assistant member for Aurora Oak Ridge is Richard. Thanks very much. Thank you, Speaker. And I want to thank the member for the question. And let me start off again, Mr. Speaker, by thanking all our health care workers who've been on the front lines every single day, Mr. Speaker. And it really is because of the selfless and dedicated in the individuals that all Ontarians are able to move forward and away from this challenging period, Mr. Speaker. And we're fully aware of the critical role that our health care workers have played throughout the pandemic. And we are incredibly grateful for the sacrifices they've made. Speaker, our health care heroes are the reasons that patients were able to receive timely, safe and equitable access, which is why, Mr. Speaker, we invested over fifty two million dollars to recruit, retain and support over thirty seven hundred more frontline health care workers and caregivers. Mr. Speaker, the one bill one twenty four that the member is referring to is designed to protect public sector jobs and vital frontline services that all Ontarians rely on, Mr. Speaker. And it's inaccurate to suggest the bill one twenty four caps wages, Mr. Speaker, because they can receive salaries for seniority. Thank you very much. Thank you. What's up? Thank you, Speaker. I'll do respect to the member. His thank yous, the government's thank yous. They don't buy groceries. So, Speaker, the government's just not listening to Ontario's nurses. And for three months now, Ontario's nurses have been calling for mandatory vaccinations for frontline health care and education workers. So of Ontario's hospitals, Ontario's doctors, Ontario's schools and the COVID-19 science table, they all want to do this to protect the most vulnerable and also to have a safe workplace. And just like the Minister of Long Term Care says, mandatory vaccinations will they prevent staff shortages due to an outbreak caused by an unvaccinated staff member? That's what I don't understand why the government doesn't understand the Minister of Long Term Care. So the government's ignoring nurses on mandatory vaccinations for frontline workers and by refusing to repeal Bill 124. So, Speaker, at what point? Question. At what point is this government going to listen to nurses, repeal Bill 124, and make vaccinations mandatory for frontline health care and education workers? I want your assistant to reply. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I do thank my colleague for the question he referred to Ontario hospitals and Ontario schools in order to remind everyone that's watching and my colleague that it was his party and his government that cut funding in our health care system, Mr. Speaker. That cut funding in our education. It was our government that increased funding, Mr. Speaker. We've taken real decisive measures to support our frontline health care heroes, Mr. Speaker. We have invested, as I said, money to be able to recruit, retain and support our staff. We always have their back throughout the pandemic, Mr. Speaker, because they've been on the front lines, helping us, having every single Ontario. It's this government, this minister, this premier that will always stand up for them today, tomorrow and long after the pandemic, Mr. Speaker. That's the question. Member for Toronto, Dan Ford. Thank you, Speaker. My questions for the Premier. Last week, the Premier announced another round of raises for PC MPPs. That's right, Speaker. The Premier who originally ran on a promise to stop the gravy train now has more gravy going around than on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day combined. Can you imagine? Speaker, on top of a big $30,000 raise to the Premier's right-hand man and new Minister of Legislature, Reynolds, he also gave a big raise to the former, now demoted, environment minister. This is the minister with one of the worst records on climate and the minister whose attempts to drag us back to the Stone Age are still being fought in court. Speaker, my questions for you to the Premier. Why do PC ministers deserve a pay raise but hardworking front-line workers and minimum wage earners deserve virtually nothing? Mr. Speaker, what you see from the NDP day in and day out is a party that is literally bankrupt of any ideas whatsoever, Mr. Speaker. What we are doing and what we've decided to do from day one is to reinvest in the people of the province of Ontario, something that they have fought against every single day. We've made costs. We've reduced costs for the people of the province of Ontario, reduced costs for small businesses. The Minister of Labor is working on new bills to ensure that our front-line workers have access to them. The different things like the washroom, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Small Business is making sure credential recognition is finally something that happens in the province of Ontario, something they've talked about, something they talked about, but we'll get done, Mr. Speaker. We're talking about building transit and transportation. That member talks about it. We'll get it done. They talk about reducing costs for people. They talk about it. We get it done. They talk about a clean environment. You talk about it. The member for Hamilton East, Stony Creek, will come to order. The member for Hamilton East, Stony Creek, is warned. The member government house leader will withdraw. I withdraw. The member for Hamilton West and Castor Dundas will withdraw. Anybody else want to withdraw? Supplementary question. Start the call. Thank you, Speaker. Again to the Premier. The Premier and the Minister of Legislature, Reynolds, who just spoke, justified their big payout by saying it's better for everyone to have politicians in charge of these kind of things, Reynolds and some purchases. Speaker, the last time politicians were in charge of or tried to put themselves in charge of purchasing things like this, the Premier tried to buy himself a pimped out ride on the taxpayer dime. Ask the member to withdraw. I will withdraw. My question through you again to the Premier. Nurses, PSWs and other frontline workers, including minimum wage workers, put themselves on the line every day during the pandemic. I'll ask again, why are they worth less than PC party MPPs and the Premier's buddies? Will he repeal Bill 124? Mr. Speaker, we have come to office and we came to office and we had to restore the province of Monterra, the economic engine of this country. Mr. Speaker, this is something that this member voted against, of course. We saw the previous Liberal government close, I think over 600 schools. We're seeing this Minister of Education build new schools. Mr. Speaker, we saw the previous Liberal government build next to no long-term care. We see this government and this minister building 30,000 new spaces, long-term care spaces, Mr. Speaker. We saw these members talk about affordability. We're seeing us do something about it, Mr. Speaker. We're reducing costs for a small, medium and large job creators, Mr. Speaker. We hear them talk about health care all the time about it. It's this minister who's increased ICU capacity It's this minister that has increased funding for our health care professionals, Mr. Speaker. What has that member accomplished? Well, he's been able to say no constantly and in a what, 30-year career? Not. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Chatham Kent Leamington. Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Minister of Labor. I'm hearing from constituents both in and outside of my writing of their fear of losing their jobs, all because their employer is threatening to fire them if they don't get the vaccine. My question, who mandated mandatory vaccines for these long-serving employees? You're announcing funding for employers, but as new hires come in the front door, many are going out the back door. So my question to you, Minister, is will you direct these employers to discontinue these firings? Employees' choice should be respected. Labor, training and skills development. Mr. Speaker, again to the member opposite, we're going to continue working every single day to protect the health and the wellbeing of all of the people in this province. We've come so far, Mr. Speaker. We don't want to jeopardize the gains we've made. We need to continue to promote health and safety. That's why we've added a hundred new inspectors to ensure that workplace protocols are in place. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health has been leading the charge to encourage people to get vaccinated. We heard today that about 89% of people have had their first dose here in the province. 84% approximately have had their second dose. This is how we've come so far as a province. And Mr. Speaker, it is the responsibility of every MPP in this house to encourage people to get vaccinated. Let's get through COVID-19 once and for all. Supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again, back to the Minister of Labor. You know, workplaces were safe before as COVID protocols were, in fact, put in place. And people were working safely now in health care. As an example, respectfully, health care workers have gone from heroes to zeros. We are inadvertently creating a labor crisis in all sectors. So, Minister, will you step in and save these employees from losing their livelihoods? It is unfair and it is unconstitutional. Mr. Labour. Mr. Speaker, on this side of the house, and I would say that the overwhelming majority of MPPs in this chamber believe that every single health care worker in Ontario is a hero. And we're going to continue to ensure the health and safety of those workers, those people that use our health care facilities are protected. We're going to work every day always to protect the health and well-being of all of the people. That is the responsible and the right approach to battling this pandemic. Mr. Speaker, that's why on day one when COVID hit the province, we brought in job protected leave. If anyone was impacted by COVID-19 to stay home. Mr. Speaker, we issued hundreds of guidance documents, posters and tip sheets and videos in multiple languages to protect all workplaces in this province. We move forward almost immediately to hire 100 new health and safety inspectors. That's the largest inspector at response in provincial history. My message to everyone in every sector, employers, employees, let's keep working together. We've made so many gains. We're leading the Western world. Let's keep it going. The next question from the Minister of Ottawa. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, last week, a man visited Ottawa Centre to protest what he called gender ideology. The previous week, this same person filmed children outside Toronto schools while displaying transphobic messages. And he tried to do the same thing at three schools in Ottawa. We organized in Ottawa, Senator Speaker, my questions for the Premier, pardon me. And we prevented this man from spreading hate in our neighbourhood. We took a stand, Speaker, but we want this government to take a stand too. Will the Premier openly denounce this hate that we saw in Toronto and Ottawa? And will he support school safety zones to make sure people promoting hate speech against anyone are not allowed to harm children at our schools? To apply to government hate speech. Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I don't think anybody would disagree that on all sides. And I know that that's not the members in suggesting that anyone in this chamber wouldn't disagree with anybody who's encouraging hate to anybody, Speaker. That's predominantly what our main purpose is here is to make sure that people are safe. So I will say that with respect to enforcement, there are a number of laws that are already in place to ensure that that people remain safe in their communities. I understand how challenging it must be. But again, there are rules in place and those rules should be enforced by local law enforcement at the same time, Mr. Speaker. I know that that member and all members, of course, would denounce anybody, anybody respond who would say things or bring harm to anybody in the community, make people feel unsafe in their community. I think we would all agree on that. Complementary. Thank you, Speaker. While I appreciate the sentiment the House leaders just expressed, the fact of the matter is that this gentleman has been in two communities in Ontario and we have not heard from the Premier, who is the leader of this province about whether this man's views are welcome in the province of Ontario. There's been no comment despite this being not just a municipal story in Ottawa and Toronto, a provincial and a national news story. The silence is deafening. And when I hear the House speakers say that we have laws that are good enough and that if we just ignore these acts after episodic comments, it'll go away. History tells us different, Speaker. I want to quote the Southern Poverty Law Centre. They say in the face of hate, silence is deadly. Apathy will be interpreted as acceptance. And if the victims will be left unchallenged, hate persists and grows. We need clarity, Speaker. We have been in touch with law enforcement officers who have said the law does not allow them to take a gentleman who is promoting transphobic hate, who is asking our children to hate themselves who are already in a highly vulnerable position to hate themselves. We have done days against transphobic hate in this legislature. We need this Premier to be clear. Does he support what this gentleman did? Question. Are we going to take a step in this province to make sure no one does this outside of school ever again? Yes or no? And once again, go ahead, please. Speaker, look. It should be very clear to this member and to all members of this this assembly that there is absolutely no place in this province for that type of behavior. This is a legislature that recognizes and holds a moment of silence for the trans community, Mr. Speaker, by law, something that was brought in by one of the former members of that party. This is a legislature that actually stopped question period, stopped question period for the first time ever to make sure that we could recognize and pay and pay respect for for that community, Mr. Speaker. So very clearly through you to the member, Mr. Speaker, there is absolutely no place in the province of Ontario for beliefs like that. There is no place for that. This is a welcoming province, Mr. Speaker, it is a province that we've said it and we're all proud of proud is built on diversity, but it is a province that will protect everybody's right to be who they are, Mr. Speaker. That is what our main job here is in this place. Yes, we can talk about economy, we can talk about health care, but our main job is to protect all Ontarians and we will continue to do that. And this premier will make sure that that continues to happen. Thank you very much. I can change our question period for this morning. We now have a deferred vote on private members. Notice of motion number four has moved by Ms. Fight. The bells will now ring for 30 minutes during which time members may cast their votes and I will ask the clerks to please prepare the logics.