 Now it's time for question period the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Office Thanks, speaker of my question to the premier premier in review of your first year in office I noticed that Ontario didn't create a single new job that we lost as many jobs in province as we gained and unfortunately Dalton McGinty's approach and premier wins approach Continued in the wrong track We're losing jobs 39,000 in December alone and people are losing hope in the province So my question to you is given that I'm here to not add a single new job in all 2013 Why do you want to do more of the same? Isn't it time to try a new and different track to put people back to work in Ontario back in business? Thank you Mr. Speaker well first of all, let me just welcome everyone back and I want to just say to the MPP's elect Wayne Gates and Gila Marto Congratulations to them and we look forward to welcoming them in the legislature Say to the leader of the opposition mr. Speaker through you that in fact, he's got his he's got his information wrong Jobs created in this province mr. Speaker it just in the last year last month there were 23,000 new jobs 6,000 net new jobs. So in fact mr. Speaker the plan that we have in place is working mr. Speaker and that plan is based on Investing in infrastructure. It's based on making sure that people have the skills that they need Investing in people so that they can get the training and the skills that they need and it's based on working with in partnership with business Mr. Speaker I hope the leader of the opposition can work with us on that You know, there's the Old expression prima the facts are stubborn things Throwed all of 2013 on terror to not add a single net new job in the province We lost as many jobs as we gained and that that's a record of failure And I know you try to brush it off on the McGinty administration like you had once met delt McGinty at a fundraiser or something Even though you're one of the key ministers You've continued on the same path and that means that we have almost a million people In our province who are out of work. I think we do a lot better than that The second thing that concerns me is not only under your Premiership have we not added new jobs in 2013? We now are the only province in Canada that saw welfare rates increase The number of people stuck on dependency. Ontario was unique sadly in this fact that our proportion has actually increased To me this seems to be a question of failure. I think we can restore hope to Ontario and put people back to work But we can't do it the same way. So why are you stuck on the McGinty agenda? Isn't it time to write something new? Thank you for you. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker. So I understand that The we're at the beginning of a new session and that the leader of the the opposition is going to go on the attack I get that mr. Speaker, but I think it's really important that the leader of the opposition Be accurate when it goes on that attack, mr. Speaker. There have been 95,000 net new jobs created in mr. Speaker So he's just he puts out that there are no new jobs. It's just not true So I look forward to debating with him the issues mr. Speaker But I want to debate with him on a factual basis So 95,000 net new jobs and if the leader of the opposition is asking whether we will join him on a spiral downward Mr. Speaker to lose good paying jobs in this province and undermine labor Mr. Speaker and his so-called right to work. We're not going to remember from Eglinton Lawrence come to order Final supplementary, please Well, well premier, that's my entire point. Uh, PC caucus is not going to join you On this whirlwind downwards of job losses in the province of Ontario. It's an entire world pool I guess you're trying to put your first year in office into the past But you say there are more jobs tell of the folks that lost their jobs at kellox Tell of the folks that lost their jobs at Heinz tell of the folks who lost their jobs at nevartis I've got to plan to restore hope to ontario with more paychecks and better take home pay I've got a plan to put young people back to work in the province of ontario not in suscatchewan or alberta I call it my million jobs plan Provincial debt and emphasis on skilled trades. I've got to play A million jobs in the province. You've got a plan for a whirlpool of job losses. We reject your plan We see a better future for ontarians. Won't you join us and support your million job plans? Order Premier Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. So in 2013 employment rose by 95 700 jobs since june of 2009 440 So those are the facts if the leader of the opposition is not interested in those facts That's his prerogative But we know mr. Speaker that making those investments in people and partnering with business and making sure that we create the Environment for business to come to the province that that's working mr. Speaker And the drive to the bottom is being led by the leader of the opposition mr. Speaker His plan is to cut and slash the undermined labor to drive good wage jobs out of the province mr. Speaker The so-called right to work trust is his mr. Speaker. We are not going to join him in that downward spiral We are going to continue to work with business create partnerships and create jobs mr. Speaker You know, it's it's unfortunate back to the uh Premier speaker. It's unfortunate that The premier's only plan seems to be the minimum wage act Our plan is a million jobs plan I want to see people that have jobs that can build a career around that can buy a house They could raise a family Not a job that we're stuck with and premier i'll remind you of your record You told people of ontario that your green energy act would create 50 000 jobs In fact, we found out that is costus jobs Premier, you told us that your big stimulus package in 2008 would create 400 000 jobs. In fact, we've lost jobs in 2013 And you told us that your hst Tax hike would create 600 000 jobs. That's over a million jobs Unfortunately, it probably cost us jobs because there's a million people in ontario that have no job to go to today So premier, why do you persist in a minimum wage jobs plan? Why don't you engage in our plan to create good middle-class jobs? Thank you very much, mr. Speaker. Well the right to work Initiative that the leader of the opposition Would like to initiate would like to see everyone working at minimum wage lower. Mr. Speaker. That's where he would like to go So 440 000 met new jobs in this province since june 2009, mr. Speaker And there are many many people who look at ontario and know that things are going well, mr. Speaker Things are looking much better in ontario than they were in the ontario economy Starting to grow again. And who said that mr. Speaker? Jim flarity Industry, we have created opportunity 440 000 net new jobs have been created in this province What the leader of the opposition would like to do mr. Speaker is cut services slash programs, mr. Speaker And drive good jobs out of this province. We're not going there Well, well premier if I wanted people to work at minimum wage jobs, I'd prop you up just like the ndp is doing If you want to premier focus on minimum wage jobs You got one right now if you want one focused on creating middle-class jobs with better take-home pay That's me. That's my team You just can't argue with the facts you failed to create any new jobs in 2013 You you've turned ontario now into the welfare capital of canada I think we can do a lot better than that. I see an ontario that rises again I see an ontario that guarantees the next generation that they can make their way in the province of ontario With good careers and good jobs. I've got a plan to do so. It's a million jobs plan I've asked to meet with you, mr. Speaker, the premier when we're hemorrhaging jobs in the province Why don't you take another Can you see me, please? Thank you premier. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker You know the the leader of the opposition has a slogan and I understand it's a catchy slogan, mr. Speaker But there's no detail about how those jobs would actually be created And in fact, I think grant the flesh of the well-intribune says it well Houdaq's magical wish thinking is just insulting to our collective intelligence The fact opposition is talking about and in fact the specifics that are in the leader of the opposition's plan Are specifics that would drive us down, mr. Speaker that would undermine the gains that That organized labor has made for generations, mr. Speaker would drive good jobs out of the province And we are not going to go there, mr. Speaker We are going to continue to make the investments that are necessary right now Business needs a government to partner with them and make sure that they have the supports that are necessary So they can compete in the global economy. That's the fact You know, you know premier you were um I think we will agree on this. You're basically Dalton McGinty's One of his top lieutenants He supported his policies that got us into a huge mess that doubled our debt and lost us 300 000 manufacturing jobs Now for the year you've been in office. You've actually made matters worse. We've seen manufacturing jobs Losses accelerate in our great province. I don't understand why if you are trying to stick to a plan that's costing us jobs Why do you keep putting your head against the wall? Why don't we turn around and try a brand new plan for the province? You want details hear the details stop you on affordable subsidies to wind and solar to make hydro affordable Lower taxes in our province say we can do more in the skilled trades To actually look at more trade opportunities by joining the new west partnership premier My bill is full of bill is full of plans and details It'll be debated at three o'clock. We're going to pass it accelerate it and let's get people back to work and restore hope Thank you, premier. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker Well, I think we're going to stay on the plan that actually is creating jobs, mr. Speaker We've made we've made enormous recovery since june 2009 and employment has risen by 95 000 jobs More than 95 000 jobs just in this last year mr. Speaker So obviously the the track that we're on that is leading to that job creation and is bringing business to the province There's no doubt that we're in a transition and I've said that many times over the the past few weeks We are in a transition many manufacturing companies are needing to invest in order to be able to compete globally And that's why we're partnering with them mr. Speaker One of the things that has surprised me about the leader of the opposition is that he has not Expressed a willingness or an interest in partnering with businesses in understanding that that kind of investment when we're competing With jurisdictions all around the world that we have to put that kind of support and resource on the table So we're going to continue to do that. Mr. Speaker, and I am absolutely positive that the recovery that we're seeing will continue Question the leader of the third party Thank you. Speaker before I begin on behalf of new democrats. I want to uh, welcome and acknowledge wane gates the mpp elector Speaker my question is for the premier Does the premier agree that middle-class families that make ontario work are feeling financially stretched in tough times Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. I uh, I absolutely do agree that We have to be very cognizant of the burdens that middle-class people are feeling mr. Speaker And the fact is that they are concerned about many things One of the things that they're concerned about is retirement security, mr. Speaker One of the things that they're concerned about is that in their communities people who are living on minimum wage Haven't had certainty about where that minimum wage is going to go Another thing that they're concerned about mr. Speaker is that their children will have children will have jobs So mr. Speaker We are absolutely concerned about the middle-class and the plan that we've put in place And the six pillars of that plan mr. Speaker are targeted directly at making sure that middle-class people Retain their jobs and that more people can find a middle-class job Speaker for months the premier has made it clear that she plans to move ahead With new unfair taxes tolls and fees that will hit household budgets Can the premier tell families today how much more she'll be asking them to pay? Thank you very much mr. Speaker Again underlying the question from the leader of the third party is uh, is an assumption that people don't want More transit mr. Speaker, but people don't want investment in retirement security that people don't want to make sure that there is a Business climate that is going to allow them to find a job mr. Speaker I have said and I have said repeatedly I am concerned about the burden that people in this province are carrying I understand that that's something that we have to take very seriously And when we bring in our budget we will be paying very very close attention to that But mr. Speaker that does not mean that the people of this province do not need investment in infrastructure And do not need investment and a structure within which to save for their retirement mr. Speaker And I hope that the leader of the third party will support us on those Premier missed the premise of the question which is what people can or cannot afford The message that voters sent she said she could ignore the voters and ignore the message she sent because frankly She's the premier one thing I heard loud and clear knocking on doors in Niagara falls and at kitchen tables and donut shops All over Ontario through the winter was that families that make Ontario work feel like they're being squeezed Right out of the middle class and they cannot be asked to pay more yet again Is the premier going to listen or will she continue to ignore them? Okay, first of all mr. Speaker that I've been in those same donut shops in those same kitchens And I do not ignore the commentary from those people mr. Speaker because they are us There is no separation between us and them mr. Speaker We are in this together and if we do not make decisions for the long term in this legislature If we do not make the investments that are necessary from prince ever Hastings come to order New question leader of the third party. Thank you speaker My next question is also for the premier I sent a letter to the premier yesterday And I made it clear that I will not support a budget that has new taxes or tools for middle class families New democrats are going to actually respect the people whose paychecks and jobs make Ontario work And focus on making their lives affordable not squeezing them out of the middle class Can the premier tell hardworking Ontario families how much more the liberal government is going to make them pay Thank you very much mr. Speaker well I got the letter I got the letter from the leader of the third party and I appreciate it And I certainly will be responding and I I will be reaching out to both Leaders and I would like to meet with them as we develop the budget mr. Speaker But what was not in that letter mr. Speaker was a single thing that the leader of the third party believes in I have no idea mr. Speaker if the leader of the third party supports indexing a minimum wage to inflation mr. Speaker I have no going to get to work and how they're going to get their kids home because of congestion mr. Speaker So I look forward to meeting with the leader of the third party and what she believes in supplementary Thanks to talk about fairness, but families have been hit with the hst Climbing hydro bills and the highest auto insurance rates in canada Well, the money they sent to queen's park is allocated to gas plant cancellations rising ceo salaries Bloated severance packages I think it's time speaker to show the middle class families who make ontario work a little bit of respect How much more is the premier going to ask them to pay? I asked again speaker Thank you very much mr. Speaker. Well, you know has got a list of some very populist ideas and and mr. Speaker she she raised them last year when we talked about the budget and We found common ground and so on auto insurance for example, mr. Speaker in january Auto insurance rates dropped by three point nine eight percent in the fourth quarter So we've seen a reduction of four point six six percent on average since august We're on track to meet our goal of an average eight percent reduction by august 2014. That's happening mr. Speaker We are doing those things and we we had identified auto insurance as an area that that we needed to work on mr. Speaker So we're working on those things the leader of the third party Does not have the corner on compassion for people who are burdened mr. Speaker She does not have that We are working to help people in their day-to-day lives and we will continue to do that But mr. Speaker, we also have a vision for how we should move ahead in this province We also believe in something we believe that investing in people and partnering with business and investing in Infrastructure and transit and making sure that people have those resources that those things are important. What does she believe in? Speaker New democrats are not going to support new taxes tools and fees that hit household budgets We don't think that hitting families with yet another sales tax hike is going to actually grow our economy And we don't agree with the hood at conservatist plan for new private 407 style toll. I was The families that make ontario work are being squeezed like never before and our economy will not succeed If they're falling further and further behind So is the premier ready to respect the people who sent us here who voted in by elections last week? And who are tired of being asked to pay more while others get all Thank you very much mr. Speaker well As I have said, I am very aware that people are feeling that That as the economy recovers that there are burdens on them and they are concerned about the future of the province Which is exactly why I think it's very important that at this moment in our history We have a plan that works with people in the province It works with businesses in the province that makes the investments that are necessary Mr. Speaker in order for us to have that aspirational future that I believe we all want mr Speaker, so we're going to bring forward a budget that is fair That is reasonable mr. Speaker paying very close attention to the people who are who are experiencing those concerns Mr. Speaker, but at the same time we are taking actions to help people I would love to know mr. Speaker why the leader of the third party Will not commit to support our indexation of minimum wage to inflation mr. Speaker Thank you very much. Good morning, my question is for the premier Let me share with you premier what our caucus learned by visiting over 30 cities over the last couple of months From sardia to canara from webiquay to oakville from timmins to rockland and dozens of communities in between Skyrocketing high rates high taxes and crippling red tape were the top three issues Speaker our three biggest problems were created by this government And they have absolutely no plan to change direction on any of those three issues As a result ontario had 86 consecutive months with higher than the national average unemployment Next thursday our leader tim hoodack is bringing his million jobs act to the floor of this legislature Premier will use support his plan to bring people back to work in ontario Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. Let's get some facts straight Yeah, ontario has had over 450,000 net Order, please I uh I I thought maybe one might be able to control themselves minister Ontario has uh been increasing jobs over the last number of years to tune a 440,000 net new jobs Including the 300,000 that were lost during a recession that affected the global market mr. Speaker We've taken initiatives The members opposite are trying to recycle old plans that is going to bring us down in a tower spiral They're looking at the initiatives that we've taken and they're trying to replicate some of what we've done But they do it in a poor way and you've been to the table way too late now because we're on a track to do Even more we have in our plan another 100,000 more net new jobs coming forward because of the initiative that we put in our budget The member opposite should be supporting that mr. Speaker and she should be standing up for ontario Well, thank you speaker back to the premier Kellogg's Heinz Caterpillar, they've all left ontario Now they're still making cereal. They're still making ketchup. They're still making earthmoving equipment They're just not making them in ontario any longer In fact 1 million people woke up this morning in ontario without a job. That's your facts minister You've given us the highest energy rates in north america the highest payroll taxes in canada We're about to have the highest business taxes Amongst the large province provinces in canada and it's this government that shut down the red tape commission skyrocketing hydro High taxes crippling red tape. That's the legacy of the liberal election coalition Will you be supporting tim hoodax plan to put people back to work in the discussion next thursday Mr. Speaker of minister of economic development trade and employment minister Well, thank you, mr. Speaker and mr. Speaker. I still don't understand why the official opposition doesn't get the The statistics from statistics canada show 95 000 net new jobs created last year And in fact what the opposition is intent on is every job that's created in this province. They seem to be against So 3,700 high-paying It jobs that sisco is bringing to this country not some other country or jurisdiction around the world That party was against and mr. Speaker again We've got evidence of job creation across this province in london an announcement just last week where general dynamics The largest export Contract in the history of this country took place in london, ontario Where they're going to be exporting they have a contract for the next 14 years Which is going to guarantee the jobs for those 3 000 persons in london, ontario Mr. Speaker the eastern ontario development fund the southwestern ontario development fund together have created and retained More than 22 000 jobs and this party opposite. Mr. Speaker voted against that important measure Mr. Speaker, I don't understand what their jobs plan is because to me it seems like it's job destruction. Thank you Thank you very much, mr. Speaker My question is for the premier for families across ontario It seems like the liberal government just doesn't seem interested in the change that ontario needs The environment will come to order bringing down costs for auto insurance companies But drivers tell us their bills are still climbing The government promised to help the financial accounting office up and running by the end of 2013 to protect taxpayers But christmas came and went and no one's been hired the premier claims. She's offering change Why does it look like more of the same? Government house leader Mr. Speaker I You know, I'm a little disappointed in the member the financial accountability officer Is a an officer of this house. There is a panel that is in place, which is my understanding Interviewing individuals to take over that position a member of her own party is on it and to stand up here Mr. Speaker and try to miss be mischievous to say somehow We're dragging our feet on a process which involves the entire legislature. Mr. Speaker is quite frankly beneath her And I'm very very surprised that she would raise this question Supplementary thank you very much mr. Speaker Premier families hear promises from this government The liberals seem unwilling or unable to deliver results Despite promises to reduce auto insurance rates by 15 percent families still have not seen relief The government seems more interested in playing the numbers than in reducing the rates While families are being told they have to make sacrifices They see yet another public sector CEO collecting more money in a severance package Then they will make in a decade and the government insists with a straight face That a hard cap at twice the premier's salary is absolutely impossible The financial accountability office which was supposed to be up and running last year remains vacant Does the premier think that that is real change? Mr. Speaker again, I mean this is this is As I say beneath the honorable member, she knows exactly the process that is in place We have a representative from each party. This is an officer of the legislature, mr. Speaker Not an officer of the government an officer of the legislature It's in the hands of a committee of the legislature of which her party has a representative on it Mr. Speaker my understanding is that they are in the process of reviewing candidates They will be conducting interviews and they will come forward with a recommendation Which will be considered by this legislature. That was what was envisioned in the legislation Which was presented to this house, which her party supported mr. Speaker and again as I say I think it's beneath her to try to so mischief as she is today, mr. Speaker We look forward to a financial accountability officer as prescribed in the legislation Which was brought forward to this legislature and supported by her in her party Thank you, mr. Speaker and my question is for the minister of labor Mr. Speaker our government wanted to ensure that going forward The minimum wage will be set in a way that is both fair for workers and predictable for businesses That's why we established the minimum wage advisory panel This panel was comprised of representatives for business, labor, poverty, advocates and youth The panel traveled the province speaking to and hearing from businesses both large and small Community groups and everyday Ontarians They then developed a consensus report based on the feedback it received from the outreach with Ontarians And recently the chair of the panel provided his report with recommendations to the government Mr. Speaker through you to the minister Could you speak about what the panel recommended on this very important issue to all Ontarians? Thank you very much speaker And I thank the member from auto or lease for a very important question speaker as you may recall last june The government created a independent advisory panel to look into the issue of minimum wage The panel was led by an independent chair and he Was also accompanied by members from the business community both from detail and tourism from labor anti-poverty groups and youth representatives speaker They have provided to the government a consensus report with four recommendations The recommendations being that the minimum wage be linked to the consumer price index and it be revised annually with a four month notice Also that there will be a full review of the minimum minimum wage every five year speaker And also that there will be an ongoing research program that be established Premier i'm very uh, speaker i'm very proud to say that uh, the premier announced that uh, the government will be raising minimum First to eleven dollars an hour as of june first and also we will be bringing legislation forward That will index any future increases to the ontarius consumer price index Supplementary Thank you speaker, and I would like to thank the minister for his response I'm glad that we are giving hardworking ontarians an increase in the minimum wage now. It's only fair I'm happy to see legislation coming forward to remove the ad hoc nature of previous increases This legislation will provide predictable A predictability for business, especially our small businesses allowing them to plan for increases So that they may can remain competitive and create jobs Now I know there are still some constituents in my community about our liens would like the government to increase the minimum wage By 40 to 14 dollars an hour and others have said that there should be no increase whatsoever But it's it's important that we take care to ensure the people's wages and businesses stay competitive Mr. Speaker through you to the minister Can you speak to what we are doing to ensure that the changes we make are fair for workers and businesses alike Yeah, minister. Thank you very much speaker speaker We are setting a fair minimum wage in Ontario fair for ontarians that work on minimum wage and predictable for businesses that create jobs In our economy We're using an objective and balanced way of determining minimum wage to 11 A dollars an hour and also tying any future increases on an annual basis to the cost of living Therefore speaker what we are suggesting is that we're taking politics out of how minimum wage is determined Now speaker is regretful the official opposition does not support any increases to minimum wage They did not raise minimum wage the eight years that they were in government and of course they don't support any minimum wage But speaker what has been surprising is how the ndp the third party has no position on minimum wage speaker And that is speaker is extremely shocking and surprising because people want to know where does the ndp Stand on increasing minimum wage Do this support indexing minimum wage to cost of living Thank you. It is shocking that this party has no position whatsoever. Thank you Thank you I find myself asking where to start they blew one billion dollars on canceled gas plants They admitted to a 42 percent hike in the hydro bills announced more costly wind turbines Played postal cold politics during the blackout mismanaged the opg according to the auditor Mishandled a propane shortage and the ombudsman is now investigating hydro one These are the facts enough is enough. When will this government admit that their energy strategy has failed ontario? Mr. Speaker she covered a lot and i'm going to try to cover several of those items You know people in this province have a choice Okay, they have a choice between the pc approach Where their energy policy just doesn't add up? They claim they want to lower rates, but they have confirmed They will spend 15 billion dollars on new nuclear energy that the province does not need That will lead to major pricing cases. Mr. Speaker They said first order cancel existing fit contracts And then their leader reversed course and said they wouldn't and now tori mpp's leave the impression They would cancel existing wind contracts Their white paper on energy said they would create a special industrial rate The only way they could do that is by shifting the burden onto individual consumers We have a number of significant programs to help families with their energy bills including the ontario clean energy benefit Energy and property tax credit and northern ontario energy credit, which that jury and that party voted again Thank you Uh speaker while the minister of energy was playing hide and go seek Over the course of the last few months. I traveled too close to 30 ridings across ontario to talk to families about hydro During doing the minister's homework forum. This is what I found out particularly about hydro one Seniors are spending more on their hydro bills than they're receiving in their oas Small businesses are closing under the threat of high bills and disconnection notices because of hydro one Families have lost thousands of dollars because of an incompetent billing scheme This government has turned hydro one into public enemy number one A long time ago when this minister was the mayor of ottawa He took decisive action against the ottawa housing corporation because they failed the consumer They failed the taxpayer now. We see the hydro one ceo What has changed what has changed you and will you take decisive action? Thank you minister I'm pleased that the critic raised the question of the hydro one issue Mr. Speaker hydro one has 1.3 million customers And a number of those customers have experienced unacceptable levels of inconvenience as a result of a new billing system Prior to the ombudsman's review the ceo of hydro one publicly apologized to the affected customers and has been working diligently To ensure all outstanding issues are corrected And while hydro one is an independent town corporation, mr. Speaker our government shares in that apology I have written to the ombudsman and pledged a full cooperation of my office and the ministry of energy Hydro one continues to work tirelessly on this issue And refunds and credits are being offered for errors and all the interest and charges have been waived. Mr. Speaker You're a question to member from london fanshaw Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier Last wednesday london's manufacturing sector took yet another hit with the announcement that ontario based Invicare in a vicare corp was shutting its doors To its long-term care beds plant and cutting 70 workers The 70 workers laid off at invacare Join a long list of plant closures in southwestern ontario 740 workers laid off at hinds in lemington 500 laid off at Kellogg's in london and a hundred laid off at worthington cylinders in tailbury Premier when is this government going to get serious about creating and preserving Good paying manufacturing jobs that are the lifeblood Of the south western economy Sir, thank you, mr. Speaker. It's a very important question and i appreciate the member offset asking it And i want to start by saying of course whenever there's a closure or a notice of layoffs that our first concern is a government is to those employees And their families to make sure that we do everything possible to Help them assist them under those difficult circumstances and then also hopefully Get them that next job and if it requires retraining we are also in a position to provide that kind of support as well It's very important with regards to london and more generally the uh the southwestern ontario region As i mentioned just a few minutes ago, we were very pleased I think the member member opposite as well last week the announcement of a 10 billion dollar export contract from general dynamics In london which is going to protect and preserve about 3 000 jobs. That's a contract over 14 years Mr. Speaker, and so it's the kind of stability that that particular sector Uh, expects and enjoys and so and i'll be speaking in the supplementary if i have the opportunity but well it's a my other investments as well Thank you Speaker the fact is that 300 000 manufacturing jobs have been lost while this government has been sitting on their hands and southwestern ontario Has been hardest hit by those job losses Speaker a job strategy requires more than good labor adjustment practices and hoping that the feds hand out money It should include initiatives like a job creation track tax credit something new democrats have long called for But this government refuses to act when is this government going to move on initiatives such as the job creation tax credit To begin to make up for the 300 000 good paying jobs that have been lost under their watch Thank you I certainly hope the NDP don't follow the lead of the progressive conservatives when they begin to talk down this province in terms of Our hardworking employees our manufacturing sector, which has done so well And they'll acknowledge as well for example in the auto sector more than 12 500 new jobs created since the bottom of the recession Also, I was in london just a couple of weeks ago Actually with the minister of health making a tremendous announcement with natra, which is a chocolate company based in europe It shows london as its north american headquarters. It actually doesn't have a presence in this continent It shows london ontario because of the opportunities that provided there And I know the member opposite also understands that the unemployment rate, which was unacceptably high in london Fortunately, we're seeing it come down. It was almost nine percent roughly a year ago. It's now down Significantly from that that part that doesn't mean that our work is done And that's why important measures like the southwestern ontario development fund Which is creating retained more than I think it were up to about 8 000 jobs Since this creation a year and a half ago are so important for our economy and for our workers Thank you there santa. Thank you, mr. Speaker My question is to the minister of tourism culture and sport Minister like the majority of ontarians I've been cheering on the other ontarians from our own backyard who are proudly representing our great country of canada And this great province at the olympics and social My own riding of oakville serves as a great hub For athletes like brian jenna and john tovaris But to compete with the best in the world it takes years of dedication Of training and support of all kinds to help our athletes reach event Like the olympics mr. Speaker through you to the minister Would he please share with this house? What our government is doing to support those high performance athletes as well as the current future olympians and paralympians Thank you. Thank you. Thank you and thank you very much for the question from From my my colleague in oakville speaker. My ministry's quads could go with the program That's an excellent sample of our government's commitment to our high performance athletes and Power athletes some of the main objective of the program are to help athletes continue their pursuit Of athletic excellence at the highest levels of national and international competition Encourage athletes to stay in ontario to leave and receive a training Enable athletes to successfully pursue excellence in sport while fulfilling the educational goal And increase athletes access to high performance coaching speaker since he was established in 2006 In seven years our government has provided ontario Athletes and coaches with more than 80 million in sport. Thank you speaker Thank you minister for that wonderful response I'm sure we can all agree that our athletes and para athletes not only serve as ambassadors in sport But as leaders as performers and as an inspiration to us all here back home As it turns out team canada this year is the largest we've ever had for a winter olympics It's represented by more ontarians than any other province in this great country 64 athletes 11 coaches from ontario will be on team canada in the hopes of winning gold in their respective sports With so many of our athletes competing at sushi mr. Speaker again through you to the minister Could he please tell us what our government is doing to specifically support ontario sports sector? Thank you minister Thank you speaker Our government is pleased to support our athletes as they pursue athletic excellence We are proud to support them at events like the winter olympics in socia I would like to once again congratulate the strong contingent of ontario athletes on team canada Who will make our promise proud as they compete for gold speaker? These ontarians and canadians serve as an inspiration to us all past pleasant and future athletes and Parlor athletes with their stories and performances only reinforce the importance of Developing committee role models and to promote an active healthy lifestyle speaker This is why in 2013 and to 2014 our government has provided Over 23 million to our sport partners to achieve these goals. Thank you speaker Well, thank you very much to speak on my question this morning is to the premier In the 12 months since your win for a bath liberal ndp coalition came to power Ontario has lost an additional 30 000 vital manufacturing jobs Dozens of plants across our province have announced layoffs or outright closure since your liberal coronation Premier southwestern, ontario has been especially hard hit with recent plant closing announced at invacare london That was 70 jobs hinds lemington 740 jobs kelox london 500 jobs Worthington cylinders tillbury 100 jobs westcast industry strathroy 40 jobs Imperial oil lubricant sarnia 60 jobs ethyl corporation crana 30 jobs Premier why are so many factories closing under your watch? Thank you, mr. Speaker. Well, and uh, I know the member opposite has his list So i'll go through my list and i'll start in dunville with original foods And I was actually at the opening of that uh new company where they moved here from kewbacca 150 jobs created just last fall Armo tool in london, which i know just outside of london I know the member opposite knows well was our first recipient of a southwestern ontario development fund 14 jobs armstrong milling milling in haggersville 10 jobs the centerline in windsor 31 jobs Conestoga meets uh in kitchen outside of kitchiner and breslau 100 jobs there mr. Speaker Desh canada 10 jobs europe manufacturing another 12 almyra pet products in almyra 146 jobs protected and many more created mr. Speaker and the list goes on and on from tilsenberg to cambridge wallisburg wealth St. cathol's it's unfortunate that the party opposite did not support us In creating a permanent fund for southwestern ontario to create those exact Jobs that the member opposite seems to be so concerned about Well, thank you speaker back to the premier premier on january 22nd I wrote to you about the closure of west cast in strathroy The reason for this closure is due to the high price of electricity Coupled with ontario's outdated labor policies and outdated apprenticeship ratios In fact west cast ceo wrote to me on january 7th and said and I quote if electricity rates do not become more affordable Ontario risk losing important investments from companies like west cast Premier your careless careless approach has helped push ontario's manufacturing sector into crisis 30 000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since you've become premier of this province Only tim hoodack and the ontario pcs have put forward a jobs plan to help the thousands of people who are unemployed Question today Premier I ask again How come so many manufacturing plants are closing under your watch and why are you an ndp leader andrew horvath So determined to lead the race to the bottom Can you see it please thank you minister Well, mr. Speaker is pretty rich coming from this party opposite that hasn't supported Really hasn't supported any of our jobs plans or efforts over the past few years If it had if they had had their way, mr. Speaker back when the province supported the auto industry in 2009 Which they did not support. We wouldn't even have an auto industry It would have left to the united states or to mexico fortunately We've created 12 500 new jobs in the auto sector alone Mr. Speaker and they're not even Listening to their own party in ottawa when jim flairty just a few weeks ago talked about the manufacturing sector in this province And said it was bouncing back mr. Speaker and also we have rbc that came out with a report in december which indicated that they see Significant recovery in the manufacturing sector in the two years ahead It's going to help drive the recovery of course with a canadian dollar coming down That's going to help as well. So we're making great strides I don't know why the member opposite and his party continues to talk down this economy The hard-working ontario workers that are working in the manufacturing sector and the 700 000 people that i'm very proud of That contribute to manufacturing this province mr. Speaker Thank you, speaker my questions for the premier After months and months of constant pressure on the liberal government from horse people from the fordiri council and the NDP the government finally listened and promised funding so that the fordiri racetrack Can have live racing this coming season However one time funding for this year alone is not a solution for the hundreds of families that depend on the fordiri racetrack Will the premier commit to reinstating the slots at racetrack's partnership and ensure that fordiri has a long and bright future Thank you very much mr. Speaker Well, you know fine when the leader of the third party began questioning about fordiri and horse racing When the by-election was on the horizon mr. Speaker The fact is on this plan We've been working to restore horse racing mr. Speaker across the province. We'd had we had the panel in place We had their recommendations mr. Speaker I was determined to provide an opportunity for fordiri and the other tracks in the province to have a sustainable future Now the leader of the third party is asking whether we will bring back a non-accountable Inefficient plan mr. Speaker program. We're not going to do that. We're not going to do that We have a strategy mr. Speaker. We have invest we have We've committed to investing 400 million dollars mr. Speaker over the next five years And we will continue to work with the industry to make sure that they have a sustainable future as we work with fordiri By-election or not mr. Speaker Well, speaker like it or not this government waited until a few days before a provincial by-election To announce funding for fordiri. I don't recall that they've announced any other funding speaker The ndp stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of fordiri since day one speaker It's unfortunate that the premier didn't even know speaker to push the government for a long-term solution And not just by-election promises will the premier do the right thing speaker Reinstate the slots at race tracks partnership so that horse racing can continue at the fordiri track and sustain Over a thousand jobs in the region for many many years to come Speaker we're working towards a five-year plan We're working towards a five-year plan and that is I think the people at fordiri know that and mr. Speaker The leader of the third party should know that when I met with the fordiri folks at a round table Mr. Speaker there were horse people in the lobby of that building Urging us to make an announcement sooner rather than later because they were making business decisions Now the leader of the third party may not know that and because she has chosen to link this to the by-election That's her prerogative the fact is mr. Speaker We were meeting with the folks in fordiri before there was a question raised in this house We are working towards a long-term plan and restoring horse racing in this province Mr. Speaker is something I committed to and I have delivered on that mr. Speaker Thank you, mr. Speaker my questions for the attorney general Since 2008 over 65 municipalities have passed resolutions calling on the government to legislate against strategic lawsuits Our government heard those concerns and on june 4th 2013 the attorney general introduced bill 83 A proposal for the protection of public participation a past first reading This is an important bill that assists with an increase of access to justice for all Ontarians Mr. Speaker could the attorney general please tell the house about the protection of public participation Thank you, attorney general. Well, thank you very much speaker And let me first of all say how great it is to be back here to discuss the issues of today In an open and free democratic fashion and the member is quite quite correct your note that This question is very timely because this afternoon. We will continue second reading debate on bill 83 And he has a government of work very hard to develop a proposal that balances the protection of the public participation and freedom of expression with the protection of reputation and economic interest And we all know that if this bill is passed It will protect citizens by allowing courts to quickly identify and deal with these strategic lawsuits including a fast track process Which requires that a requested dismiss must be heard by the courts within 60 days That is good for the system. It's good for all parties concerned speaker And that's why I urge everyone here to support bill 83 Thank you, mr. Speaker. It's good to hear of our government's commitment in balancing the Protection of public participation while also considering the protection of reputation and economic interest This provides a made in ontario solution based on The the consensus recommendation of an expert advisory panel and extensive stakeholder consultations Mr. Speaker in addition to assisting with the early identification of strategic lawsuits Could the attorney general please inform this house of other ways in which the bill assists in protecting public participation Thank you attorney general if we all recognize speaker that reputation is very important to each and every one of us And we've worked very hard to develop a proposal that balances the interest of the defendants in the plaintiffs in these defamation suits The protection of public participation and the freedom of expression against the protection of reputation and economic interest Speaker the proposed legal test for identifying strategic suits is carefully balanced to ensure that lawsuits that seriously harm reputation Business or personal interests of others can continue on the other hand Causes with no merit or with merely technical merit But without evidence of substantial harm would be dismissed within that 60 day period The government's continued support of the legislation such as this particular bill ensures that all parties interest Will be considered in the civil process And I hope that this bill passes with the unanimous decision at this house as soon as possible Thank you new portion member from Burlington Premier since your party came to office the province's manufacturing sector has lost over 330,000 manufacturing jobs That's a city the size of london waking up with no jobs few prospects and losing hope Since you became premier roughly 40 companies have announced ontario's closure There's rock 10 on my riding of burlington craft in oakville Novartis in mississauga echo in brampton west caston strathroy Exxon mobile in bellville Sandvich in north bay. Sadly the list of closures goes on and on Premier most new employees get three months probation. You've had a year. When will you make jobs a priority? Thank you, mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question from the member Opposite, I have to say I still don't understand why you didn't support the sisco investment in this province, which is creating 3,700 high-tech Good invest good jobs over the next 10 years That mr. Speaker our manufacturing sector we've resulted since the bottom of the recession We've actually created 25,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector across this province And many of them of course are in the part of the province that the member opposite represents But let me tell you in terms of the what isn't in their jobs plan curiously But obviously is a preoccupation of the party opposite is their right to work plan Which quite quite frankly mr. Speaker is the centerpiece of their jobs plan But it's going to be a right to work for less. It's going to be it's a scheme that answer Lower wages and less benefits for all workers in ontario. Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to talk more about that in the supplementary Thank you supplementary So i'm curious minister, how are we supposed to judge your numbers? It's not 3,100 at 1,700 for sisco, but nevertheless I'll give you this Consistent in driving businesses out of ontario, and it's not hard to figure out why Ontario has the highest rates in north america small and medium businesses are drowning in red tape We've had the highest wsib rates in the country, which cripples businesses ability to hire Higher bottom line costs more bureaucratic headaches not exactly a winning economic strategy You need to step up your game or step aside What are you going to show the people of ontario a real job plan? Thank you Minister well, mr. Speaker first of all it is 3700 new jobs by sisco and the member opposite needs to get her facts great Mr. Speaker also in terms of the right to work for less plan It's not something that we're obviously preoccupied because the party opposite is advocating Many of their own members are very concerned about its potential impact. They know that it's a job killer It's going to drive down wages and it's going to hurt job creation So I know they're trying to distract the public by focusing on this alleged million jobs plan But the centerpiece of that is the right to work legislation the wisconsin like legislation that they want to To this policy which we know is so extreme that even The member opposite's own party is trying to seek some clarity and asking their leader to come out clean as to what kind of damage He's going to do to our economy through this right to work legislation 11 pc candidates in northern ontario are concerned They're turning to us as well to make sure that this explosive policy file of the PC party that it doesn't see the light of day the pc former pc candidate Thank you. Paul's is on record is saying thank you Thank you new question Member Parkdale high park Thank you. Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of community safety and correctional services Last week avry edison a trans woman was held at maple hurst correctional a provincial men's facility Being confined in a jail for men. Ms. Edison's health and safety were put at dire risk in ontario We have toby's law where gender identity and gender expression are protected under the ontario human rights code Can the minister explain why toby's law is not being respected? Yes, mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for this excellent question. Yes, this issue was brought up to to my attention and so it's Was of concern to me too. So I think that it's the problem was was resolved and we have policy in place to ensure that you know the That you know the process is is followed very closely ministry officials Conduct a screening process for every inmate that is admitted into a provincial custody Part of that process is identifying the individual sexual identity And individual may self identified as transgendered or the facility may be Notified by authority that the individuals are transgendered So correctional uh officer take self identification into account and in the supplementary. Thank you I'll allow the supplementary. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker Last week I wrote to the minister urging an immediate investigation Into miss Edison's confinement in a jail for men clearly whatever policies are in place are not working Everyone involved in this attention should be trained in how to treat trans people with dignity and respect Such an incident must not reoccur So i'm going to ask again will a minister be launching an investigation into this matter Thank you minister I I would like to ensure the member from The opposition that the that is not going to happen again, but unfortunately I I cannot Say that but we will make sure that the An investigation first of all is being conducted when these things happen and The policy will be reviewed and to make sure that you know, everybody is treated as they should be And an incident like the one that happened does not happen again But uh, you know the of course the safety of individuals and those in correctional facility are taken Very seriously, and we wanted to treat these people with respect and dignity and I'll I'll make sure that You know, we re-enfer for the the procedure. Thank you. Thank you The member from the Kitchener Waterloo on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order understanding order section 23 subsection I imputes false or unavoidable motives to another member the house leader earlier today accused my question of being mischievous In fact the budget of 2013 passed in may The interviews are not I look for the day when none of us are mischievous There are no deferred votes. This house stands recessed until 3 p.m. This afternoon