 There are no further introductions. Therefore, it is time for question period the member from The member from Simcoe gray is a man of great integrity As minister of health when the integrity of his office was called into question and his ministry was being investigated by the integrity commissioner The member stepped aside as minister He believed in the doctrine of ministerial responsibility and he did the right thing He stepped aside until the investigation cleared his name Now the minister of energy has been named in a charge laid by the OPP. The minister should also do the right thing Mr.. Speaker has the minister of energy offered to step aside until the case against the premier's former chief deputy chief of staff has concluded Mr.. Speaker, I know that the member opposite understands that This is a matter that is before the courts mr.. Speaker He understands also that there have been many many questions Answered and answered in this lens asked and answered in this legislature outside of this legislature mr. Speaker We will continue to To cooperate with any ongoing investigation mr. Speaker, but the matter is before the courts and I know that the member opposite understands that Back to the premier my predecessor as member of Leeds-Grenville took his role in this democratic institution very very seriously While there was an investigation the solicitor general stepped aside and he returned when he was cleared of any wrongdoing Premier the minister of energy needs to do the same Mr.. Speaker will the premier asked the minister to set the side until the case against the former deputy chief of staff has concluded I Think I thank you very much mr.. Speaker I just want to make one point very clear because I think it's important to note That the that the minister from energy is under no investigation Speaker they are no charges late against the minister of energy so the assertion the member Opposite is making are absolutely incorrect our speaker and I do want to remind again and echo what the premier said That this matter is before the courts There are allegations and charges late against certain individuals none of them serve in this legislature speaker and we should let the course handle the matter Based on on evidence and and the rules of procedure and the evidence rules that apply in the course not in this legislature Thank you very much. Thank you final supplementary. I'm gonna go back to the premier I'm puzzled by that answer when the integrity of a minister or their office are called into question Yeah, the minister has a responsibility to step aside until the investigation is complete when the member for Eglinton Lawrence was Criticized by the auditor general for a scandal in his ministry The member stepped aside. Yeah, our current minister of energy has been named in a charge laid by the OPP And he accuses them of wrongdoing It is disrespectful to the office He holds to remain as a minister while the case is before the courts mr. Speaker Will the premier demand that the minister step aside until the case against her former deputy chief of staff has concluded Thank you Attorney general speaker the minister of energy is under no investigation The there has been no charges laid against minister of energy he He has cooperated With with all investigation that has taken place up to this point. I speak of the member opposite knows very well He knows your Common speaker yesterday that you make in this in this house, and I'm sure he let them again last night That this matter is before the course and the only appropriate place for this matter To be tried or litigated is in a court of law. Thank you My question is for the premier I want to remind the legislature of a time when liberal ministers had integrity the former minister of finance Come to order if I knew who said it they'd have to withdraw and if you did say it you can withdraw without me telling you to I'm not referring to anyone. I made it clear. Are you withdrawing? Thank you carry on Minister of finance Greg Sorbera resigned from his office when he became aware aware of a search warrant Alleging he was the subject of an RCMP investigation His name was simply in a search warrant and he stepped aside until his name was cleared now We have a top liberal aid being accused of bribing a minister of the crown and the minister still holds office mr. Speaker, this is incredibly inappropriate Why does the premier refuse to have the minister step aside until the case against her former deputy chief of staff has concluded? Energy is under no investigation This matters before the court and the member opposite knows full well that we need to let that court process unfold mr. Speaker not in this legislature, but within the court system mr. Speaker Back to the back to the premier at no time if I accused the minister of wrongdoing But the charges against Pat Sorbera speak for themselves She is accused of offering an alleged bribe to the current Minister of energy regardless being named in a charge is Unbecoming of a minister of the crown and the minister must step aside mr. Speaker will the premier turn to the minister Extend her hand and accept his letter Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker appreciate the theatrics on the other other side from the member opposite. Let's be absolutely clear speaker The minister of energy and is under no investigation whatsoever Charges have been laid against two individuals which do not serve in this legislature The matter is before the court speaker and that's where it should be tried And litigated. Thank you very much. Thank you supplementary back to the premier This liberal government has killed a lot of traditions in this province But it's sad to say they've killed the tradition actually know the duty of ministerial responsibility There used to be a time when ministers took their integrity seriously and believe they had to have the trust of the province But that no longer exists in liberal Ontario mr. Speaker one last time I implore the premier Please premier do the right thing. Will you stand up premier walk over to the minister's desk and ask him to resign? Thank you, attorney general speaker once again The ministers under no investigation the allegations in questions that are now before the courts has nothing to do with Ministers responsibility as a minister of energy or either so speaker. There is no nexus. There is no connection This is a totally separate matter That does not involves the minister and his responsibilities as the minister of energy the most appropriate place for this matter to be dealt with is In the court of law it is for a reason is stated The rule is stated in our standing order rules speaker You are referred to it very clearly yesterday and I just asked the member opposite and all honorable members of this house To respect the rules that are laid out in our standing orders and let this matter be dealt with in the court of law. Thank you Thank you very much My question is to the premier There is very clearly an allegation of bribery against miss Herbera the allegation of bribery also includes a Second allegation that is inferred when you when you allege to bribe someone A potential of someone accepting that bribery. That's another allegation a potential allegation during this Investigation it's before the courts absolutely the honorable thing to do in this circumstance is to have the minister step down While this investigation is going on. He's connected in some way So why hasn't the premier yet accepted the resignation of the minister of energy? Why not? Again, mr. Speaker, I will say to the member opposite He used the word allegations perhaps three or four times and he's right These are just allegations and the only place for those allegations to be proven right or wrong speaker is in a court of law Not in this legislature. There's a long-standing rule that relates to Let us not be litigated in this house There before a court or tribunal the member opposite is a is a learned counsel. I know he's in his rules Well, he's been a defense counsel here and this says the the notion and important principle of presumption of innocence I only ask him to respect those speaker. Thank you Thank you very much mr. Speaker. I think the government doesn't understand what's going on here This is not a matter of litigating the case No one's trying to litigate the case here and if you have that belief you're clearly mistaken This is a matter of integrity the people of Ontario deserve a government with integrity They deserve a premier that puts the interests of the people of this province ahead of her party of her friends of Protecting people in minutes in cabinet positions given the very serious natures of the allegations And yes, they are allegations, but they are very serious given the serious nature of these allegations There is a responsibility for the premier to do something does the premier think it's appropriate for the minister to continue in cabinet While these allegations are ongoing Mr. Speaker absolutely the matter is serious Therefore the matter is a shadow number from there in a in a partisan environment like the question period speaker That's why that that particular rules exist. These are these are allegations These are that have to be dealt in front of a impartial judge speaker That is why we've got the independence between the between the judiciary The executive and our legislative arm speaker We should all respect those very important divisions of powers, mr. Speaker and we should not be Litigating allegations or conjectures Speculations and curies in this house. I urge members opposite again speaker that we should let this matter to be dealt with In the court of law. Thank you I urge the government to review this question these questions Enhancered there's no litigation of the offense here. I'm not litigating the offense I'm simply saying that people of this province deserve a government with integrity when you have allegations that involve Cabinet minister there is certain responsibilities that this government must act on it's very clear that this has never happened in the history of This province ever before where we have a cabinet minister that is involved in allegations the allegations involve his name involve a bribe of the minister of this crown It's very clear the allegations are absolutely clear So why will a minister not step down and prove to Ontarians that they're capable of putting aside their blind partisanship That they're capable of putting the interest of the people of this province ahead of their own party's interest Of course, why can't they do the honorable thing? Johnny general Speaker, I think the member opposite knows and I know he's he's he's doing his very best To stretch This this issue I speaker the allegations that in question has nothing to do with the minister's Responsibility as the minister of energy the allegations Are not to worse the the minister of energy the government and the premier premier speaker remains very focused on Their responsibilities and their obligations to the people of Ontario. This is a matter That is before the court speaker and the member opposite knows very well that it should be litigated Before the courts not in this legislature. Thank you. Thank you New question Thank you, mr. Speaker my question again is the premier mr. Speaker I think the government needs to get new speaking notes No one is talking about litigating this case We're asking a very clear thing here during the last provincial election this premier promised Ontarians She promised Ontarians that she would be different She promised the people that this under her leadership that they this party would not be the minister of the environment Like her predecessors was yet again The people of this province are disappointed will the premier put aside her blind partisanship put aside her blind partisanship in terms of protecting her party and Protect the people's interest put aside her blind partisanship and support the needs of the people of this province and Ask the minister of energy to simply step aside during this very serious allegation You know the the member opposite is Is asking us to focus on on the people of Ontario and I just want to say mr That every morning when I get up and every morning when we begin our work here We are focusing on the people of Ontario We're focusing on the needs of our municipalities to have infrastructure mr. Speaker all of that is the work that we are The member from Renfrew nipissing Pembroke come to order Premier that is the work of our government mr. Speaker that is the plan that we are implementing I have been very open with the media. I've been open in the legislature I have answered questions over and over again I said in 2015 that if and when there were charges laid mr. Speaker that pass or bearer would step aside Pat stroke. So barra has stepped aside. She did that. She has done exactly what I said would happen mr. Speaker now before the courts Hastings come to order supplementary Mr. Speaker it shouldn't take criminal charges for their government to display that they have integrity it shouldn't require that This is yet another example of the premier allowing her concern for her party to take precedence over the responsibilities of governing this province that these are the responsibilities of the premier It's again liberals protecting liberals Will the premier for once stop being so blindly partisan and put us put the Provinces interest first understand that the faith in this government is being questioned right now The province has a responsibility to ensure that that faith is kept strong and ask the minister to step aside during these allegations Mr. Speaker But the member opposite is a lawyer so he knows we're not talking about criminal charges mr. Speaker even though He uses that language. I assume intentionally. I can't I can't second guess that But I assume he uses that intentionally, but these are not criminal charges. We're talking about I said in 2015 That if and when charges were laid that uh pat sir barra would step aside She has stepped aside. Mr. Speaker. She has done that and our responsibility All of us is to understand that under a presumption of innocence that matter is now before the courts I would expect of all of the members in the ndp Here for brenton nipissing pembroke second time The minister of indigenous relations come to order Mr. Speaker did the premier learn nothing from waiting so long to dismiss her top aide over this scandal She said over and over in this assembly that she stood by mr. Barra and that mr. Barra had done nothing wrong yet. Here we are Two days after mr. Barra was charged by the opp and the premier is making the same mistake again She has an opportunity to do the right thing. There are allegations Absolutely the allegations and the minister is entitled to and everyone involved in this is entitled to the presumption of innocence But there's a certain perception here. There's a perception that there is an allegation involving the minister There's a bribery allegation of that minister that minister has a responsibility to step aside during this investigation It's the right thing to do So Will the the premier do the right thing and ask her minister of energy to step aside until Until this matter is dealt with Thank you Attorney general clear in terms of the actions she's taken uh when uh, mr. Parra was uh was charged under the uh elections act uh offenses Uh, she no longer premier took the step when we're showing that she no longer works For the ontario liberal party speaker In this matter, there are no allegations That relates to the minister of energy. There are no allegations that relates to his responsibility As the minister of energy the speaker, uh, they they're uh, they these are allegations that very separate and aside From the business of this house speaker and the only appropriate Venue the only right place for that matter to be uh dealt with speaker is in the court of law I know the member opposite knows and respect all members to respect the very important principle here here in our legislative democracy Thank you here. Thank you new question The member from nipissing. Thank you and good morning. My question is to the minister of finance We also know there's a trust deficit in the government. Now. We know there's a financial deficit as well This morning the financial accountability officer confirmed what our pc caucus has been saying all along The government has a multi billion dollar hole in their budget forecast He confirmed the government is using one time money from the sale of assets to artificially balance the budget in an election year But the fao expects a 2.6 billion dollar deficit that year when the minister told ontarians they'd balance The fao also told us the only way they are going to balance after that is to raise taxes again Or cut services further question through you. I asked the minister. Are they raising taxes again? Or can we expect more cuts to front line service? Thank you, mr. Speaker? I'd like to thank the fao for his report. I hope he recovers soon as we all know he's on medical leave But let me start by saying yet again That we're committed to balancing the budget by 2017 18 and again the year after that Which speaker we're doing so by controlling our spending by stimulating economic growth or some of the strategic investments that we make The fao himself has stated ontario's economy posted strong real gdp growth It's very difficult to uh move forward when members uh on the same side as the answer being put Are engaged in heckling back and forth. So let's just stop please They don't want to hear what exactly has happened. What has happened is that we've beaten our targets seven years in a row Mr. Speaker, what has happened is because of our strategic investments. We have outpaced the seven the united states I'd be out of the country in jurisdiction as well, mr. Speaker by so doing we're lowering unemployment and growing our economy Back to the minister. Well the numbers are wrong We've been telling this government the numbers are wrong and now the fao confirmed that today the fao said Growth in business investment has been disappointing over the last four years. Well, that's no wonder speaker By more than 20 in the last five years The fao also confirmed that debt levels will continue to skyrocket another 64 billion dollars to a record 370 billion under this government ontario is now Both the most indebted yet the most taxed province in canada It's clear their repeated pattern of waste mismanagement and scandal has come home to roost speaker I ask the minister through you will the fall economic statement recognize the fiscal risks Revealed by the fao and will he update his false projections in this budget? Mr. Speaker the fall economic statement will indeed talk about the challenges faced by all countries and districts around the world And recognize the leadership that ontario has taken to ensure that we come to balance by 2017 18 And thereafter mr. Speaker the fao states ontario's economy posted strong real gdp growth over the second half of 2015 and into the first quarter of 2016 He also said that he expects that because of the strategic investments are we're making a boost to growth will occur in the third quarter Mr. Speaker, what has actually happened? Merchandise exports has increased by 10 percent in the province of ontario Wholesale trade has been up by seven percent retail sales are up by six percent and manufacturing sales were up by seven percent Mr. Speaker we recognize the challenges We're controlling and being disciplined in our spending and we are investing in our future in our growth to grow the economy And come to balance as we said we would and we've exceeded and surpassed our targets every year for the last seven years You see it, please You see it, please New question remember from nickel belt. Thank you. Mr. President my question for the premier minister On tuesday pat sorbara was charged under the election act. We're allegedly bribing the current minister of energy The charge implicating the minister of energy has shaken the trust of the good people of sudbury If the premier agrees that trust is critical to our electoral system Will she ask the minister to resign from her cabinet? The attorney general Speaker as I have said it on on numerous equations before in this question period This matter is before the course the only appropriate place for this matter to be to be dealt with is in the in the court of law And I urge all members to respect that very important principle. Thank you. Thank you supplementary. Thank you, speaker Formal charges have been laid by the opp against mrs. Sorbara that name glan t-boat We can all read it This is about the good people of sudbury being able to trust their elected representative When an mpp is implicated his name in a bribery charge Trust in that mpp is obviously thrown into question Will the premier do the right thing by the good people of sudbury and ask the minister of energy to resign his cabinet position Mr. Speaker the the the the minister of off energy the member from the Sudbury is an honorable man He has in his entire life have served his community He served Finish please speak of the member Services family his community With utmost integrity these allegations Has nothing to do speaker with with the member and his responsibilities as the minister of energy As I've said before this matters before the course and the only appropriate place for it to be to be tried is in the court of law Thank you. Thank you new question the member from auto itself Speaker my question is for the mr. Transportation Despite the recently warm weather we've seen over the last few days winter is coming And that means we are quickly approaching shorter days and more hours of darkness Speaker safety in our roads is always a priority But it's clear that when there's more hours of darkness we need to take more care on our roads We know that certain road users specifically cyclists and pedestrians at a higher risk on our roads And mr. Speaker in my riding a bottle of south there just learned there was a cyclist struck this morning And so every few days I hear of us a pedestrian or a cyclist being struck and it's a great concern I know to all members of this house road safety for those people they represent So mr. Speaker i'm particularly interested to hear about what the government is doing with pedestrians in mind So could the mr. Please inform this house what we are doing in this regard. Thank you. Thank you Thanks very much. Thanks very much speaker I want to begin of course by thanking the member from auto itself for the question and for his advocacy on this issue Unfortunately speaker last evening and over the course of the last number of weeks A number of pedestrians pedestrians and other road users like cyclists have been hit By vehicles in cities like toronto and and others across the province speaker Of course, this is extremely unfortunate for all of us to hear But it does go to show that we all have a collective responsibility both to do more and to do better With darker conditions and in this case recently rainy conditions as well There is a an increased risk for collisions I should also point out speaker this coming weekend the clocks the times are changing And it's it's particularly at this time of year that issues relating to road safety are of particular importance Speaker I purposely said collisions and not accidents that because because many of the collisions that we're discussing On our roadways are in fact preventable in my follow-up answer speaker I'll talk a little bit more about a promotional campaign that's underway shed light on this issue Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank the minister for that answer And it's I'm glad that he used the word collisions because many of these things are preventable And I'm glad that the ministry is working so closely With the road safety partners I know in the city of Ottawa the Ottawa police and their step program right now are focusing on red light and Stop sign runners. So I want to congratulate them for their work So and as the minister noted in his answer, we're all going to be returning to our ridings next week It's nothing. I'm sure we're all looking forward to And I know that this issue is of top priority To the people that we represent safety on roads Safety of especially in my riding the children going to school I heard of one yesterday being struck by a vehicle and this is a great concern to us all So I I'd like to ask the minister again to further elaborate on what we're doing for pedestrian safety. Thank you very much Thanks very much speaker again I thank the member for the follow-up question speaker just this past wednesday I was very happy to participate alongside a number of our road safety partners at a pedestrian safety event This particular campaign's slogan speaker is be alert and be seen Speaker, I think this is a critical message for all of our road users Particularly those that are in that are either pedestrians or are cycling speaker And I want to encourage all members of the house to help spread the word around this particular campaign Speaker over the years our government has increased penalties for drivers By both introducing and increasing demerit points for violations at high risk high impact locations on our roads And everyone here will know that in june of 2015 bill 31 passed this legislature with all party support This important piece of legislation requires drivers for example to yield the whole roadway to pedestrians at school crossings and pedestrian crossovers And it also provides municipalities Answer the option to request crossing devices on low speed low volume road speaker our work is not done The ministry of transportation will continue to work with road partners to make sure that we get it right. Thanks very much New question The member from scarver roof record Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier We know jerry lachey jr Believe he had the ability to offer second time Appointment jobs whatever court to candidates in suffering But what we don't know mr. Speaker is Who ordered the premier's deputy chief of staff and top of a liberal fundraiser To offer andrew olivier and the current minister of energy and alleged Brian Thank you very much speaker and I I would uh Um Ask the member opposite that I think he knows very well exactly what the What the rules in this house are speaker that this is a matter that is before the courts and it's highly inappropriate for him to Ask that question Thank you speaker, we know and to the premier We know just one day before jerry lachey'd after mr. Olivier and I quote appointments jobs or whatever end quote Paso vera called the deputy director of hr and the premier's office of public appointments And human resources on december the 10th But what we don't know mr. Speaker is who ordered the premier's deputy chief of staff and a top liberal fundraiser To offer andrew olivier and the current minister of energy and alleged bribe Speaker again, these are allegations that have not been proven in the in the in the court The member from the p.m. Carlton come to order They the court will Will decide speaker whether uh, the veracity of these these allegations in the meantime speaker We have a very important principle and that is a presumption of innocence and I respect uh, I ask and respect all members Will, uh, we respect that very important principle speaker It will be highly inappropriate for us To answer any questions relating to this matter in the house given that the matter is before the course Thank you. Thank you. New question the member from kitchen or water. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker My question is to the attorney general It's very clear in the election act that directly or indirectly giving or procuring an inducement to get someone to run Is in contravention of the election act We learned yesterday that one of pat sir bearer's charges has to do with allegedly inducing the minister of energy These charges are an issue of public trust and confidence in this government Does the attorney general think that the same rules should apply to anyone who accepts a position or a benefit to run for office Uh speaker, uh speaker the the the member asking, uh a question in in in light of an allegation That is uh contained uh in the charges that were late Number one number two speaker. She's asking for my legal interpretation and I'm not a Illegal expert in the matters of elections act number three speaker I would rely on the course to determine and and and interpret that particular uh provision Um as and also as it relates to the allegations before that is exactly why speaker that is exactly why It is highly inappropriate for these In this house speaker and I urge all members uh to let the courts do their job And and not litigate this matter in the in the in the house. Thank you supplementary Thank you again to the attorney general I do find it interesting that a government under the shadow scandal dealing with alleged bribery thinks that they can unilaterally change Or interpret interpret election laws in anterio Yesterday our deputy leader filed a complaint with elections anterio asking the chief electoral officer to investigate the minister of energy Now the minister of energy is on the record as saying the premier and I had conversations about roles within government The role of a backbencher, you know the role of a minister We don't know But we do want to know and in the opinion of the attorney general Why does the premier think that the rules uh only apply to some people and not off? Speaker this matter is is very clear there's allegations that say Allegations that are laid against two individuals who do not serve in the house Uh, the allegations uh does not relate to any responsibly of the minister of energy I mean asking any any such question speaker In my view are Not relevant uh and any allegations speaker that are that are To be dealt with in this house to be dealt with in the in the court of law speaker This is not this is not the the place that uh that member opposites seek for my legal interpretation and a particular provision of law Are not for me to offer those those interpretations. That's exactly the role of of our courses speaker I trust our judiciary and I I urge all members uh to leave this matter before the course. Thank you Thank you new question member from Davenport So speaker and my question this morning is to the minister of tourism culture and sport I know that members of this house value the important work that the ontario trillium Foundation does to build healthy and vibrant communities across ontario Last week minister McMahon was in brampton to announce the most recent round of brands that have been approved by the trillium As part of this announcement the minister also spoke to a broader province wide Commitment to support grant recipients across ontario and my own riding of Davenport the center for mindfulness Studies and native women in the arts received over $50,000 through trillium to help people who are marginalized As they take on leadership roles and improve community life These programs have an impact on the lives of over 180 people in the community Mr. Speaker through you can the minister please inform this house About this most recent round of grants and the important impact that this round of trillium foundation grants will have Thank you speaker I'm pleased to rise and answer the members questions about the ontario trillium foundation And I want to thank your speaker for the important work advocacy work that she does in her community On behalf of the non-for-profit sector so important I greatly value the important work that trillium does speaker right across our province It's important that we acknowledge it and that our government remains supportive of the trillium foundation It is one of canada's leading charitable grant making foundation and helps us build strong and healthy communities I was pleased to visit the multicultural community centre in brampton last week to announce that the trillium foundation will be investing 31.6 million dollars Through 152 grants right across ontario speaker bringing positive change to the people of brampton The members riding as well and nearly 500 000 ontarians in every corner of our province Speaking to members of this house I'm already hearing about the positive impact that this investment will have And i'm excited speaker to announce that we're going to continue support the ontario trillium foundation I look forward to expanding on my answer in the supplementary. Thank you I want to thank the minister for for this and it is fantastic to hear how wide reaching and helpful The trillium foundation has been to my community of davenport and to communities all across this province I also want to acknowledge the importance of the hundreds of dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers Who make up grant review teams across the province each year more than 3000 applications are reviewed by grant review teams Who act as local eyes and ears for the trillium foundation? They play a vital role in our province is not for profit sector It's important that the trillium foundation has processes in place to ensure the best applications ultimately receive funding I understand that the trillium foundation moved forward with a plan last week to improve customer service to applicants across ontario Can the minister please speak to this development and the role it will have on the trillium foundations granting process Thank you, mr. Speaker and to the member Speaker our government greatly values the work that the ontario trillium foundation Help us to help applicants right across our province And that's why i'm pleased that the foundation is moving forward with a number of changes that will improve customer service Specifically the trillium foundation is moving to introduce a single application deadline for each of its funding programs This brings the foundation in line with industry best practices adopted by other granting organizations Such as the ontario media development corporation and the ontario arts council Ultimately these steps are about modernization and improving customer service and as a former grant recipient speaker I very much appreciated the support that i got from trillium and applaud their board for taking these additional steps to improve service delivery As we move forward toward our toward our province's 150th anniversary I look forward to working with trillium to support communities across ontario and to continuing to make a difference in the lives of all ontarians Thank you Thank you speaker my question is to the premier Speaker we know jerry lawy jr. Told andrew olivia that he was calling Quote on behalf of the premier unquote But what we don't know mr. Speaker is who ordered the premier's deputy chief of staff And a top liberal fundraiser to offer andrew olivia and the current minister of energy an alleged ride Speaker to the premier through you to the premier Who gave the order? Speaker you know this question been asked many times and just because being asked in a In a in a repeated manner does not mean in the answer changes speaker the premier has been has been very open and transparent Speaker to ontarians To the media to this legislature and asked many questions Now we are a stage speaker as you are well aware and the members Members in this house are well aware that their charge is being laid and it will be highly inappropriate For this matter to be dealt with in this house speaker will be highly appropriate to answer any questions In this house as it relates to the allegation speaker The only appropriate place is in a court of law and I ask all members to respect their very important principle. Thank you Thank you supplementary a member from falling hill Thank you, mr. Speaker my question is to the premier We know that pat sarvara told andrew olivia and I quote So you're being asked to make the sacrifice this time And that also can go a long way in terms of opening up options Like in terms of being part of a party right end of quote But what we don't know mr. Speaker is who ordered the premier's deputy chief of staff And a top liberal fundraiser to offer andrew olivia and the current minister of energy an alleged bribe Thank you Again speaker you can tell by the nature of questions They are these are questions as relates directly to the allegations that are before the court speaker as I've stated earlier It will be highly inappropriate To to answer any questions on an issue that is Before the court speaker and I would urge all members To respect a very important rule that is outlined in our standing orders the rule around subjudice Which which instructs us speaker not to to debate issues not to discuss issues That are before any court or tribunal this this matter Fairly and clearly speaker falls in under that rule So I ask all members speaker to respect your words yesterday and and We would not be answering any questions that are before the course. Thank you Thank you a new question the member from trove danford Thank you speaker my question to the minister of energy Given his role in the premier's cabinet as minister of energy and recent news about being named in an alleged scandal Ontarians have questions about whether or not he will be able to perform his job duties as a cabinet minister Ontarians want to know has the minister offered his resignation to the premier No to the is to the minister Um, thank you, mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to rise and speak to this And mr. Speaker there's absolutely all of these are allegations mr. Speaker I stand with integrity and work for the people of Sudbury, which I was elected to do mr. Speaker I'm very proud to be part of a government that is working for the people of Ontario each and every day mr. Speaker I you know what mr. Speaker this is all allegations mr. Speaker and I Remember from the p and carlton withdraw that's your second time finish, please Thank you, but now the charges are laid in this case It is our shared responsibility to allow this matter to be handled in the court of law under the presumption of innocence mr. Speaker Thank you very much Thank you speaker and back to the minister of energy People have a right to raise questions about the minister's ability to do his job while being named in an alleged scandal Why does the minister of energy believe he will be able to focus on and complete his ministerial duties under the shadow scandal Will he offer his resignation to the premier? Thank you Minister of energy attorney general attorney general Speaker, I think we we heard from from the minister On how he is an honorable individual who works extremely hard and serves his community and the people of Ontario And this government with full integrity speaker There are no allegations in relations to the to the member The allegations does not involve whatsoever his responsibilities as minister and there are no charges speaker that are laid against The member as well. He has fully cooperated in all investigations They are now charges again laid against two individuals who do not serve in the house speaker This matters before the court. We should respect the jurisdiction. I ask all members To let the court do his job. Thank you. Thank you new question the member from kitchen center Thank you speaker. My question is for the president of the treasury board Each year for the past seven years our government has beaten the deficit reduction target put forth in the budget This past year was no different. The province of ontario beat its deficit target by 3.5 billion dollars Member from hamilton east stony creek second time the member from durham Finish please Thank you. Speaker. I know that ontario is on track to balancing the budget for 2017 2018 That will please the heckling member to hear that much of the success is due to innovative cross-government Transformation projects designed to save money while also improving outcomes for the people of ontario projects like the transfer payment Administration modernization member from prince ever tasting second speaker could the president of the treasury board Please tell us about t-pam. Tell us how this project is helping the government Yes, thank you speaker and thank you to the member for kitchener center for her advocacy on government modernization The transfer payment modern at administration modernization project or t-pam for short It's intended to streamline and modernize the government's approach to the management of transfer payments ontario makes transfer payments to more than 18,000 Different organizations to hospitals school boards municipalities nonprofits and many more Approximately 82 of all government expenditures are transfer payments funds which are actually flowed through more than 20,000 different legal agreements and supported by 20 different it applications Treasury boards t-pam project will reduce administrative burden for both government and transfer payment Recipients while improving our ability to make evidence-based funding decisions supplementary President of the treasury board just provided us with an excellent introduction to what t-pam is and how it's driving efficiencies I know firsthand the impact of transfer payments since 2003 our government provided waterloo region 63 million dollars in funding for affordable housing assisting in the creation and repair of over 1400 affordable units and preventing over 1800 evictions last year our government provided 1 billion in transfer payments to the waterloo wellington local health integration network which Supports 34,000 virtual care visits in waterloo wellington in 2015 2016 Bringing care close to home through videoconferencing for many people who have difficulty traveling to see their doctor Speaker would the president of the treasury board. Please tell us what is next question t-pam project Yes, thank you speaker And as the member knows one of our goals through t-pam is to develop a one window portal We're a given transfer recipient need only input their information once That means that organizations that receive multiple transfer payments from multiple ministries often Will not have to enter and enter and enter their information multiple times They would only need to upload one copy of various important documents instead of re-entering it for each application As a starting point treasury board secretariat is focusing on creating a common registration system To support that process for all time limited and project-based transfer payments managed through grants Ontario And over the next two years we'll add more transfer payment systems to the common registration system Speaker this is just one of a number of projects that are modernizing our transfer payment system Saving money and reducing unnecessary pressure for our transfer payment partners. Thank you Remember Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker to the premier We know that patsabara told andrew olivia and i quote If there were other things that you particularly are interested in that is within her realm to make you part of Then she is more than prepared to do that and quote The speaker we're not getting any answer as to who ordered the premier's deputy chief of staff and top liberal fundraiser To offer andrew olivia and the current minister of energy and a lead bribe so mr. Speaker To the premier Will you invite your minister of energy to step aside until this issue is resolved? Mr. Speaker again, i've been very open with this legislature with the media with the public mr. Speaker About the allegations related to this every by-election mr. Speaker over and over again I have answered questions the if you look at the answered mr. Speaker from that time you can see the the number of questions That i answered mr. Speaker now that charges are laid It's our responsibility mr. Speaker to understand that this matter is before the court and it's before the court under a presumption Of innocence we're going to continue to cooperate with any independent investigation mr. Speaker But as i said in 2015 if charges were laid then patsabara would step aside That has happened mr. Speaker and now the matter is entirely before the court Thank you mr. Speaker back to the premier we know that patsabara had a discussion with andrew olivia about a role As a matter of fact i was just listening to the video before coming down here It's on andrew olivia's youtube anyone can hear it and they can see what kind of back room Deals and shenanigans these guys have been up to for themselves patsabara says whether it's a full-time or a part-time job and it can sit off as whether its appointments Supports or commissions Was up for discussion But what we don't know mr. Speaker is who over there Ordered the premier's deputy chief of staff and a top liberal fundraiser To offer andrew olivia and the current minister of energy abroad Well, thank you very much speaker and again, you know speaker these are just allegations They have not been proven in in the in the course The fact that they are charged is a late means that this matter has to be tried Before a court not in the legislature speaker not to mention speaker I know the members opposite and all members of this house is all ontarians and canadians Understand and respect the principle of presumption of innocence Speaker in our system everybody's presumed innocent until they're proven guilty and in this matter speaker The people who have been charged have not been being found guilty And and and we owe it to them that that we let this matter to be dealt with in a court of law In a neutral impartial Sphere speaker that is how our system is designed for very good reasons speaker That is why we have separation uh between our executive branch our legislative branch and and uh Speaker, thank you, and we should respect that. Thank you New question the member from to misgiv me Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier As holders of as holders of elected office. We are responsible The chief government whip is warned Finish please As holders of public office. We are responsible for the public's trust And i'm sure all of us in our various offices have always heard That the perception of conflict of interest Is as damaging as the actual If it exists conflict of interest in this case The perception of wrongdoing is as is as damaging to the actual public interest as if wrongdoing occurred And we don't know if wrongdoing has occurred And that is for the courts to decide But for the public trust it has also been the tradition If there is a question of wrongdoing for Person who holds public office to step aside while investigation is conducted And as a minister of the crown it is inherent to do that I my question to the premier is why haven't you directed that to happen? Attorney general Attorney general Well, uh, thank you speaker, and I again thank the member opposite who I have a lot of respect for for the question And I I was listening very carefully to his his his question And I would say to him speaker that there is No conflict of interest here. There is no actual or perceived conflict of interest The allegation speaker do not deal with anything that is the responsibility of the minister as the minister of energy The allegation speaker are not towards him Speaker the minister Is not been charged with anything speaker. So there is no conflict of interest actual or perceived whatsoever speaker allegations against two individuals who do not sit in this house speaker those The court of law speaker the rules of this house are very clear when there are matter before the course It is best that it be dealt with in the course not in this legislature I know the member knows and I implore him to respect that. Thank you supplementary back to the premier It hasn't been proven yet whether or not there is an actual wrong doing and that's not the point The point is the public trust and there is precedent for this. There's a long-standing parliamentary tradition of cabinet members standing aside When investigations take place and it's not just when they're part of the investigation When then finance minister grace or bear was named named in a search warrant 2005 named not charged He stepped aside until a matter was dealt with that was the honorable thing to do The premier has the chance to do the right thing and ask her minister to resign while this investigation is going on Will she do that? Thank you thank you 30 general Speaker to the member again There is no investigation as it relates to the minister of energy There are no there are no charges against the minister of energy I think that is a very important point that the member opposite is missing. Yes. He can get emotional And yes, he can try to sully somebody's honor Which is a speaker who's very much not in tradition with this house We respect every member of this house as the honorable members I think of the member opposite who have posed this question as an honorable member speaker It is highly inappropriate. I know he's above that to to Distribute any member of this house, especially speaker. They are under no investigation There have been no charges that are laced against them the charges the speaker have been laid against two individuals Who are not members of this house. They are not in the employee of the government of Ontario speaker We should respect the rules. We should respect our traditions. We should respect the principle of presumption of innocence very much Speaker, thank you new question the member from the topical issue Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of international trade great speaker It's been a very busy fall for international trade In october the minister visited new york city to discuss water technology And innovation and the federal government successfully signed the canada european union trade agreement This month the minister will be visiting india on an agri food trade mission And we know how important the agri food sector is to this province And the premier will be conducting a trade mission to japan and to korea I know that ontario is going to see a lot of economic growth and job creation from these missions In particular, I was proud to hear of the work the minister did in october in china to assist a phenomenal agency Tourism toronto Speaker could the minister please inform the house of his recent trip to china and the impacts it will have for ontario Thank you. Thank you speaker. I want to thank the Honorable member from a topical nexo speaker the member keep doing it, please The member is correct in The assessment of tourism toronto I'm sure the minister of tourism culture and sport Would also agree speaker in october i accompanied tourism toronto to china As they bid on and won The privilege of hosting what will be the largest travel delegation in canadian history Six thousand six thousand Of nuke skeens most elite salespeople will visit toronto in 2018 The delegation is expected to generate over eight million in tourist spending during their visit Answer speaker the visit would clearly provide great benefits to polandos economy and i would like to Congratulate tourism toronto on this Fantastic achievement. Thank you Mr. Speaker this is incredible news to hear and i'm sure everyone in the house would join me in applauding the work of tourism toronto and congratulate the minister on his assistance with the bid In addition to this success with tourism toronto The minister will join the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs on a trade mission to india in just over a week As the house may recall the minister joined the premier earlier this year on a trade mission to india Which was a tremendous success I know india is a rapidly growing market in one of the largest economies in the world It's obvious that forging strong economic trade and investment relationships with india It could be beneficial to our province Speaker through you to the minister What is the focus of the upcoming mission to india and how will it benefit ontarians? Thank you minister Thank you speaker. I want to thank the honorable member one more time for his question Speaker the premier mission in india in february of this year was indeed A huge success we witnessed the signing of 65 new agreements value at over 240 million and expected to create more than 150 high value jobs In ontario We hope to build on that success for this mission by focusing on a key sector in a priority market Agri-food speaker ontario's Ag goods are highly sought after and this mission can help our ag food industry expand Internationally as minister of international trade. I will continue to the world to identify key markets With opportunities for ontario businesses and I look forward to doing so in india. Thank you Thank you very much speaker. I do have a point of order I understand and realize the government's been distracted, but they still have a job to do and unfortunately There are six order paper questions that have not been answered Three from the ministry of environment and climate change One from the ministry of education One from the ministry of labor and one from the ministry of energy. I would appreciate those answers Thank you. Although the preamble wasn't Appreciated that is a point of order and you are allowed to ask that question I would turn to the government house leader for a response Speaker, we will we will pursue this and make sure that they are tabled in a timely manner. Thank you. Thank you I remember from Ottawa south Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I'd like to correct my record. I think in introductions I said the Ontario chiropractors association What I meant to say was the Ontario chiropractic association and they are in room 228 right now. Thank you very much I'm from Durham on a point of order I would like to introduce a delegation from the african unity six region carada led by mr. Ahmed alba share I would like to extend a very warm welcome to them at queen's park. Welcome Thank you You welcome our guests. I do have some news for our my colleagues I In all seriousness This is the last day for our pages And I would offer them our gratitude and thanks for the wonderful work that they did There are no there are no deferred votes. This house stands recess until 1 p.m. This afternoon