 It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Let's give my questions for the Premier. Premier Jerry Lawheed Jr., Chair of the Sudbury Police Services Board, told Mr. Olivier, quote, I come to you on behalf of the Premier, end of quote. And then he allegedly offered him a government job to step aside as a candidate. But in January, your spokeswoman said, quote, Jerry Lawheed is not government or liberal party staff. He speaks for himself, end of quote. Premier, given that Mr. Lawheed is not a government employee or a liberal party staffer, where did he get the authority to offer Mr. Olivier a job? Did you give it to him? Good question. Thank you, Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, as I have said repeatedly and as I said in a statement on Friday, we reached out, I reached out to Andrew Olivier. And just to remind the member opposite, I didn't have to have a conversation with Andrew Olivier. I had a conversation with our past candidate because I wanted to make sure that he understood that I knew it was a difficult moment, that he wasn't going to be the candidate in the Sudbury by-elect, Mr. Speaker. And we wanted to find ways for him to stay involved. If that's what he chose to do, Mr. Speaker, we wanted to make some suggestions about ways that he could be involved. In the same way, Mr. Speaker, that I hope that any leader would want to keep a past candidate involved in the party. Thank you, supplementary. Again, to the Premier, Mr. Speaker. Premier, the official opposition, Andy, he directly mentioned Gary Lawheed's involvement in Wingate 43 times during a question period last week. The government mentioned him only once. And Premier, since the Chief Electoral Officer's report was made public last Thursday, Mr. Lawheed Jr. has not been mentioned at all by your government. You've gone silent on Mr. Lawheed. So Premier, you said Pat Sabara will step down if charges are laid. Will you ask Gary Lawheed Jr. to do the same if charged? Premier? Well, Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite well knows, Gary Lawheed Jr. is not a member of my staff, Mr. Speaker. So I have, and I do take this matter very, very seriously. I said that repeatedly, Mr. Speaker. I understand that it is extremely important that when there are allegations that we take them seriously, that we answer the questions and that we are doing that, Mr. Speaker. But here is the fact, Mr. Speaker. I made a decision that we would have a candidate in the Sudbury by-election, who was Glen Tebow, Mr. Speaker. The past candidate was not going to be the candidate, and there was outreach to him to try to find a way for him to stay involved, Mr. Speaker. That is why I had a conversation with him. That is why Pat Sabara, my staff member, had a conversation with him, Mr. Speaker, to see if there were a way for him to stay involved. As I said, I would expect that of any leader, Mr. Speaker, that they would want to keep past candidates involved in the party. Yeah, yeah, yeah, final supplementary. Again, to the Premier, Premier Jerry Lawheed Jr. raised over $100,000 for your federal friend, Justin Trudeau. But last week, a senior Trudeau staffer said that Mr. Lawheed Jr. would not be involved in the coming election. Does that mean he comes later, order? Clearly the federal Liberals are willing and probably quite eager to cut this bad Apple lease even after the amount and the money he raised for them. The member from Kitchener from Estoga come to order, and the leader is trying to ask a question. Mr. Lawheed Jr. resigned from the Sudbury Police Services Board. Do the right thing. Thank you, Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, as we discussed last week, the Sudbury Police Services Board, we don't direct the Sudbury Police Services Board, Mr. Speaker. They will make their decisions. What we did was we... I made a decision that we would have a candidate in the Sudbury by-election, it would be Glen Tebow, who is a terrific candidate and is going to be a terrific MPP for Sudbury, Mr. Speaker. A strong voice for the community. We reached out to the past candidate to see if there were ways that he wanted to be involved, but that decision had already been made, Mr. Speaker, that a different candidate was going to be in place. And that's a difficult moment, as I said in my statement on Friday. I've been a failed candidate, Mr. Speaker. I know that at a moment when you know that you're not going to be the candidate, that can be a difficult moment. That's why we made the outreach to see if there were ways that the past candidate wanted to be involved. There were suggestions, Mr. Speaker. That's exactly what we did, and I would expect that of any leader. Thank you. Another question from the lead's friend over there. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My question is back to the Premier. When this Premier came to office, she said she'd be different from the last guy. However, the Premier has failed to hold herself to the high standard expected from her office. If charges are laid by the OPP, we expect that she'll step aside until they are resolved. And if a conviction is made, and if it is found or alleged the Premier directed Ms. Sorbera or Mr. Lougheed to have those conversations with Mr. Olivier, then the Premier should resign. A dark cloud hangs over your office, Premier, with four OPP investigations. Premier, will you step aside if there are charges laid against Pat Sorbera or Jerry Lougheed? Thank you. Thank you, Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, it's a very interesting question. Coming hard on the heels of a report from Elections Ontario that actually exonerated me, Mr. Speaker, wants to continue to stir this pot, because the member Ops that actually doesn't want to talk doesn't want to talk about the fact that we are making decisions that are going to strengthen this province. I was at the Roma Ontario Good Roads Association this morning, Mr. Speaker, in a very good meeting with the executive, had conversations with folks in the halls about the investments that we're making in infrastructure, about the fact that we're working with them in partnership, Mr. Speaker, that they have concerns about asset management and about new revenue tools. Those are the things that they want to talk to us about, Mr. Speaker. I made it clear on Friday that if there are charges laid, Mr. Speaker, then of course Pat Sorbera will stand aside. Friday, Premier, you could have come in and announced that Mr. Sorbera and Mr. Lougheed would step aside until the OPP investigation concluded. But, Premier, and I said this before, if you continue to stand by, you, Premier, will eventually fall with both of them as well. Premier, you've spouted ludicrous explanations for your behavior that fall well below the dignity that your office should hold. Put an end to this distraction you've created for your government and your caucus. Premier, answer the question, yes or no, did you instruct Pat Sorbera and Jerry Lougheed to make those calls to Andrew Olivier with options if he agreed to step aside? It's extremely clear that any suggestion that anything was offered in exchange for any action is false. I've said that over and over and over again. The fact is a decision had been made that Glen Tebow would be our candidate in suffering, Mr. Speaker. That decision was made. The conversations with Andrew Olivier were about keeping him involved in the party. That's the fact, Mr. Speaker. I have said that repeatedly. I will continue to answer that question, Mr. Speaker, because that is what happened. Before I would expect from any leader that they would want to keep a past candidate involved, particularly at a time which is difficult when they were not going to be the candidate in the next election, Mr. Speaker. That's the situation we were dealing with. That's why those conversations were held, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, again, back to the Premier. You know, Premier, something just doesn't add up between the call with Pat Sorbera and Mr. Olivier. You said there was a conversation that took place after you had already told the former candidate about the fact that you were going to be appointing Mr. Tebow. Now, if that's true, why did your deputy chief of staff tell Mr. Olivier he would, quote, force the Premier to move to the appointment process, unquote, if he didn't step aside? According to the chief electoral officer, that chat took place the day after you claim that you told Mr. Olivier of your decision. Premier, is the chief electoral officer's timeframe correct or have you forgotten when you instructed Pat Sorbera to make that call to Andrew Olivier? Thank you, Premier. Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is exactly correct. I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier. Pat Sorbera had a conversation the next day. I had made it clear to Andrew Olivier that I'd be appointing Mr. Tebow as the candidate, Mr. Speaker. The conversation that Pat Sorbera had with him is about how he might stay involved in the party if he chose to do so, Mr. Speaker. The member from Leeds, Grenville, Concord. Mr. Speaker, there's an investigation going on. In the meantime, I'm not going to force someone to resign in the face of allegations that I do not believe to be true, Mr. Speaker. That actually would have been the easy thing to do as the member opposite continues to howl for a certain action, Mr. Speaker. That would have been easy to acquiesce. That's not what I'm going to do, Mr. Speaker. I am going to continue... Wrap up, please. I'm going to continue to do the work of government, Mr. Speaker, and I made it clear on Friday if there are charges laid, then Pat Sorbera will step aside. Thank you. New question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The OPP Anti-Racket Squad are investigating senior liberals for their role in the Sudbury bribery scandal. And instead of apologizing or accepting responsibility, the Premier believes she's above the law. Court documents say the investigation hinges on, quote, the corrupt act of dealing in appointments. Somebody made the decision to engage in that corrupt act and offer Andrew Olivier a job so he could get out of the way. Who directed Mr. Lougheed and Ms. Sorbera to offer Andrew Olivier his choice of jobs, Speaker? Well, Mr. Speaker, as the leader of the third party knows, there was no commitment to an offer of anything for any action, Mr. Speaker. The leader of the opposition knows that, in fact, I believe, Mr. Speaker, that Andrew Olivier is on the record saying there was no specific commitment in our conversations, Mr. Speaker. So the fact is that there was no offer for any specific action. That did not happen. What we did was we tried to work with a past candidate who was not going to be our candidate and that's a hard thing to accept but he was not going to be our candidate and we worked to keep him involved. Mr. Speaker, that the leader of the third party is working with Mr. Chimino and Ms. Chibankwit to make sure that they are involved, Mr. Speaker, because those are people who have made a sacrifice. They've put their names on the ballot. My hope is that they are going to be able to be involved in the party if they choose to, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when this premier learned that David Livingston was the subject of a police investigation, she rushed to say, and I quote, this is not the way a premier's office should conduct itself and it's not the way my office operates, I quote. But when her top aides are under investigation, the premier is singing quite a different tune, Speaker. The premier obviously thinks it's okay for her office, her premier's office, her government to operate with top aides under investigation. So I ask the premier again, who directed that Andrew Olivia for economic development come to order. Mr. Speaker, I freely admit that I wanted to find ways if this young man wanted to stay involved in politics, wanted to stay involved in the party, I wanted to work with him and I wanted us to be able to provide suggestions because there are a lot of ways to be involved in politics short of being a candidate, Mr. Speaker. So that's what those conversations were about. And the leader of the third party knows full well that there have been many changes made in terms of the retention of documents, in terms of the training that we provided on the advice of the information privacy commissioner. There are many changes that have been made, Mr. Speaker, as a result of actions that were taken in the past. So we are constantly working to make sure that we find ways to do government in a way that's open and transparent to the people of the province. That's exactly why, Mr. Speaker, I called Andrew Olivia. I didn't have to call Andrew Olivia. I didn't have to call the past candidate but I wanted to let him know that I understood this was a difficult moment and if he wanted to be involved. Thank you. Final supplementary. Just over two years ago, the premier made a commitment to Ontarian Speaker referring to a decade, a decade of liberal scandals. She said, I quote, we must acknowledge our mistakes, take responsibility for them and work together to guarantee that they are not two years later. Here we are all over again with an investigation into what I quote, corrupt act of dealing in appointments and quote, corruption between politically sophisticated parties. Will this premier keep her word of two years ago to Ontarians, admit her mistakes, take responsibility and tell the people of this province who issued the order that Andrew should be offered what the OPP and Elections Ontario refer to as a bribe. Let's just be clear that the leader of the third party is dealing in allegations at the moment and the chief electoral officer said clearly last week and I quote, I am neither deciding to prosecute a matter nor determining anyone's guilt or innocence those decisions are respectively for prosecutors and judges and I quote Mr. Speaker, so that's the moment that we're in right now, there are allegations and there's an investigation and to the leader of the third party's question about whether I will continue to learn from mistakes Mr. Speaker, A that's what I believe government is about good government when there are mistakes made or when there are issues that have to be dealt with of course we learn from them and I also believe that's the human condition Mr. Speaker, that you know the way we go through life is we start something, we take action and if it doesn't work then we find a way to correct it Mr. Speaker, that's how I function that's how our party functions and that's how we will continue to function Mr. Speaker, my next question is also for the premier on Friday the premier claimed that she decided to appoint her candidate in November funny because on December 11th Jerry Laughed said Laughed called Andrew Olivier and said this quote the premier up till now December 11th has always said to me she's in favor of a nomination race so I want to make that really clear she's never said to me I want to appoint him those are two very different versions of what happened my question is which one of them is actually the truth Mr. Speaker I had a meeting at the end of November with Glen Tebow I made a decision at that point to appoint Glen Tebow I believed at that point after my meeting with him that he would be the best candidate for the Sudbury by-election that he would be the best representative for Sudbury Mr. Speaker everything that happened after that was about making sure that he became our candidate Mr. Speaker and if the past candidate wanted to stay involved then he had the opportunity to do that you know Mr. Speaker I understand the back and forth of question period I do understand that but I think people are being criminals while an investigation is going on I think that's wrong Mr. Speaker I do not think that's right Supplementary? Now that her office is facing down federal prosecutors the Premier is claiming that she told Andrew Olivier that she was going to make an appointment well that's odd Speaker because on December 12th after Andrew Olivier spoke to the Premier he said to Pat Sorbera quote the Premier has to make a decision Pat Sorbera didn't dispute that Speaker in fact she said the Premier is quote going to have to make a decision around the appointment once again questions to the Premier Speaker two very different versions of what happened which one are we to believe which one are Ontarians to believe Speaker thank you very much Mr. Speaker let me just be clear to Andrew Olivier Mr. Speaker was that he was not going to be the candidate that I had made a decision that I was going to appoint Glen Tebow and that I wanted to make sure that if Andrew Olivier wanted to stay involved he wanted to be involved that he would know what the options were that he could make a decision about how he might want to be involved that's the conversation I had with our past candidate that's the conversation Pat Sorbera had with him the next day and it was Mr. Tebow as the candidate in the Sudbury by-election Mr. Speaker well Speaker Ontarians are hearing two versions of the bribery scandal and they both can't be true there is a version where we hear three people on tape a tape that was made long before there was a police investigation Speaker and in that version the Premier hadn't made a decision about an appointment in fact Jerry Lawheed said quote I want to make that really clear the Minister of Education will appoint him and there's another version from the Premier herself the Minister of Education come to order please second time and I would ask the member from Hamilton East Stony Creek to let me do my job carry on you never said any of that and Speaker there's another version from the Premier made under the hot lights of a possible criminal charge claiming that she made a decision about an appointment back in November so I'm going to repeat again two different stories I asked the Premier to come clean with the public and tell us which one is true Mr. Speaker I've done that and I will do it again I had a meeting with Glen Tebow at the end of November I made a decision Mr. Speaker that Glen Tebow would be the best candidate for us in Sudbury I made that decision Mr. Speaker and I didn't make that decision public it's true I didn't call the leader of the third party and I didn't call the interim leader of the opposition I didn't make a public statement about that Mr. Speaker but I had made that decision at the end of November once I had met Glen Tebow that decision was made Mr. Speaker Thank you very much Speaker my question is also for the Premier Premier you held a press conference on Friday the whole world was hoping that you would do the right thing instead you doubled down on your sad response from the day before Premier you had the chance to do the right thing you had the opportunity to cut Patsabara and Jerry Lahid loose at least until these investigations are complete instead you chose to stand by them according to the chief electoral officer they have broken the law yet you continue to stand behind Sabara and Lahid is it because you gave them direct orders to offer inducements to Andrew Olivier Premier are you not in fact protecting them so that they'll protect you thank you Premier are you not in fact time's up Premier Mr. Speaker well again let me just be clear what the chief electoral officer said last week and I quote I am neither deciding to prosecute a matter nor determining anyone's guilt or innocence those decisions are respectively for prosecutors and judges the investigations are entirely independent Mr. Speaker they are ongoing right now we are dealing with allegations Mr. Speaker and in my statement on Friday I made it clear that if there are charges then members will step aside Mr. Speaker so I made it very clear exactly why we had the conversations with our past candidate and Mr. Speaker I will continue to do the work of the government while those investigations are going on thank you supplementary thank you Premier you came to office saying you would hold the office to a higher standard in your two years you have failed every time you've been tested on that promise hold again last week this is your chance for a retest stop protecting yourself Minister of economic involvement second time two years ago you said you would run things a new way when it came to ethics and accountability when it comes to ethics and accountability now you are just running away Premier you've been caught in your own snare now it's time to come clean order the resignations of Sabara and Lahid or consider your own excellent on this issue of doing things differently one of the things I said on Friday and I used this example because I think it is a stark example of a change there have been members of the opposition who have come forward and have asked for appointments from our government in exchange for this is the first time in history that this has ever happened I know that there are lots of examples of this but what's different Mr. Speaker I said no on the advice of my staff in consultation with my staff we said no we're not going to do that we're not going to proffer an appointment in exchange for an opposition member stepping down from the seat and that Mr. Speaker on this example how things have changed and how we are doing things differently new question Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier the Premier's Deputy Chief of Staff and Campaign Director Pat Sabara is facing investigations for bribery under section 96 of the Election Act will the Premier explain to Ontarians why Pat Sabara is working in the Premier's office when there's clearly evidence of a stroke in the law isn't it time for Pat Sabara to go Deputy Premier well Speaker it appears that hell hath no fury like a party scorned Speaker the decision she made a decision to appoint a candidate in Sudbury the candidate she supported for that nomination Speaker is a man very worthy of the kind of confidence invested inside of the House we actually like to keep people engaged in the political process we understand that there are many ways to serve one being a candidate but many other ways as well so having made the decision to appoint Glenn Tebow as the candidate there were reaches out people did reach out to say how can you stay involved there are many ways to stay involved Speaker that's the right way to do politics and I think the member opposite should actually take a lesson from the Premier on how to keep party members engaged thank you supplementary staying involved doesn't mean you can break the election act Jerry Lawheed is the chair of the Sudbury Police Services Board he's supposed to be part of the system that enforces the law but Jerry Lawheed is facing investigation for bribery there is evidence that he broke the law and the minister explained to why she thinks that Jerry Lawheed should still be the chair of the Sudbury Police Services Board so the minister of community safety and correctional services thank you very much Speaker and I think the member opposite knows very well that the decision the fact that Mr. Lawheed is the chair of the Sudbury Police Services Board is the decision of the Police Services Board they in fact met last week Speaker and they looked at the facts and they and they voted to keep Mr. Lawheed as the chair of the Police Services Board so I think that's where the accountability is that's where the decision making is and we should respect that decision thank you new question Mr. Speaker my question is for the Associate Minister of Finance Mr. Speaker I know the Associate Minister has been working hard to build Ontario's new retirement pension plan this is something that the people of Ontario need the reality is that a significant number of Ontarians don't have an adequate workplace pension plan or are not saving enough for retirement Mr. Speaker after a lifetime of hard work Ontarians deserve better a number of Halton residents say they are pleased with our government taking steps to help Ontarians be financially secure when they retire younger families in my riding they are concerned about their retirement security and that of their kids and grandkids the Canada pension plan is just not enough the minister and our government have committed to engaging with Ontarians on the ORPP I know the minister has been crisscrossing the province to speak with Ontarians about our plan to enhance retirement security Mr. Speaker can the minister please inform this house about what she's hearing from Ontarians about the ORPP thank you speaker and I want to thank the member from Halton for the question the member is right the premier stressed the importance of consulting on the ORPP in my mandate letter it has been informative to travel the province to meet with people to discuss the ORPP and hear their feedback from Thunder Bay to Ottawa, Windsor to Peterborough I've had the opportunity to meet with representatives from business, labour, associations and organizations, families and individuals there were a diversity of opinions but the common thread of these conversations was that people are concerned about their retirement security people are concerned that they have not saved enough or that they might outlive their savings several people also worried that they may never be able to retire Mr. Speaker that is very troubling to our government we believe that after a lifetime of working and contributing to the economy Ontarians deserve a secure retirement that's why we're moving forward with the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the minister for her hard work and for that answer I'm pleased to hear that the minister has had the opportunity to get some solid input from many Ontarians on this very important initiative and I know that Halton residents will appreciate the government's efforts to actively engage Ontario residents on this vital matter Mr. Speaker again through you to the Associate Minister of Finance our government has been actively advocating that the federal government needs to make a modest enhancement to CPP without success as we move forward with the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan some of my constituents have asked whether we are continuing to press for a CPP enhancement many say this would be the best way to ensure a secure retirement can the minister please inform the house about whether our government is still pursuing an enhancement to CPP Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the hard working member from Halton for this important question our preferred option to address retirement security remains CPP enhancement the premier and minister of finance have been advocating for CPP enhancement since 2010 over a year ago having extensive discussions with the provinces and territories there was agreement to continue moving forward with discussions on CPP enhancement unfortunately the federal government has not taken down any and all further discussions on this issue we know that Ontarians expect their government to take leadership to help secure their retirement we also know that we cannot wait for another government to take action on this important issue that is why we are moving forward with a made in Ontario solution with the ORPP so that we can strengthen retirement security for Ontarians as a participant a small business owner we gain a lot last week's very disturbing report released by the chief electoral officer on apparent contributions of the election act is in his own words unprecedented as AG you have a unique responsibility to advise cabinet on legal matters have you advised the premier that according to the election act a specific job offer is in fact not required for an apparent contravention to have occurred Mrs. Peter I'm going to repeat again like the chief electoral officer is an independent officer we know that of the Legislative Assembly and as I mentioned previously on numerous occasions this process exclusively involves non-partisan official within the ministry of the Attorney General the system is already designed and I think the chief electoral officer stipulated at page 4 of his report the system is already designed so that only non-partisan official and no complaints and the third party and the opposition knows that and if they want to have more information they can reach out to the chief electoral officer and he will explain the process thank you very much and in page 10 of the report it very specifically says an apparent contravention could be established if a candidate is offered a range of options rather than a specific role in a specific office sound familiar premier minister what assurances can you give the public that this investigation will be dealt with quickly before memories fail and evidence is deleted the member from Renfrew come to order please second time the member from Nipissing please come to order second time Attorney General Mr. Speaker I'm going to repeat it again the system is already designed so that only non-partisan official handle this complaint and as I said last week the matter has been referred to the public prosecution service of Canada by the ministry and the member should know the process because the chief electoral officer said in his report that his office about the independent process so I guess that these questions should not be asked if they have read the report thank you very much Mr. Speaker thank you new question thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier or her staff ever offered jobs or appointments in order to keep anyone else from running Mr. Speaker I've answered this question many times in reference to the Sudbury situation Mr. Speaker there was no offer made for any action Mr. Speaker we've been very clear about that hasn't been done in the Sudbury situation and hasn't been done elsewhere Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker the premier seems to think that everyone is going around and doing these type of activities this is a very common place it may be standard in her party it's certainly not standard in ours Pat Sabira called Andrew Olivia and she said this to Andrew and I order please put your question thank you Pat Sabira said this to Andrew quote you're like the third person I've ever heard or asked this of that's why she said I hope we're standing together and we need to find the longer term role here not in Glenn Shadow but in your own voice because she continued to say if there were other things that Olivia was particularly interested in that are within the premier's realm to make Olivia part of then she is more than prepared to do that who are the other two people that the premier has made a call to and what kind of offers did she make to them that were within her realm Mr. Speaker I really don't know where this question is going I've been very clear Mr. Speaker the conversations with our past candidate were about suggestions of ways that he might want to stay involved Mr. Speaker there are many ways to be involved there are many options and that was the conversation that I had had with Andrew Olivia that's the conversation that Pat Sabira had with him Mr. Speaker and I know that those are conversations that have been had by other parties I know that you know Jonah Shine and Paul Ferrara both Mr. Speaker had ways of staying involved in the party and of course it was after an election I understand it was after an election but the fact is people stay involved in parties that was the conversation that I had with Andrew Olivia and that's the conversation that Pat Sabira had with him Thank you, new question Remember from the topical north Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of labour global economic marketplace Speaker as you'll appreciate the economy of Ontario in order to be globally competitive must always deal with the evolving challenges and the constant changes that are before us in today's workplace for example many people are often not keeping the traditional 9 to 5 business day and for example taking weekends off in my own riding of the topical north I hear stories about families who are for example affected by a number of these changes that of course affect their life, their personal economy their home situation and of course their workplace from globalization to the aging workforce people in this province want to know that we as a government in our capacity as stewards of the economy are in fact doing planning for what's in store Speaker my question is this can the minister please explain what is our government doing to ensure that Ontario's labour laws adapt to the ever changing question please Minister of Labour Thank you Speaker and thank you to the honourable member from Etobicoke North for what I think is a very insightful question as a member will know and all members of the House will know all the members of cabinet receive public mandate letters in my mandate letter Speaker I was asked to undertake a review of Ontario's changing workplace to ensure that the labour laws we have and the employment standards we have actually meet the needs of our economy so starting very shortly Speaker in March public consultations are going to begin they're going to look at the Labour Relations Act the Employment Standards Act and we want to know how they could be amended in order to meet the challenges of the changing workplace we'll be looking in the increase of non-standard working relationships the rise and prominence of the service sector the impact of new technology Speaker these special advisers that I've appointed will report recommendations within the next 18 months Thank you Thank you Minister I appreciate the steps initiatives and programs the Government's undertaking to tackle this particular issue especially as we go forward in this challenging global marketplace Minister you mentioned that the review will be undertaken by a number of advisers and an expert panel who I believe be charged with reporting back to this particular to the House in 18 months and I presume that their recommendations will help inform what changes may be required to employment standards labour relations and a number of other aspects in the labour domain Speaker can you please through you to the Minister can you please tell this House who the advisers will be and a little bit about their vision for how they'll guide this important review of Ontario's changing marketplace Thank you Speaker Thank you to the Member for the Council Speaker I'm really pleased with the choice we've made here we've appointed two special advisers Michael Mitchell and the Honourable John C Murray they're going to lead and they're going to coordinate these upcoming public consultations and the review itself these people have a depth of relevant legal knowledge and experience that I think is unmatched in the province of Ontario Michael Mitchell is a former senior partner and 37 years in practice have given him a wealth of experience in the field he's even co-authored a textbook on the Ontario labour relations board the Honourable John C Murray has been practicing law since 1969 appointed to the Bench of the Superior Court in 2004 provided legal advice to numerous public institutions universities and hospitals he's a pioneer of alternative dispute resolution he's well prepared to face the challenge of this review Speaker we should be especially proud of the opportunity to undertake this review with these two fine individuals I would urge all members of the House to both become involved themselves and to urge the constituents to get involved as well My question is to the Premier Premier is a sad irony in what has transpired since last Thursday in question period you in the form the House last Thursday as we all learned about the contraventions of the election act by your staff that you would take time to consider and deliberate about the report before you respond I was hoping for for honesty a quality that you preach constantly but as a left astonished on Friday instead of speaking honestly you impugned and maligned the reputation of every member in this House with an unwarranted attack Premier it's telling that no one trusts you even your candidates bring tape recorders to their meetings with you because they all you say one thing and you do another Premier why should anyone trust you about anything especially after what has took place in Sudbury and you're involved Thank you Premier Well Mr. Speaker I really do challenge the premise of the question but I want to just say to the member opposite that I spoke in the legislature on Thursday that's exactly right I answered questions and I got a lot of advice and I thought long and hard about what I was going to say on Friday Mr. Speaker and four o'clock in the morning I got up and actually wrote the statement that I made on Friday because I wanted the people of Ontario to know exactly where I was coming from in this Mr. Speaker why I was doing what I was doing why I had done what I had done and you know I did include I did include in my statement the fact that there have been actions taken by other parties like members coming across the floor to ask for appointments in exchange for stepping down from their seats I made that point Mr. Speaker because I needed the people of Ontario to understand that we said no we said we're not going to do that we're not going to operate like that Mr. Speaker even though that is what has been done before that's why Thank you Thank you Premier you continue to malign and impune members in this house if that's a fact come forward come clean tell us who they are Premier you challenge the premise to my question I'm challenging your integrity you have stood in this house and have said one thing after another and they've all borne out to be false each and every time and with each falsehood we have another OPP investigation Premier I'm drawing the line on that withdrawal please I withdraw Premier four investigations now every time you say one thing you do another you have evidence there's clear clear evidence of your involvement here and you question need to come clean with the people of Ontario and you can't continue to impune the members in this house in your defence of your actions Thank you Premier so Mr. Speaker let's just be clear what the chief electoral officer said once again the chief electoral officer stated and I quote I am neither deciding to prosecute a matter nor determining anyone's guilt or innocence those decisions are respectively for prosecutors and judges unquote so that's the fact we're dealing with allegations Mr. Speaker and let me just say to the member opposite unlike the way he might do business Mr. Speaker I was making a point in his statement on Friday I wasn't creating a situation where individuals names were going to be dragged through the mud that's not what I was doing Mr. Speaker I was making a point the fact is that this is something that has happened in the past and it has happened in the recent past Mr. Speaker it's not about going after an individual that it really is not what it was about Mr. Speaker I was trying to put in context the fact that we are doing this differently Mr. Speaker we said no in those situations in the past the answer has been yes Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier the premier is protecting Pat Cerbera because the premier insists Mrs. Cerbera was offering what the OPP is calling bribes on the liberal clock instead of the government clock it's the government jobs to make laws not to break them and moonlighting in another position doesn't give you an excuse to start violating fundamental principle a bribe is a bribe no matter whose time card you're punching it's not a what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas type of a situation Premier Speaker does the premier really think that it is okay for senior staff to be on the job while they are under criminal investigation because frankly Speaker Ontarians don't let's be premier Speaker this story is not that complicated the story is there was a seat vacated five months after the election in Sudbury an NDP MP decided that he wanted to run for the Ontario Liberal Party in Sudbury he had conversations with the premier the premier was enormously impressed as well as she should be and made the determination that Glen Tebow would be our candidate in the upcoming violence decision had been made there were conversations with the member from storm I've come to order how to keep him involved Speaker but let's just think about who Glen Tebow is and why the premier would choose to actually appoint him as our candidate to make sure that he would come to Queen's Park and represent he has fought tirelessly the most vulnerable people in Sudbury people with disabilities people with autism he's worked with the big brothers big sisters thank you supplementary back to the premier my question is about Pat Sorbera offered Olivier Andrew Olivier a full time or a part time job at a constituency office or appointment to board a commission it doesn't matter that Mrs Sorbera it was wrong it is spelled out in the criminal code and in the election act it is wrong but the premier says the role that Pat Sorbera plays as a director campaign is quite separate from her role as deputy chief of staff why is the premier okay with Pat Sorbera offering what OPP is calling a bribe with her campaign director had on if she thinks it is wrong to offer a bribe with her chief of staff had on it deputy premier speaker you know I've known the premier since we were both elected back in 2003 she is a woman of enormous integrity in this case she has chosen a difficult path the easy path would be to just throw people under the bus she has chosen not to do that she has chosen to actually let the investigation unfold to co-operate fully with any investigation speaker she has chosen the right the principled the thoughtful path and I have even more respect for her than I had before speaker because she has chosen to do the difficult but right thing and that's rejected the easy path thank you new question the member from battle for me thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is for the minister of Aboriginal affairs for the university of Ontario and her play is real important because the government has demonstrated its commitment to invest in people and infrastructure and to support the innovative daily whereas governments they support economic development through mainstream services As the society largely made up of immigrants, it is imperative that we recognize the contributions of Ontario's First Nations peoples to our province's diversity. We all recognize that a strong and vibrant Aboriginal community strengthens Ontario culturally, socially and economically. Speaker, through you to the Minister, while we are making progress in many areas, can the Minister inform the House about some initiatives this government has undertaken to better cater to the needs of Aboriginal communities and organizations across the province? Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. Speaker, the member is correct. Mainstream programs often fall short in delivering the necessary programs to our most vulnerable populations. We have been active on many fronts, creating many opportunities for both the private sector and communities to participate in a meaningful way and to help the Ontario economy. Just last week, we announced the continuation of our new relationship fund. The fund is designed to support Aboriginal communities and organizations, participation in meaningful consultation and engagement with government and the private sector. Ontario has invested $97 million in the new relationship fund between 2008 and 2014. And we are glad we are happy that the Aboriginal communities are benefiting from this program in their relationship with the rest of Ontario and the development of their communities. Thank you. Minister, thank you for informing this House on the new relationship fund and its wonderful news. And this is a great investment in helping people, communities and businesses and helping to create a more robust business environment. However, the fact remains that the unemployment rate for the First Nation people is approximately three times the Ontario average on reserve and twice the Ontario average off reserve. We know that a constructive cooperative relationship with Aboriginal peoples in Ontario leads to improve opportunities and a better future, not only for Aboriginal people, but for all people living in Ontario. Through you, Speaker, will the minister expand further on just what is happening with this investment and how it is directly benefiting Aboriginal communities in Ontario? Thank you. Minister? Speaker, we want to see the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people closed off because when Aboriginal people prosper, all Ontario prospers. The fund was originally announced as a four-year commitment in 2008, but it has been so successful that we will continue to invest in the fund on an ongoing basis. During the 2014-15 year, Aboriginal communities and organizations pursued a number of projects through the program funding. With a $14.5 million investment this year, the ministry has funded over 103 core consultation projects representing 154 communities and 30 enhanced consultation projects representing some 51 Aboriginal communities and organizations. This project will continue to show that Aboriginal communities are pursuing innovative solutions that ensure their future prosperity and the future of prosperity. I commend that. We should all commend that. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. It's clear that your party is willing to rule verdict of innocence without trial. You continually tell the people of Ontario that you and your staff did nothing wrong as if being elected Premier made you both judge and jury for your unscrupulous actions. Several complaints from the public, the Greater Sudbury Police Board, decided in a closed door meeting that Jerry Lahi Jr. would continue as chair despite the investigation. You know, Premier, I was listening to this morning's opening prayer that referenced honesty and integrity. Premier, this investigation is not going to disappear. Why won't you ask this man to step aside while under investigation? Mr. Premier, thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Speaker. As I've mentioned, I've stated on numerous occasions, Speaker, police services boards are responsible for the provision of adequate and effective policing within their municipality. Among their duties, Speaker, police services boards generally determine objectives and priorities with respect to police services in their jurisdiction and establish policies for the effective management of the police services. Speaker, under the Police Services Act, the Minister of the Community Safety and Correctional Services has no jurisdiction of power to remove a member from the police services board. All police services board members, however, Speaker, are appointed by the province or municipal council and are subject to a code of conduct that is enshrined under the Police Services Act through a regulation. Speaker, I understand, as the member mentioned, that their board considered this matter itself and have decided to elect Mr. Alahi as the chair of the board. Supplement. Thanks, Speaker. Again, back to the Premier. Premier, what does your government have against accountability? You questioned the integrity of the Auditor General. You have brushed off the report from the Chief Electoral Officer, and it doesn't seem to concern you that there are four ongoing OPP investigations into your government's unethical political practice. These are all independent accountability officers who are saying that you and your government have done wrong. More reports, Premier, are on their way. Premier, everyone is telling you that you have done wrong. So when will you do the right thing, Premier, and have Mr. Alahi step aside? Thank you. No, Mr. Speaker, the fair and the most accountable thing to do would be to let an independent body, which is responsible for review these matters, conduct its business as opposed to raising these issues in the House and asking for some sort of political interference, which the opposition is doing. As I mentioned, Speaker, there is a Court of Conduct which is enforced by regulation. There's regulation 421-97 just for members' reference if you want to check it. And it's up to Speaker, up to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, the OCPC, to consider whether the Court of Conduct is being complied with or not. If that's an independent speaker body and arms that body, it is up to them to see whether the Court of Conduct is enforced. I will leave that work up to OCPC as opposed to political interference that is being sought by the members opposite. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. One of the Premier's top aides is under criminal investigation. And my constituents think that's pretty serious. So does the OPP and elections on terror and federal crown prosecutors. And where I come from, when someone is accused of something and they're in a public position like one of the most powerful non-elected positions in this province, when they're under investigation, where I come from, they step down until the investigation is over. But why, what does it take for the Premier of this province to do actually what in most places would be normal practice and have that person step down until the investigation is over? Well, Speaker, again, let's go back to what's actually happening here. What's happening is that the chief electoral officer has called the allegations against two people baseless. The Premier and Mr. Thibault, those allegations have been considered baseless. There are two other investigations going on, Speaker. We are fully cooperating with these investigations. I think when an allegation is made, Speaker, that does not make it true. Anyone listening today would think that there had already been a conviction for heaven's sake. There is an investigation underway. We're fully cooperating with the investigation. The Premier has said, if in fact a charge is laid, then that changes the story. I think, Speaker, that what's important is that there's an investigation underway and we are completely cooperating with that investigation. Once again to the Premier. The Premier has refused to accept any responsibility for her actions in this matter. She's protecting Patsarberry and Jerry Lahi from this scandal. And the Premier apparently doesn't see any problems with Andrew Olivier being offered a job to get out of the way, even though the law is clear. But for my constituents, the issue is, the biggest issue is we, to be held to a higher standard, the people who are involved in this investigation need to step back so the investigation appears to be open and transparent, the words we hear all the time from your government. Again, why don't you take normal practice, force these people to step aside until the investigation is complete. Thank you, Speaker, and you know, the Premier has received lots of advice on this. And I think both opposition parties have been very generous in their advice. That advice has been heard. You heard from the Premier today that she did take that advice seriously. And then she really thought through the issues here. She took a thoughtful, principled, ethical approach. She made the determination baseless. As she knows them to be, she will let that investigation unfold, but she will not force the resignation of someone when the allegations against that person are baseless, Speaker. So I actually think our Premier has demonstrated a new and different and better way, not an easier way, but a better way of dealing with opposition allegations, Speaker. No question. Remember from what you said. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade. Minister, both Ontario's culture and its economy rely greatly on our immigrant population. Each year we welcome many highly skilled newcomers who bring with them a wealth of knowledge and abilities that do contribute to our province. Without immigration, Ontario's working age population will begin to decline. There are many talented newcomers in my writing of Kitchener Centre who do contribute greatly to our community. And we want to make certain that they continue to be welcomed in our province and do meet with opportunities. Speaker, could the Minister please tell us what actions is the government taking to ensure that Ontario continues to have a healthy immigrant population? Thank you, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade. Speaker, thank you very much for the question. I want to thank the Honourable Member from Kitchener Centre for asking. Speaker, as an immigrant myself, just like many of my colleagues here today, I know the struggles that many newcomers face. Speaker, Ontario was built by immigrants. Our government is committed to making sure that they continue to find success in our great promise. This is why, Speaker, we recently reintroduced Bill 49, the Ontario Immigration Act, with passed. It will make Ontario the second promise in the country after Quebec to have its own immigrant legislation. Speaker, Bill 49 will be in place the tools and authority needed to welcome immigrants that will help Ontario meet its future labour and market needs. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I want to thank the Honourable Member from the Planner Frontenac, Lenox and Addington. On the point of order, Speaker. Point of order. Speaker, I'd like to draw your attention to Standing Order 23H and I. The Premier's comments today in this House in response to my question as well as your comments last Friday are a count amount and they are making allegations against another member and imputes false or unavowed motives to another member and, Speaker, I would say to all members, I would like you to. Thank you. I was listening carefully all the time. I did not hear that and I thank the member for his interjection. The member from Bramley Gore-Multon on a point of order. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the indulgence. I'd love to introduce today Paige, Captain Daria Butt and his family, Mother Mamta, Father Amish, Grandmother Bina and Grandfather Nilesh. I want them all to be welcomed in the House today. Thank you. Thank you. There are being no deferred votes. This House stands at recessed until 1pm this afternoon.