 Thank you. It is now time for question period. The leader of the Majesty's Royal Office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. May I just begin by congratulating the new member for Sudbury, Mr. Tebow. Welcome to the House. And where is he? Can't see that far, Glenn. Anyway, welcome, but I would have any questions to the Premier, Mr. Speaker? Certainly the Sudbury by-election was not without a dark cloud cast over the electoral process. Caught on tape is a discussion between your Deputy Chief of Staff, Pat Sabara, saying to your former candidate, Andrew Olivier, quote, We should have the broader discussion about what it is that you'd be most interested in doing and then decide what shape that could take. That would fulfill, that is what I'm getting at, whether it's a full-time or part-time job in a good state office, whether it's appointments, supports or commissions, whether it's also going on the executive. Questions need to better understand what it is that you most want to do. End of quote. Premier, that sure sounds like a bribe to me. Thank you. I'd ask the member to withdraw and then your time is up. So withdraw. The member from the PN Carlton will come to order and stop the clock. I will make it clear now we will have order. Premier? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and again I just want to congratulate the new member for Sudbury and welcome him to our campaign in Sudbury. He campaigned on the issues Mr. Speaker and he has been and will be a strong voice for the people of Sudbury and we are thrilled to have him here at Queen's Park. I have said in public, I have said to elections Ontario and I will continue to say Mr. Speaker. I had in my role as the leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario, I had made a decision to appoint a candidate in Sudbury Mr. Speaker. And at the same time... Stop the clock please. The member from Bruce Croy-Owen Sound will withdraw. withdraw. You have 10 second wrap. At the same time I had, I worked very hard Mr. Speaker to try to keep the past candidate involved in the party. That's what those conversations were about Mr. Speaker. Again to the speaker or Premier Mr. Speaker. Premier, your spokesperson has said quote any suggestion anything offered in exchange for any actions is fault. Yet on the tape your Deputy Chief of Staff clearly says that the new member for Sudbury would actually be very open. President, Treasury Board come to order. Assistant, that's offering him a government job. Pat Sabara also said quote let's look at other ways you can be involved. And that some of these other ways would allow Mr. Olivier to meet with the Premier regularly. Premier, honourable members in the past, honourable ministers in the past have voluntarily stepped down for actions of their staff because it's the right thing to do. Will you at the very least demand that your Deputy Chief of Staff Pat Sabara staff the song. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. And as the member opposite well knows the duties of the Deputy Chief of Staff in my office are separate from the ongoing investigation. They're separate from any role in a by-election Mr. Speaker so it is not necessary. And the member opposite also knows that at the request of the opposition parties there is an investigation going on. The authorities are examining any allegations and those investigations are independent Mr. Speaker of the work that's going on in my office. And as I have said repeatedly any suggestion that anything was offered in exchange for any action is false Mr. Speaker. I had made a decision that I was going to appoint a candidate in the... Member from Nipian Carlton will come to order. Second time. All right. President of the Treasury Board come to order. Second time. Finish please. The context in which those conversations took place was the context in which I had decided to appoint a candidate and any of those conversations were about keeping a young man involved in a party. And quite frankly I think it's the responsibility of a leader to try to keep people involved past candidates involved in the party. I think that's part of our responsibility Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. Back to the Premier. I think the Premier misses the point of the law in this case and the law is clear. This young man wanted to stay involved in the party. He had indicated that he was going to run in the nomination process began. So he wasn't as you said in your news conference this morning a past candidate or a failed candidate and therefore we could offer him a job. He was actively in the candidate process and you intervene. And the allegations are and they're pretty clear on the tape to me. That a job offer was made or other arrangements could be made. And that may very well be found to be against the criminal code and against the elections act. Now do you really want to have someone in your office your deputy chief of staff that has criminal wrongdoing allegations hanging over her. How can that person possibly serve the people of Ontario when she's so tainted in terms of reputation. And it's hurting your reputation and it's hurting the reputation of the Premier of the province of Ontario and the office. Thank you. Will you do the right thing the Honourable thing and get rid of this. The number of leaps that the member opposite makes in that question are quite quite remarkable. I made a decision which is my prerogative as the leader of the party to appoint a candidate Mr. Speaker. That decision was made. There was not a nomination because I made a decision that we were going to appoint a candidate. I decided Mr. Speaker that having Ben Tebow as the candidate for us in Sudbury was the right decision Mr. Speaker. I made that decision and then we tried to keep a young man who had been a past candidate involved in the party. That's what happened Mr. Speaker. That's what those conversations were about and quite frankly I had decided that I did not want that young man to find out that I had appointed a candidate in the newspaper. That's why I had a conversation with him Mr. Speaker. New question. Member from Nipissing. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Last week was the two year anniversary of you becoming Premier but it was also two years ago last week that the gas plant files were deleted. The OPP has since recovered thousands of gas plant emails deleted by Liberal staffers. Many of those staffers testified in the Justice Committee hearings and like you took an oath to solemnly swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And those staffers responded to the many freedom of information requests on the gas plant scandal. With the knowledge and confidence that all their files were deleted they boldly swore quote I have no responsive emails. Premier will you launch an investigation into which of your staffers lied under oath. We're going to start tiptoeing around and I'm going to make a ruling. Withdraw please. Withdraw. Premier. Mr. Speaker and I know that the government house leader is going to want to speak to the process but I will just say that the member opposite knows that hundreds of thousands of documents went before the committee Mr. Speaker. There were dozens of witnesses Mr. Speaker who spoke to the issues we opened up the process. I said two years ago when I came into office in this office I said we were going to open up the process and we were going to make sure that the committee was able to ask the questions that they needed to ask and bring the witnesses on any issue that they deemed to be relevant and that happened Mr. Speaker. I'm encouraged that the report has been written. I understand that it will be released shortly Mr. Speaker. That's a good thing. I think that it was very important that the committee was allowed to do its work and it was allowed to do its work Mr. Speaker because we opened up the process. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Again to the premier one freedom of information request asks nine senior staff for all their files related to the gas plant scandal from January 1 to October 1 2012. Five liberal staffers wrote back quote I have no records but the OPP then recovered emails from Laura Miller and others relating to the gas plants within that time period. Laura also told the Justice Committee under oath she had no documents. Premier when people file a freedom of information request when MPPs ask questions in committee they need to know the answers are truthful. Laura Miller now executive director of the B.C. Liberals hasn't spoken to the OPP. When are you going to show some moral leadership. Call Premier Kristi Clark and demand she send Laura Miller back to Ontario to cooperate with the OPP. Thank you very much. Speaker let me first of all start by welcoming the new member of provision parliament from Sudbury to this House look forward to working with him. Speaker as a member opposite noted himself there's an active OPP investigation going on in the matter. I think we should let the Ontario provincial police do its work when it comes to any any allegations there may be. What we know Speaker that this premier when she became the leader of this government immediately opened up the process and show that hundreds of thousands of new documents were submitted to the committee. Speaker the committee Justice Committee as you know has been looking into the matter for the last three years. They've heard from about 93 witnesses and they've had ample information to consider in order to ensure that they can provide guidance to the government when it comes to major issues that the committee was looking. Thank you. Stop the clock. Final supplementary. Premier let's go back to that freedom of information request where five liberal staffers wrote back quote I have no records according to an affidavit in her role as special assistant to the premier. Becky Coddowney was to quote identify individuals who may have responsive records in December the OPP recovered gas plant emails seized on computers from the premier's office much to our shock and surprise. Here's an email from the very same Becky Coddowney. It reads talks to Dave will delete my emails. Talk about the Fox running the henhouse. She was in charge of identifying the very individuals who may have gas plant emails but didn't put herself on the list. Premier why is Becky Coddowney employed in your government today. Speaker. Speaker as I as I mentioned earlier in my previous response this this premier this government has opened up the government opened up government significantly. We speaker have implemented significant record keeping roof performs such as mandatory staff training. In addition speaker we have passed a very broad accountability act which implements key recommendations from the private privacy commissioner. Such as ensuring the preservation of records prohibiting the willful destruction of records with the intent to deny a right to access to records and introducing a new offense with a fine of up to $5,000 for the willful destruction of records. Member from Simcoe North please withdraw. I withdraw. Again I withdraw. Is that okay? Let's try it without the editorial. I withdraw. Finish please wrap up. Thank you very much speaker these are very important changes that this government has undertaken. The former information and privacy commissioner and Quebecian has credited our government for improving record keeping across government. Thank you. New question the leader of the third party. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier. Ontario families are looking for the government to make life a little bit easier but instead of dealing with people's problems and helping families this premier seems very busy with her problems. Whether it's three police investigations or putting her political interests first. Meanwhile moms dads teachers and community leaders are worried because the Liberals are closing their neighborhood schools. Once these schools are closed speaker they're gone for good. Will the premier put her own interests and the interests of the Liberal Party on hold pay attention to what matters to people and stop allowing schools to be closed and sold off. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question from the leader of the third party. I just would note that and I will answer the issue around the school consolidations and closures but I wanted to speak to the work that we've been doing over the last two years because she referenced helping people in the province and I just want to go over some of the things that we have done Mr. Speaker extended our investment in affordable housing by eight hundred and one million. We've increased the minimum wage Mr. Speaker we've increased legal aid we've increased the Ontario child benefit by a hundred dollars Mr. Speaker. As of September this past September all four and five year olds in Ontario Mr. Speaker have access to full day kindergarten and we've strengthened community and developmental services and we've helped eight thousand families Mr. Speaker who didn't have help before who have help now. Mr. Speaker those are all initiatives that we have taken in order to help people in this province in order to help answer in their day to day lives and help the families of this province that's the work that we've been doing over the last few years Mr. Speaker. Well Mr. Speaker here's my list of the Liberal record across Ontario nursing positions are being eliminated and for over two weeks three thousand home care nurses were walking the picket line in this province. The Liberals have cut hospital budgets Mr. Speaker. Ontarians face longer wait times for home care and for long term care and the Liberals have attacked the women and men that provide health care services in this province. The Treasury is full however when it comes to sweetheart P three deals or paying for scandals like orange and the gas plant scandal. You know when a liberal needs a helping hand the good times keep on rolling speaker but when it comes to health care the Liberals say that our cupboards are bare here in this country. The premier start funding health care properly and end the liberal waste and corruption that plagues this province. Well Mr. Speaker the question seems to have shifted but let me just let me just take this moment to say that I'm very pleased that the negotiations were completed and that there's an agreement with the nurses the CCAC nurses Mr. Speaker. That's you know that's a good thing and I would have thought I actually would have thought that the leader of the third party would respect and honor the collective bargaining process and wrap up please. I was actually talking Mr. Speaker about collective bargaining process that reach a successful conclusion and we have agreed Mr. Speaker. And I hope that we can come to an agreement with Opsu Mr. Speaker. That is absolutely our intention to bargain at the table and to come to an agreement Mr. Speaker. On the question of health care the funding for health care continues to increase year over year in this province Mr. Speaker. We're making more investments in health care. We will continue to do that. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Perhaps this premier is not aware but going into arbitration is not the successful conclusion. The Collector's Park this morning remind us about how important our public services are to the people of this province. You know people want to see and expect the environment being safely and properly staffed day in and day out. They want to know that their ODSP and social services checks that are supposed to be going out to the most vulnerable people in Ontario are actually going out and reaching those folks. They want to know that troubled children are getting the help and protection that they deserve but rather than investing in services and the people that deliver those services. The premier is gutting services and ordering out pink slips for the people that deliver those services. Don Drummond said the Liberals are going to fire 100,000 people. Will the premier stop this attack now? Thank you. I would just say to the leader of the third party that she knows full well that when both parties agree to arbitration that's part of the process Mr. Speaker. And that's what the service is in this province. I think Mr. Speaker it's actually shameful that the leader of the third party was not supportive of a budget that invested more in personal support workers and gave them an increase Mr. Speaker. One that they have not had for many years and invested in early childhood educators and developmental support workers. Please finish. Increasing the salaries of those people who do the essential and vital work of looking after some of the most vulnerable people in the province. Mr. Speaker is absolutely a hallmark of our budget. The leader of the third party didn't support it and doesn't even acknowledge that those people are getting support because of the changes that we have made. Good question. The leader of the third party. My next question is also for the premier. I'd like to think that people actually get into politics because they believe in public services. I want to believe in fact that integrity and respect once mattered to the premier of this province. Members of every party speaker owe it to Ontarians to restore their faith in government. It's time to start undoing the damage done by the premier and her party by showing that integrity and trust in fact do matter. So will the premier show leadership so that we can begin the important task of rebuilding confidence and trust in our political institutions and government by putting Pat Cerberra and Jerry Lougheed on leave. Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear about the actions that I took in Sudbury. And I will continue to be clear. I made it clear that I made a decision as the leader of the party to appoint a candidate. Having done that, Mr. Speaker, there were conversations with the past candidate about keeping him involved in the party. That's the decision that I made. Those are the actions that we took. I had made a decision that Glen Tebow was the candidate that we wanted as our candidate in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker. He will be a wonderful MPP for the people of Sudbury, Mr. Speaker. And the conversations with the former candidate were about keeping him involved because I had decided that I was going to appoint a candidate to run in the by-election. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In its investigation into bribery and the Sudbury by-election, the OPP says, and I quote, references to the Premier's authority threatens the appearance of government integrity. Not just the Premier's personal integrity, not just the integrity of the Premier's office, not just the caucus or the cabinet or the candidate for that matter, the government's integrity. And yet the Premier insists on protecting Liberal insiders Pat Cerbera and Jerry Lauheed. Now, according to Mr. Lauheed, the Premier was behind the offer to Mr. Olivier so the Premier can also direct him and Pat Cerbera to step aside until this investigation is complete. So will the Premier actually show some leadership and begin to rebuild the public trust by doing the right thing? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, as I've said repeatedly, any suggestion that anything was offered in exchange for any action is false, Mr. Speaker. There was no specific offer. There was no commitment, Mr. Speaker. There was a discussion about how this young man might want to stay involved. Mr. Speaker, I have to say the people of Sudbury had all this information when they went to the polls, Mr. Speaker. They made a decision. They have sent Glenn Thibault to Queens Park and Mr. Speaker. I agree, Mr. Speaker. What I have to do as the leader, Mr. Speaker, and what I have to do as a politician is answer questions. Of course, the opposition have asked for an investigation. That investigation is happening, Mr. Speaker. It's taking place. We will cooperate. My responsibility is to answer honestly. That is what I have done, and I will continue to do so, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, a few short months ago, the Premier apologized for scandals and cover-ups. Quote, it won't happen again, she claimed during the election campaign. I learned my lesson, she said. But all the Premier learned was to deny, obstruct and ignore the truth. She learned to protect Liberal insiders at all costs and that nobody is ever held to account under her watch. And now, she's at the centre of a bribery scandal, Speaker. The OPP are investigating. Elections Ontario is investigating. There is a culture of arrogance and entitlement in the Premier's office, and the Premier is refusing to clean it up. This does not pass the smell test, Speaker. Ontarians deserve better. I certainly believe that. My caucus believes that. I believe the other opposition party believes that. The Premier agrees, Speaker, that Ontarians deserve better. Thank you. You know, Mr. Speaker, I think, and I know, Ontarians deserve to hear, to understand exactly what happened. And what I have said, Mr. Speaker, is exactly what happened. I made a decision as the leader, which is my prerogative as the leader of the party. To decide on appointing a candidate, Mr. Speaker, I made that decision. I didn't want the past candidate to learn from the newspaper that I had made that decision. So, yes, I had a conversation with the past candidate, Mr. Speaker. And those conversations were about how that young person might want to stay involved in the party. And quite frankly, I would expect that the leader of the opposition parties, of any party, would want to keep someone involved if they had been involved as a candidate in the party. I think that's a responsibility that we have as leaders. I did, Mr. Speaker. We have a new member for the riding of Sudbury. The people of Sudbury made that decision, Mr. Speaker. And I think we need to respect the decision of the constituents of Sudbury. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. As you're well aware, Premier, your Sudbury Liberal Kingmaker, Mr. Jerry Lahi Jr., told your former candidate, Andrew Olivier, that, and I quote, I come to you on behalf of the Premier, and that they, meaning your office, and I quote again, would like to present this case, Mr. Olivier, options in terms of appointments, jobs, whatever, end of quote. I think that this, Premier, this backroom political dealings seems a little dubious. So dubious is a matter of fact that the OPP is investigating Mr. Lahi, a man who happens to be your appointee to the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board. I just don't see how we can lead a police service board while being under investigation for bribery by the OPP. Premier, will you remove Mr. Lahi from the board until the OPP finishes their investigation? So, Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows, police service boards are responsible for the provision of adequate and effective policing services in the municipality. I understand that the Sudbury Police Services Board addressed this issue last week. They took a vote, Mr. Speaker, and they voted to have Mr. Lahi remain in place. They made that decision. We don't direct the police services board. They made that decision. They want to keep him, they want to keep him involved. And Mr. Speaker, to the preamble in the member's question, you know, I talked about wanting to keep this young man involved. There are many ways that people can stay involved, and all of those things, there would be an application process. There would have been a process through which he would have had to go to get to any of those positions. Those were options. Those were suggestions about how that young person might want to stay involved. As I've said, I think that those are, those are a conversation that I would hope leaders would have with past candidates on all sides of the House, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Premier, Mr. Lahi had informed Mr. Olivier that he would tell the Premier to call him. He coached Mr. Olivier to ask him, what are you giving me for me to step down that is worthwhile? And I think that's the point. Only you and the Premier can have that conversation. Mr. Lahi's comments to Mr. Olivier. Well, Premier, either you were aware of specific job offers or Mr. Lahi was making unacceptable claims on your behalf. That this is a possible breeze of code of conduct that all members of the police services boards are subject to, Premier. And I've asked the Ontario Civilian Police Commission to investigate. So, Premier, were you aware of a job offer? Will you remove Mr. Lahi from the board until the OPP finishes the investigation? Mr. Community Safety Practice Services. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I want to restate what the Premier said. I think it's a very important point that police services boards are responsible for the provision of adequate and effective police services, police services within their municipality. And among their duty, Speaker, police services boards generally determine the objectives and priorities with respect to police services within their community and establish policies for the effective management of those police services act. Speaker, the Police Services Act does not give the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services any authority to remove a board member. As all board members of a police services board are appointed by the province or municipal council and they're subject to a code of conduct, which is in a regulation under the Police Services Act. In this particular instance, as we know, the Police Services Board looked at this matter. They considered this matter and they voted to keep the chair within its position. If there's a breach, OCPHC has to investigate that matter, Speaker. Okay, no question. The member for attendance, James Bates. Mr. Speaker, my question through you to the Premier. Did the Premier personally make the decision to offer a bribe to Andrew Obolivier, not to run for office? Good question. Member to withdraw. Mr. Speaker, it's in the Election Act. It's in the Election Act. I will ask the Member to withdraw. Withdraw. You want to restate the question. Do you want? This way, Section 96-1 of the Election Act has a section entitled bribery and it deals with how you're not allowed to do the kinds of things that happened in the last election. So to rephrase my question, utilizing the language under the Election Act under Section 96-1 bribery, did the Premier personally make the decision to offer that bribe to Mr. Obolivier or not? Whether it says that in the Act or you can't use that language in this House and you can't accuse a member of bribery, that's the ruling and it will not happen again. Withdraw. Okay, I withdraw. No, let's get this clear. Withdraw and then claim to you what I'd like to offer you. Let's just do the withdrawal, please. I did. Again? Sorry, I'll do it again. I withdraw. I'll ask the Member to rephrase the question in a way that does not use the language that is not acceptable in the House. Well, I don't know. We debated this legislation in the House. It was a word used in the legislation, but I'll try. Did the Premier personally make the decision to offer a blank to Andrew Obolivier not to run for office? Let me apologize if I'm not being clear enough. First of all, you cannot say anything that indirectly that is meaning the direct word. Second of all, it's not the word or the quoting of the law. It's the accusation of a member being part of that or saying that. So I'm going to ask the Member if one more time you attempt to say the word again, I'll just pass. Speaker, I will try again. I used the word blank, so I'm going to try another word. Did the Premier personally make the decision to offer something to Mr. Obolivier that was contrary to Section 961 of the Election Act? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The decision that I made, the personal decision I made, the decision I made was to appoint a candidate in Sudbury. I made that decision, so there was no nomination race, there was no other process. The process was that I decided to appoint Glen Tebow as our candidate. And then I decided, Mr. Speaker, that I would want to keep the former candidate involved. And so that's what the conversation was about. It wasn't about anything other than keeping him involved as a part of the Liberal team, as a part of the family, because he had been our candidate, Mr. Speaker, and I knew it was a difficult process when the Leader makes the decision to appoint. But I had made that decision, Mr. Speaker, and that was the personal decision that I made in this process. Well, that's pretty contrary to the facts, Madam Premier. When you look at the recordings and you read the transcripts, it's pretty clear what happened. You made an offer way before he actually decided that all that had happened. But let me ask you this. When did the Premier tell the Deputy Chief of Staff, Pat Sabera, or the Liberal Kingmaker, Mr. Lahi, Jr., and offered them something that was contrary to Section 96-1 of the Election Act entitled bribery? You know, the premise of the question is that the member opposite knows what was going on in my mind at every moment. It knows when I made the decision to appoint. And he doesn't know that, Mr. Speaker. What I'm saying is that the decision to appoint, I had already made the decision to appoint. That decision had been made. Glenn Tebow was the person who I wanted as our candidate in Sudbury. That decision was made in the conversation. We're about keeping the past candidate involved. That's the truth, Mr. Speaker. I've told Elections Ontario that, Mr. Speaker. I will continue to tell anyone who asks me that is what happened. That is why we're having those conversations. Your question? Remember from Sudbury? Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome. My question today. Remember from Lannark? Ontario's mineral sector has a tremendous impact on job creation across the province and is vital to the economy in the north, particularly in my hometown of Sudbury. Sudbury has a rich history when it comes to mining. The Sudbury Basin is producing ore for over 100 years, and the local economy relies on a healthy mining industry. Mr. Speaker, I am proud that Ontario remains the top jurisdiction for exploration and production of minerals in Canada. So will the minister please inform the House on the status of mining in Ontario? Great question, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by welcoming, of course, the member from Sudbury to this legislature. We are very proud to have him on our team. No, he will be a very strong voice for the north and for the constituents of Sudbury Riding. And as the member mentioned, Ontario is the leading jurisdiction in Canada for exploration and production of minerals. People need to know there are currently 43 mines operating in Ontario, and the potential for growth continues to be very significant. There are actually over 30 mineral projects in the advanced stage of exploration right now in the province. The number of direct jobs in the mineral sector, production 26,000 in 2014, and in the supply and services sector, another 41,000 jobs. So, Mr. Speaker, our government continues to work hard with the mining sector to create jobs, enhance economic prosperity through responsible development of the mineral sector. And we know that the member from Sudbury will be a great member of that. Mr. Speaker, the mineral exploration industry is an incredibly important contributor to our provincial economy. I know personally how essentially fostering a strong ministerial sector is to ensuring that Northern Ontario remains on a positive track. In Sudbury, we have seen the benefits of a diversifying economy from mining to fabrication and processing, and growing a mining supply and service industry. And we continue to see the different ways this is spurring innovation across our community and across our province and across our country. I am pleased that the outlook for mine expansion in Northern Ontario continues to be a promising one. Mr. Speaker, I understand that there have been several announcements of new investments in mining in Ontario, and can the minister elaborate on those most recent mining developments? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the factors speak that 2015 is off to a tremendous start. In January, New Gold moved a step closer to the construction of their virtually one billion dollar Rainy River Gold project by securing federal and provincial environmental assessment approvals. That's a very exciting project in the Rainy River area. This month, Centera Gold, a global mining company, announced they'd be investing in the province of Ontario. Centera's $300 million partnership with Premier Gold Mines will help advance Northwestern Ontario's hard rock Gold project in the Greenstone Gereldinary. Great stuff. But not just in the Northwest speaker, as the member mentioned. The Sudbury area is home to five projects, including KGMH's, HM's International Victoria Project and Valley's Victor Capray Project, both of which are large nickel copper PGM rich deposits. Our government is excited by these opportunities. We're going to keep looking forward to it. Looking forward to the prospectors and developers Association Conference coming up in a weaker song, which we all join you. Hope you'll join us. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Community and Social Services. Minister, you recently announced that your seamless rollout of SAMS now requires a third party advisor to tell us what frontline workers have been telling you for months. SAMS is not working. This is all too lame. We know that advisor is simply a code word for consultant. Minister, given your government's track record in signing Sweetheart deals with consultants and other insiders, will you disclose who this consultant is and exactly how much the taxpayer and chair are going to pay for this? How many more? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I also would like to congratulate our new member from Sudbury and also to explain to this House a number of the actions that our government has taken in relation to SAMS since we last sat in December. First of all, the initial issues encountered in November involving the accuracy and delivery of benefit payments have been addressed. Overall, SAMS has now processed three successful pay runs for both ODSP and OW monthly payments. This means that SAMS has processed over two million payments to our most vulnerable families. Because of the various issues that were raised with me, I've spent the last several weeks visiting a number of ODSP and Ontario Works offices across the province and I've heard firsthand from workers the challenges with SAMS and listened to their experiences during the transition. I've also talked to thousands of mayors and other municipal officials, clearly expressing their concerns and the concerns of their staff and I do want to thank all these hardworking staff for them ensuring our most vulnerable. Thank you. Supplementary. My question is back to the Minister of Community and Social Services. Your government is saying it hasn't gotten money for doctors, nurses and affordable housing, but when it comes to hiring consultants, there's never a shortage of money for them. Minister, you recently poured 16 million additional dollars into the SAMS boondoggle to try to save face for your government. This money could have paid for a lot of food, heat and hydro, dental appointments and housing for our most vulnerable citizens. I ask again, Minister, how much more is it going to cost the taxpayers to cover your incompetence and mismanagement? What is the timeline for the minor glitch to be fixed? And most importantly, when will the people who are hurting the most as a result of your boondoggle receive the services they so need much deserve? Thank you, Minister. And certainly as the result of my investigations over the last couple of months, I do agree that the implementation of SAMS must be improved. And so in the coming weeks and months, we will be taking specific actions to deal with immediate issues and improve the implementation of SAMS. So I have decided that we will select an independent third party advisor who will provide further advice and assistance, evaluate our progress and recommend actions to help us reach our goals. And our municipal partners and staff delivering services to clients will be fully engaged in this review. We have established a technical working group that now is going to include frontline workers. In fact, members from QP have already been part of that working group on a couple of occasions to bring their perspective to the table. We need to make the system complicated as it is, simpler, more user friendly. And to this end, we will be requesting the services, a new set of fresh eyes on the issues while we continue to improve SAMS. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. OPB investigator, Detective Aaron Thomas says, and I quote, I believe the words spoken by both Lawheed and Sobara to Olivier, assist me in my belief in the criminal code that a criminal code offence has been committed, end quote. Lawheed and Sobara were both speaking on behalf of the Premier. Is the Premier now suggesting that they were acting on their own behalf or were they acting on her behalf? Definitely for me. Well, thank you. I think it's important that the people of Ontario actually understand what's going on here. You see, Speaker, the NDP won the right of Sudbury in the last general election. Five months later, the member resigned. We ran an excellent candidate who happened to have been a member of the New Democratic Party before he decided that Premier Kathleen Nguyen and the Ontario Liberal Party would understood the issues of the North, could drive positive change. A superb candidate with a superb track record chose to run for the Liberal Party. The NDP understandably are not happy that the people of Sudbury rejected their candidate, elected our candidate. And I think it's time that the NDP actually accepted the will of the people of Sudbury, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the people of Ontario should know that in response to a serious question about criminal allegations conducted by this government that the Deputy Premier gave a story unrelated to that question. New Democrats have asked for the Premier's Deputy Chief of Staff, Pat Sobera, and for Jerry Lawheed, who is on the Police Services Board for Sudbury, to step down until this investigation is completed. A very reasonable request. They both claimed they were acting on behalf of the Premier. Now, is the Premier suggesting that she had no conversations with Sobera or Lawheed about Andrew Olivier and the Sudbury by-election? Thank you. The Premier has addressed this issue, so let's learn a little bit more about the people, the person, the people of Sudbury have elected to represent that year. Throughout his career, Glenn has shown an unwavering commitment to a better, fairer Sudbury. He's fought tirelessly for supports for persons with developmental disabilities, for quality services, for families struggling with autism. As a director with the United Way, he led many successful campaigns in support of community development. And as a proud volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Minor Hockey and Football Leagues, he's helped empower Sudbury youth to achieve their full potential. So, Glenn remains focused on building opportunity and prosperity for all members of the great community of Sudbury, whether advocating for greater retirement security and substantial protection measures, significant investments in the Ring of Fire. Glenn has put Sudbury and Sudburian's front in second. New question? The member from Beaches, East York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the very enthusiastic Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. But before asking my question, I too want to welcome the new member from Sudbury. It's a rare occasion, Mr. Speaker, when the government wins back a seat on a by-election, and I want to thank you, Mr. Tebow, and the people of Sudbury for the confidence they've shown in you and the party. But my question, Mr. Speaker, relates to biodiversity. Ontario's economy, its environment and its cultural identity are intimately connected with biodiversity. We are fortunate in Ontario to benefit from a great variety of species and an abundance of different plants, animals and ecosystems. Biodiversity is in many ways nature's insurance plan. The diversity provides resilience to disturbances like pests, disease, droughts, floods and forest fires. And for Ontario families and families in my riding of Beaches, East York, biodiversity plays an important role in keeping our air clean and our water safe. So Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, will the Minister inform the House what our government is currently doing to strengthen and protect biodiversity here in Ontario? Thank you. The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Let me add my welcome to the member from Sudbury as well. We look forward to working with him in the years ahead. And to the member from Beaches, East York, thank you very much for the question. Speaker, Ontario has the most up-to-date biodiversity strategy in Canada and we're the first province to update our strategy to be consistent with the targets adopted internationally by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. This year my ministry will be working with the Ontario Biodiversity Council on two important projects. We will be developing the State of Ontario's Biodiversity Report and in May we will be holding the Ontario Biodiversity Summit. Speaker, I've also reintroduced the Invasive Species Act that have passed will make Ontario the only jurisdiction in Canada with standalone invasive species legislation. And it will also provide the tools necessary to prevent, detect, rapidly respond and eradicate invasive species across the province. Speaker, my ministry is also undertaking a commitment to plant 50 million trees including 1 million trees in urban areas by 2025. And I'm pleased to report we've already planted 16 million since 2008. Wow! Well, thank you Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the minister of natural resources and forestry for his response and his dedication to biodiversity in our province. I particularly want to commend him for championing the very important Invasive Species Act, Bill 37. We need to be able to rapidly respond to invasive species and prevent their introduction into our ecosystems. That we are able to move this important bill through the House with the cooperation of our fellow's offices. Now Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Beaches East York recognize that conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity is a shared responsibility. And it's critical that the provinces, the territories and the federal government all work together to address these threats to our diverse ecosystems. It's essential that Ontario is working with colleagues and other jurisdictions to develop strategies to protect our common interests. For example, resources like the Boreal Forest and the Great Lake St. Lawrence Water Seaway span across various jurisdictions. So Mr. Speaker, again through you, to the minister of natural resources and forestry, what are we doing in this government to engage with our counterparts in other provinces and with the federal government and how are we advocating for unterrorist interests? Thank you, minister. Mr. Speaker, thank you and I thank the member from Beaches East York for this question as well. Mr. Speaker, just last week I was in Ottawa meeting with my colleagues from across the country to discuss the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity. The discussions we had during these meetings were a significant step toward future collaboration on issues related to species at risk and invasive species. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to lead the conversations regarding invasive species and advocated for more collaboration between our jurisdictions to address this threat. As a result, we agreed to develop a federal provincial territorial task force to support future efforts to fight invasive species. Also last week, the federal government announced Canada's 2020 biodiversity targets. I was pleased that my ministry was able to contribute to the development of these Canada-wide targets and will do our part through our biodiversity strategy and government plan to advance these goals. Mr. Speaker, working with our partners in other provinces and states, the federal government, municipalities, stakeholders and Aboriginal communities, together we will strengthen Ontario's biodiversity, grow our economy and protect our natural heritage. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a reminder to all members that you use only the title or the writing and we'll leave all the explanatory notes of how great members are. I will defer to this question to the member from Oxford. My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Minister, we've discovered a lot of questionable expenses at the Housing Services Corporation. Just after the legislature rose for the break, we received an FOI documents that show your provincial appointment received $72,000 a year in affordable housing money paid to his personal consulting firm. And a $262,000 payout to the former CEO that you told the media you weren't even aware of. Your claim at HSC has reported to you, but either you haven't read the report or you missed some of the facts. We've been asking you for that report since December and still don't have it. So Minister, if you actually read the report, what are the problems that are still in there? Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Honorable Member's concerns and their concerns that I share. I also appreciate the fact that it was our government that put accountability and transparency regulations in place. Minister? That were missed by the previous government when they set up this corporation. That enabled us to spot some red flags. I wrote to the corporation, said it wasn't good enough. They have now agreed to abide by cabinet spending guidelines. The board member who was referenced is no longer a board member. And the HSC has requested of us more early that we do a third party independent audit of their operation and all their subsidiaries. Count this. Prime Minister, when the waiting lists for affordable housing have increased by almost 40,000 since you were elected, we can't afford money being siphoned off out of the affordable housing envelope. If you received a report four months ago that contained all these questionable expenses and contracts, why didn't you act then? You claimed there was a review, but you haven't even issued a request for proposals to find someone to conduct that review. Will you stop burying the facts and ask the provincial auditor to look at the Housing Services Corporation today? Well, Mr. Speaker, I think the Honorable Member is pulling a fire alarm and a fire he set. He and his government said. I'm not sure whether his lament is that his party didn't put the mechanisms in place. Will you please? I'm not sure his lament is that we actually did put those provisions in place. And I'm not sure that his worry is that we, having discovered some problems, are about the process of correcting those. The best political advice I ever got was from the late great Sterling Hot, who said, tell the folk what's broken, how you're going to fix it. That's exactly what we're doing with the HS. Start the clock, start the clock please. New question? Member from Kitchener, Waterloo. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Ontarians take the OPP seriously. We take elections in Ontario very seriously. And when they are both investigating bribery allegations that come straight out of the Premier's office, we take those extremely seriously. Why isn't the Premier of this province taking those allegations and those investigations seriously? Yes, Mr. Speaker. I am, and we are taking them seriously. I've already said many times that I have had a meeting with Elections Ontario. I have talked to Elections Ontario about what went on, and I have said exactly what I said in this House, that I had made a decision to appoint a candidate, that we were working to keep the past candidate involved. I take the processes and the investigations very seriously, Mr. Speaker, and we will fully cooperate with them as we have done up to this point. Thank you. Supplementary? Premier, police investigations and Elections Ontario investigations obviously are serious matters. They compromise the confidence and the integrity of this government. Leadership means stepping up. It means taking responsibility and taking this investigation seriously, and finding those people who are responsible and holding them accountable. But all the Premier has said is that she wouldn't do anything differently. Why isn't the Premier showing the needed leadership on this issue? Premier? Mr. Speaker, you know, I just want to go back to that part of the statement that I've made in this House a number of times now where I said, and I will say again, that I believe it is the responsibility of the leader of a political party to work to keep people involved, even when there are difficult passages. I don't know if the member opposite has ever been through a nomination process or has ever lost an election, but I have, Mr. Speaker, and I can tell you that you want to stay involved and you want to know that the party wants to keep you involved, Mr. Speaker, because it's not a good feeling when you lose an election. It's not a good feeling when the leader appoints a candidate. I understand that. That's the decision I made to appoint a candidate. I knew that that was going to be difficult for the past candidate, and so we wanted to keep him involved, Mr. Speaker. I hope that the leader of the Conservatives and the leader of the NDP would do the same, that they would work to keep those candidates in Sudbury involved, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you for your question. The member from Fagerington-Lords. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Minister, last month you announced that there would be significant changes to protect animals, mammals, marine mammals held in captivity in Ontario, like whales, dolphins and walruses. The care and protection of marine mammals and captivity is an issue that many Ontarians feel strongly about and that our government committed to reviewing using the best available science. Minister, your announcement included a plan to bring forward new legislation related to prohibiting any new Okra whales and to regulate a higher standard of care for our marine animals. Mr. Speaker, through you, can the Minister provide further details to the House on the forthcoming policy changes and explain what steps you're going to take to stop the abuse of marine animals and captivity in our province? Thank you, Minister. Thank you very much, Speaker, and I thank the member from Eglinton-Lawrence for the question. Speaker, our government is moving to enact higher standards of care for marine mammals in captivity. We will also be bringing forward legislation, Speaker, that will prohibit the future acquisition and breeding of Orcas in Ontario. Stronger protections for marine mammals in captivity, Speaker, are all about making sure that these unique animals receive the best possible treatment and habitat appropriate to their specialized needs. This is something that Ontarians expect and these animals deserve. The new standard speaker will be based on the findings and recommendations in a report we commissioned by marine mammal expert Dr. David Rosen of the UBC Marine Mammal Research Unit. His report, Speaker, emphasized the need for specific standards of care for marine mammals and outlined the areas that those standards should cover. Speaker, the report, fairly in detail, provides recommendations to the government as to what those standards of care should be and in the supplementary I look forward to elaborating on those standards. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many people in Ontario are pleased to know that the government will be bringing forward legislation to prohibit the acquisition of Orca whales and will be implementing higher standards for the care of all marine animals, mammals. This is an important step to ensuring the well-being of these magnificent creatures. Minister, have you announced, you have announced that you will be introducing higher standards of care for marine mammals and captivity, but Ontarians need to understand what areas these standards will cover and how they will be developed. Additionally, while introducing new standards, it is an important part of ensuring the protection of these unique animals. Ontarians need to be sure that the new rules will be effective, that they will work. Mr. Speaker, through you, can the Minister please tell the House how the enhanced standards and protections will be developed and ultimately enforced. Thank you, Minister. Thank you very much, Speaker, and thank the member again. Speaker, I'm very proud that our province has the strongest animal protections rules in Canada. Based on the scientific foundation presented by Dr. Rosen, we will be developing new standards of care in such areas as light, sound, water quality, enclosure size and more. This work will be informed by a technical advisory group of experts from the scientific, enforcement, industry and advocacy communities to get advice on the final standards. Speaker, having specific standards of care for marine mammals will help enforcement officials at the OSPCA to ensure that these unique animals are receiving the appropriate care and conditions for their well-being. And I have every conference in the OSPCA to do that. In fact, I'm proud, Speaker, that our government has increased funding for the OSPCA from $500,000 to $5.5 million annually to support them in the important work they do. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. The member from Renfrew and Pembroke on a point of order. Thank you very much, Speaker. Earlier today, the member from Nipissing in a question to the Premier. And I want to point out that no time was an accusation of any kind level against a member of this House. We understand we enjoy protection from that as colleagues. But the word, and if I'm allowed to use it in a point of order, I don't know, but my colleague used the word lied in referring to an accusation against possible allegations against members of the staff of the Premier's office. And I want, and you, Speaker, you ruled that that word must be withdrawn. And my concern is staff do not enjoy the same privilege that members do. And if you extend that privilege to staff, then how can you not extend it to the entire citizenry that we represent, whether they be accused of criminal offenses, whether they be accused of terrorism or whatever. But if we cannot use that word when speaking about someone who is not a member of this assembly, then I think that you are handcuffing us in a way that makes it, in my opinion, would be wrong, Speaker. I thank the member for his point of order. It indeed, I accept it as a point of order. It is in line. Members will know that there's no exhaustive list of words and phrases that are on parliamentary. A comment that is ruled out of order on one occasion may indeed be accepted on another. The decision depends on the context, the tone, and whether or not the comment was caused a general disorder. However, to his specific point, the members correct. Any attempt to interfere directly or indirectly that any honourable member of this House were lied to is always out of order. However, this does not mean that any other use of the term is always in order. As I said, it depends on the context, tone, and also the reaction. The Speaker has an obligation to preserve order and decorum in the House and guiding members towards the use of temperate language is one way or another. I appreciate any assistance that any member can provide me on that. In this regard, we ask that the engage in a respectful discourse and I will continue to listen carefully. I accept what the member has indicated to me and I will do my best to ensure that the order of the House is maintained with the assistance of all members. Thank you. The member from Leeds, Grenville on a point of order. I just wondered, could you update this House on the progress of the Speaker's Advisory Committee on Security? Well, I'll give the member a very short answer. The answer is no. However, with clarification, we will be meeting with that task course one more time and I don't want to inject any comment until the final meetings have taken place. There are no deferred votes. This House stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon.