 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My first question is for the Acting Premier. Can the Acting Premier tell us if the Premier has spoken with Dean French, his Chief of Staff, concerning the Toronto Star report that he attempted to order police arrests and the Globe and Mail report that he personally intervened to have Ali Khan Valshi fired from Ontario power generation? Acting Premier. Thank you very much. I'm truly looking forward to questions from the official opposition today, Speaker, that we can talk about the substance of our fall economic statement, our plan for the people. Truly look forward to it. I know the NDP don't want to talk about that because it brings relief. It brings relief to 1.1 million low-income people in the province of Ontario. Our Lyft program, and I understand why they don't want to talk about that, Speaker, because it is a program that brings true relief. If you earn $30,000 a year or less, you will no longer pay provincial income tax in the province of Ontario. Next, Speaker, for the families in Ontario that we're caring about, relief is here. Here, here. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, the government might not want to answer questions on this matter, but the people of Ontario have a right to know. The integrity commissioner has indicated that he may conduct an inquiry on these issues. But by law, he's only allowed to report his findings to the Premier. Will the government commit to making those findings public, Speaker? Minister? Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Speaker. Once again, I can tell you that when we inherited a $15 billion deficit from the Liberal government, sadly supported 97% of the time by the NDP, which is how we got into the... For grant for grant, come to order. We brought three things to bear. Number one, we looked for efficiencies and found $3.2 billion in efficiencies through great work of people like our president of our Treasury Board and all of the caucus members who contributed ideas. And we turned around and delivered $2.7 billion of that back into the pockets of the people of Ontario. You think the NDP would be celebrating something like that, Speaker, as opposed to criticizing us? Thank you. Final supplement. Start the clock. Final supplementary. Well, Ontario's numbers, man, should know that they actually supported the Liberal government 49% of the time and the new Democrats did 53% of the time, a whole 4% difference, Speaker. That's what Ontario's... Minister of Children, Community and Social Services come to order. That he would always encourage his staff... Minister of Children, the Unitarian Social Services come to order. Indicate that government staff are... The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services come to order. I'll give you extra time. Sorry to interrupt. Yet, multiple media reports this week indicate that the government staff are berated and fear losing their jobs when they raise any facts that challenge the Premier or the Premier's chief of staff. If government staff are encouraged to speak truth to power, as the Premier did, why are so many of them telling reporters they would lose their jobs if they did that? Minister. Thank you very much for the question. Well, let me tell you a little bit about the great work that our staff, our caucus, our cabinet and our Premier have done. Today, with the not accepting the Liberals surtax, we have individuals who claim tax credits now, such as seniors, those with disabilities and those who claim Ontario's medical expense tax credit would have suffered under the NDP-backed Liberal plan of these tax increases in January. We've said no. And as a result, 150,000 filers with allowable Ontario medical expense who would have paid $320 more in January, they will not be paying that. That's what our staff have developed. A plan for the people. Acting Premier. Can the acting Premier explain why Ken Bendarick is no longer serving as chief of staff to the Minister of Public Safety? Acting Premier. Thank you very much. Let me continue talking about our plan for the people. I can tell you the great staff that we have, the great caucus that we have assembled, that the people of Ontario voted to stand here to Queen Park, the great cabinet that Premier Ford has put together, and a great leader in Premier Ford himself. We have put together a team that, with that tax credit that I spoke about just a moment ago, that puts $35 million back in the pockets of families that need it most. Seniors, those with disabilities and those who are collecting a medical expense tax credit, $35 million, they were about to be taxed by a Liberal tax that the NDP supported, but that is the reality. That is what they don't want to talk about, Speaker. I'm not afraid to stand up here and tell the people all about the relief that's coming their way. Order. Start the clock. Supplementary. Speaker, reports indicate that Mr. Bendarick was one of the few brave staff who challenged Dean French, the Premier Chief of Staff, when he made the completely inappropriate demand that police be ordered not only to make arrests, but to time those arrests so that they would make it on to the noon news. Can the Acting Premier confirm or deny that Mr. Bendarick lost his job after speaking out against the inappropriate direction coming from the Premier's office? Acting Premier. Thank you very much. What I can tell you about our cannabis plan designed by our Premier, our Cabinet, our Congress, our whole team, all of our staff is a plan that is to protect children, a plan that is to keep our streets safe, and a plan that is to curb the illicit activity. I realize the NDP may not have bought into that plan, the plan that is going to be a thorough and proper sale of cannabis through Ontario. They're more interested, Speaker, as I said yesterday, they deal in chaos, we deal in confidence, the NDP deals in resistance, we will deliver results. Speaker, can the Acting Premier tell us how much public money went into paying for the severance of Mr. Bendarick and other staff who may have been dismissed for speaking out? Minister. I can tell you that there's $500 million of public money being put back into our lift program. The NDP don't want those people, our low-income people, to get a lift because here's what they said. Unfortunately, this is a quote from the NDP member from Hamilton West, Ancestra Dundas. She says, quote, talking about people who earn so little that they in fact don't need a tax break. Well, Speaker, I think our low-income families do need that $500 million tax break. That's the numbers they don't want to talk about, Speaker. Next question. Leader of the Opposition. My next question is also for the Acting Premier. But what low-income people don't need is a government that rips them off by two grand by cancelling their $15 minimum wage increase. And what they don't need is a government that spends $300 million on tax breaks to the richest Ontarians, Speaker. That's what people don't need. But the Acting Premier is part of a government team and he must know that it's not appropriate to intervene at Ontario Power Generation and fire executives is triggering a half a million dollar severance. Another thing that the people of Ontario don't need or ordering police to make arrests that look good on the new narrow news. Another thing that Ontarians don't need. Has he personally raised any of these concerns or issues with the Premier? Acting Premier. Thank you very much. This government, our Ford government, we are bringing relief to families, Speaker. We've been bringing relief to individuals. We've talked about those. But let me talk about the relief that we are bringing to the business community because they were about to receive a surtax, Premier, or a Speaker. They were about to receive a surtax that would cause them yet again to have fewer employees. What we are doing is returning to 7,900 businesses. We'll not have the increase that the Liberal government was bringing in September. That will save up to $40,000 per business that they can reinvest, Speaker. I'm a lifelong business person. We know that when business can find a dime, we invest it in our companies. We hire more people. That's all we business people have ever done, Speaker. That's what we do. Taking that $40,000, they will be reinvesting it in their business and hiring more people in the province of Ontario, Speaker. Supplementary. Speaker, people expect a government that sets high standards and actually governs in the public interest. Instead, the Premier and Dean French, his hand-picked chief of staff, seem to think that their titles mean that they can do whatever they want whenever they want. Whether it's ordering police to arrest people in time for the noon hour news or paying someone half a million dollars for a single day's work and sticking the people of Ontario with the bill because the Premier just didn't like that guy. Does the Acting Premier think that this is an acceptable way to behave? Acting Premier. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business talked about our Lyft program. The NDP won't. But they said CFIB was particularly pleased to see that the government is helping low-income earners while providing some relief to employers from the 23% minimum wage height. The Lyft credit will keep more money in employees' pockets without threatening jobs. That's what they had to say. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation said about Lyft. Low-income workers across Ontario will benefit from the tax announced, which will save individual workers $850 per year, letting 1.1 million low-income workers in Ontario keep the money they earn while providing some relief. The NDP is the right thing to do. The Chamber of Commerce said combine these steps towards a more competitive and prosperous economy. Ontario is strongest when industry and government work together and we look forward to working with the government. Speaker, it's obvious Ontario is open for business. Thank you. Next question. Member for Etobicoke Centre. Minister, today we mark National Housing Day. We know that for the past 15 years the previous Liberal government failed to listen to the concerns of Ontarians. There have been countless calls for increased housing supply. There have been countless calls to create more community housing for the most vulnerable. I know I've heard that from my very own constituents. Both those calls, however, were ignored. Mr Speaker, we are now in the midst of a housing crisis. And the Minister, please explain the importance of National Housing Day and tell us how he and our government for the people is doing to fix this. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member for Etobicoke Centre for this important question and highlight this urgent issue. National Housing Day is a day to acknowledge and call on all levels of government to do more to provide housing that is affordable not just across our great province but across the country. As it currently stands, we need more housing. Our government has acknowledged this and we've taken immediate steps to address the crisis. I've been working with my ministry to find ways to cut red tape and to speed up the system and increase housing supply. This is a top priority for myself and our government for the people working with the people of Ontario on providing more housing supply. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. I know you've been working tremendously hard on this file. We all know that housing is incredibly important. It is often the first step to bringing people out of poverty and getting them back on their feet. Mr. Speaker, while our government for the people is putting great efforts in resolving this crisis, housing requires the collaboration of all levels of government and stakeholders. Can the minister please expand on how he is working with other levels of government and stakeholders so that we can create more housing that is affordable and create more community housing for those that need it the most? Minister. I want to thank the member for that great question. The lack of housing is not an issue that was created overnight, nor is it an issue that requires, as the member says, the help from all levels of government and stakeholders alike. That's why, since I took office, I've been speaking to hundreds of housing and development stakeholders to find a solution to start building more housing and increase that supply that is just so vital in our province. I've also spoken with different levels of government to try to find a way that we can all work collaboratively to streamline building I welcome all suggestions on how to improve housing across this province and I would encourage constituents to go to ontario.ca forward slash housing supply to contribute to our consultation. I look forward to continuing the conversation. I want to thank this member, your excellent member for your constituents. Thank you for your question. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the acting premier. Mr. Minister, yesterday there were cuts from your government that we learned and that will be affecting the francophone world. Yesterday we got the news that the conservators decided to cancel $2.9 million for the Gilles Desjardins Center. It's an art center of the Ottawa Francophone Center. This is absolutely irresponsible from you Mr. Minister. It's not enough for you to eliminate the office that defends our constitutional rights and to cancel what should have been our university. My question is simple. Why are you so determined to attack the Franco-Ontarian community? Acting Premier. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for the question. First of all Mr. Speaker I'd like to say that our province has a unique cultural fabric and that francophone language and culture are an integral part of Ontario's rich culture. We would never make a decision solely to harm the francophone community. This was a decision made out of fiscal responsibility. The former Liberal government announced $2.9 million for a project to help with that repayment at La Nouvelle Saint-Gilles de Jardin Theatre Building even though no project proposal or implementation plan had been made available. It is actually sad to see that this question is being asked given that the Liberals were giving money away with no details provided. Depending on eligibility there are funding avenues Thank you very much. Supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Minister, it seems that for you our constitutional right, our education and now our culture are for you but a mere financial affair. Next week our leader Andrea Harvat will table a motion to re-establish the French language commissioner and the University de l'Ontario in French. Is it more? It is more than clear that the conservatives have no interest in assuming that they have left Franco-Ontarians like myself behind. As if we and our rights, education and heritage were unimportant to you. Minister, are you going to support this motion? Thank you Mr. Speaker. As we've said and as I've said as well the Francophone language the culture is an integral part of who we are as Ontarians. We Mr. Speaker were elected to restore trust and accountability. The Liberals saddled us with over 347 billion dollars in debt. Making promises to many people is not the way that you get out of a fiscal mess. You get out of a fiscal mess by being responsible. Our government is committed to making fiscally responsible decisions on behalf of all Ontarians. La Nouvelle send is welcome to work with us to find funding for a solution. And that is something that we will do whether it be through the joint ranks or other sources we will work to ensure that the facility is kept open. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of finance. Ontario's economy has struggled for the past 15 years under the Liberal government and according to the Fraser Institute we even had a decade that was the worst performance in Canada. We all know the Liberals left our province saddled with debt and uncompetitive in the world stage. Our government was elected to turn things around. Last week's fall economic statement proved to Ontario that we're committed to making us the Liberals left behind. It also proved to Canada that we're determined to once again make Ontario the economic engine of our country. We called on the federal government to take decisive action in their own economic statement this past fall to support businesses in Ontario and across Canada. Could the minister please share his reactions to the federal government's fall economic statement from yesterday? Thank you Mr. Speaker for the question. Premier Ford's leadership to restore business competitiveness in Ontario led to the measures announced yesterday in the federal fall economic statement. We welcome the federal measure to allow businesses to accelerate the expensing of many depreciable assets. However, the premier also took a stand for families and asked the federal government to be honest about how much their job killing carbon tax will actually cost. We're disappointed the federal government chose to continue ignoring the damage their federal carbon tax will do. We have made it clear that we intend to protect Ontario families and businesses from being punished by this discriminatory carbon tax. While premier Ford has been successful in making Ontario more competitive, we will continue to fight to ensure Ontario remains open for business. Supplementary. Thank you and thank you to the minister for his response. I agree we are disappointed the federal government did not match all the US tax relief measures to make Ontario and Canada fully competitive. It's important that we make Canada specifically Ontario competitive on the world stage. For too long we've watched business and investment in Ontario. We know that Ontario will be part of this province and this country. It continues to be concerning that the federal liberals will not yet tell Ontarians just how much their job killing carbon tax is going to cost us. But we know there's more work to be done. We'll continue fighting for Ontario's families and businesses. Could the minister please explain what action will be taken following the federal bill? Thank you. We are pleased to announce that Ontario will match the federal government's measure to accelerate the expense of depreciable assets. Our government has advocated for this change over the past months and we are excited to provide businesses with the incentive to make these new investments in Ontario's key industries. Our own fall economic statement last week took this possibility into account. We will continue to do this immediately and without any additional impact on our financial position. At the same time we will pursue ways to make sure that every person in Ontario knows just how much the federal carbon tax will cost them. We will do everything in our power to protect people from being punished by a discriminatory federal carbon tax. Speaker after 15 years Ontario has been in the most vulnerable Ontario. The next question is to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. The Conservatives have a lengthy record when it comes to cuts that hurt the most vulnerable Ontarians. The last PC government slashed social assistance by 21%. In years in office not once did they raise the minimum wage from 50%. Scrapping the basic income pilot, a 50% cut to social assistance rate increases. Rollback of minimum wage. Can the minister confirm whether today's social assistance announcement will be more cuts, more austerity and more suffering for vulnerable people? Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Thanks very much for that question. You're going to be so surprised this afternoon when we have a plan for those more and better and compassionate supports. I am so proud of this government and the team that we have built together over the past 114 days as we've looked at that $10 billion budget that is supporting almost one million people but still one in seven are living in poverty and I am so proud to be part of this government that's not only for the people but for the most vulnerable people in this province. Once again I'm very proud to be part of this government. I'm very proud to have a right that I had to stand up because I couldn't hear what the minister was saying because of the noise of the standing ovation. Start the clock. Supplementary. Back to the minister. Many recipients of Ontario disability and Ontario works have been anxiously awaiting this afternoon's social assistance announcement and I mean a distressing period, while this PC government decides their fate. Since such little information has been made available and there was zero, zero public consultation, we only have the PC's record of cuts and austerity to go off of when anticipating the results. Can the minister confirm whether she intends to follow the lengthy PC trend and continue to make life harder for our most vulnerable Ontarians? And I suggest you don't laugh after my question this time. If her questions weren't such a joke, maybe I wouldn't laugh. But Speaker, let me tell you something, previous Liberal government... Can I ask the minister to withdraw? Withdraw. So for the past 15 years, the previous Liberal government consulted. We use those consultations. We consulted with people right across Ontario. In fact, I want to read this to the member opposite. Ministers McLeod and Smith seem to genuinely engage in the conversation and express depreciation to all who attended. We were encouraged by Minister McLeod's final comment that her ministry is the heart of the government and she has resolved that people will not reduce its deficit on the backs of the most vulnerable people. That is from Ed Bentley of the poverty round table of Prince Edward Hastings. But let me be perfectly clear, today when we announce our path forward on social assistance, we will lift people up, we will instill compassion into the program, and we will make sure those who can't work will be working and those who can't have the supports they need. Start the clock. Next question, the member for Ottawa South. My question is for the acting Premier. It's been a banner week for accountability in the Ford government. First, the Premier refuses to hold his chief of staff accountable for his actions. The Finance Minister opens the backroom door for union and corporate donations in his fall economic statement. More critically, the attack on independent officers of this legislature is unprecedented. The elimination of the commissioner of the French services is really difficult. It's wrong and the government knows this because there are voices inside their own government that are telling them that it's wrong. The Speaker, through you, why is this government so afraid of accountability? Acting Premier. Thank you very much to the member for the question. It's obvious, Premier, that he missed pages of the fall economic statement or missed the odd line because it's very clear that with respect to fundraising, I realize that the Liberals were caught in a fundraising scandal, Speaker, and it caused many changes to come. But, Speaker, what he is mentioning about union and corporate donations is absolutely incorrect. It's categorically wrong. That is not included in the fall economic statement. In fact, what is is the fact that we will be mirroring the federal, closer mirroring the federal regulations which absolutely does not allow for corporate or union donations. It's unfortunate and I'm very worried he missed a lot of the other good things in the fall economic statement which I hope to add to in the response. Well you must have forgot to remove the attestation about own funds and the minister can say whatever he wants about us. But we didn't run around silencing our critics. It's pathological with these folks. Pathological. The decision to eliminate the child advocate is wrong too. The child advocate is an independent voice with very vulnerable children in this province. Children whose voices are the hardest to hear. And I know that the minister of children I know that she knows in her heart that it's the wrong thing to do. So the government has also secretly moved to exercise the power of hiring and firing independent officers of this legislature based on their opinion. And if that's not an attack I don't know what is. So back again to the minister. What is it you're so afraid of? Minister. Well, Speaker, where do you go with that? I can tell you that the Liberal government did run around creating as the auditor general called it bogus financial documents. That's what the Liberals were busy doing. So it's obvious that the member has missed certain key pieces of the fall economic statement. So for that member I will remind that in our fall economic statement we are bringing relief to 1.1 million individuals in the province of Ontario. Anyone earning $30,000 or less will no longer pay provincial income tax. That is $500 million that is being returned into the pockets of the people of Ontario. When Premier Ford and our team was elected we said relief is on the way while, Speaker, for those millions relief is here. My question is to the minister of government and consumer services. We recently learned the disturbing news that Justin Trudeau's Liberal government has brought in access to the personal financial information of Canadians through statistics without any consent. The privacy commissioner of Canada wasn't even aware of this and expressed grave concern. Mr. Speaker, the fact the federal government proposes collecting the sensitive data is very concerning. It's important to recognize that their intention is to collect this data without even informing Canadians. It was only revealed by the media. This is no way for a federal government to treat Ontarians and respect their violation of their privacy. Last week I introduced the so-called how this bill will protect Ontarians with their private information. Good question. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Through you I would like to thank the Honourable Member from Oakville for this excellent question and for bringing this piece of legislation forward in this House. I'm sure all members of this House have by now heard the statistics Canada was gathering the private financial information of Canadians without their knowledge or consent. Simply put, this is unacceptable. No level of government should be able to collect highly sensitive information like this without at the very least informing citizens of their actions. Instead Mr. Speaker what we have seen from the federal government is smoke filled backroom decisions and data collection that would make Big Brother blush. We're not going to stand for it Mr. Speaker. If Justin Trudeau isn't going to do something, we will. The Starting Information Act introduced by the member of Oakville will require the government institutions requesting personal information of citizens may only disclose information with the consent of the citizen. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the Minister for the response and congratulate him on the action we are taking to protect Ontarians from federal overreach. We in this House know that when consumers into credit agreements with banking and financial institutions they disclose sensitive personal information. That information affects your credit score and affects your ability to get everything from a credit card to a mortgage to purchase a house. The federal government in its decision has overstepped into a realm of private data collection which no previous government has felt necessary. Mr. Speaker I ask the Minister of Government and Consumer Services to explain how this legislation will protect consumers and how this will prevent the abuse of the federal Liberal government to sensitive information for Ontarians. Good Minister. Thank you Speaker. Again I would like to thank my Honourable colleague for the question. We know this is an important issue for Ontarians and Canadians generally. A recent Nano's poll found 75% of Canadians are opposed to Statistics Canada accessing their personal records without their consent and 57% wouldn't be comfortable consenting to giving up this personal information. Mr. Speaker we won't allow the federal Liberal government to track purchases and credit scores of Ontarians without their consent. If the safeguarding or information act is passed it will put the protection of consumers first. Government will need their consent before sharing this information. This is a necessary step in protecting the information of all Ontarians and will fill regulatory gaps that allow Justin Trudeau to pull data without citizens knowledge or consent. Mr. Speaker I am proud to stand in this House and support this legislation and I'll be proud to stand up for it when the bill is debated at second reading November 29th. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. The full economic statement cut $1.4 billion for transit infrastructure compared to what was in the last budget. But the government failed to specify where these cuts are coming from and what transit projects could be on the chopping block. Can the Minister explain what transit projects are in jeopardy because of this $1.4 billion cut? Minister of Transportation Thanks very much for the question for the member opposite. I appreciate having this opportunity to respond to you. Look what we did mention and I announced earlier this week is that we're going to be moving forward working at the City of Toronto and uploading the TTC to the Metrolinx. So we will be going forward after we work out a deal with the City of Toronto at building, planning, designing new subways and also maintaining the track and the City of Toronto of course will continue to run the subways and keep the fares that are collected. And by doing this measure we are creating efficiencies in our budgeting system which will allow us to actually invest more as we grow and build the transit system across the entire GTH region. So thanks again for that question. I look forward to your supplementary. Before the election the Premier promised to maintain funding for the here Ontario LRT which is scheduled for completion in 2022. But the full economic statement did not mention the here Ontario LRT at all and last week the government refused to confirm the project would be moving forward. Can the minister tell us yes or no? Will he be maintaining funding for the here Ontario LRT so that it can be completed by 2022 as planned? Minister. Thanks again for that question. We've had numerous discussions in the ministry reviewing all the projects going forward and I can tell you that we were making the best decisions on behalf of the people of this province. You know we have inherited a 15 billion deficit and over 300 billion dollars in debt. We have to make sure we're making decisions that are going to work for the people of the GTHA. And as I said as we're uploading the TTC we are going to be creating original structure across the GTHA. With the leadership of Metro Leagues we are going to be making some good decisions for the people of this province and we're going to be expanding the transit opportunities. The here on LRT is still having a great discussion about within our ministry and we look forward to having great announcement with you in a short time forward. Thank you very much. Next question the member for Scarborough Rouge Park. Thank you speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. We are in a commitment to put more money in people's pockets. Premier Ford made it clear people in Ontario pay enough taxes already. Unfortunately this is not something the previous Liberal government understood. We have been doing everything we can to bring relief to the people of Ontario from 15 years of Liberal tax and spend policies. We have done we have take action like stopping the hike on driver's license fees. We have take action like scrapping the punishing cap and trade carbon tax. The point is every dollar counts. Can the minister please explain the steps taken in our fall economic statement to provide further tax relief to the hardworking people of Ontario. Minister of Finance. Thank you speaker and thank you to the member from Scarborough Rouge Park. The previous Liberal government raised our taxes every single chance they got. The Liberals 2018 budget planned to further punish the hardworking people of Ontario with changes to the rates, brackets, surtax and credits for Ontario's personal income tax. We made it clear during the election that we would not implement these Liberal tax increases and as a result speaker seniors those with disabilities and those who claim Ontario's medical expense tax credit will benefit the most. Our government's decision will save about 150,000 people with allowable Ontario medical expenses $320 on average. Our decision will save these taxpayers $35 million speaker. That's money that will stay in their pockets. Thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for his response. We are so happy that the days of unfair Liberal tax hikes are over. The people of Ontario deserve a break especially the seniors and those living with disabilities as the minister mentioned. While the Liberals were too focused on funding they are out of control spending and waste our economic fall statement turned the page on 15 years of mismanagement. Our decision not to proceed with Liberal tax hikes is just one of the ways we are letting Ontarians keep more money the harder money in their pockets but we are also cutting taxes for those who need to leave the most. Could the minister please explain the tax relief we are bringing to the people of Ontario who need the most. Thank you speaker. Our legislation if passed would introduce one of the most generous tax cuts for low income workers in a generation. The low income individuals and families tax cut or lift. Premier Ford proposes that anyone earning $30,000 or less a year should pay no personal income tax in Ontario. This change if passed would provide tax relief to 1.1 million people. Now unfortunately the NDP do not want to talk about this much needed relief. In fact as I said earlier the NDP MPP from Hamilton West Lancaster Dundas thinks we are quote talking about people who earn so little that in fact they don't need a tax break. I'm talking about $500 million they don't want to share with the people. We will never back down from bringing relief to the people who need it most. Start the clock next question member for Niagara Falls. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question to is the minister of transportation. The Premier promised the people of Niagara that he would deliver all-way two-way service to Niagara Falls. But the word Niagara is completely missing from the fall economic statement. But was there was 1.4 billion cut to transit infrastructure. The Premier of Ontario has committed to expand Goal Rail service to Grinsby to Grinsby, St. Catherine's and all the way to Niagara Falls by 2023. Will the minister confirm that the Premier will live up to his commitment to bring two-way Goal Rail service all the way to Niagara Falls as planned? Thank you very much for that question from member opposite and I do appreciate receiving the questions today. It's nice to have this conversation in the legislature. Look, we've made a promise to improve two-way Goal service across this region and we're living up to that plan. We have implemented the largest Goal Train service increase in over five years and we're reducing congestion throughout the GTA. In fact, there's already 220 new trips per week on the Goal Lakeshore corridor. That's an increase of 18% across this region. We are starting to kickstart the economy. We're moving people. We're going to be moving goods. And Ontario truly is open for business under the pre-C government led by Premier Doug Ford. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker, my question is also to the Minister of Transportation. Before the election, the Premier promised to deliver two-way all-day Goal service to Kitchener as quickly as possible. But since the election, we have nothing. The words go transit and regional express rail were completely missing from the fall economic statement. But what was there was a $1.4 billion cut to transit infrastructure spending despite the fact that transit is an economic driver. When will the Minister deliver two-way all-day Goal service to Kitchener because they have waited long enough? Thank you very much again for that question and I really do appreciate discussing policy here. It's not too often we get great questions on policy. And look, I do have to call out my colleagues on the PC caucus. The member from Niagara West, the member from Kitchener Conestoga, the member from Kitchener Southwest, you know what, they've been strong advocates for improving Goal transit across this province, particularly in the regions. And you know what, this is an issue the whole House agrees upon. We need to get Ontario moving again and that's what we're going to be doing. Stay tuned. That's all I can tell the members opposite. Stay tuned because good things are happening in Ontario and Ontario is a hundred percent. Member for York Centre. Hard question of the day. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Congratulations on your new portfolio minister. Yesterday the minister delivered remarks at the Toronto Region Board of Trade plans for transit and we couldn't be more excited. Our government for the people understands the vital service that the Toronto Transit Commission provides. The TTC Subway is the third largest system in North America with over half a billion riders in 2017. I'm proud to be one of those riders. Mr. Speaker, we got to get moving on the TTC or more importantly, we got to get riding. Can the minister please tell the House on our government's plan to revitalize the TTC Subway system for the people of Ontario? Yes. Minister of Transportation. Thank you very much and thanks for that question from the member of York Centre, another strong voice in our caucus. And I omitted the member from Cambridge. I couldn't tell you how many times she has advocated for expanded boat transit. Listen, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Toronto Region Board of Trade for inviting me to speak to them yesterday. And I'm really happy that my parliamentary assistant, Kinga Sirma, was with me at that time. Thanks very much Kinga, another strong advocate. And I want to thank my co-ministers, Minister McNaughton and Mr. Clark for also attending. Our government for the people has been clear in its commitment to improve transit and transportation experiences in the City of Toronto by asking ourselves these questions. How do we make life easier for commuters? How can we get tourists and transit users moving faster? How do we achieve the best value for our customer the Ontario taxpayer? We will be uploading components of the TTC to the province because our government for the people is committed to treating the subway like a vital service that it is. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I'm so grateful to the Minister for the plan and for the answer. My favourite three words in the English language, Mr. Speaker subway, subway, subway. Subway, subway, subway. Alright. But unfortunately the current approval courses in the city and despite what my friends in the no development party say, the current plan by the city does not work. It's timely, costly and ineffective. Take this but I'm an extension for a second in the great writing of York Centre. Over budget, over time by about four years. This is not a way for us to do business. This is not the way our government is going to approach transit in this province. Can the minister please expand on our government's plan to upload the TTC subway system? Minister. Thank you Mr. Speaker. The current planning and approval process is far too onerous, costly and it's failing to provide Ontarians with the best and most efficient subway system that they deserve. Fixing this was a key election promise from our party and the people of Ontario answered that promise by electing the PC majority government in this province. That's why we've now crafted the solution to upload components of the TTC to the province. Our government has a greater capacity to fund these projects which will facilitate the development of our transit projects. One of the first steps of this process was last August appointing Special Advisor Michael Lindsey to work to determine the best approach for this upload. Looking ahead we're looking forward to working further with the City of Toronto to develop the plan and implement it in the new year to upload the TTC and provide the regional transit planning and operations implementation that we can do. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Question the member for Oshawa. Thank you Speaker. Thank you Speaker. And my question is also to the Minister of Transportation. The premier promised to deliver two-way all-day go service to the fine folks of Bowmanville but since the election we have been told that all transit projects are under review including projects that the premier had specifically promised to deliver and the fall economic statement showed an unexplained 1.4 billion in cuts to transit infrastructure expenditures. So I'm hopeful that the minister will please reassure those fine folks in Bowmanville and the Durham region and answer when will the minister deliver two-way all-day go service to Bowmanville. Minister of Transportation. Thank you again for the member from Oshawa for that question. I miss sitting in committee with her that we used to sit in back in the last session so it's appreciative to get the question and I'm feeling a little bit like the minister environment today getting lots of questions so I'm appreciative. Listen we are doing a review of all the projects going on in the ministry of transportation. We're starting to focus on the upload of the Toronto TTC which will enable us to have more funding available for transit across the region and Ontario as a whole. You know we've already had some expansions with the go service and we're looking forward to continuing to see how we can expand go service but not only go service but regional transportation across the region to make sure that it's integrated to make sure the fares are coming closer in line. Mr. Speaker this is going to be a great four years for the people already in the governmental Ontario and for the province Ontario as a whole and I'm really looking forward to the next four years. Supplementary. The member for Ottawa center. Speaker back to the minister in 2016 the provincial government committed a billion dollars in funding for phase two of the Ottawa LRT. Construction is scheduled to begin next year but the fall economic statement makes absolutely no reference to the project. In fact it only predicts a 1.4 billion cut to transit infrastructure spending will the minister confirm that the province will fund a billion dollars towards the second phase of the Ottawa LRT so that construction can begin next year as planned. An answer will be loved. Minister of transportation. Thank you for that question from the member from Ottawa center. It's nice to receive a question from you. Look as I said before we're doing a great review of the projects that are ongoing in this province. We haven't walked away at all from the Ottawa LRT expansion. I could tell you the members from the Ottawa region that are pushing hard in our caucus are strong voices for the people. We've got the member from Ottawa, West Nippee and we've got of course Ottawa Nippee and Glen Perry Prescott Russell of course. You know we've got in Carleton. Listen I'm hearing their voices. I'm hearing your voices and what are we going to do is we're going to ensure that transit is built in this province. The Ottawa LRT is still on track and you know I look forward to continue working with you as we go forward. Thank you very much. Next question member for Eglinton Lawrence. Cation. Minister far too often we hear about incidents of bullying across this province. Bullying can happen anywhere at home or in social settings in our community. I'm most troubled when I hear of this happening in our schools. We know bullying can have major impacts not only on physical health but also on mental health as well. Mr. Speaker our government has been clear that we're committed to ensuring safe and supportive learning environments for all students across Ontario. When a child arrives at school they should feel welcome and they should feel safe. Minister as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week comes to a close can you tell us more about how our government will continue to raise awareness on this issue throughout the year. Thank you. Thank you. That is fantastic, thank you. I'll now ask the Executive Minister to answer the questions of the young people. I'll now ask the State Department to answer the questions of the young people. May I ask to ask the State Department to answer the questions of the bullying can have major impacts on not only physical health but mental health as well. Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear that we are committed to ensuring safe and supportive learning environments for students throughout Ontario. When a child arrives at school they should feel well and they should feel safe. Minister, as bullying awareness and prevention week comes to a close, you know what, we are putting our best foot forward with all our efforts excused. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, thank you Minister for your response. On behalf of my constituents I want to thank the government for ensuring bullying prevention is a conversation which is happening all year long. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is right. Everyone in this house needs to get involved in this conversation and do their part to prevent bullying from happening in their own communities and to provide supports to those who need it most. We know that bullying can have long-term effects on its victims. Minister, what can MPPs do and where can we turn when we learn of incidents of bullying in our communities? Thank you Mr. Speaker and back to the member from Eglinton Lawrence and again there's so much that we can do and you lead by example in that regard and every member in this house needs to know there's so many supports not only in their own riding but throughout the province. Just yesterday morning I spent time at the kids help phone in Toronto. It's phenomenal what they do. The councillors they have on staff, the volunteers that are in place are reaching out to people when when they're looking for help throughout this amazing province and I say amazing because technology has brought everyone together through the kids help phone and I love what they're doing so much in that they are reaching out through every social channel available to them. It's just not on the phone but also it's through every social channel and you know what I was inspired to see people dedicated to supporting children 24 seven seven days a week and they also acknowledge at the kids help phone line that there are other initiatives like West for Youth get in touch for Hutch and so many more and we thank you thank you very much. I have my question is to the Minister of Transportation. Remote populations served by Ontario remote airports are among the fastest growing in Northwestern Ontario Northern Ontario and then also we are Mr. Speaker we have to understand these airports are actually lifelines for the communities that they serve but Ontario's Northern airport investments have not kept up with the with the need and because of that there has been situations where people have not received urgent medical attention because planes helicopters were not available to land. Millions of dollars in groceries and medicines have spoiled because they could not be delivered. So my question Mr. Speaker has the government begun to engage with flying First Nations communities in the far north to begin discussion on essential improvements to these airports. Thank you very much for that conversation that question and you know you know it's right it we need to improve transportation within the North especially with our indigenous populations and we have an understanding of that to connect communities to ensure they have opportunity to receive supplies to receive medical help to move to and fro out of the area and we understand that and the Minister of Transportation is working with the Minister of Energy Northern Development Mines to address these issues we're starting forward has the ministry started that engagement I've been on the job for 15 days I'm still getting the briefings and I'll find out for you what they're doing and I'll give you my commitment if they haven't I'll tell them to get working on it. These airports Mr. Speaker serve a critical role for the safety and the well-being of the people in the far north communities and yes there has been needless deaths unnecessary suffering due to the lack of landing approach infrastructure for these remote airports. Mr. Speaker could I the Minister of Transportation transportation tell the House how he plans to begin working with the remote Northwestern Northwestern northern communities in the north so the basics like up-to-date landing instrumentation equipment is available to these airports. Thank you Mr. Minister of Northern Affairs and Indigenous Affairs. Minister of Energy Northern Development Mines Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the opportunity to respond to this question of course what I think about and the member from Kuwait Nung and I were just youngsters but there was a great progressive conservative minister he was called the Emperor of the North and he is in fact the guy who started to build those very airports and runways in all of those isolated communities that's very well documented we can continue Mr. Speaker to remain committed to the opportunity of opening up our northern communities to ensure that we have the social health and economic benefits that are afforded to those isolated communities by building corridors to prosperity electrification and road access is just as essential as any other form of transportation infrastructure we're going to be talking about that in the next couple of months there's going to be a budget to support that we just hope the member will stand with us and vote to support better transportation for Northern Ontario. Next question member for Simcoe North. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Training Colleges and Universities. Minister I was happy to sponsor the Ontario Electrical League reception this morning and I know they've also met with many MPPs on both sides of the house and I also see many of the OEL members here in the gallery too. OEL members were very excited about the passing of Bill 47 yesterday especially the changes to the journey person to apprentice ratios. They were also telling me how they will now be able to hire more apprentices. We know there is a demand for skilled trades in Ontario. Can the Minister tell us what our government is doing to create better jobs and fill these job shortages within our province? The Minister of Training Colleges and Universities. To the member opposite for her strong advocacy we promised the people of Ontario to create good jobs and good paying jobs and make Ontario open for business. We want to work with employers, unions, employees, businesses to make sure that happens and to fulfill our promise to the people. Modernizing the Ontario College of Trades and standardizing ratios are key steps to delivering on those core promises to Ontarians. The current system was not working and we need to change that. It wasn't working for the trades, it wasn't working for employers and it wasn't working for Ontario. We need a system that gets Ontario's economy moving and fills that skills gap. Groups like the Ontario Electrical League we've heard from and we want to make sure that we move forward with changes that are positive for business employers and employees. The Premier was clear with the people of Ontario during the campaign that our government will fill that skills gap by increasing. Member for Essex on a point of order. On a point of order speaker. Speaker two days ago I had a private conversation with you a serious conversation about the need to spread some holiday cheer around this place. I asked you, as members would know, we only had about a week to experience the wonderment of this building as it's adorned for the holidays and I asked you to use your vast powers in this building to see if you could expedite that process and I'm happy and thankful that you did so and we now have a 12 foot Christmas tree to adorn the grand staircase outside. So I just wanted to thank you for doing that. To all a good night. No, I appreciate the member for Essex pointing that out. Certainly if the tree is there it's wonderful. We can get into the Christmas spirit in here and I want to express my appreciation to the staff of the Legislative Assembly who made it possible to get the tree. Point of order? Point of order the member for Scarborough Agent Court. I forgot to mention that the reception for the Lebanese Independence Day celebration will take place in room 230. It is hosted by the World Lebanese Cultural Union and at the same time I would like to add or mention the rest of the delegation who were here earlier. The Council, the Honorary Council, Gregor Bostajan, his wife, Desiree Bostajan, Elias Kassab, Mary Moussa, Fadir Habib Tanuri, Fadir Walid Khouri, Fadir Ibrahim El-Haddad, Mr. Fadi Khemi, John Jadon, Eli Jadon, and Hanan Dagher. Thank you very much. Member for Scarborough Guildwood, have a point. Point of order speaker. It's my pleasure if I may to introduce Jean-Francois Le Roux who has done such great work with Conceal Scala Vieux-Mont and but I know today he's here to be with his son Vincent. So it's wonderful to have you and thank you for being here today. Pursuant to Standing Order 38A, the leader of the official opposition has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the acting Premier concerning the Premier's Chief of Staff. This matter will be debated Tuesday at 6 p.m. Pursuant to Standing Order 38A, the member for Ottawa South has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the acting Premier concerning accountability. This matter will be debated Tuesday at 6 p.m. There being no deferred votes. This house is recessed until 1 p.m.