 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Speaker, my questions to the Premier. School starts in just a few weeks, and all we've seen from this Conservative government is chaos caused by the Premier's backroom deals. Radical extremists like Charles McVity and Tonya Granick-Allen want to prevent kids from learning about consent, cyber-bullying, gender identity, and LGBTQ families. They want to drag Ontario back to 1998. I get that. That's who these people are. But this Premier is fulfilling their every wish, Speaker. Why does the Premier care more about satisfying social Conservatives than he does about protecting the health and safety of our students? Leader of the opposition ran in the last election, went across the province like I did. Now, maybe we talked to two different groups of people, but I don't think so. Every single group I went to visit, Mr. Speaker, they told me they weren't consulted. We did a little research on how many people were consulted. There was 4,000 online surveys. Out of the 4,000, I keep in mind we're a province of 14 million, just want to remind people, out of the 4,000 people, Mr. Speaker, 1,638 people responded. And that was after the curriculum was done, by the way. That is 0.001% of the population. Now, the leader of the opposition thinks that's fine to consult with 0.001%, and then ram their liberal ideologies down the rest of the province. We believe in consulting with the people. Supplementary question. Speaker, scrapping the updated health curriculum puts students at risk. It is an irresponsible thing to do. And now, the Conservatives are throwing school boards into limbo with just weeks before classes start. The Ontario Public School Boards Association has received no official notice from the Ministry of Education about what exactly is happening this fall, and how exactly they're supposed to teach the 1998 curriculum in the year 2018. How does this Premier expect school boards to turn back the clock 20 years in less than six weeks? Premier? Through you, Mr. Speaker, I think the leader of the opposition is getting her numbers wrong. We're actually going back to the 2014 curriculum. I know there might be a problem with numbers and figures, and I can appreciate that. But in saying that, we're going to go right across the province. We're going to contact 124 writings, the constituents that live in those writings. We're going to do a thorough end-to-end consultation that's never taken place ever before when it comes to the sex ed curriculum. We will go back to 2014. After we consult, I know the leader of the opposition doesn't believe in consulting with the parents, but we will consult with the parents. We'll get their input, and from there we will move forward with a more modern sex ed curriculum. Mr. Speaker, maybe this Premier has trouble with what century we're living in. But in fact, the 1998 curriculum is exactly the curriculum that he's dragging us back to, Speaker. They can pretend that it's 2014, but 2014 they were using the 1998 curriculum, Speaker. Premier's dragging us backwards, and his backroom deal with radical social conservatives is throwing school board planning into chaos. The Thames Valley school board is seeking a legal opinion to figure out what could be the legal ramifications if teachers in fact do what's right for students and continue to teach the updated health curriculum this September. They want to know what kind of penalties will teachers face if they stand up and teach about consent, gender identity, LGBTQ families in their classrooms. So why is the Premier throwing these school boards into chaos and putting students' health at risk for no other reason, Speaker, for no other reason than to please the radical social conservatives in his own party? Mr. Speaker, I find it ironic that the leader of the opposition is calling us radical. That's a good one. That's the pot calling the kettle black. You just have to turn around and see your radicals. Leader of the opposition, as I've said, over and over again, I know you don't believe, I know you don't believe, Mr. Speaker, to consult with parents. They'd rather ram this through with .001% of the population, even understanding it. Our ministers have been very clear. We've been very clear. All the ministries and schools right across all the school boards, we're going back to 2014 once we consult with the parents and we get their input because the leader of the opposition has no interest in consulting with parents. The leader of the opposition truly believes in the nanny state that they know better than the parents. We believe in consulting with the parents. Restart the clock. Next question. Leader of the opposition. My next question is also for the Premier. The Premier isn't just making backroom deals that put students at risk. He's also making backroom deals that will cost Ontarians more on their hydro bills. The Premier's decision to cook up a deal with the Board of Hydro-1 and give Mayo Schmidt at least $9 million is causing American regulators to sit up and take a second look at Hydro-1's acquisition of a VISTA. And if regulatory deadlines are not met, Hydro-1 ratepayers could be required to pay a massive termination fee to a U.S. company all because of the chaos caused by this Premier. When will the Premier come clean and tell us how much his backroom deal at Hydro-1 could cost the people of Ontario? Premier. Mr. Speaker, our party ran on reducing the hydro rates by 12%. Our party ran on giving relief to business owners across this province, relief to the people of this province. Leader of the Opposition wanted to close down the Pickering Energy Facility. Next month, it was up to the Leader of the Opposition that it would be 7,000 families looking for a paycheck they wouldn't have. We believe in reducing the hydro rates. We promised we would get rid of the CEO of Hydro-1, would replace the Board and that is exactly what we did and we did it with 07. We start the clock supplementary. Well, G Speaker, talk about somebody who doesn't know how to deal with numbers. First, he said it was going to be a zero amount of money that this backroom deal was going to cost and then we found out that his secret deal is actually going to turn the $6 million man into a $9 million man at least. Wow, that's great math, Speaker. And now the price tag continues to go up and the people that are going to pay that price are ratepayers. American regulators in four U.S. states are delaying regulatory hearings or reopening previous approvals all because of the chaos and uncertainty being caused by this premier. If regulatory deadlines are not met Hydro-1 will be on the hook to pay $103 million to Avista, a dirty, coal-burning U.S. power company. Why would the premier make a backroom deal that would cost Hydro-1 ratepayers the people of Ontario over $100 million? Premier? Through you, Mr. Speaker. I think the leader of the opposition she likes throwing figures around we looked at her budget that was off by billions of dollars so if you want to talk about numbers we'll talk about numbers but again we promised to reduce the Hydro-8 by 12% and we're on track to putting money back into people's pockets. We believe in making sure that Hydro-1 is run responsibly. We believe that the board members shouldn't be making $180,000 a year when people are struggling to pay their bills they're struggling to put food on their table but the leader of the opposition is okay with that. The leader of the opposition is okay with having the highest Hydro bills in North America she's okay with struggling families she's okay with people getting their Hydro cut off Speaker for 15 years under the Liberals families and businesses watched their bills skyrocket and new Democrats fought day in into Hydro-1 on the other hand conservatives had the privatization of Hydro-1 in their platform last time around but you know what now instead of fixing the problems in our Hydro system a chance that they have the Premier is creating chaos and uncertainty that will only cost people more on their bills he turned the $6 million man into a $9 million man and Hydro-1 rate payers could end up on the hook for $103 million if the Avista deal fails why did the Premier make a background deal that would cost the people of Ontario over $100 million and counting Premier for you Mr. Speaker last time I checked the leader of the opposition was down here the previous four years propping the other administration up propping Hydro-1 up propping wooden turbines up that were paying 10 times the amount also propping up the folks that were actually selling were selling Hydro at a loss at a loss but again the leader of the opposition is okay with that she's okay with attacking struggling families she's okay with attacking businesses and driving them out of the province they did because if it was up to the leader of the opposition who would have wind turbines everywhere we'd have even higher Hydro cost as one of her members said the highest carbon tax anywhere in the world opposition is anti-business anti-people that are struggling you're anti-anti-anti thank you restart the clock next question, member for London West thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier this morning violence against women advocates were at Queens Park to release an open letter to the Minister of Education about the rollback of the 2015 sexual health curriculum the letter was signed by 87 organisations and experts from across Ontario and across the country and it highlights the serious consequences to women's safety when consent is no longer taught in our schools Speaker, almost half of female high high school students have experienced sexual harassment one third have felt pressure into having unwanted sex this year alone 41 women and girls in Ontario were killed as a result of dating violence or intimate partner violence why is the Premier putting the health and safety of women and girls at risk by returning to a 1998 curriculum that provides no information about consent and healthy relationships good evening Minister of Community and Social Services Minister of Children's Community and Social Services thank you very much speaker and if I may pass on to my dear friend the member from Toronto Danforth my condolences for what happened yesterday earlier in the day my husband and I had been in the Danforth and it really is regrettable and very tragic so I just wanted to pass that on I'd also like to thank the member for her question as the member responsible for children and youth as well as women's issues I welcome those in the gallery today that have come here to discuss this issue and I'd be happy to have myself available after question period to have a conversation with you but let me be perfectly clear we ran a 28 day campaign on talking about bringing back responsibility to parents and making sure that they were part of the curriculum there's a big difference between being on that side of the house and making a promise and then breaking it and being on this side of the house and making a promise and keeping it and that's what we're doing for the people of Ontario I'm sure people on the front lines of ending violence against women know that education on consent and healthy relationships is critical to prevent gender based violence and advanced gender equality if this government was truly concerned about ending violence against women they would ensure that students receive comprehensive accurate information about consent, healthy relationships and the right of girls and young women to say no why does this government care more about catering to a small group of social conservative insiders than about ending violence against women I'd like to thank the member again for her question but let me be perfectly clear the members on this side of the house this government will take violence against women very seriously as well as gender based violence including those who are being trafficked and that is going to be a very important part of our government but during the campaign we made a very clear promise to replace the entirety of Ontario's sex ed curriculum with an age appropriate one that is based on real consultation with parents I get it previous NDP and previous liberal governments would come to this place they would make promises and then break them but let me be perfectly clear on this side of the house when we make a promise we keep it we start the clock next question the member for mississauga centre question is for the minister of health and long-term care for the past 15 years health care services in Ontario have deteriorated under the previous governments administration statistics for may 2018 say that 9 out of 10 patients in Ontario spent on average 10.3 hours in emergency rooms with some hospitals having er wait times of over 20 hours how short-sighted was the former liberal government when they failed to plan for a long-term care strategy and have not created a single long-term care bed in 15 years this oversight has resulted in immense backlogs in our acute care hospitals speaker we have all heard of alternative level of care patients these patients should be in long-term care beds but are instead occupying acute care beds simply because there is nowhere else for them to go can the minister tell us where the people is going to fix the mess created by 15 years of neglect in Ontario's hospitals thank you to the member for mississauga centre for your question the member is quite right that we are facing a health care crisis in this province in large part driven by a long-term care crisis due to the long-term inaction of the previous government we know that many hospitals across Ontario are consistently operating simply unacceptable for both patients and our frontline health care workers who are trying to work with them we also know that one of the ways to address hospital overcrowding is to enhance supports for patients outside the hospital that's why our government has committed to adding 15,000 long-term care beds over 5 years and 30,000 long-term care beds over 10 years addressing the high alternate level of care rates through a focused long-term care strategy reducing unnecessary emergency visits by providing better community supports and finally introducing a comprehensive and connected mental health care system are just some of the ways our government is committed to fixing this mess and getting paid the lack of long-term care strategy by the Liberals was not only fiscally irresponsible but also created a domino effect of backlog preventing many Ontarians from getting the proper medical attention as an emergency root nurse myself I spend many shifts in the back hall taking care of 5 or 6 bedridden patients at a time it was not only difficult to perform my nursing duties in this setting but frankly the moralizing patients wait for hours or days in designated hallway beds to get proper treatment without dignity or privacy our health care professionals, nurses doctors and other hospital staff work in this environment trying to help patients in hallways which is impacting their own mental health and burnout rates a hallway is not a place of work and it definitely is not a place of healing my question is simple what will the minister of health and long-term care do to put an end to hallway nursing in Ontario I'm sure we could agree on all sides of this house that treating our loved ones in hallways and storage closets is not acceptable and that's why our government has been clear is one of our key priorities and we will deliver again to start our government has committed to building 15,000 long-term care beds over 5 years and 30,000 beds over 10 years which will help alleviate some of the pressures we've also committed to finally and fully developing a mental health and addiction strategy to give patients the ability to access supports outside the emergency room and before they are in crisis and we will work with our frontline healthcare workers to improve access to primary care together we will listen to patients and caregivers and to frontline workers to doctors and nurses to create a healthcare system based on a comprehensive long strategy for healthcare thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier concerns continues to grow around the hand-picked appointment of former PC Premier Mr. Campbell to audit the province finances it's becoming very clear why Premier Ford has chosen Mr. Campbell he cut and privatized services while selling off public asset just like this conservative government plans to do Mr. Campbell's former chief of staff said of his appointment and I quote no matter what he says I think it will be a fairly predictable outcome that he is aligned with the Ontario government end of quote did the Premier appoint Mr. Campbell specifically because he will reinforce his own agenda of cuts and privatizations Premier Mr. Kanan thank you for the question well our government has made a commitment to the people of Ontario to open up the books to fully understand fiscal position restore accountability and public trust in our government's finances at long last our government is carrying through with that promise with the appointment of former Premier Gordon Campbell who will be joined by Mr. Michael Horgan long time federal public servant and Dr. Al Rosen one of the member preeminent forensic accountants in all of the country this is both a commission of financial inquiry that's long overdue and much needed in the province of Ontario supplementary back to the Premier Speaker Ontarians are very concerned about what Mr. Campbell records of cuts will mean to our public health care system Mr. Campbell has condemned Mr. Campbell in his premiership saying that he ranks and I quote among the very worst when it comes to his government actions on health care like Mr. Campbell's chief of staff they are also worried that Mr. Campbell is a biased choice with Mr. Campbell's record and the Premier promise to cut 4% or already underfunded health care system is at risk to be decimated by more cuts will the Premier commits today that he will not follow in Mr. Campbell's footsteps that he will not put more cuts to our health care system Mr. Campbell thank you well very disappointing speaker to hear a former Premier of British Columbia Liberal Premier at that being denigrated here in the legislature he is joined by preeminent financial speaker Dr. Allen Rosen he is being joined by a long time public servant Michael Horgan who not only served for 36 years as a public servant he served for five years as the deputy minister of finance for the federal government and let's be clear we need to understand that this commission of inquiry the intention is to look back speaker at what went wrong the line by line will look at ways to fix it this is an opportunity to look at past spending and accounting practices that is the role of this commission member for York centre my question is to the honourable minister of children community social services and minister responsible for citizenship and immigration I was following with great interest the meeting of premier's in New Brunswick last week one important issue on which the premier is finding more partners on is the legal border crossing as a former land immigrant myself I can assure you that Ontario is a welcoming province that generously helped to settle more immigrants than any other province in Canada Ontarians know that our province is stronger with a diverse and robust immigration system that's said Ontarians want to know that there is integrity in the system and that our laws are respected speaker my question is could the minister responsible for citizenship and immigration tell the house what she's doing to help bring back integrity to the immigration system thank you very much speaker into the member opposite you really truly are somebody who is living the Canadian dream born in the USSR moving to Israel and then coming to Canada not only setting up a successful law firm and practice in the city of Toronto but then becoming an MPP for York Centre congratulations truly are an inspiration we are a very welcoming society in Ontario and I think that was evidence this past weekend when I was able to travel to junior carnival in Scarborough with our colleague from Scarborough Rouge River as well as to the nation's capital where I reside to attend events with the Indo-Canadian community the Lebanese community and the Ukrainian community each event that I went to talking to hundreds of people who were newcomers to this country either as refugees or as immigrants they told me they appreciated Premier Ford's strong leadership in ensuring that we have a strong and confident border system and there's integrity in our immigration process I'll speak more I will take your seat speaker back to the minister I thank the minister for that answer and wonder if this government's call to the immigration system will be heard could the minister kindly inform the house as to what measures she intends to take to ensure that Ontario's voice is heard by the federal government again for the question as you know we have had some significant wins in the past couple of weeks under Premier Ford's leadership first we were able to ensure that the federal government understands that they have obligations with respect to resettlement and that they will fund directly the provinces we're going to continue to make sure that they fund us fully we have about $175 million outstanding we're going to continue to fight for that the prime minister recognized the problems at the border and within the week that we were talking about this appointed somebody Bill Blair to become the minister responsible for border security so I think that was significant in addition on Friday I was very heartened to see that every Premier in the country stood by with our Premier Ford to ensure that we send a very clear to the federal government that they must pay their bills and tomorrow I'll be going to Ottawa to appear before the federal immigration committee and I will tell them they need to pay their bills we have $175 million and growing bill with the federal government thank you questions to the Premier the Premier said time and time again that he does not break the promises he makes on May 29th the Premier made a promise to the people of Ford area when he was asked if he would bring the slots back to the Ford erase track and he said and I quote absolutely we're going to get those back there I sent the Premier a personal invitation to attend the Prince of Well stakes running in Ford area tomorrow will the Premier confirm today that he'll be at the Prince of Well stakes tomorrow and that while he is there he'll be true to his word and return the slots to Ford area Premier, Minister of Finance Minister of Finance thank you very much under the previous Liberal government the slots at Ford area race track were indeed closed in April of 2012 putting approximately 220 people out of work the slots there had operated for 13 years you know Speaker it is going to certainly take a tremendous amount of time to correct all the errors of this previous Liberal government it is going to take time but we've already started Speaker we started by scrapping the cap and trade we're saving families $285 we're working on lowering the price of gasoline by 10 cents a liter we're getting out of the expensive energy contracts saving $790 million along the way Speaker this is all about promises made and promises Speaker again to the Premier I didn't hear a yes so I want to ask the question again as the Premier knows hundreds of good paying jobs were lost in Ford area when the Liberal government made a reckless decision to rip the slots out of the track revenue that supported the town were also lost we have a chance here to do the right thing or read that again we have a chance here to do the right thing and get the slots back in Ford area and create good paying jobs given the Premier's promise to the people of Ford area when can we expect to see the machines go back into the track promise made so far promise not kept Speaker I am absolutely shocked at the question from the member of the opposition let's all remember it was the official opposition who helped pass the previous budget in 2012 that voted to cancel slots at race track it was those people right on that side Speaker who stood up against the Liberal government and voted against the budget that cancelled the slots at race tracks the NDP government stood with the Liberal government in 2012 and shut down the horse racing Speaker and appalled to hear that restart the clock next question the member for Don Valley West Thank you very much Mr Speaker and my question is for the Premier in his role as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Mr Speaker Ontario's trade relationship with the United States is a very significant factor in our strong economy but I know that the Premier is aware that there are 28 states that count Ontario as their number one or number two trading partner so the integration of our economies really cannot be overstated in the last two years Ontario has played a leading role in the Canadian push to make an outreach to Governors 38 Governors have been contacted there are relationships with auto sector industry organizations agriculture industry organizations Mr Speaker my question is given the acceleration of the trade conflict between Canada and the US how is the government going to build the federal government as part of a team Canada approach to influence decisions being made in Washington because that outreach was done precisely for a moment like this as the trade relationship deteriorated and has the contact been made by the Premier Premier Thank you Mr Speaker Thank you for the question Yes the Premier is one of his first actions in becoming Premier in fact he was still Premier Elect began to contact Governors to build on the work frankly that the Honourable Member did when she was Premier of the province also Mr Speaker I just came back from Washington where for the first time in the history of Ontario and US relations I appeared before the Commerce Committee to speak directly to decision makers to make sure that they understand that if President Trump were to bring in tariffs on automobile parts that yes we would be devastated on this side of the border some 900,000 jobs it's estimated would pretty much go overnight at least within the first 30 days however I reminded them and many of the Governors and many of the lawmakers that we spoke to did not know that some 9 million jobs would be lost so if President Trump goes ahead he's going to hurt us but he's going to hurt his people a lot more Mr Speaker I appreciate his visit to Washington but unless he's going to move there we don't have a representative anymore in Washington Mr Speaker Ontario has no representative in Washington could the Premier through the Minister update the legislature on plans to fill that position in order that like Alberta and like Quebec we have an effective presence in the US you know Mr Speaker issues like the by America provision in New York were pushed back to Ontario's advantage exactly because we had a representative in Washington Mr Speaker so I'll ask the Premier when he will appoint a replacement given the urgency of the trade issues facing this problem including the fact that NAFTA talks are set to resume within weeks Mr economic development job thank you again Mr Speaker thank you for the question we not only were represented by the Ambassador United States so Canada was represented by very capable bureaucrats bureaucratic level but also by the Minister Mr Speaker for the first time in our relationship in the United States we didn't just send a bureaucrat to hearings we sent we were really well received also for the first time 148 members of Congress on the first day we were there wrote a letter an unprecedented letter to the President saying that it would not be right it would be very harmful to US citizens to Ontario residents and our workers if he put these tariffs on automobiles and auto parts so I think we made progress I didn't get beat up over there Mr Speaker that was a tree in my front yard we were well received and we were all rowing on the oars in the same direction to tell people that Ontario is open for business Mr Speaker next question the member for Eglinton Lawrence Mr Speaker Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing our government for the people wants to make sure that Ontario's economy thrives can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing speak to the changes announced to expedite development in downtown Toronto that will help create jobs Mr Speaker I want to take this opportunity to thank the member for the question and also to congratulate her on her election she's going to represent the good people of Eglinton Lawrence in an exemplary fashion in this House so thank you again our government speaker worked with the City of Toronto and also with my colleague the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry to streamline approvals for new construction in the lower dawn the changes will be felt Speaker not just in the City of Toronto but will have a huge impact in our country as well our government used common sense and amended the building code to enable construction to proceed in this strategic location in downtown Toronto at the same time that flood protection is underway the approach will save us time it will save us money and it will protect health and safety Mr Speaker back to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing thank you very much Minister this is great news for Toronto for Ontario's economy and for businesses could the Minister tell the House how this announcement in Toronto fits into our Government for the People greater plan for creating a robust economy I was remiss and not congratulating you on your selection I look forward to working with you and I love seeing you in the Chair you know Speaker people of Ontario gave us a very clear mandate to create jobs we're doing that and we're signalling that Ontario is open for business Speaker we're governing for the people and in municipality all across this province we're smoothing the way for development in the lower dawn land by cutting red tape and working collaboratively with the City of Toronto and private developers we're unlocking an employment potential of over 50,000 jobs and over $5.1 billion will be added to the Canadian economy we're going to be attracting staff creators and within municipalities we're opening the door for businesses I want to signal today that this announcement last week is just the first of many many ways we're going to streamline development thank you I question the member for London North Centre Mr Speaker I'd like to congratulate you on your recent election of this House today my question is for the Premier London's only family shelter Rothholm Manor operated by mission services currently provides a temporary shelter for refugees and their families already this year 80 refugees and 18 families have been assisted but I was shocked to learn that as of last week the shelter was at 219% capacity wow officials have recommended using federally and provisionally owned properties as temporary shelters Mr Speaker will the Premier commit today to providing these necessary shelters to the families at Rothholm Manor Premier Mr. Premier thank you very much for your question your question signifies exactly what we have been trying to do for the past three weeks the federal government helps support the province of Ontario and our municipalities because our shelters are at capacity you don't have to take my word for it the Mayor of Toronto who I spoke with on Saturday is over capacity we have invested 800 beds from the province to the city of Toronto but those are going to be required back on August the 9th therefore we have a looming crisis that we've required we've requested the federal government be involved in in addition to the city that I reside in Ottawa is an 11 million dollar shortfall in its shelter cost so this is happening right across Ontario and it's happening because the federal government has lost control of its policies and that's why I'll be there tomorrow in Ottawa making sure that the federal government pays its bills for its responsibility and they stop shirking the responsibility it's time you stood up for Ontario thank you that answer is disappointing and does not deal with the need that we have London is not the only city that requires more government support to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers are properly housed yet this Conservative government chose to walk away from 11 million dollars in federal funding for provincial refugee resettlement downloading cost to already overwhelmed municipalities Mr. Speaker will the premier take concrete steps to provide support and housing and stop shifting the responsibility to other governments to open the provincially and federally owned properties now where in the world does 11 million dollars equal 175 million dollars I think that's an irresponsible response from the member opposite he should know that the federal government has sold jurisdiction over border management and Canada's refugee and asylum programs including who is eligible for a refugee can't claim over 328 million dollars from my department in social assistance for refugee claimants we support them in many different ways including with over 100 million dollars in resettlement what we are asking on this side of the house and with Rachel Notley and Joe Hargan have also John Horgan agreed with is to make sure that when the illegal border crossers come in and they are seeking asylum during that period of time that the federal government pays its own way so I ask you again are you on the side of Ontario just intrude all restart the clock member for Willowdale my question is to the minister of labor since March 5th more than 45,000 students at York University have been out of the classroom they've been unable to attend classes because of the ongoing strike by two units of QP 3903 Mr. Speaker I know our government has introduced the back to class act to get students back into the classroom so they can finish their courses that were halted over four months ago Mr. Speaker can the minister explain to the house why the government felt it was necessary to introduce the back to class act Mr. Labour Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to congratulate the member from Willowdale on getting elected it is a question of the legislature today and it is a very important question let me be clear getting students back to the classroom is an immediate priority for us is the longest post secondary strike in Canadian history more than 45,000 students including first year students affected by this strike understandably the students are upset and concerned about losing their school year and uncertain about their future finding a resolution to this situation has to be done we have every indication that both sides are deadlocked and there is no resolution in sight Mr. Speaker we need to get the students back to the classroom and to get the two parties back at the table Thank you Mr. Speaker back to the minister I agree there is a sense of urgency to get these students back into the classroom and I'd like to thank the minister for her answer during second reading debate on Thursday I along with many of our colleagues shared with the house experiences of students who have been affected by this very unfortunate strike Mr. Speaker the government promised to put an end to the strike at York University by two units of QP local 3903 can the minister please elaborate for the members of this house why it's appropriate to move forward with this legislation Thank you Mr. Speaker and again I'd like to thank the member for the very important question the students at York University have been working together for more than four months it's over 100 days faculty members of unit number two of QP 3903 have already settled the remaining two parties are deadlocked there seems to be no solution in sight this was confirmed by an independent industrial inquiry commission so Mr. Speaker our priority is clear we need to get the students back to the classroom get the two parties back to the table this is about getting the over 45,000 students affected by this strike back to the classroom Thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is for the premier President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on auto and auto part imports would be devastating to Ontario's auto sector it would put thousands of good jobs at risk in Ottawa and across Ontario in the past conservatives they would be content to see Ontario's auto sector die Speaker there wasn't a single mention of auto manufacturing in the PC party platform what the PC party did promise was to kill the jobs and prosperity fund which supports millions of dollars of investment into the sector will this conservative government develop a comprehensive auto manufacturing strategy for Ontario Premier Mr. Vakaroma Mr. Vakaroma Well thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the honourable member for the question I know the NDP have asked this of the former government on many occasions so I have directed the department to begin work on the compliance of auto strategy it's a personal interest to me I have honed a manufacturing of Canada in my writing the fact of the matter is the honourable member is quite correct we're extremely dependent on the automotive sector the automotive parts sector 1.5 jobs or 1.3 million Ontarians work in that sector and the ripple effect is millions more people their jobs are dependent both on this side of the border and on the American side of the border and in Mexico and that's why I was down in the United States last week to remind them just how important the sector is a lot of our governors in that don't necessarily pay a lot of attention to Canada but in this time of trade crisis they're starting to pay attention to their attention so that they'll know that millions of their people will be affected should the president do what he wants to do thank you speaker and again to the premier for years the auto and auto parts industry have been calling on the government of Ontario to develop a real and meaningful auto manufacturing strategy for the province but to this day Ontario has no strategic plan for an industry that accounts for 1.5 or 20 percent of our GDP so this is beyond irresponsible and does put the entire Ontario economy at risk speaker we cannot predict what president Trump will do but we can prepare for any outcome so will this government do the responsible thing in work with the auto and auto parts sector to develop a real auto manufacturing strategy minister well thank you speaker the honorable member I find it ironic in the 28 years I've served here it seemed to me the NDP were against economic development you want $2 a liter gas you want higher high hydro rates cap and trade you were doing everything you possibly could as a party to kill the auto sector in this province so will do what you failed to do and what the liberals failed to do and will lower prices will lower gasoline will lower hydro will make this place competitive again Ontario is open for business and that includes our auto sector a sector you ignored for years next question the member for Northumberland Peterborough South restart the clock speaker my question is for the minister of health and long-term care there is a health care crisis in Ontario and addressing this crisis starts by ending hallway medicine and alleviating the backlogs in our hospitals but there is a silent killer among us too long that is lack of mental health supports cell phone was going off so I'll ask the member to restart his question killer amidst the health care crisis and it has been ignored for far too long that is lack of mental health supports approximately 20% of individuals will directly experience a mental illness during their lifetime approximately 80% of individuals will be directly affected by mental illness among family members friends or colleagues mood disorders schizophrenia anxiety disorders personality disorders eating disorders and so on have a devastating effect on the lives of Ontarians and on their family members will the health and long-term care lay out what this government is doing for those that are struggling with mental health issues thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you very much to the member from Northumberland Peterborough South for this important question we have been very clear on this issue throughout the election campaign and now as a government we will support Ontario's public health care system by adding $3.8 billion to create a comprehensive mental $9 billion to match the $1.9 billion to be committed by the federal government developing and implementing a thorough comprehensive and connected mental health and addiction strategy once and for all as a priority for us as we all know mental health is health with increases to mental health funding families especially with children and youth with mental health issues no longer have to wait for the life-saving services they need we need these services where they need them and when they need them Supplementary Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the minister for her answer and for moving swiftly to address this issue in follow-up it is a people like our frontline health care workers that we must fight for and support during our time in government these frontline health workers are the heroes in our hospitals and health care centers that help Ontarians through difficult times such as mental illness for the minister of health and long-term care how will you support our frontline health workers in Ontario hospitals and care centers and ensure we're listening to them Thank you Mr. Speaker As minister of health and long-term care I look forward to working with our frontline workers in mental health care in places like Ontario shores center for mental health sciences children's mental health Ontario and KMH the government will supply the frontline workers with the resources they need to support and serve Ontario's patients and families so that we can all move forward to create a mental health and addiction strategy for Ontario that all Ontarians can navigate as the premier has said in the past the Ontario PC government will provide faster access to care by enhancing access to primary care providers reducing unnecessary emergency room visits and bringing down wait times promise made promise restart the clock thank you my question is to the premier in 2012 the Liberal government cancelled the northlander passenger train the only passenger rail link to northeastern Ontario stranding thousands of northerners during the campaign the premier promised to bring passenger rail back northerners listened intently to the throne speech and we didn't hear much about northern Ontario we didn't hear anything about passenger rail bringing back passenger rail northeastern there was no mention so has the premier forgotten his promise and if not when will passenger rail come back northeastern Ontario Mr. Northern Development thank you Mr. Northern Development thank you Mr. Speaker we have a tremendous opportunity across this vast region of northern Ontario to open up corridors Mr. Speaker so people can move about from health care facilities in small towns to bigger city centres to move mineral product Mr. Speaker to move forestry products to open northern Ontario up for business and contribute to that advantage that our premier said throughout the campaign the hope and prosperity for Ontario Mr. Speaker that we would all be open for business including northern Ontario thank you Mr. Speaker through you Mr. Speaker during the campaign the premier promised to bring back passenger rail to northeastern Ontario let me make that clear passenger rail we know all about freight but we also have to move people what I heard in that response what I heard in that response is promise made promise made baby that's what I heard northerners want to work together to bring that rail back when will you make that promise and when will that train come back will all be a chicken fried goose fat Mr. Speaker that's a member who voted to shut that corridor down shut that rail service we want to move people we want to move product we want northern Ontarians to be able to move across our vast region northeastern Ontario Mr. Speaker when the premier says we're open for business he means the great region of northern Ontario as well thank you Mr. Speaker you start the clock next question the member for Flamborough Glenbrook thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Finance last week the government for the people announced plans to restore trust and accountability to public finances after 15 years of liberal waste mismanagement and scandal this is badly needed in fact the Toronto Sun editorialized that the Commission of Inquiry into the state of Ontario's finances and the line by line audit of government spending ordered by Premier Ford as he promised in the election are critical first steps it is important for the public to understand why we need these two separate but connected endeavors to do this through the Speaker to the Minister can you explain to the House what exactly the Commission of Inquiry will be responsible for and how it is different from the line by line audit great question Thank you very much Speaker for the question from the member of Flamborough Glenbrook it's great to see you here the Commission of Inquiry will look back at what went wrong while the line by line audit will look at ways to fix this the Commission headed up by former British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell will look at the provinces past spending and accounting practices that's the real crux of this Speaker is looking at the practices their job is to help to bring us to the present to determine what the state is of Ontario's finances today the Commission will report back by August 30 and the public will see the same report that the Premier and the rest of us see and as we highlighted last week the Auditor General welcomes this and has said that she stands ready to assist Speaker the Treasury Board President will address the line by line supplementary Thank you for that response Minister the previous Liberal Government will look at the finances in a very challenging position Ontario has the highest sub-national debt of any jurisdiction in the world it took 15 years for the previous Government to create this mess and it won't be solved overnight it is clear that the Commission working closely with the Ministry of Finance will shed light on the accounting practices that led our economy into some of the challenges that we now face with the President of the Treasury Board please update the House on the further steps the Government is taking to ensure the people of Ontario not only have a true picture of the province's finances but also a clear understanding of this urgent and complex issue President of the Treasury Board well thank you Mr. Speaker and through you to the member for Flamborough Glenbrook and I also would like to commend you for the great victory so congratulations as one of our first priorities this Government announced last week as the Minister of Finance and the Premier have mentioned that we will commission a line by line audit of the province's finance and the Treasury Board Secretary is currently seeking bids from outside consultants a firm will be selected in a few weeks Mr. Speaker under this Government Ontario's finances will be healthy and honest once again all provincial programs agencies and transfer payments are within the scope of this audit the results will be used to develop a responsible plan to achieve efficiencies for taxpayers Mr. Speaker we will not tire and we will not stop until we have uncovered all of the waste of the previous Government Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier the sudden cancellation of the Green Ontario Fund has heard families in my writing who had signed contracts worth several thousand dollars in Wawa where families faced some of the highest energy costs in the province 30 homeowners were approved to receive a rebate for installing new modern word heating appliances but they have until September to finish the installation this is not enough time many families will lose the rebate and many contractors will lose the work will the Premier take thousands of dollars out of the pockets of Northern Ontario families or will they extend a Green Ontario program Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker through you the member and thank you for the question we've been very clear and very honest with the people of Ontario we campaigned on the promise to end the Liberals cap and trade carbon tax program and we will do just that we're proceeding with the orderly wind down to the program and we have proceeded with that because it is funded by the regressive tax that the previous government had put into place we've made clear to all the participants in the program the timing for that and we will not change our mind we will not deviate from that schedule because it's important Mr. Speaker that the people of Ontario know we are not in favour of a carbon tax cap and trade program we will not support the programs by that but we will wind them down an orderly basis to support the businesses that in good faith worked with that program again to the premier a constituent of mine Roli Dubois the owner of Dubois construction is one of the many who are suffering from the unexpected cancellation of the green on program Mr. Dubois did everything he was supposed to do he invested in his employees and send them for training and to qualify under the green on program he paid the mileage the accommodations, the tuition and wages while they got the training but now because of the premier's cancellation of the green on program the work will disappear and he and his workers will have invested that time and money for nothing will the premier continue to ignore people like Roli Dubois or will he respect businesses and their workers and extend the green on program so all installations can be completed Mr. Speaker through you to the member we campaigned quite clearly we were honest with Ontarians we would be eliminating the cap and trade carbon tax program and the programs funded with it your constituent and other constituents would suffer much more under the NDP's version of a carbon tax the highest carbon tax in the world than they will from the straightforward approach of this government that concludes the time for question period before we adjourn for the morning I want to introduce a guest who I have in the visitor's gallery actually the speaker's gallery my executive assistant Judy Brownrake my constituency office for 28 consecutive years this house is now recessed until 1pm this afternoon