 Seeing none, it's therefore time for a question period. The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. President, my question is for the Vice Premier. The government has said nothing, and the government has taken no measures all of a sudden. And when the government saw the polls, they started to do something to support the Francophone University in Ontario. There was no up to far, no bill was stable to that effect. The promise done, is it true or is it virtual? Mr. Speaker, thank you for the question. I'm excited about the forward movement on the issue of a French Language University in Ontario. For too long our Francophone students have not had the opportunity to learn an environment that is by and for Francophone Speaker. That is going to change, and I am delighted that we are making very strong progress on that change. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, to the Vice Premier, Boreal College must be sure that this Francophone University will be launched. It cannot be not a promise. A bill should be a table and adopted before the fall. And the problem with this government, every time there is a new promise before an election, the government doesn't hold their promises. The Boreal College should be organised and ready before the bill is stable. Thank you. I'm very proud of the question. This will allow me to talk about all the promises made by this party that were not held for years. I'm very proud of our commitment to make sure that the Francophones have services in Ontario. There will be precise measures. There will be a bill table, a Francophone University non-fair for the Francophones. When the leader of the opposition talks about not held promises, we can't remember more for and all the stuff they've done to the Francophone for years. Mr. Speaker, I'm very proud to be within the government of a Premier who committed to the Francophones and our parliamentary caucus. We'll make sure there will be Francophone services in Ontario. Please sit down. Mr. Speaker, to the Vice Premier, the question, will there be a bill, will there be France? Before the air elections, the government must do something today. The report by Miss Adam was published a few weeks ago. It was the first step, but we need real commitment from the Liberals and from our cooperation involved. Still worried the partners will have representatives from students and from communities. Will this be done? Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased. All the work done by Dr. Gianada at the planification level, and this report provides us with tools. And we are committed, I mean the government, to table a bill to create a fund for the advisory committee to make sure there is progress to that regard and also starting funds to make sure that this committee can put in place of this university. Maybe the opposition leadership's review is now to make sure how to create a university Francophone. We must table a legal entity. This is what we'll do this fall for the Francophones and all Francophone Italians. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. Last week the government charged ahead with more contracts for power we do not need. The famous Fit 5 contracts were signed. The most unnecessary fifth sequel since Police Academy 5, assignment Miami Beach. An unnecessary movie just like these unnecessary contracts. They are the same contracts the Liberals pushed forward on the day after their unfair hydroplane. 390 contracts signed, sealed and delivered. 150 megawatts of power Ontario doesn't need. Mr. Speaker, why does the government, why do the Liberals keep on signing contracts for power we do not need? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Always happy to answer those questions. If we're talking about movies, Mr. Speaker, it's like Groundhog Day on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker. We get it over and over again from a party that has no idea on the electricity system, Mr. Speaker. Maybe what the opposition leader needs to do, Mr. Speaker, is listen to his critic on TVO, Mr. Speaker. We're talking to Steve Paken. They talked about signing new contracts. So the tweet saying she signs the next round of bad energy contracts tomorrow is inaccurate, right? Yeah, okay. I'll say that's inaccurate. That's from the energy critic, Mr. Speaker. He doesn't even understand the process. When we're talking about Fit 5 contracts, Mr. Speaker, these were from November 2016, Mr. Speaker. There's nothing new here. Just like Groundhog Day, Mr. Speaker, they have nothing to do but light their hair on fire and run from issue to issue, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back to the minister. The Premier is famous for her so-called conversations. These conversations tend to cost Ontario millions and millions and sometimes billions of dollars. Her latest conversation seems to have promised the opposition party in Quebec a significant deal. According to the leader, the Premier committed to building hydro dams in Quebec for even more power Ontario doesn't need. The Premier, of course, denies that secret deal, but, Mr. Speaker, maybe the Liberals want to come clean because we keep on having new contracts for hydro we don't need. Now there's this report in the newspapers in Quebec about this new secret deal. Are the Liberals in negotiations for more power from Quebec that we do not need? Will the government come clean? Mr. Speaker, the Premier, myself, have been crystal clear, Mr. Speaker. There's no new contract with Quebec. But, Mr. Speaker, the opposition keeps bringing it up with no facts, Mr. Speaker, and that's part of the whole problem when it comes to the opposition making things up, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The fact is, our government has clearly stated our... Member for Prince Edward Hastings, come to order. And I might jump to a warning if he does something again when I sit down. Carry on. Our government has clearly stated our goals for Ontario's electricity system, which is clean, efficient, and above all, Mr. Speaker, affordable energy. We will not consider any deals that do not meet these goals, Mr. Speaker, whether it's imports from Quebec or generation here at home. So while he continues to read tweets from an opposition party in Quebec or tweets from Donald Trump, you know what, Mr. Speaker? There is no coal coming in here, Mr. Speaker. We're going to make sure that our system is clean, it's green, reliable, and affordable, Mr. Speaker. Just like our plan says, I like that party that... Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy and talk about Groundhog Day. This is a government that will say anything, regardless of reality. They will say anything, regardless of the facts. The Premier of Quebec called the CAQ's announcement very worrisome. He said it was a major mistake. The Premier of Quebec may have had different reasons to be concerned, but I too find the deal worrisome. And I know the Minister of Energy is saying the newspapers in Quebec are wrong. The letter his staff accidentally released are wrong. Everyone else is wrong, but this is on the front page of the papers for a reason. It's worrisome that Ontario would be in negotiations to buy power we do not need. We are to give away billions of power. I am sick and tired, Mr. Speaker, of Ontario ratepayers having to give away power, paying for power... Mr. Speaker, I am tired of over a billion dollars of clean, green, Ontario hydroelectric power being spilled and wasted. Mr. Speaker, my question is this, rather than attacking others, will you simply say the Premier said last week that she was working towards a deal with Quebec, working and talking about it? I want to know unequivocally. Are there any negotiations at all with this? Can you see it, please? Minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So let's be crystal clear. The Premier has said there is no new deal. I have said it, Mr. Speaker. But again, they continue to try and find ways to use some of their own information, but Mr. Speaker, they continue to tell the people of Ontario the wrong information. They do the same thing when it comes to our energy sector, when it comes to what they call spilling water, Mr. Speaker. This just shows how little they know when it comes to the electricity system. One advantage of our clean, reliable and flexible system that we have built, Mr. Speaker, is that we're able to procure energy on an as-needed basis. This means that we only use the electricity that is produced at the cheapest cost at that time. So it sounds to me, Mr. Speaker, that that party once again wants to start charging ratepayers more and more forward a fair hydro plan that have reduced rates by 25% on average, Mr. Speaker. If you know what they did, they voted against it. Thank you. The curse you have is for sitting right beside me. No question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the acting Premier. Recently, my office received results of a Freedom of Information request about how much the Liberal government is spending to advertise their $40 billion hydro borrowing scheme. The number, Speaker, is eye-popping. The Premier has allocated $5.5 million from the public purse to sell this boondoggle for bankers to the public. Wow. Documents reveal the reason for this campaign was to counter, quote, negative media coverage of rising electricity bills. Does the acting Premier care to explain why the government is spending $5.5 million, $5.5 million public just to fight negative media coverage for the Liberal Party, Speaker? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to rise and talk about the fair hydro plan and what this is doing to actually help the people of Ontario. A 25% reduction in all households right across the province, Mr. Speaker. It's important that they know that information. But what's also important, Mr. Speaker, is that they know about the programs that are available. The Ontario Electricity Support Program, this is a program that has increased, Mr. Speaker, increased the refund that many families that qualify will get for it. Mr. Speaker, we have prepared and have a budget to help 500,000 families through the OESP and we're nowhere near that number yet, Mr. Speaker. We want to ensure that every single person that qualifies for this can sign up for this program, Mr. Speaker. We cannot rely on the opposition parties to talk about these programs. So we need to ensure that the government has its responsibility to raise awareness about these programs and services that are actually helping Ontarians, Mr. Speaker. We're making sure that we're helping First Nations individuals, low-income individuals and seniors, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is spending $5.5 million to advertise their scheme to the public. The government adds about a plan that the FAO says will end up costing Ontario families more in the long run, don't do anything to help people who are struggling now to pay their hydro bills. Yet, the government's low-income electricity program, support program that the Minister was just talking about received an ad campaign worth less than half of the $5.5 million that they set aside to promote their borrowing scheme. So can the acting Premier tell us, Mr. Speaker, that the Liberals are more concerned about spending public money to save their own political skin than they are about informing low-income families about how to get relief from soaring hydro bills? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're very pleased with the OESP program, Mr. Speaker, and the people that it's helping, but we know that it can help more people, Mr. Speaker. And that's what the Fair Hydro Plan did, Mr. Speaker. It brought forward solutions to help low-income individuals, unlike their plan, Mr. Speaker, that didn't even mention First Nations and waited to the last page, Mr. Speaker. And I know they forgot to talk about talking about their plan, because, Mr. Speaker, it did nothing to help the people. But on top of that, Mr. Speaker, there are more programs that are actually going to help low-income individuals, those who live in northern or rural communities, Mr. Speaker. That's the TripleRP. We've changed that, Mr. Speaker, from just being Hydro 1R2 customers to include both Hydro 1R1 and R2, plus six other local utilities, Mr. Speaker, making sure that their distribution charge is on average like everyone else in the province, Mr. Speaker. They're saving significant dollars. So we'll continue to talk about this plan that's helping every single household and 500,000 small businesses and farms in this province, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I have to say that if the Liberal Government is so committed to helping people who have to choose between keeping the lights on and feeding their families, why didn't they just use that $5.5 million advertising budget to actually help the people of Ontario deal with the cost of electricity? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If they're concerned about helping so many low-income individuals and helping every family across the province, why didn't they vote for the Fair Hydro Plan, Mr. Speaker? That's a 25% reduction that everybody saw in this province on July 1st. But instead, Mr. Speaker, they chose to vote against that. They chose to vote against on-reserve First Nations having their delivery credit removed. They chose to vote against the OESP program that's helping seniors, that's helping low-income individuals, Mr. Speaker. They chose to vote against the TripleRP helping rule and remote people, Mr. Speaker, that live in those parts of our province. Of course, Mr. Speaker, that's not unusual for that party because they always seem to vote no on everything that actually helps people in this province, Mr. Speaker. That's why we're bringing forward programs like the Fair Hydro Plan, like Bill 148 that will continue to invest in the people in this province and make a difference in all of their lives, Mr. Speaker. New question. The leader is a third party. My next question is also to the acting Premier Speaker. This ad campaign has been funded, go figure, right through the 2018 election campaign. Wow! And because of the sneaky changes that this government made the Liberals get to run their partisan political ads about this costly scheme right during the election next spring without any oversight from the Auditor General Speaker. Does the acting Premier honestly think that using public money on partisan ads for their $40 billion borrowing scheme is going to win them and their government enough good favour with Ontarians to keep them in office? Come next June. Thank you. Mr. Vanerjee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So let's talk about the Fair Hydro Plan. Right? 25% reduction for all families right across the province. 500,000 small businesses and farms, Mr. Speaker. And then we talked about the programs. The OASP program offers significant support. I'd hide my eyes to a member from Renfield come to order. And previously the member from Hamilton, I'd hide my eyes to order. Carry on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I was saying, the OASP offers significant support to low-income households across the province. And nearly 300,000 Ontarians have already applied since last year, Mr. Speaker. And we've been doing everything we can on this side of the House to get enrollment even higher. We've put the inserts directly in people's bills, created advertisements, Mr. Speaker, and even more, we're working with the Ministry of Community and Social Service to talk about Ontario Works automatically qualifying, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Let's talk about using public dollars for partisan purposes. Let's talk about that. The other government changes to the advertising laws give them a partisan advantage. And we know from the FOI documents on my desk right now about negative media coverage for the Premier and her Liberal Party. Has this Premier not yet learned her lesson about these sneaky kinds of tactics and that Ontarians are fed up with this kind of behaviour by this Liberal government? Mr. Speaker, it would only be the party opposite that sees giving families an additional $1,000 off their electricity bill as sneaky, Mr. Speaker. That is making sure that every family sees a reduction in their bill as sneaky, Mr. Speaker. You know what's sneaky? They actually voted against that, Mr. Speaker, and then don't publicly say that. Mr. Speaker, on this side of the house we've made sure that we've brought forward a plan that is going to actually help every single household. It's going to continue to find ways to help businesses, Mr. Speaker, and we're going to continue to work to ensure that the message gets out on it, Mr. Speaker, unlike the opposition party. Final supplementary. Speaker, this advertising campaign is expensive. It was clearly thought up to help the Premier and her Liberal Party bounce back in the polls. It is touting the so-called benefits of a program that the FAO says will be bad for Ontario families. And the Premier is running these ads without any oversight from the Secretary-General because her party decided to change the rules to favour the sitting government. This all amounts to the exact same thing, Speaker. Why is this Liberal Government once again prioritising their political future over the needs of Ontario families? Thank you. President of the Treasury Board. President of the Treasury Board. Yes, thank you very much. And, Speaker, I would like to remind everybody that Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that actually has a Government Advertising Act which gives the Auditor General oversight. The party opposite voted against the original legislation in 2004 and they voted against the update in 2015. And let me tell you what is in that updated legislation which they oppose. What is in that updated legislation is an explicit prohibition on Government Advertising when there is a Scheduled General election which we will have in June of 2018. There is an explicit prohibition on Government Advertising 60 days before the writ drops. We will not be running fair hydro ads during that period. I would like to remind members that you are speaking to the chair. New question? Member for himself. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Premier. Last Thursday, the member from Northumberland, Quinty West, made a reference to the North as a No Man's Land. I do not represent a No Man's Land. I represent the people of Sault Ste. Marie and as proud Northerners we take Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the member acknowledged making these comments and the video shows we can clearly see making these comments to the member from Perry Sound. People in my community constantly tell me that this Government does not care about the North. This confirms that belief. So Mr. Speaker, will the Deputy Premier please acknowledge the truth and apologize for this attack on the North? Deputy Premier. There are many people in this legislature who work very hard for their constituents. I could tell you that the member from Northumberland, Quinty West has no parallel when it comes to listening to people in his writings. I'm somewhat disappointed in the tenor of this moment so we're just going to start. But I will ask the member from Northumberland, Quinty West to come to order. And I ask the member from Kitchener Conestoga to come to order. And the member from Beaches East York. You have a wrap up. Speaker, the member from Northumberland, Quinty West works tirelessly. He works in his writing. He listens to concerns of people. He comes to a Queens Park and he brings those concerns to him. And the member from Quinty West will come to order. And because of what your messaging is to me, we're moving into warnings. Carry on. We could all learn a lesson from the member from Northumberland, Quinty West. We could all be better members when we follow his lead speaker. I'm proud to be associated with this member. Thank you. And the member from gracious corner of the Queen's Park will ask to come to order. I was not in the chamber at the time. It's the member's shifting explanations. He's sending to my constituents that are in no man's land, the members view is confirmed with this government thinks of us in the north. watch we fell from the number one mining jurisdiction in North America to the 16th and the Ring of Fire remains untouched for 10 years. My constituents want an honest answer from this government speaker. Either they apologize to the north or they're telling all their MPPs it's okay to answer the north with lies. A member from Nipissing will withdraw. Deputy Premier. Minister of Energy. Speaker I'm very pleased to stand up and talk and represent a party that actually does things for Northern Ontario unlike that party Mr. Speaker that makes a box and says let's cut out the waste that's found may call as Boreal that party has no idea about Northern Ontario Mr. Speaker expansion of Highway 69 I'm at Canador College making announcements where's the MPP not there Mr. Speaker. From Nipissing please come door I kind of told you about this four minutes ago and I also dealt with this last week leave each other alone do your job in your own writing remember we'll withdraw draw Mr. Speaker finish let's continue Mr. Speaker to Mr. Speaker from NOHFC hundreds of millions of dollars being spent in all of the writings in Northern Ontario Mr. Speaker that's done by this government Mr. Speaker the expansion of Highway 69 Mr. Speaker in Sault Ste. Marie I was just there recently Mr. Speaker opening up and talking about NOHFC funding going into outspoken Brewery Mr. Speaker actually helping their local hospital with more funding Mr. Speaker answer this is what this party does on this side of the house Mr. Speaker all they can do is make up false claims about MPPs which is completely inaccurate your question member from London Vancho. Peggy Clark of London came to Queens Park early this month to support the MPP's call for a public inquiry into a broader investigation to long-term care Peggy's mother endured crisis after crisis she was treated with the wrong medication for three months she was moved three times in just six months and her personal belongings went missing Peggy knows that frontline nurses and PSWs are doing the best they can but there's there's just aren't enough of them to provide the care that our parents and grandparents deserve. Will the acting Premier listen to women like Peggy and immediately expand the public inquiry to find and fix the systemic problems in long-term care of health long-term care for health long-term care. Well thank you Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question I was very moved when I read about this this this woman's experience with a loved one in a long-term care home but Mr. Speaker with regards to the public inquiry which is underway let me tell the legislature what carp is saying publicly about the scope of the inquiry we are we are pleased that the inquiry will look into both the circumstances and the systemic issues around the wet luffer case said Wanda Morris VP of Advocacy of Carp this opens the door to issues like funding and staffing which may indeed be the root cause of why wet luffer was able to continue to kill and assault care residents for so long. Mr. Speaker we intentionally wrote terms of reference that were sufficiently broad to enable the justice to travel down the pathway she sees fit to answer these broader systemic issues. Thank you supplementary. Thank you speaker far too long the conservatives and the Liberal governments have swept problems in long-term care right under the rug and it's time to change that. Families and caregivers like Peggy Clark are calling for a broad public inquiry into long-term care. Leading advocates like the Advocacy Center for the elderly are demanding a broad public inquiry into quote the huge problems in long-term care and members of this legislature have voted to support a broader public inquiry that gets to the bottom of the real problems in seniors care. Will the government do the right thing and expand the public inquiry or will it find another reason to sweep the problems right under the rug. Thank you Mr. Speaker and the registered nurses Association of Ontario the headline of their press release read RNAO welcomes broad-based public inquiry into nursing home deaths at the hands of Elizabeth wet luffer and here's the quote Mr. Speaker a broad-based public inquiry should address concerns about the health and well-being of Ontario Ontarians living in nursing homes says the registered nurses Association of Ontario RNAO is pleased the province answered its call for an independent public inquiry to get to the bottom of the event surrounding wet luffers horrific actions and in particular address the systemic factors to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring. We are pleased at RNAO that the government listened to our request to set up a public inquiry with a broad mandate. We now urge just Justice Gillies to exercise her full authority to make recommendations that will address the failings of our current system including legislation and regulations funding models staffing and thank you thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker to our excellent Minister of Francophone Affairs today September 21st all Francophone phones in Ontario are celebrating Franco-Ontarian Day. We have started this day with the raising of the flag here in Queen's Park with a very large Francophone community that are represented here as well with the students that are representing Francophone Councils here. I would like to welcome them. I was wondering if the Minister could tell us about the commitments that we have made here among the government towards the Francophone community. The Minister. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank my colleague the member for Ottawa Vanier for her commitment to the Francophone community. I'd like to start by saying hello to every Francophone in the province celebrating September 21st 25th as well as all of them who are here today. I'd also like to welcome the Francophonie Assembly of Ontario for their work and also for this amazing flag raising this morning. Mr. Speaker there was a very important moment last Thursday and I'd like to raise that the Premier has honored the whole province and Franco-Ontarians by being the very first provincial leader to make a speech at the National Assembly in Quebec. She remembered her commitment to Franco-Ontarians. Talking about the Francophone University and Mr. Speaker we are very proud today. Thank you. Supplementary. I would like to thank the Minister for her answer. It's with great pleasure that we see the our government's commitment. I'd like to have more details regarding the Francophone University. Could the Minister please tell us more on this topic? Thank you. The Minister. With great pleasure Mr. Speaker. I'd like to highlight that the member is also a great ally for Francophones. I'd like to thank her for her work. Let me remind you Mr. Speaker that our Francophone community community has been waiting for the creation of a Francophone University that is managed by Francophones. We've been waiting for this a long time. We've decided to table a bill to create a Francophone University in Ontario and we can be proud of it. That university will be the first one of its kind in the province and will offer more possibilities to students who want to study in French. Believe me this university will open a world of opportunities for Francophones and Francophiles in southwestern Ontario but for the whole province really. It's a great step and a significant step for our young people and I would like to thank my colleague Deb Matthews for her leadership on this file. Thank you very much. My question is to the Minister of Energy. Last week the crown began to lay out its case in the infamous gas plants trial and before the government starts to tell us that this is matter before the courts and they begin to dodge, dip, dive and play a game of yet duck and play a game of dodge ball. I want to share the words from the crown speaker. Laying out their case they said quote despite the Liberal Chief of Staff being quote painstakingly advised for his obligations to maintain records. The defendants quote acting together destroyed records that they had a legal duty to preserve. So Mr. Speaker despite those comments I'm not going to ask about any specifics in the case but I do want the Minister to apprise this assembly why it is that the Liberal government has a policy to hide the truth. Member will withdraw. Minister Bench. Thank you Speaker to the Attorney General. Well so thank you very much Speaker I will attempt to answer a withdrawn question and the answer the answer speaker doesn't change because the member acknowledged that in her own question that it will be inappropriate to discuss any matters that are before the courts and I appreciate the member that she has the knowledge of the rules and she very much appreciates the fact that these matters are before the courts and it will be highly inappropriate for any members in this House to to engage in any conversations that are subject to a court proceeding. So Speaker that's the best answer I can give at this moment to a withdrawn question. Thank you. Speaker back to the Minister of Energy I asked a very specific question on a government policy on record keeping that the government doesn't want to answer but it was Charles Dunning I think who said it best as he played Texas governor. Ooh I like to dance a little sidestep now you see me now you don't I'm on my way. So Speaker this Liberal government doesn't like that their shady dealings are aired out in public and I'm not surprised. Secret Quebec hydro deals deleting documents wiping computers paying Liberal insiders shutting down government committees obfuscate hide and block just seems to be the Liberal. The member will withdraw and if she continues down the road that she is on with regards to her language I will pass the question withdraw please. Withdraw on that line Speaker how can the Liberal the people of Ontario trust this Liberal government to do anything I certainly don't I would leave it to the government to explain to us why those records weren't kept last year. The member could try any which way to use any kind of all over the top rhetorical language she wants to use she in her own question admitted that she's she's asking questions that are related is related to a child that is taking place and she knows the rule better than anyone she's been in this house long enough to know that when it comes to a matter that is before the courts it is inappropriate for anybody to engage this conversation that's the rule that that applies to to this instance no matter how you frame the question or any other matter and therefore speaker I advise everyone not to not to engage in line of questioning that can have an impact on on a case that is ongoing speaker we should respect you process we should respect the the independent judiciary and the work that is going on in that particular case thank you thank you new question the member from Niagara Falls Mr. Speaker my question is to deputy premier over 3,000 cameo to workers have been on strike and Ingersoll for two weeks these workers are striking because they need GM to commit to keep building the equinox right here in Ontario our industry is closely connected here in Ontario the shutdown at Kami has resulted in 255 layoffs at GM in St. Catharines and 180 layoffs at Spencer ARL in Niagara Falls if the equinox production has moved out of Ontario not only will Kami workers lose their job so will thousands of other workers in Niagara we know that the Conservatives said let the auto industry die they don't support the auto workers for the second time since the strike began I will ask the workers are fighting to keep their jobs here in Ontario why isn't this government fighting along with them thank you mr. economic development and growth mr. economic development growth well mr. Speaker clearly we are and have been for the last 10 or 12 years where we've provided more support for the auto sector than any government in recent history but our thoughts today and I'll talk about that in a minute our thoughts today continue to be with our auto workers and our auto sector in this province and I appreciate the question from the member opposite it's very important for me to say this we will continue to urge both parties General Motors and the workers to reach a conclusion to this negotiations as soon as possible because we know there are ripple effects now across our auto sector including places like St. Catharines we need to get these parties to a conclusion in this collective bargaining process as soon as possible and move forward in a positive way yes mr. Speaker to deputy Premier not one auto plant has been built in Ontario in 15 years and nine have been built in Mexico despite GM making record profits these workers have been told they need to accept cuts to their benefits their pensions and a two-tier weight system think about this despite having the highest skilled workforce which has the highest quality record in the world we keep seeing our jobs shift to Mexico the workers are fighting back they're trying to say keep these jobs in Ontario and not just for themselves by the way for all of us for our kids our grandkids they're trying to protect thousands of jobs all over an anger all over Ontario the Liberal government has to have an auto strategy you'd realize that if those can be jobs get shipped away so do thousands of other workers in a number of sectors in Ontario we know what these workers are doing to try and keep jobs in Ontario why won't this government produce a strategy that supports auto workers and Ontarians thank you mr. Speaker I hate to be glib about this but the member the where's the member been over the last 12 years what he's been sitting across the aisle and watching the government it's been the most supportive government of the auto sector in recent memory the investments that we've made in partnership with that sector mr. Speaker and the member auto acknowledges save the sector we wouldn't be talking about the auto sector today and that's not just past investments we've invested $2.6 billion in fact we've seen the auto sector commit $2.6 billion since the fall of 26 that's helping to support 40,000 direct auto jobs the well just as I was the member from Windsor West the member for Niagara Falls come to her thank you finish please simply put mr. Speaker since 2004 this government has invested $1.4 billion leveraging 15.8 billion and creating a retaining more than 72,800 jobs and mr. Speaker that's just the jobs created to retain I stand you sit member from Barry mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of environment and climate change I would like to congratulate the premier and the minister on the historic signing of the linking agreement with California last Friday as we all know climate change is one of the biggest global challenges we face today this government knows that Ontario needs a realistic and affordable approach to fighting climate change that's why we have implemented a cap on pollution in order to create real emissions reductions in Ontario to date we have had three auctions each of which has sold out the most recent of which generated just under five hundred and twenty six million dollars on Friday September 22nd Ontario signed an agreement to link our carbon market with Quebec and California starting January 1st 2018 speaker can the minister please explain to the house why linking Ontario's carbon market with Quebec and California is the most affordable and effective emissions reduction plan for Ontario minister the environment well thank you speaker and thank you to the hard-working member from Barry for that question speaker our government knows Ontarians are concerned about the devastating effects of climate change and that's why we've taken initiatives to put a cap on greenhouse gas pollution through our carbon market experts expert third-party economists and analysts have shown our plan which includes linking our carbon market with California the state of California and Quebec is best for Ontarians because it allows us to achieve real emission reductions at the lowest possible cost to both business and consumers speaker we know that linking these two economies California and Quebec is the best plan for Ontario third-party experts know it business knows it the only people who seem not to know it are the members opposite but experts have said this plan that the third-party experts have also said that the the PCs plan will cost four times more than ours without providing any real emissions supplementary on Friday at the signing of the linking agreement California Governor Jerry Brown stated climate change if left unchecked will profoundly disrupt the economies of the world and cause untold human suffering Mr. Speaker we know that this global problem requires global solutions that's why Ontario is expanding its market-based approach to join with other jurisdictions through the Western climate initiative while we're working with our partners across North America to expand the market the proceeds for the auctions will continue to be invested into programs and projects that will help families in Ontario protect the planet and save money these projects include greener transit initiatives improve cycling infrastructure and the recently announced smart thermostats program Mr. Speaker could the minister please inform the House of the ways in which the proceeds from cap and trade question being reinvested into our economy in order to lead Ontario to a greener future thank you minister well thank you to the member for that important question speaker speaker we know that tackling climate change is an important task not only that we know that we cannot take this challenge lightly we must achieve real results in Quebec City this past Friday both our Premier and the California Governor California Governor Brown said that together our three jurisdictions that's California Ontario and Quebec are setting an example for other regions in the world to take action and lower emissions in a cost friendly way together we're leading North America in emission reduction efforts and decarbonizing our economies through effective and efficient means our plan speaker reinvests every dollar allowing us to invest up to 1.9 billion dollars each year in green projects such an investment in clean technology and home retrofits these projects allow the people of Ontario to participate in green initiatives that help save the planet and they do so at the lowest cost possible my question is for the Minister of Francophone Affairs the law on French language services is now over 30 years old the French language services commissioner Mr. François Boulot mentioned in his report of last year as well as this year that complete reform of the law was necessary he recommended that the law reflects the reality of today mr. Speaker why is the government is the government not updating this law I'd like to thank the member for his question in effect the law is 30 years old and since then we've been able to make significant steps forward in our beautiful province this law must be modernized and I said this when I made a concrete commitment at the University of Ottawa on the same token I know that the commissioner is not expecting us to open the law if we're not going to do something significant so I would like to thank the Assembly of the Francophonie who is trying to identify the important parts of this reform mr. Speaker as Minister of Francophone Affairs access to French language services is very important for everyone and this is important in all sectors of the economy so we will continue to work with respect to this again to the Minister of Francophone Affairs on page 95 of the annual report of the French language services commissioner the commissioner recommended that the Ministry of Francophone Affairs should seize this occasion and consult the population with respect to the reform of the French language services law when will this complete reform of the law occur thank you the minister again I would like to thank the member for his question because access to French language services is very important in many sectors and when I tour the province what I hear is that people want services we've also spoken about designation my mandate letter has spoke of the designation process and how it's been improved and we are committed to doing it this autumn in order to facilitate designations and I'm certain mr. Speaker access to French language services is very important and we mustn't forget that there are 26 designated regions and that includes 80% of our francophones there over 612,000 francophones in Ontario who today are celebrating September 25th thank you very much mr. Speaker thank you mr. Speaker this is this question is for the Minister of Health negotiations between 27,000 hospital workers and the Hospital Association of Ontario have derailed as a result of workplace violence for years frontline healthcare workers most of whom are women have asked the government to resolve problems with respect to violence however this government just like the Conservatives before them is continuing to limit hospital budgets firing frontline staff and causing an overcrowding problem within our hospitals the government what will the government do in order to stop exacerbating the problem and how will it start to protect frontline healthcare workers well thank you mr. Speaker and we absolutely can't tolerate tragic incidents of violence in any of our hospital or healthcare facilities and for that matter any government facility across this province mr. Speaker we aim and our goal is not only to have a culture and environment of zero tolerance but to actually have as that ambitious goal zero violence against our healthcare workers including those who are predominantly affected our nurses who are those hardworking individuals that provide that important care so mr. Speaker that's why and I think if I recall correctly it was around two years ago that along with frontline workers themselves and the associations and unions that represent them so aptly and experts in the field of stamping out workplace violence we created a table entitled workplace violence prevention and health care leadership table and sir do just that to actually realize that goal that I stated earlier but to work with those individuals in those frontline workers and those that represent them to make sure we actually have the impacts we're looking for mr. Speaker supplementary if you're working in an Ontario hospital you should be able to return safe at the end of the day but today health care workers live in fear half of healthcare staff are assaulted every year hospital workers have been beaten so badly that they never return to work it's tragic it's unacceptable but it's avoidable we can prevent this violence the government will it encourage negotiations between the Ontario Hospital Association and will it provide the necessary financing in order to shelter these workers from workplace violence well and of course we all understand that labor negotiations are underway but mr. Speaker so the that workplace health care leader workplace violence prevention health care leadership table that I mentioned earlier it not only brought together those key stakeholders that I mentioned but it's produced its first report and that first report necessarily has focused on our frontline nurses because as I mentioned they are disproportionately affected compared to others in the workplace but it's absolutely clear to this government that not only do we have an obligation to end workplace violence but we do have the tools and we will make the investments to realize that mr. Speaker so their first plan has emerged through a report we're acting we're consulting and acting on those recommendations we're working with the Ministry of Labor Public Services Health and Safety Association but many other key stakeholders and our work is not finished with the pat table continues to broaden their work to other within the health care sector but we are already making progress in beginning emphatically and seriously to implement the recommendations that were outlined in the first report from this table mr. Speaker thank you my questions for the Minister of Municipal Affairs now picking up on that excellent question for our member from Barry our government does have a very strong record of addressing climate change issues and for instance earlier this summer the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change announced an Ontario is investing up to a hundred million from the proceeds of its carbon market into the Global Greenhouse Gas Challenge Fund in 2017-18 a program that will help support community led action on climate change by reducing carbon emissions now we are already experienced the effects of climate change in Ontario with increased extreme weather events this has been an extraordinary year of flooding in Ontario as we all know in May rent through crowning in Pembroke experienced significant flooding in beaches East York we had significant flooding as a result of record high lake levels heavy rain flooded homes in the Ottawa River and in June homes in Midwest and Ontario were flooded then we saw in August basements in Windsor and Essex County were overwhelmed by a sudden and intense rainstorm some of them were being flooded for the second time so speaker my question to the minister is can he explain what our government is doing to assess people all across Ontario in the to address these extreme weather events thank you to the member for the question we are indeed seeing an increased number of natural disasters resulting in more assistance flowing to help people through our programs between 05 and 010 speaker there were 17 declared disasters in the province requiring 8 million in provincial assistance between 2010 and 2015 there were 43 declared disasters requiring over 36 million in provincial assistance given that there have been several flooding events in Ontario in 2017 we have activated the disaster recovery assistance for Ontarians program in 35 municipalities this year the trend is obviously continuing the new disaster recovery assistance program offers financial disaster assistance for people to repair their homes after natural disaster in cases where private insurance isn't widely available in a flooding event our provincial program kicks in if there is damage caused by overland flooding it can help make your home safe and livable after a natural disaster and this program will help hundreds of families where disaster recovery program has been activated this year thank you well thank you speaker I really want to thank the minister for that answer and for his ongoing work across on Gerald helping municipalities large medium and small address these important issues now I know that here many of our MPPs have seen flooding in their communities again in beaches east York we had overland flooding and many sewer backups and Burlington and Wall of course and the effects on a local hospital and recently the minister was in Windsor for the second time in a year to activate the disaster recovery assistance program for Ontarians now we've heard concerns about coverage under this program for following flooding in Windsor and Essex the member for Windsor to come set a set in the house on Thursday and other occasions that private insurance isn't readily available but speaker I've heard the minister say that our disaster recovery program provides assistance for damage covered by overland flooding and that insurance for sewer backup coverage is readily available price and technology exists to protect against backup so people who are pairing their homes want to know minister you please clarify thank you as I've said in the house before speaker according to information provided to me private insurance for sewer backup is readily available on Thursday the member for Windsor to come see said in the house that I was wrong according to the member of the insurance Bureau of Canada had also told me I was wrong this is interesting speaker because I have a news release from the IBC which says that coverage for sewage sewer backup is widely available I believe the member for Windsor to come see also receive the same information there's 124 million of insured damage in the Windsor region from late August flooding but there's a difference between sewer backup and overland flooding private coverage for overland flooding isn't available in every case this is exactly why our program exists and why it was activated in the members riding that's a member for Windsor to come see took his cue I believe from a media article and he drew the wrong conclusion ministry staff will again be in Windsor this week to provide the people with further information about our disaster Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister Matt resources and forestry minister as I hope you're aware construction has started on the battle falls dam and power plant this is still a controversial project one of the biggest concerns about this power plant is the safety of users of Balabay and the Moon River I understand the proponent has submitted a draft safety plan to your ministry but that plan has not been made public the proponent Swift River Energy held a public meeting last Thursday evening there was a significant crowd at that meeting some of whom were there to ask how the turbines could be operated safely in this location but still Swift River did not release their safety plan minister can you please confirm whether your ministry has received the draft safety plan from Swift River Energy and if so can you commit to release that plan to the community for consultation thank you very much speaker and thank you to the member for the question certainly the battle falls construction on the dam is just beginning but this has been a process speaker that's gone back for many many years and I know that there's been a lot of community involvement in it I want to thank all of the staff that have provided comment from my ministry on it but the Ontario government is committed to expanding clean and renewable sources of energy such as water and wind power as part of the environmental assessment for this program the Swift River Energy was required to consult with the public and can it continues to do so I can tell you that upon completion of all phases of these construction that the company will acquire water power lease under the public lands act but public safety measures including fencing warning areas all the signs that are in that area including all the safety features that will be required for that is on the proponent they will submit the plan we will review it and it'll be made public in due course thank you we have a just recently arrived a very special guest in the speakers gallery I am going to breach my own recommendation and introduce that person I would like you to welcome the Honourable Alan Chasney the Prime Minister of St Lucia I there are no deferred votes so this house stands recess until 1 p.m. this afternoon