 is now time for oral questions and I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My first question this morning is to the Premier. For weeks we've been hearing disturbing details of the ongoing crisis in hallway medicine. Hospitals regularly operating above 100% capacity, patients being treated in hallways and going days without basics like a shower. One woman in Ottawa trapped in hospital for two years waiting for home care supports. Despite this crisis, last spring's budget laid out a plan for spending restraint in the health care sector including a plan to hold funding below the rate of inflation over the next three years. That plan remains unchanged. When does the Premier plan to fix this and start to take on the hallway medicine crisis that was left by the Liberals? Questions to the Premier. Minister of Health. Burt to the Minister of Health. We can certainly agree on one thing that we were left a huge mess by the previous government that did basically nothing over 15 years led to this crisis of hallway health care. It didn't just spring up overnight. It's been building and building and building for years. But we promise the people of Ontario that we would do something about it and as you heard in the fall economic statement yesterday we are adding $1.9 billion more into our transforming our health care system into one that's truly patient centered that brings in the latest technology and the latest techniques and it's going to work to break down that number of people receiving health care in hallways. It's not acceptable. We are working on a number of fronts to deal with that. I'll have more to say on that in the supplementary. The supplementary question. Well Speaker, there is absolutely no doubt in anybody's mind that the Liberals... I apologize that we're near the opposition. The member for Don Valley East will come to order. I can hear you. Apologize to the leader of the opposition. Thank you Speaker. There's no doubt that the Liberals left to health care hanging by a thread but the Premier seems to think a status quo of cuts is good enough. Can the Premier confirm that despite hospitals in Brampton, Sudbury, Hamilton and Markham operating above 100% capacity and independent reports confirming hallway medicine will grow worse if the government fails to take action. The Ford government is still offering hospitals hundreds of million dollars less than the amount necessary to prevent further deterioration in the hospital system. Thank you. Well it is important to stick to the facts and the facts are that we are increasing funding as I indicated before by $1.9 billion this year over the last year to increase. We have added $384 million this year to hospitals operating funds in addition to $68 million that has been divided up among small to medium size hospitals that had a structural funding deficit due to a funding formula that was put in place by the previous government. They didn't do anything about it to fix it but we are. Those small and medium size hospitals are very happy to receive the funds that they have. They're using that to reduce hallway health care as we are across many, many priorities that we're putting in place. We have tried to move people into reactivation care centers. We are moving some people who are alternate level of care into retirement homes with proper home care supports. We've also invested an additional $155 million into home and community care which is also a key part of the solution to this problem when people don't need to be in hospital. Thank you very much. The final supplementary. Well, health care inflation runs at about 4.3 percent and this government's funding health care at 1.6 percent increase. That means a serious cut to our health care services in this province. And you know what, for patients caught waiting in hospital hallways the new Ford government looks a lot like the old Ford government. It's the same premier making the same cuts and taking the crisis in hallway medicine that the Liberals left us from bad to worse. Can the premier explain how he plans to move patients out of hospital hallways when his plan, like the Liberals before him, consists of health care funding that doesn't keep pace with patient needs of an aging population? Minister Vell. Well, as you know, we are introducing a system transformation in our health care system and it's not always hospitals where patients need to receive care. That's why we're investing across the board in home and community care supports as well so that people don't need to end up coming back into hospital time and time again. The best example of that is in mental health and addictions care where we see the same people in many, many hospitals circling in and out because they don't know where else to go when they have a mental health emergency or crisis. If they're feeling suicidal, they go to the hospital emergency department. It should never get to that and that is why we are coming forward with a comprehensive mental health and addictions plan that will ensure that people can receive the mental health care they need in the community before it ever reaches that crisis point. That's why it's so important. Thank you. The next question, the leader of the official opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also to the Premier. Parents and students are also concerned about cuts in the classroom and the quality of their education. Students are seeing course options disappear. Teachers and education workers are disappearing with them. Can the Premier confirm the government is still on track to fire 10,000 teachers? Questions to the Premier? Minister of Education. I urge the Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance reaffirmed that this government is absolutely and firmly committed to the maintenance and the defence and improvement of public education in the province of Ontario by a plan to invest an additional $200 million more. A historic investment of the highest levels ever recorded in provincial history to support our young people. Mr. Speaker, this is in addition to $500 million to rebuild schools in addition to our plan to invest $200 million to increase math scores over the next four years. Mr. Speaker, our plan is working. It is helping to ensure young people are able to achieve their potential and get good jobs at the labour market. That's our vision. That's our aspiration. We're going to keep working hard to ensure every student succeeds in this province. Supplementary questions. Well, Speaker, apparently yesterday it estimates this Minister actually confirmed that they're on track to ditch 10,000 teachers out of the education system in Ontario. The Ford government was clear in last spring's budget, and that plan did not change yesterday, Speaker. Over the next four years, the government plans to hold education funding below the rate of inflation, even if it means school roofs will continue to leak. Courses will continue to disappear, and 10,000 teachers will lose jobs. If the Premier has a different plan, when is he going to reveal it? Minister? Thank you, Speaker, to the member opposite. Mr. Speaker, this year we intend to spend $1.2 billion more than we spent last year in the defence and the improvement of public education. Let those facts permeate the debate. Mr. Speaker, our plan is to get labour deals. We've done in our agreement with QP that has restored over 1,000 frontline workers in schools in every region of this province. Mr. Speaker, my aim, as the Minister in conjunction with the leadership of our Premier, is to make sure our students remain in class. That's the first point of this discussion, we are working hard in good faith so that parents know with confidence that we're going to continue to keep their kids in mind and keep them in class so they can focus, they can learn, and they can get a good job at the end of their journey. The final supplementary. Repackaging cuts does not make them go away and it does nothing to reverse the deep cuts to public services and the harm that they've already done. The four governments plan will mean fewer courses for students, fewer teachers in schools and a backlog of school repairs that keeps growing. If the Premier is genuinely interested in cleaning up the mess left by the Liberals will he stop trying to repackage cuts, actually reverse them and work with parents and teachers to improve the quality of education in our schools. Minister? Thank you, Speaker. I think it is important for families at home to know the investments we are making to debunk the narrative of that question. We intend to spend $1.2 billion more than we did last year. We have doubled the mental health envelope from the peak of Liberal spending on the former government. We're spending the most, over $3.1 billion, the highest levels for special education needs, the highest levels for transportation, the highest levels for First Nation education. Thank you, Speaker. Our plan is to invest in the areas of need. We're helping our kids achieve their potential. We're doing it through investments, but we're also doing it, Mr. Speaker, through a modernization of our curriculum because we know that young people need to have the core competencies enabled to succeed with their careers in the job market. We're going to continue to focus on those investments on improving our schools, updating our curriculum and giving young people the tools to succeed in life. Thank you. Mr. Premier, amidst growing concern about the climate emergency, Ontarians are desperate for real action from their government. Can the Premier explain why the $50 million budget cut to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks announced in last spring's budget grew even deeper in the fall economic statement and is now a $76 million cut to environment and conservation programs? Questions to the Premier? Minister of Environment. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thanks very much to the member opposite for that question, but I want to be clear with the member opposite and the members of this House that there is not a reduction in environmental programs or productions. This is a part of the broader effort to centralize money and be more efficient and effective in the delivery of government services. There is no impact to the Ministry's services and the delivery of our mandate. The $25 million decrease to the Ministry's funding is due to the centralization of several government services. The centralization of these internal government services impacts all ministries, not just the Ministry of Environment. The funding has been reallocated to other ministries and therefore are fiscally neutral to this government. Mr. Speaker, the member ought to be rest assured that we will continue to protect the environment, implement our environment plan for Ontario and ensure there is a healthy balance between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to responding to the climate crisis, people were desperate for a change, but sadly they see the same for government fighting in court against putting a price on pollution, spending millions on partisan ad campaigns promoting climate denial, threatening small businesses with fines if they fail to promote their partisan campaigns. And now we see even deeper cuts to environmental initiatives. Why is this premier going to war against the environment? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And since we were elected last June, we've moved forward with the plan for the environment for Ontario to not only balance the healthy economy, but also balance the environment as well. Mr. Speaker, and it's interesting that it comes from the member opposite whose party in the last election didn't even mention what's going on. Mr. Speaker, just this morning for the member opposite's interest we announced our new climate and impact assessment across this province. What this will do will analyze different parts of the province so we know where impact to climate change is going to occur and how municipalities, communities and indigenous communities and people can take focus on what to prioritize in order to deal with climate change to adapt in order to ensure in the climate change emergency that's going on, Mr. Speaker, that we take forth the changes that are necessary and priorities into what projects we're putting forth in our communities so that, Mr. Speaker, we can become more resilient to climate change and better prepared for the upcoming changes, but we will continue to produce our main and Ontario environment plan. The next question, the member for Burlington. My question is to the premier. When our government was first elected we inherited a dangerous fiscal and economic situation. The people of this province were struggling. They were being squeezed by higher gas prices, more taxes and skyrocketing electricity costs. They were working harder, paying more and getting less, Speaker. When it came to the vital services that the people required, we inherited a broken system from the previous government. Whether it was hallway healthcare, declining mass scores, overcrowded transit systems and congested highways. Premier, can you speak to the vision and plan that our government has laid out in the fall economic statement that is helping to turn this province around? The question is addressed to the premier. Well, I want to thank our all star MPP from the great city of Burlington. What incredible jobs you're doing, Mr. Speaker. Our government's plan is a balanced and prudent and thoughtful approach to governing which puts more money into people's pockets, Mr. Speaker. We're investing $1.3 billion more in critical public services this year alone, Mr. Speaker. Increasing healthcare by $1.9 billion. Education by $1.2 billion, Mr. Speaker. We inherited a $15 billion disaster deficit on the backs of the people of Ontario. Our deficit now stands at $9 billion, Mr. Speaker. That's $1.3 billion lower than the $10.3 of last year. Mr. Speaker, our government has proved that we can be fiscally responsible and very thoughtful when it comes to healthcare education and creating 272,000 jobs, Mr. Speaker. Our economy is booming because of the pulse. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank you for being here and for your strong leadership. Ontario is truly turning around economically because of the strong and prudent plan that has been laid out and we are already seeing the results of our plan come to fruition. 272,000 new net jobs were formed government in 2018. 80,000 new self-employed and 41,000 public sector employees. Mr. Speaker, can you elaborate on the other measures that our government has announced that will help to make life more affordable for the people of this province? Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our MPP for the great question. Mr. Speaker, for northerners we are proposing to reduce the aviation field tax, saving money for individuals and families on vital issues like groceries and the pockets of the people of the north. Our government is making life easier for families by letting kids ride free on go trains and buses. We're helping over 100,000 low income seniors by providing them with free publicly paid dental care. Mr. Speaker, providing free museum admissions for young people proposing to cut small business taxes by 8.7%. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy Mr. Speaker, and they have been crushed for the last 15 years. Finally, they're seeing the light. They are so grateful for our policies that's putting $1,500 in the pockets of small businesses Mr. Speaker, and we're also saving the taxpayers. The taxpayers of this province, $3 billion back into the pockets of the great people. Thank you. Thank you very much. The House will come to order. Restart the clock. The next question is for Toronto St. Paul's. Good morning Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Just this morning, CBC News is reporting that this conservative government's cuts to the criminal injuries compensation board have resulted in sexual abuse survivors no longer receiving the therapy they are entitled to. These cuts also mean that survivors of childhood abuse are no longer eligible to apply for funding for supports Mr. Speaker. I am a survivor of child abuse and three women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. That means that many women in this very legislature MPPs and visitors will be or are survivors of sexual violence. Why is this government Mr. Speaker refusing to honour promises made to survivors of sexual abuse? Thank you. Questions to the Premier. Attorney General. Mr. Speaker. This is a serious area and thank you for sharing that the member from Toronto St. Paul's. It is critical that we provide resources immediately after violence. And so we have taken the VQRP program and doubled the funding from $6 million to $12 million to have the resources there for those people immediately after a violent incident and the VQRP program that $12 million allows victims to receive supports whether it be cell phones, fixing locks, immediate counselling, residential. It is critical that we have those supports for them when they need them immediately and we have not only doubled it, what isn't widely known Mr. Speaker is that allows them to not be out of pocket but that $12 million is not a cap limit. If the need is greater we will increase the fund and we've said that publicly on the record it's not new right now. But Mr. Speaker this is a critical issue that we have to be there for victims and I'll have more to add in my supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is again for the Premier and just to state gender-based violence including sexual violence disproportionately impacts women identifying people I wanted to put that on record. Last night we were contacted by a survivor of sexual violence Kelly Grenier who says that despite assigned settlement with the board she can no longer access funding for therapy that is rightly hers. And no one in this Conservative Government Mr. Speaker is picking up her calls. She doesn't know where to turn next. She and other survivors were never attracted to these attractive cuts. It's not too late for this Conservative Government to do the right thing and reverse course. Mr. Speaker my question is this why is this Government so intent on revictimizing Ontario's most vulnerable people what does this Conservative Government have against survivors of sexual violence for goodness sakes. Thank you. Questions been referred to the Attorney General. And I want the opposition I want the public to know how seriously we take victims of violence. It is a critical issue and I would like to tell you this Mr. Speaker this is a personal issue for me as well my mother was a councillor she was one of the founders of the York Region Victim Abuse Program that is still operating. I've been dealing with shelters and understanding that reality for a very long time Mr. Speaker this is not a new area of interest and passion for me. Let me tell you Mr. Speaker the Victim Quick Response Program that I spoke of has not only doubled the funding not capped the funding we've expanded services because we know things like human trafficking and it is such a heinous crime and we know when people come out of those situations that immediate aftermath of violence that they need supports right away. Mr. Speaker we have done some reforms to deal with outdated programming that actually did re-victimize individuals and we're putting the resources in their hands immediately at every turn. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier and I know he's mentioned this this morning so I'm looking forward to his answer because I know he'll be anxious to talk about this so yesterday the government introduced the fall economic statement and while the Minister of Finance sang sweetly a very bright ad in very dulcet tones it's the same old song that we've heard before will the Premier tell us why he manufactured a phony $15 billion deficit and why he continues to I'm going to ask the member to withdraw I'll withdraw Place his question Praise it Will the Premier tell this legislature why he has a manufactured $15 billion deficit Ask the member to withdraw I think that was controversial I'm going to ask the member to withdraw again I withdraw Look to the Premier now to reply Premier No he's got to sit down He's got to sit down Well thank you Mr. Speaker and I just can't believe what I just heard from the leader of the the no-name party Mr. Speaker when we went in the election we didn't know if the deficit was $3 billion $5 billion, $10 billion, $15 billion it was all over the place but what we did do Mr. Speaker is something that they never did we confirmed it with the Auditor General third party validation we confirmed it with the Finance Minister the President of the Treasury and we all agreed for the first time over $15 billion disaster that the previous government left us on the backs of the people of Ontario on the backs of the businesses we've turned the corner here in Ontario we're paying down our deficit we're creating jobs like the likes of which this province has never ever seen 272,400 jobs we have many more coming into this province Mr. Speaker we're on the right road to prosperity, to growth in this great province next question Member for Ottawa South again I'd like to thank the Premier for his answer but I would like to remind him that the FAO said the deficit was never $15 billion public accounts public accounts said I apologize to the Member for Ottawa South the government side has to come to order now Member for Ottawa South the public accounts of this province said it was $7.4 billion so we know that that number was never real so the reason that the Premier and his colleagues did this was to create a context for cuts cuts that hurt families in Ontario we are spending less per student than we were before we're going to spend less in post-secondary education and community and children services in real dollars and the increase in healthcare 2.3% does not meet the standard Speaker, through you why does the Premier continue to use a number and inflate a number that he knows is not right? You have to withdraw again I withdraw The Premier to reply The great Minister of Finance Mr. Speaker let's talk about the record let's talk about taking over a government after 15 years where the Auditor General had refused to sign off on the books of the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker let's talk about the off-book accounting Mr. Speaker the accounting for hydro cost of course we brought in an independent financial commission that commission found that the deficit was $15 billion Mr. Speaker the member mentions the FAO with the hard work of this government the FAO confirmed in May of 2019 an $11.7 billion deficit that's because of the hard work of this government and Mr. Speaker yesterday was very proud on behalf of this government and this Premier to say that we are beating the target that was set in the last budget the $10.3 billion deficit is now going to be $9 billion Mr. Speaker a $1.3 billion reduction Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Finance yesterday we were thrilled to join the Minister and the Premier of Ontario in this House for the 2019 fall economic statement and Mr. Speaker our government for the people was elected with a mandate to restore confidence in Ontario's finances and back in people's pockets the Minister's statement made one thing very clear our plan is working we are bringing relief to families and businesses in my riding of Carlton and across Ontario and through you Mr. Speaker could the Minister please elaborate on yesterday's exciting announcement and inform the House on our government's plan to finally bring our budget to balance thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you the member from Ottawa Carlton I know she does great work for her for her constituents Mr. Speaker yesterday I was pleased to announce our plan to build Ontario together and to speak Mr. Speaker to this House and the people of Ontario about the progress that this government is making Mr. Speaker we were able to announce that we have made progress on the deficit that we inherited that we have moved the deficit from $10.3 billion to $9 billion next year Mr. Speaker we were also able to announce that we are making $1.3 billion more of very important critical investments in the key services that our province requires Mr. Speaker our government is focused on making sure that we balance the budget by 2023 that we also invest in key services and that we make a difference for the people of Ontario and that this province is the kind of home of prosperity that we know is going to be Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response it's great to see that our government is continuing on our prudent and balanced plan to build Ontario together and I can see that the vision put forward by our premier when we were elected 16 months ago is becoming a reality thanks to our responsible fiscal management and our government's focus on making positive change for the people of Carlton and Ontario we are seeing results could the minister please explain the approach our government is taking to solve the challenges we inherited due to 15 years of liberal waste management and neglect Mr. Finance Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member Mr. Speaker we are taking a balanced and prudent approach we are balancing three sets of priorities we committed to put money back Mr. Speaker we have put $3 billion back into the pockets of Ontarians Mr. Speaker we promised that we would put Ontario on a sound footing and Mr. Speaker we have reduced the deficit to $9 billion towards balancing that budget in 2023 and Mr. Speaker we promised we would invest in critical public services like healthcare, education and children and Mr. Speaker we increased that investment yesterday by $1.3 billion this is the balanced prudent approach we are taking this is the approach that Ontarians expect thank you the next question the member for Davenport thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker they may be working hard to hide it but under this government's watch things keep going from bad to worse no one knows that fact better than parents, teachers and students across this province Speaker there is lead in the water our schools are crumbling and this government thinks the answer is cramming more kids in classrooms firing teachers and gutting school budgets my question is simple does the Premier still think balancing the budget on the backs of our students staff and families is a good idea questions addressed to the Premier Minister of Education referred to the Minister of Education thank you very much Mr. Speaker indeed it is this government that is investing $15 billion over the next decade to improve schools and facilities in every region of Ontario but Mr. Speaker we are also investing this year over half a billion dollar allocation to improve the state of schools inherited from the former Liberal government after 15 years of dereliction of duty Mr. Speaker in addition we are meeting the Auditor General's request a recommendation of 2.5% allocations to improve schools but Mr. Speaker what is also important is an acceptance it is an acceptance Mr. Speaker the transfer of debt from one generation on to the next is not an acceptable proposition for the very parent order we suggest we represent families in this province want us to invest the front lines keep taxes low grow the economy while doing what we do best which is claim the conditions for young people to achieve their full potential in Ontario the supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker well you know you can put a new spin on these things but it's the same old story seven schools in my community alone have been found to have unsafe levels of lead in the water and there are thousands more across the province so let's do the math shall we 15 years of liberal inaction resulted in a 15.9 billion school repair backlog now in just over a year the government has grown that backlog to over 16.3 billion that's about a half a billion dollars and that doesn't even include the cost to remove the lead from our schools given that the fiscal update yesterday did nothing to fix the damage that this government has done in the year they've been in power when is the government going to do the right thing reverse the cuts and stop hurting our families Minister of Education well thank you Speaker it is under the Minister of Finance leadership yesterday he confirmed that we're in fact on track to spend 1.2 billion dollars more than we did last year Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker we announced in our last budget 550 million dollar investment to improve schools 80 million dollars to improve childcare facilities because we accept after 15 years of the former liberal government there is so much more to do to support our kids in schools with better facilities but Mr. Speaker what I said earlier a billion dollars a month on interest spending money that we do not have is not in the interest of the next generation they want governments to live within their means they want governments to set them up for economic success that's why we're growing the economy so that we're able to invest more as the Minister of Finance confirmed just yesterday more money than ever before in the history of this province in healthcare and education and the social services that every family deserves the next question the member for Aurora Oak Bridges Richmond Hill thank you very much Speaker Minister of Finance as many of us in this house know small businesses play an important role in our local communities small business owners are the people who make investments and create jobs right here in Ontario for too long these innovators and entrepreneurs were not set up for success by the previous government with our plan to build Ontario together and by creating a more competitive business environment those days are over Speaker we also have a plan to develop a small business success strategy consulting with industry and business leaders to identify the needs of their businesses would the Minister please inform the House about the steps of our fall economic statement and that we talk to create a more competitive business environment Mr. Finance Mr. Speaker and through you to the member for Aurora Oak Bridges Richmond Hill thank you for the question Mr. Speaker he is correct small businesses are the backbone of Ontario's economy Mr. Speaker they employ one-third of private sector employees almost two million Ontarians drive their livelihood from small businesses they also play a large partner economy making us more productive and more effective and that's Mr. Speaker why we have proposed as the member mentioned the small business success strategy and we have also yesterday committed to following through on one of our important commitments Mr. Speaker yesterday we committed to a small business tax rate by 8.7% in this legislation Mr. Speaker this is a promise made and a promise kept by this government Thank you very much Speaker thank you for the Minister for his response it's reassuring to know that if past the fall economic statement introduced yesterday will bring much needed and much deserved relief to small business owners in the writings represented by every member in this house would stand to benefit in addition to the action our government has already taken could the minister please explain the great impact our proposed small business tax cut would have for small business owners Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member Mr. Speaker should should the bill pass Mr. Speaker this small business tax cut will represent up to $1500 of relief annually for small businesses this is in addition to the benefits that small businesses are already receiving from accelerated write-offs from reduced WSIB premiums from the elimination of the cap and trade carbon tax Mr. Speaker taken together these tax measures will deliver over $255 million of Ontario income tax relief to small businesses in 2020 Mr. Speaker this is what small businesses need and this is what they deserve they are our partners in prosperity and we will support them from this side of the house the next question the member for Kiwetanong thank you Mr. Speaker yesterday I rose in the house to ask to premier about about this government was doing to honour its treaty obligations but then I got my answer with the government's latest budget there was hardly any mention or indigenous peoples in Ontario but instead there was there was over $2 million less in base funding for indigenous affairs premier this government has already cut the budget for indigenous affairs in half now another $2 million is being cut why is true reconciliation not a priority for this government thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for the question our government is working for all people in Ontario including indigenous communities an important part of that is ensuring that the next generation of young people know the shared history the culture and the diversity of language that exists within First Nations communities of this province so our government has expanded and enhanced education and learning of First Nations history from grades 1 to 8 it's why we've added 10 additional courses for secondary school students so they know more about the incredible contributions of First Nations we share a passion for the opportunities of renewed economic prosperity with indigenous peoples in Ontario we believe there's tremendous opportunity and potential within this growing community in this province we're going to continue to work with them in good faith to ensure that they are able to reach their full potential get economic opportunity and realize this country should be able to provide for the first peoples of our community Mr. Speaker we've engaged with community leaders from across the province and look forward to strengthening those relationships as we move forward with the plan thank you very much the supplementary question Mr. Speaker I know there are issues of this land but there are First Nations that have gone decades without clean reliable drinking water Mr. Speaker clean drinking water is a basic human right these communities call on you to be a better treaty partner yesterday Metawa First Nations called on you to honor the treaties that govern their territories with respect to bill 132 Speaker reconciliation requires real resources and real effort will the premier restore the base funding for indigenous affairs that he has cut since forming government yes or no please take your seats thank you again Mr. Speaker thank you very much thank you very much Mr. Speaker and again to the members thank you this is a very important issue we inherited yet another issue from the Liberals they had 15 years to have taken action so that you wouldn't have to stand here today and it's sad that they actually built our debt to 13 billion dollars a year we spent in interspace that money could have gone to programs services and yes clean water the minister of indigenous affairs the great member from Kanora Rainy River has great relationship with many of the First Nations across our great province and he's working hard to address these problems that we've inherited he actually appointed Mr. Clifford Bull to ensure that there is an opportunity for him to be a special advisor on indigenous affairs Mr. Bull has traveled throughout Northern Ontario and visited several communities to meet with indigenous leaders and hear about the unique issues affecting indigenous communities we as the government of Ontario are committed to working in partnership with indigenous communities to promote economic opportunities the funding that was there was one time funding we continue the base funding that is there and I know Minister Rickford is going to do everything he can to work with members like Mr. Mamakwa to make sure that our indigenous communities have the opportunity that we all have Thank you very much Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Finance Speaker, Ontarians know about a dire fiscal situation we inherited from the previous government it's been famously said show me your budget and I'll show you my values sadly, under the previous government those values were deeply misaligned as interest on the debt rose to the fourth largest line item yesterday in the fall economic statement the Minister of Finance outlined a number of important investments our governments making in healthcare in education, in social services and in children Minister, could you please outline some of those important investments and please touch on those investments for making in healthcare Questions to the Minister of Finance Mr. Speaker, thank you to the member from Northumberland Peterborough South Mr. Speaker, as has been said in this house $1.9 billion in additional spending but Mr. Speaker I also know that the member is a great advocate for the Northumberland Hills Hospital and the constituents there who I know are proud that he fights for them Mr. Speaker, working alongside the Ontario Hospital Association the Ministry of Health was able to identify some long standing funding issues for small and medium sized communities that's why our government has invested an additional $68 million Mr. Speaker to support small and medium sized hospitals that's in addition to the $384 million Mr. Speaker that hospitals receive in our budget our government is taking the steps Mr. Speaker to create healthy communities to cut hospital waste times and to get to the end of hallway healthcare and we're doing it for small and medium communities this is a supplementary question Thank you Minister for your answer and thank you for touching on important healthcare funding an area important to the people of my riding Speaker, I was delighted to hear the $68 million our government allocated to small and medium sized hospitals $3.8 million of which went to Northumberland Hills Hospital in my riding In addition Mr. Speaker we committed to fixing the funding formula that has for decades led to decrease funding in many medium sized hospitals across rural Ontario Mr. Speaker this funding announcement has breathed new life into medium sized hospitals across Ontario new life into Northumberland Hills Hospital and in the word of Dr. Andrew Stratford one of my local surgeons it's given them hope Mr. Speaker could the Minister of Health provide more information on that important investment we made to fixing the medium sized hospital funding formula Thank you Minister of Finance Minister of Health In addition to our government's additional investment of $348 million for hospitals and the $68 million to support small and medium sized hospitals we have developed a comprehensive four pillar plan to address hallway healthcare first through health promotion we want to keep Ontarians healthy and out of hospitals secondly hospitals aren't always the best place for a person to receive care we will ensure that Ontarians receive the right care in the right place third we are better integrating a care to improve the patient flow and ensure that patients who are ready to leave the hospital can do so with the care and support they need and finally by investing $27 billion over the next 10 years in the infrastructure projects we will build capacity throughout the system including in our hospitals and other community based facilities Speaker we made a commitment to the people to end hallway healthcare and we are well on our way in that plan Thank you The next question the member for St. Catharine Thank you Speaker to the Premier Ontario Soldiers Aid Commission provides grants to veterans facing emergency such as rent however most of the money under this program is never spent this is because Ontario refuses to extend the program to veterans who serve after the Korean War my question will the Premier stop treating most of today's veterans as second class and extend this program to all who have served The question is addressed to the Premier Host Leader Refer to the Government Host Thank you very much Mr. Speaker at the outset let me just thank the honourable member not only for the question but thank her for her words before question period and to let her know that of course we are all thinking of her son and the great work that he does the member is absolutely right but it is incumbent on this government and all legislators to make sure that we do everything we can to live up to the spirit that we all talked about before question period that we value the hard work of our veterans that we value those who serve us each and every day and this government will remain committed to doing that not only by providing funds and resources but making sure that each and every day we always take a moment to remember those who have sacrificed so hard I know one of the things the Premier talked about almost immediately after election was a new memorial to those who fought for us in Afghanistan so we will continue to do that and I thank the honourable member for that question supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker it's wonderful about a memorial wall but we have homeless veterans that need the Ontario Soldiers Aid Commission it is outrageous that 60% of the money allocated to help veterans facing emergency is never spent this is because the provincial government treats some veterans as second-class citizens there is nothing second-class about the service these brave men and women have provided for our country will the Premier end this second-class treatment and extend the Soldiers Aid commission program to all veterans in Ontario members please take your seats government else later the minister of Children, Family and Social Services and now referred to the minister of Children Community and Social Services thank you very much Mr. Speaker actually the Soldiers Aid commission falls within my ministry at Children, Community and Social Services it actually sat idle for 15 years basically idle under the previous Liberal government I can tell you we are taking this very seriously and modernizing how we are delivering the services out of the Soldiers Aid commission because we realize that this wasn't doing enough to help families in need that is why over the last year we have seen substantial gains in the services that we are providing to current military families just last year about this time the Premier and myself and the minister sitting right behind me made an announcement about the military hotline that is now available for military family resource centres across the province and those families who are moving in and out of province to get the services that they need we are modernizing the way we deliver the Soldiers Aid commission we are going to have some very exciting announcements in the very near future no one in this party treats our military members as second class citizens there are heroes Mr. Speaker we stand up for them every time stop the clock order restart the clock the next question the member for Oakville North Burlington thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of Finance I was so pleased to be in the house yesterday and hear the minister deliver all economic statement for this year it is clear our government has a plan for the people of Ontario and for the future of our province and that plan is working I was particularly gratified to see the contributions of Canada's more than 270,000 people of Hellenic descent be recognized through the inclusion of Hellenic Heritage Month in the plan to build Ontario together act could the minister please share with the House the details of this schedule of the proposed bill thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Oakville North Burlington Mr. Speaker if passed the bill would declare march of every year Hellenic Heritage Month in Ontario it would be an opportunity to recognize how Ontarians of Hellenic descent have contributed to every field of life to our culture and have strengthened our economy as the member for Oakville Burlington North has advocated in this house before Hellenic Canadians have made contributions to many fields including education, law, science, entrepreneurship, business and sport Mr. Speaker should the bill passed I look forward as I know all of the members of our caucus look forward to celebrating Hellenic Heritage Month with all of the members of the Legislature the supplementary question for the member thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for the minister for his answer to my colleague question as the first provincial member of parliament from Egyptian origin in the country's history I am so proud of our government, our premier and our minister of finance for cognizing the contribution of Canadian Egyptians throughout yesterday's full economic statement I am looking forward to celebrate our culture and our contributions with all members of this Legislature should our bill pass the passage of Egyptian heritage months would give us all the opportunity to recognize the significance to contributions of Egyptian origins had made right across our province could the minister please share with the house the details of the proposed schedule in this bill Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Mississauga Aaron Mills if passed the plan to build Ontario together act would proclaim July as Egyptian heritage month in Ontario it would give the members of this house and people right across Ontario the opportunity to recognize the valuable contributions Egyptian Canadians have made in our making to our province the ones made by the member himself Mayor Mills who continues to give back to his community and future generations as a member of the Legislature Mr. Speaker I hope that all members of this house will join the government in supporting this important recognition of Egyptian Canadians to Ontario's prosperity, culture and our future success thank you thank you very much the next question the member for University Rosedale Mr. for seniors and accessibility Davenhill is a retirement home in University Rosedale in July Davenhill abruptly said it was closing the land was sold for millions to a numbered company and over 150 vulnerable seniors were told they had to leave and find more expensive homes some of these people are here today like Anne Washington and Betty Robinson Betty is 97 years old and lives at Davenhill she doesn't want to leave and she's fighting for the best she can but Davenhill is calling her incessantly asking her when she's going to leave they're closing entire floors threatening to cancel meal programs and they're even selling the furniture even though Betty has never been served with an official eviction notice Speaker how can the minister allow seniors to be treated like this in Ontario Minister for seniors and accessibility thank you Mr. Speaker for raising that important question as a Minister for seniors first of all I'd like to express my sorry for the the residents there for the causing so inconvenience and I got the report from the from the retirement home authority and they told me that the home actually didn't provide safe and secure environment for the seniors that's why the home is closed and now the firefighters and the municipalities and all the community agencies working very hard to make sure the residents in that home will be properly placed they've been working very very hard thank you for the question I'll answer more thank you back to the minister this summer I wrote to the minister asking for a review of the retirement homes act to better protect seniors like those in Davenhill a retirement home is currently allowed to stop providing basic services to seniors like meals and nursing whenever they want or increase the prices when they feel like it and seniors I believe like Betty and Anne deserve better when they move into a retirement home they should have more rights when it comes to the care service the minister responded by saying the act is just fine as it is my question Mr. Speaker is how can the minister think that the retirement homes act is working when it means that vulnerable seniors are cut off from basic services at any time and forced to leave their homes minister to reply thank you for the question again and it's a very important question our ministry worked very hard to make sure that their residents stay in their homes they get the safe and proper treatment from the home and that's why the retirement home authority they send the inspectors regularly and they make sure that their retirement home to the proper job as the retirement act made it clear and if any specific concern you could always call me and I will directly contact the retirement authority to make sure that the seniors in the retirement home they live in the safe and the proper environment and they can always participate through their board if they have any concern they could express that and I make sure I worked very hard for all the seniors especially in the retirement home thank you thank you the next question the member for Barry Innisfield my questions for the minister who's helping protect what matters most for future generations the minister of finance yesterday this minister released our government's plan to build Ontario together in his fall economic statement I was pleased to see the investments he's taking in our healthcare education and social services all these core social pillars that cannot be maintained without sound, fiscal, stewardship and protecting what concerns value most it's important to listen it's important to understand that we need to empower Ontarians to take more action both for their economy and for their environment and we are listening we're listening to when they talk to us about matters preserving and protecting their environment for today and for future generations and we're taking positive steps positive steps like making sure polluters pay but we're not going to be making sure that small businesses are paying the brunt of it or that families are gouged at the pumps I wanted to talk about earlier this year and how I table the private members bill on combating litter, encouraging all communities to come together and wanted the minister to elaborate on how our fall economic statement is making this happen much minister finance Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Barry Unisfil for that question Mr. Speaker, Ontario does need to divert more waste from landfills and I referenced in my comments yesterday the great work being done by our minister the environment in terms of the first producer pay system for this province long avoided by the previous government but there's going to make a big difference in that but Mr. Speaker, we need to do everything we can to divert from landfills we need to do everything we can to educate everyone about the importance of that and that's why I'm so pleased to share with this House that should it be passed this initiative of the Ontario's first day of action on litter that was put forward by the member from Barry Unisfil will help to educate our young people help to educate all of us about the importance of this and that the first annual day of action on litter will be May the 12th, 2020 Mr. Speaker, we look forward to working with all of our partners we look forward with all of our partners on both sides of the House to make this day an incredible success. Thank you The supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the minister for his response in making a very key making it a key priority to gather all communities unite all communities to make sure that we're taking action on litter all across the province through public education and awareness of the significant environmental challenges that are key component to building confidence in our environment and confidence in our communities by taking action together and taking action on litter we can unite communities, kids and education systems to take real strong leadership on the environment including the economic side which is the circular economy element ensuring that our waste is cleaned up so I want to ask the minister to elaborate a little more on the circular economy and how this Pride members bill is going to be helping the environment and the economy and our future generations Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the MPP from Barry Inisfil for this question and for her leadership on this issue Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear and the minister of environment said in this House today that we need to balance a healthy economy and a healthy environment and the current blue box program the producer pay program that the minister of environment has introduced will significantly increase the recycling rates in Ontario. It will keep plastic out of our lakes, our rivers and streams and it will save taxpayers money Mr. Speaker, the litter day of action that we are proud to have in this bill will make all of Ontarians aware of the importance of collecting litter in our community. Mr. Speaker environmentalism begins at home it begins in our communities and the annual day of action on litter will make that very clear across our province. Thank you. The next question and the member for Niagara Falls Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier this week is skill trades week in Ontario it's very concerning that these conservative government continues to reduce safety of skilled trade workers in our province companies try to lower costs by cutting corners on safety like not insuring employees on work sites have the proper training and certification this summer we saw a tragic consequences of unsafe workplaces an 18-year-old an 18-year-old Adam Buxell an unregistered electrician with only three months of college training employed by Nord Electric was electrocuted to death on the job site he was left alone to die assigned to do work he wasn't certified to do this should never have happened that was family is devastated by his strategy that was mother was hugging his teddy bear as he died at the hospital is this the type of work environment the Premier wants in Ontario for our skilled trade workers and our young people to enter the trades Minister of College and Universities well thank you very much and thank you for the question and our condolences go out to the family of the individual who lost his life we take safety in the workplace so incredibly seriously it is so critical critically important and we are working very diligently as a government to ensure that we are putting every measure in place in fact I could tell you personally from my own perspective I've addressed this issue in my own family family member who lost his life in the line of work working for the city of St. Mary in April 16th of 2009 in fact this is an incredibly serious matter to us all greatly to us we are going to work hand in hand to ensure that we can do everything in our power to promote safety in the workplace we want to get more people coming into the trades but we want to make sure that when they come in they have a safe place to work a place that they are going to ensure that they are going to go home to their families at the end of every night that matters to us as much as it matters to everyone here so again to the family our condolences and we are working with our minister of labor response and training development as well as with our premier and every member of our caucus and we are going to work hand in hand with every person in Ontario to make sure that we get our people our workers safely home every night concludes our question period for this morning and for the week pursuant to standing order 38A the member for Toronto St. Paul's has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the Attorney General concerning recommendation services this matter will be debated Tuesday November 19 at 6pm I understand that the Minister of Government and Consumer Services has a point of order very much Speaker yesterday on my response to the member from Lanark Frontenac and Kingston I stated that we are acting on 27 recommendations from Justice Cunningham and I would like to correct my record because in fact we are actually acting on 32 out of the 37 thank you very much the member for Milton informed me he has a point of order yes thank you Mr. Speaker I'm rising in a point of order to recognize an important milestone in a life of our one of our colleagues the hardworking Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and want to wish him happy 21st birthday Mr. Speaker committing the introduction of guests after question period but we are committing recognition of people's birthdays it seems happy birthday I'm going to now ask our pages to assemble group of pages they've only been here two weeks but they've done a superb job they are smart trustworthy and hardworking they are indispensable to the effective functioning of the chamber they cheerfully and efficiently deliver notes, run errands transport important documents throughout the precinct and make sure that our water glasses are always full we are indeed fortunate to have them here our pages depart having made many new friends with a greater understanding of the parliamentary democracy and memories that will last a lifetime each of them will go home and carry on continue their studies and no doubt will contribute to their communities, their province and their country in important ways we expect great things from all of them maybe some of them someday will take their seats in this house as members or work here as staff and we wish them all well please join me in showing our appreciation to our legislative pages so into standing order 38A member for Ottawa South has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the premier concerning the deficit this matter will be debated Tuesday November the 19th 2019 at 6 p.m. we have a deferred vote on government notice of motion number 69 relating to the allocation of time on bill 132 an act to reduce burdens on people and businesses by enacting amending and repealing various acts and revoking various regulations all in the members this is a 5 minute bell please take their seats members will please take their seats on November the 6th 2019 Mr. Fidele moved government notice of motion number 69 relating to allocation of time on bill 132 all those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Collan Mr. Collan Mr. Collan Mr. Phillip Mr. Clark Mr. Smith Bay of Quincy Mr. Hardiman Mr. Tabola Mr. Dunlop Mr. Romano Mr. Walker Mr. Thompson Mr. Downey Mr. Fullerton Mr. Jones Mr. Sarkari Mr. Scott Mr. Cho Scarborough North Mr. Cho Willowdale Mr. Gill Mr. Parson Mr. Nickles Mr. Puccini Mr. Miller Perry San Muskoka Mr. Barrett Mr. Ostra Mr. Barber Mr. Hogarth Mr. Cousindoba Mrs. Tangry Mrs. Wye Mrs. Park Mr. Crawford Mr. Sander Mr. Rashid Mr. Bama Mr. Smith Mr. Cuck Mr. Sander Mr. Anon Mr. Mavikian All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Bisson Ms. Fife Ms. St. Branson Mr. Branson Ms. Horvath Ms. Satter Ms. Shaw Ms. Bagum Ms. Taylor Ms. Armstrong Mr. Kernahan Mr. West Mr. Stevens Mr. Gates Mr. Gretzky Mr. French Mr. Miller Hamilton East Stony Creek Mr. Jones McAllen Mr. Glover Mr. Morrison Mr. Rikosa Mr. Hart Mr. Fraser Mr. Coteau Mr. Schreiner Mr. Elsinard The ayes are 64, the nays are 41 The ayes being 64, and the nays being 41 I declare the motion carried This house stands in recess until 1pm