 Mr. Speaker, I have an agreement with the government house leader. We're going to stand down our leads and move down our order until we wait for the premier to arrive. Great. Great. So this would be the third question. Two parts, right? Fourth question. The fourth question. Okay, got it. It is now time for our all questions, and I recognize the member for Kiwetnaw. Mr. Speaker, question to the acting premier. In April 2018, Devin Freeman's body was found on the property of a group home where he was living. He had died by suicide nearly seven months. Seven months, Mr. Speaker, earlier, but no one looked for him the whole time. Devin was 17 years old and from the Chippewas of Georgina Island, First Nation. Devin's grandmother and First Nation are asking the provincial coroner's office to hold an enquest into his death. An enquest that would shine a light on Devin's life and death. So this doesn't happen to any more children, Mr. Speaker. Will you support this request and actually take action on this enquest and the enquest recommendations? Yes or no? The Deputy Premier. Thank you, Speaker, to the Associate Minister for Children and Women's Issues. Refer to the Associate Minister for Children and Women's Issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for your question. The death or injury of any child is unacceptable. On behalf of our entire government, our hearts go out to this family and community. And I can tell you, as a mother, the devastation and the death of a child is unacceptable. The safety and security of all Ontarians, especially our most vulnerable, is a top priority for our government. As you know, for privacy reasons, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services does not comment on individual cases. Furthermore, the decision to hold an enquest is made by the Office of the Chief Coroner. The Chief Coroner and his staff are experts in their field and are responsible for determining whether an enquest is necessary. Children's Aid Societies follow a joint Ministry Office of the Chief Coroner directive when a child who has been in care within the last year dies to help understand what happened and to identify opportunities so further deaths may be prevented. Thank you. The supplementary question. The continued neglect of colonial governments, such as this, means that young people like the Devon, Ridell-McKinnock, Kerry Lynn Bunting live without hope, Mr. Speaker. This week, the government voted down an amendment to bill 116 to create a provincial mental health and addictions strategy for Indigenous peoples. Despite the clear need with the higher number of suicides committed by Indigenous youth. Mr. Speaker, how many more young people have to die? How many young people have to lose hope before we wake up as a senior, wake up at senior levels of government and do what needs to be done to give these young people hope so they choose life over death? Associate Minister. Refer to the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Refer to the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for that very important question. Our government takes mental health addictions in the province of Ontario very seriously and that is why there is now an Associate Minister for Mental Health and Addictions and that is why the strategy will look specifically at the needs of Indigenous people to ensure that we capture and provide the services that they need when and where they need them. Unfortunately, 15 years of neglect in this area has created the situation we have in the province of Ontario and we have to build the services connected and integrated and holistic so that all individuals have hope. All individuals including our Indigenous populations have the ability to have the peace and what they need in order to go along their journey and have that hope instilled in them and it's our intention utilizing Bill 116 to ensure that that is in fact what we do as a provincial government. Thank you very much. The Member for Mississauga Lakeshore. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. I was proud to join my colleagues to support the passage of the Foundation for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addiction Service Act yesterday. The issue of mental health and addiction service is not partisan. Everyone in this House wants to ensure that Ontarians are fully supported. Our government has already been working to get people living with addictions the help they need to stay healthy and end their addiction. Can the Minister tell the House what our government has been doing to address opioids and what we are planning to do in the future? Thank you very much Speaker and thank you to the member from Mississauga Lakeshore for his question on this. I'd also like to thank the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions the Attorney General and the member from Eglinton Lawrence for their very hard work on this file. With yesterday's passage of the Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addiction Services Act we are working to build a modern mental health and addiction system. The Act addresses key recommendations of the Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions which was created in 2009 to address this important issue. The Solicitor General, the member from Nickel Belt and myself and other members heard testimony from hundreds of witnesses. Thanks to the support of our colleagues from both sides of this House we are now finally able to take action. We are confident that the Mental Health and Addiction Centre of Excellence will make a real difference in the lives of Ontarians. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the outstanding Minister for her work on this important issue. All members in this House recognize the importance of improving mental health and addiction services. People in our community have struggled with mental health and with addiction as have friends, family and members. For too long mental health has been prioritized as highly as physical health. I am proud that our government has been working to change this and that we took another important step yesterday in passing the Foundation for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addiction Service Act. Will the Minister update us on what our government is doing to expand and improve mental health addiction services? Our government has been listening to Ontarians and we know they expect us to take action on the mental health and addictions file. With yesterday's adoption of the foundations for promoting and protecting mental health and addiction services act we are improving the mental health and addiction services that Ontarians need. Our government will invest $3.8 billion over the next 10 years to be implemented by a new mental health and addiction centre of excellence on our strategy. The centre working within Ontario Health will develop clinical quality and service standards for mental health and addictions so that patients will receive excellent and consistent care across the province. This will also enable performance monitoring across the system allowing the service providers to get the services they need to deliver to patients and families. Our government will continue to listen as we transform and modernize our mental health and addiction system. The next question is from the member for Tamiskamintok. My question is from the Minister of Agriculture and Food. One of Ontarians federally licensed meat processing facilities recently was closed. This is closed a major market for Ontarians livestock farmers. It creates an even bigger problem because we've got a shortage of federally licensed plants in eastern Canada. And quietly American processors are also saying no to Canadian finished cattle. And what this is doing it's dropping the price. So due to market forces beyond producers control they could be losing up to $400 a head. We have a program or had a program to protect farmers against market forces beyond their control. It was called business risk management and it worked. It was bankable and predictable until the Liberals capped it. During the last campaign we both promised the NDP and the conservatives promised to lift that cap. My question to the minister is what on earth are you waiting for? Questions to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member across the aisle for the question. And I want to ensure the member that the issue of Riding Regency though it is a federally inspected plant is of great concern not only to the beef producers but to our government to make sure that we can find places to have safe food processed in the most cost effective manner. As it relates to the support programs I can tell you that we have been working very hard with all the stakeholders in reviewing the program that as you mentioned the business risk management program that was capped by the previous government so it no longer works to cover in disasters such as this it no longer works. So we're working with all the industry to come up with a program that not only is there going forward to the extent that they need it going forward because the program as it's presently designed will do nothing to help these farmers in these circumstances. We want to make sure we have a... Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. It's a supplementary question. Thank you Speaker. I agree with the minister that this program no longer works because it's capped. What the minister is not telling the farmers of Ontario that since he's been the minister of agriculture the budget for the ministry of agriculture has been cut by over 25 percent over $250 million. You think at the least at the least this government who claims to love farmers could have taken some of that $250 million and lifted the cap under risk management so and work make the program better but lift the cap so farmers have it have what they need. Bankability and predictability. You've cut 25 percent out of the ministry's budget. Lift the cap and directly impact those farmers today. Members please take your seats. And the minister of agriculture. Mr. Speaker and for the member for the supplementary question. And as I was saying the program not only was capped but it also doesn't work in times of need. It is based on the across the board cost of production and helping everybody a little bit in bad times but there's nothing in the program that deals with situations like we have here. So what we're doing is getting all the people together and saying this is the money that's available. Let us figure out the best way we can do to make sure our agriculture community is protected in time of needs under circumstances beyond their control which of course the item that you mentioned is beyond their control but we need to make sure that there's help is there to do that. We've had a number of other instances. We had it last year with the dawn. The program does not cover that and so we need to fix it so when times something happens beyond their control that we have a program. The whole industry is working with us to design one of those and we will bring that forward when it's. Thank you very much. The next question. The member for Thunder Bay Superior North. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is to the solicitor general speaker with the guns gangs and drug problems in Thunder Bay continuing to get worse. I need to press the minister further about providing increased resources for the Thunder Bay Police Service to deal with this enormous challenge with gangs from Southern Ontario infiltrating Thunder Bay and bringing major crime to our community. We need to see financial support from the province and we need to see it now. When the federal government provided 65 million dollars to the province to deal with guns and gangs we were very disappointed that Thunder Bay was not a recipient of some of those funds. The time has come for that support to be provided minister. So I asked the minister today will your government provide financial support to the Thunder Bay Police Service to deal with this overwhelming challenge? Here, here. This is to the solicitor general. Thank you, Speaker. The short answer is yes. In fact, we announced yesterday 195 million dollars across police services boards to access the community safety and policing grants. I was pleased to make that announcement yesterday. As I said, there are 89 police services boards who put in applications that focused on local needs that focused on provincial priorities including guns and gangs, domestic violence and of course human trafficking. Those, those monies have been announced. That money is flowing and we are making a real difference in ensuring that our communities are safe and getting the funds that they need. I think there is no one. I hope that there is no one in this chamber who would disagree with the statement that our police services and our boards need to have the support that they deserve to protect their communities. We are doing that as a government and as I said, 195 million dollars is flowing to 89 police services boards across Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. The supplementary question. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank you, Minister. We look forward to seeing what portion of that goes to the Thunder Bay Police Service. On a related justice note, the Thunder Bay District Jail is in a state of virtual crisis. With extreme overcrowding, we've dangerously increased tension between the inmates, unsanitary conditions and extremely unsafe working conditions for the dedicated correctional service staff that work there. While we wait for the construction of a new correctional facility in Thunder Bay, we are dealing with a dangerous situation that will only escalate if not dealt with. So I really have two questions for the Minister. First, can you provide us with more details on the timing of the building of the new correctional facility and do you have any plans to deal with your overcrowding of the District Jail today? Again, Mr. General, to apply. Thank you, Speaker. Well, as the member knows, only too well serving in this portfolio previously, there are challenges in our corrections facilities. The corrections officers and the individuals who work in the 25-plus institutions across Ontario deal with some very challenging individuals in some, frankly, old infrastructure. We have made an announcement. Very pleased, and of course you were there when we made the announcement to invest in the City of Thunder Bay and build a new corrections facility. That is moving forward, but we are going to and we continue to work directly with the community and the impacted stakeholders. We want to make sure that the facility that we build is what the corrections officers need and deserve, is what the community and the justice sector need and deserve. Those conversations are ongoing now. We are in the final stages of tweaking the design build because we want to get this right. You know only too well that there are facilities in the province of Ontario that approach 100 years old. We need to take the time now to get it right, and we are doing that by consulting directly with the community. Thank you, Speaker. The next question, the member for Niagara West. Mr. Speaker, thank you. I'm going to give a few words for the Minister of Fra zajcophone offense. In our community of Niagara喂 many people have particular needs with the French fact, either they have francophones or have ancestry francophones or they have taste for French culture. And this is something that's important for my constituents that it's important to have to have francophone culture that Ontario can take advantage of for economic development and taking into account the creativity. Can the minister tell us what are the plans for the future and measures that will be taken by the Ministry of Francophone Affairs during our mandate? I thank the member from Nair Gawes for his question. Our government has awakened the interest of the Franco-Ontarian business community, and we are very happy to illustrate that. I would like to cite to quote the council of French Ontario that was at the economic fall statement and said the following. The political approach is important. The Francophonie is not just a folk thing, but it's linked with everyone. In collaboration with my colleague, the minister of economic development, job creation and trade. During the meeting with Quebec Premier and our Premier, we will have economic trades that join our province, and we want to have links with our neighbours in Quebec. Thank you for the answer. This is good because it's very positive. During the last decade, we have not always used all the Francophone community's potential in Ontario and in our, even though we're close to Quebec market. I know that the minister is going to talk to an elite business crowd in the forum in Montreal. Can she tell us more of the message that she'll have there? The minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As minister of Francophone affairs, I want to go to the council of international relations in Montreal to have a friendship message and to have a new solidarity between Franco-Ontarians and Quebecois, particularly in the economic field, so that this relationship has a positive effect for all Ontarians, Francophone and Anglophone. And the cooperation is based on new economic reality, new technologies, and turn to the future. And with great projects such as the University of French Ontario and also possibilities of exporting Ontario products to international markets, the greatest service is that in our collective history, we participate in business and technologies to make every Ontarian richer. The next question, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by thanking you for the lovely holiday party that you put on last night, celebrating the wonderful half of New Democrats. Thank you, Louise LeBeau, for the great work she's done for many, many years here in the legislature on her retirement. I wanted to congratulate her. And Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope everyone has a great holiday. Last spring, on my questions to the Premier Speaker, last spring, when the government announced their budget, the Premier stood in this assembly and boldly predicted that parents would welcome his classroom cuts and that not one teacher would lose their job. This fall, as parents were left to deal with cuts and conflict and chaos in the schools caused by those very cuts, the Premier has fallen silent, not answering a single question about education since October, despite being asked on 18 separate occasions. So my question is, will the Premier break his silence today and explain to parents why he feels his cuts are justified? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and look forward to getting back in the Chamber in the New Year to do great things for Ontario. Mr. Speaker, it's unreasonable for the OSSTF to say to the parents that they will continue striking unless they get an additional $750 million. To put that into perspective, Mr. Speaker, it's every resident in the leaders riding. Matter of fact, let's make it all of Hamilton, all of Burlington, all of Oakville, going up to them and saying you're paying an additional $1000 of tax. That doesn't fly, Mr. Speaker. Our number one priority is to keep the kids in the classroom. Mr. Speaker, I always differentiate between the hard-working frontline teachers that work their back off educating our students over the heads of the unions. The heads of the unions want to make sure they line the pockets of the unions. They don't worry about the teachers, they don't worry about the parents. Our government worries about the teacher. Thank you very much. Well, Mr. Speaker, now we see the real Premier, the one that took on the unions from day one and said they were union thugs and created this poisoned environment that has set negotiation so far back. It's really, really troubling, Speaker, but the buck does stop with the Premier. He's the one who claimed the parents would welcome these cuts and of course they haven't. He's the one who said larger class sizes would make students tougher and of course it won't. And he's the one who told teachers that not one person would lose their job and of course many have. Now as parents, students and educators reel from the chaos caused by these cuts, all the Premier can do is name call the people that work in our education system. How can the Premier pretend that he is not the one wholly responsible for this mess? Through you, Mr. Speaker, we have two separate values here in the chamber. The separate values is the leader, the leader of the NDP is beholden to the head of the unions. And by the way, it's the public sector unions because she's lost all the support in the private sector unions because they believe in what we're doing, creating jobs and prosperity and well. She's totally lost the construction trade. They know it. Mr. Speaker, I'll tell you what we can do with $750 million. We can put 7,500 mental health workers on the front lines. We could help 64 new elementary schools or 28 new secondary schools just to remind the public that under the previous regime they close 600 schools more than any other government in the history of Ontario. Our priority is to make sure we take care of the students, we take care of the parents, and we take care of the teachers. We don't take care of the heads of the unions that are beholden to the NDP in the... Thank you. The next question. Final supplement. Well, thank you, Speaker. Unfortunately, nobody buys the Premier's vision of the world. And in fact, our parents and people in communities value the work that education workers do in our schools to help their children. Teachers and education workers have written pretty clear for this whole process. This is about the Ford government's classroom cuts, no matter which way the Premier wants to try to paint it. The Premier spent the spring, as we all know, picking the fight with the people who make our schools work. And he spent every day since October trying to avoid blame for the conflict that he's created. But obviously today, Speaker, he's doubling down on that conflict, because that's what he thrives on, Speaker. And now parents and students are looking for the Premier to do the right thing by them. But obviously, he's refusing to do that. So I guess my question is, will he finally stand in his place today and announce that he's reversing those reckless classroom cuts and making sure that our quality education system is still there for our kids? The Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The parents I've talked to, and I've talked to a lot of teachers, even though they're fed up with every three to four years, they hold the province hostage. They hold the economy hostage. They hold the parents and the students hostage. There's no predictability. People want certainty, Mr. Speaker, and then this government will make sure that they have certainty. They're going to make sure that the students have a safe place to go to school. We're going to make sure that teachers are well compensated. They're actually the highest compensated teachers in the entire country at $92,000 a year. And by the way, they do a great job of teachers. They really do. They do a great job. And you know something, some of the teachers I've talked to are frustrated with the heads of the unions. They want to get back to the classroom. They want to start doing what they're being paid to do, and that's teach our students. The next question to the Leader of the Opposition. My next question is also for the Premier, but I can tell you that the only thing that folks in Ontario are certain about is that this government's holding our kids' education hostage. My next question to the Premier is that last night on CBC News, Ontario families heard the tragic story of Oula Jabour, a mother and grandmother who has been forced to live in a hospital bed, breathing through a tube for the last two years as she languishes on a waitlist for surgery. Can the Premier explain to Ms. Jabour's family and to all Ontarians why anyone should have to live in a hospital bed year after year waiting for procedures that should be available, but simply never arrive? Premier, Minister Hale referred to the Minister of Health. Well, I thank the member very much for the question. This is a situation that we are aware of, although I'm not able to discuss the particular circumstances. I am sorry for this woman and her family. I'm not able to discuss the particular circumstances because of privacy issues, which I'm sure you will understand. However, I am able to say that this was a very rare and unusual procedure. There are very, very few surgeons who are able to perform this procedure. So this was not anything to do with hallway healthcare. This had to do with the particular circumstances for this woman. Now, that's not satisfactory. It was due to the medical procedure that this person needed. However, I can tell you that in terms of hallway healthcare, we are making strides. We do have a plan that is reducing the number of people who are receiving hallway healthcare. Those numbers are going to continue to go down in the future, and we are working on many fronts in order to deal with that. Supplementary question. Miss Jabour has missed her daughter's wedding and the birth of her granddaughter while she languishes in a hospital bed, but her story is far from unique regardless of the way this minister is trying to paint the situation. Earlier this year, I raised a case of Maria Akonopeskas, an Ottawa resident stuck in hospital for two years while she waits for home care supports. The Premier said he would fix hallway medicine, Speaker. Why are things going from bad to worse? Well, thank you, Speaker. I wish to assure you and through you, the leader of the official opposition and the public that this situation is not the norm. It had to do with this person's particular requirements for surgical procedure. But we are working to reduce hallway healthcare. As you know, this is not a simple thing to do. I am working with the minister of long term care in order to create more long term care spaces. We did make a promise that we would create 15,000 new spaces within five years. We're well on the track to doing that because we need to make sure that those patients who don't need to be in hospital, the alternate level of care patients are able to move out of the hospital. That has been a problem because of the previous government's inactivity on this file, their lack of creating those long term care spaces that has allowed for this procedure to happen, allowed for this build up of patients in the hospital. We're also working on a mental health and addictions plan to make sure that the patients who cycle in and out of our hospital emergency departments are not doing that anymore, that they're going to be able to receive the community mental health supports that they need so they don't end up in the hospital because of that. Thank you very much. The final supplement. Well, Speaker, re-announcing allocations of long term care beds that the previous government had already announced does not actually build beds. 21 beds built when almost 3,000 new people joined the waiting list is not good enough for the people of Ontario. The reality for patients like Ula and Maria, however, is that the Conservatives under Doug Ford have continued the same policies as the Liberals before them, effectively freezing funding for healthcare and leaving hospitals operating over capacity to deal with the fallout in crowded hallways. That leaves patients like Ula and like Maria waiting under a Liberal Premier and now continuing to wait under a Conservative Premier. Why is the Premier taking things from bad to worse when he promised to fix hallway medicine? Again, I'll remind the members that we refer to each other by our ministerial title, if applicable, and our writing name, if not. Look to the Minister of Health to reply. Thank you, Speaker. And again, through you, Speaker, I would like to indicate to the leader of the official opposition the actual facts of the situation, which are these. We are investing $1.9 billion more in health this year over last year. We're investing $384 million more in hospital operations, and we've also invested an additional $68 million to small and medium-sized hospitals to correct a funding formula problem created by the previous government, where those hospitals were having trouble making ends meet. But there's more to be done. We are working on that. We are creating those 15,000 beds. We are creating the local Ontario health teams. They're going to be able to connect care for people so they don't end up in hospitals in the first place. We have great examples of some of the work that's already being done. Southlake at home is a great example being done at Southlake Hospital that's connecting those patients that are alternate level of care with home care supports so people can go back home, which is where they want. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to thank you again, Speaker, for making that wonderful party. It was great to talk with my colleagues. I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas as we head back to our families and our communities. Speaker, it should come as no surprise that the top of my Christmas wish list for the premier to actually answer one of my questions this session. So I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle, Speaker. When the premier announced back in June the roles of Agents General, he said that those Patriot appointments were experts. And for the expertise of his former party president, a 26-year-old lacrosse player and Dean French's niece, he offered to pay upwards of $165,000 a year plus expenses. He also said that the Agents General appointees would be, quote, accountable to real metrics, including deals closed and businesses helped. So to the premier, a very simple question, will he table today that accountability document that he's clearly had prepared that shows what the two remaining Agents General appointees have accomplished? Questions addressed to the premier? Minister of Economic Development. Referred to the Minister of Economic Development. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Our government is taking a thoughtful and thorough approach to filling these positions because we understand their importance in attracting trade and investment opportunities. We're taking our time in ensuring the candidates selected for our offices in New York and London are both credible and competent in their ability to serve the province and work on behalf of the people of Ontario in these key international markets. But you asked for some metrics. Let me tell you, in fiscal 2018-19, Ontario's trade and investment office has generated $394.5 million in investment attraction leading to the creation of 1,640 new jobs and facilitated market access for 640 Ontario companies that have reported close to $70 million in sales. Speaker, we need good, qualified people who can continue to help sell Ontario to the world. We look forward to providing an update when we have more to share in the future. Thank you, Speaker. Supplementary question. Last, Speaker, I guess it is a lump of coal for me this Christmas and, of course, for the taxpayer of the province of Ontario. Because the premier who once promised to respect the taxpayer is now asking the people of Ontario to pay six figure salaries to his friends, to his relatives and to insiders. And he can't even tell us what they do. It's not just these jobs, Speaker, from the high-priced Washington job he gave his campaign tour director to his request for an off-the-books personal pleasure wagon. The premier has become the conductor of the gravy train that he used to rail against. Speaker, why does he think that the hardworking people of Ontario should foot the bill for his personal patriotic appointments? Question for the Minister of Economic Development. Thank you very much. Well, Speaker, Ontario operates this international network of trade and investment offices. And I have to tell you, you asked again for results. I can give you the results. South Korea, in our international trade office in South Korea, can tell you that the Haley Corp. company is investing $20 million here in Ontario in a brand new investment fund. In India, the VVDN technologies announced the hiring of 200 engineers. We're talking both masters and PhD level engineers here in Kitchener Waterloo. Those are the kind of successes. We work for months on that one, Speaker. I can tell you that our agents general in Dallas and Chicago have been working through the long and mandatory and thorough security processes because both offices are co-located in the federal consulate general offices. They're both at hard work, both in market and in Ontario as they work through those processes. And they'll bring the same successes, Speaker, as all of the other successes we've shown. Thank you very much. The Member for Stormont, Dundas, South Korea. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. I want to take the opportunity to thank you for the great party last night and to thank everybody here for the service they've given to the province of Ontario and to the people in the right. Premier, our government has had a monumental year achieving the many great successes serving the people of this province. Whether it's been our historic return of jobs and employment, the prioritization and planning of crucial infrastructure projects, we're helping end hallway health care by investing in vital frontline services. This clear is that our plan in this province is working and the people are finally receiving the support they have needed for some time. Premier, can you elaborate on key milestones and initiatives that this government has achieved and brought forward and what our priorities will be for next year? Questions addressed to the Premier? I want to first of all start by thanking our great MPP from Stormont, Dundas, South, Glen Gary, doing an incredible job. And our MPP has seen at firsthand, Mr. Speaker, in the prosperity and the growth that we've shown this province with over 271,000 more families that are out there working that can put food on their table. Matter of fact, for example, in Stratford, Bruce Peninsula area, unemployment rate dropped in November. Are you ready for this one? This is a record throughout the country. 4% the lowest level in 19 years. We have more people working, more people off the government payroll and they're actually contributing. They're contributing back into society by paying more taxes and more money is coming up to Queens Park. To attune, Mr. Speaker, of $1.6 billion, that's what happens when you make sure you have an environment that the economy can thrive, Mr. Speaker, and employ more. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, again, back to the Premier. Premier, this has been incredible news and one of many of the great examples of the leadership and culture change that our government has brought back to Queens Park. I know in my riding support that our government is providing thanks to the better for people, smarter for business and the plan to build Ontario Together Acts will be making a major impact. Whether it's removing unnecessary partisan red tape on our local job creators ensuring immediate financial relief to families through tax cuts or providing a five-year freeze on WSIB premium for our not-for-profit organizations our government is taking action for the people. People, Premier, can you speak more to the actions our government have taken over the past year and our plans for the year to come? Premier, again, I want to thank our MPP Mr. Speaker, one of the historic actions our government has undertaken is to support the commitment to get our province moving again. After 15 years of scandal mismanagement and all the backroom deals, Mr. Speaker, those days are done. Prosperity is here in Ontario. We've never seen so many jobs created over the last numerous decades. No matter where I go, Mr. Speaker and no matter if it's in the United States or a great Minister of Economic Development traveling the world spreading the word that Ontario is open for business open for jobs, we're going to continue making sure that we give incentives to the people out there by putting more money in their pocket. Giving incentives to small businesses as we reduce their tax rate by 8.75%, Mr. Speaker again, until these small businesses can grow into larger businesses and buy more equipment. And by the way, we put capital expenses of $3.8 billion a total of $5 billion. Thank you very much. Next question, member for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. After 100 years of General Motors in Oshawa, this week most of GM's Oshawa assembly line workers will work their last shift with the final vehicle expected to roll off the line next week. The end of GM production will leave thousands of proud auto workers in my community without a job and it will have devastating ripple effects across the local economy and the auto parts supply chain. This is a tough time for Oshawa. We deserved to have a Premier stand up for us and stand alongside us, but instead we got a Premier whose role over instinct was to say the ship has already left the dock they're gone, they're done. Those were his words then, are they still his words now to the workers and families? Questions to the Premier Minister of Economic Development Referred to the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade. Thank you very much. I want to reinforce, Speaker, that we have the best auto workers in the world and we will always fight for them. We know that now. We learned that when Toyota won the platinum award making them, announcing them as the best auto plant in the world. So we know we have the capacity, Speaker, and we were very happy when we learned that Unifor and GM reached their agreement some time ago to keep 300 of those jobs in Oshawa. It was very good news for the city of Oshawa and all of Durham. We know that this historic site will continue to be a hub for vehicle parts manufacturing, technological innovation and regional economic growth. That's why we continue to invest in our auto strategy. Driving prosperity, we continue to invest, Speaker, in all of the automotive parts, the mold makers and the auto makers. Thank you. This supplementary question. Back to the Premier. It was brutal that the Premier of Ontario didn't fight for Oshawa in the future of auto manufacturing in this province. He threw in the towel before even getting into the ring. Since the Premier decided not to show up, let me update him on what has been happening at the GM plants in the U.S. and also slated for closure. Last week it was announced that the GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio will now be making electric batteries, creating over a thousand jobs. And just the other day, General Motors announced that they are prepared to produce electric trucks at their plant in Detroit. They were also told it was the end of the line speaker, but their leadership didn't just decide to take it. So I wonder what could have happened, what might have been different if this Premier had had the nerve to fight back. He accused us of false hope. He also had some of that, and now they have manufacturing in their future. So does this Premier think that there still was nothing that he could have done for Oshawa, or is he just getting the GM commemorative t-shirt? Members, please take their seats. First thing has been reported, Minister of Economic Development. Thank you, Speaker. Once again, I want to assure the people of Ontario that we have the best auto workers in the world, and our government continues to stand up for that. We've always made sure that Ontario is open for business and open for jobs, and that means protecting and creating jobs. We're so pleased. I toured General Motors' facility in Markham just the other day, Speaker, where they have 700 employees. You know, the neat thing about Ontario Speaker is that we have all five of the world's largest automakers in Ontario. We're the number two automaker in North America, just a bit behind Michigan, but we're also the number two IT sector in North America, just a bit behind Silicon Valley, and we talk about that, Speaker, because the future of automotive is going to need both manufacturing and technology, and Ontario is the only centre in the world that has both of these. We have a great future ahead of us, Speaker, in the automotive sector, because Ontario is open for business and open for jobs. Thank you. The next question, a member for Atovical Lakeshore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Associate Minister for Children and Women's Issues, and I know the Minister has been very busy since she's been sworn into her new role since June, and I want to thank the Minister for all her hard work. She has spoken in this House about child welfare reform, violence against women, women's shelters, hosting anti-human trafficking roundtables, and increasing women's economic opportunities. Thank you, Minister. Recently, the Minister was in Victoria to speak with her status of women and arts all across this country. Can the Minister please tell us what was discussed at the conference and how it will impact Ontarians? Great question. The Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues. Thank you, Speaker, and I want to thank the member from Atovical Lakeshore for all their great questions for all your hard work on this topic as well. I was thrilled to be in Victoria last week to speak with fellow Ministers of Women's Issues from many provinces and territories, as well as the Federal Minister for Women's Issues. Speaker, we all know that women's issues cross all government departments, whether it's economic empowerment, justice issues, or representation in appointments and boards. Policies made by governments impact all genders. One area of particular importance is combating gender-based violence. This includes shelter and safety systems, cyber violence prevention, and sexual violence supports. I want to thank my colleagues for their insights into such an important topic. I'm honoured also to be the co-lead of the Human Trafficking Task Team in Canada. I'm looking forward to working further with my federal, provincial, and territorial partners to explore opportunities to host a national conference, summit, or expert panel to address the pressing issue of human trafficking across Ontario and Canada. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the Minister for that answer and for representing our great province with such grace on the national stage. Speaker, as the Minister mentioned gender-based violence and human trafficking are serious issues that impact the lives of many individuals in Ontario. It is an issue that crosses economic spectrums, genders, and ages. And I had the honour of hosting a fundraising event for our local women's habitat a few weeks ago to help decorate bedrooms for those women in need so they have a warm place to go when they're fleeing terrible situations. And Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago our Premier named the Minister along with the Solicitor General co-leads in our government's anti-human trafficking strategy and our government also announced investment supports for survivors and resources to combat such a horrible crime. Can the Minister please explain further what those investments are meant for and how the strategy will be formed? The Associate Minister. To remember for your question and for being an advocate for the women in your riding and across Ontario. Speaker, we know that the crime of human trafficking impacts victims and families in multiple ways. That is why our government's anti-human trafficking strategy is being co-led. The Solicitor General and I have already been hard at work. We're also working across ministries with our colleagues and across sectors on a strategy that is truly impactful and helps survivors while holding offenders accountable. As a first step, we have committed to $20 million a year in annualised funding for survivor supports and aid to helping bring traffickers to justice. Speaker, this funding will go towards wraparound services such as transitional housing, trauma-informed counselling and mental health and addiction treatments. We are also providing funding and initiatives that support culturally appropriate care that are designed by and led by Indigenous people. Thank you very much. Thank you. The next question is for Brampton East. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker is 2019 and in Canada no one should be prohibited from working because of their faith. But currently in Ontario, sick paramedics are being told that they have to choose between their faith and their profession. Specifications of helmets worn by paramedics are threatening to make it impossible for sicks in Ontario to serve in that role. Despite repeated requests to the ministry to provide an exemption or waiver that would respect the human rights of six, the ministry has taken no action. My question is to the Premier will he act now to end this discrimination and ensure that sick paramedics can continue to serve so that they were trained to do. Questions to the Premier? Minister of municipal affairs. Referred to the minister of municipal affairs and housing. Thanks, Speaker. We value our municipal partners. We very much respect the information that the Honourable Member Opposite has placed on the table. I again want to say to the Honourable Member I appreciate you bringing this matter to us. We are happy to sit down with you after question period but again our government has pledged we are going to continue to work with our municipal partners and we want to sit down and really if there are issues that they need clarification on there's always the opportunity for us to have those meetings. I want to thank the Honourable Member for placing that forward. Supplementary question. Back to the Premier. Honourable Member Opposite is the City of Hamilton Paramedic Services in Opsu. In her decision the arbiter says and I quote to exclude capable and valuable paramedics is an intolerable result. Can it really be that a sick cannot be a paramedic in this province if he observes his religion by having gish? However, this is what she felt she had to do The Ministry said in last August that they would consider changing the regulation with just a few days left to live up to this commitment. Will the Premier end this discrimination now? The question has been referred to the Minister of Health to the Minister of Health. Referred to the Minister of Health. Thank you very much Speaker and thank you very much for the question. Our government believes in building inclusive services in Ontario. We are certainly aware of the recent arbitration or reviewing the decision and we are working with our partners in the Ministry of Labour and the Paramedic Service that was involved in this case. We are working to ensure that reasonable accommodations are available to health care professionals. We respect the work that they do very much and we will have more to say on this issue shortly. Thank you very much for the question. Member for Mississauga Cooksville Mr. Speaker, Ontario's investment in refurbishing its nuclear fleet has enabled the nuclear industry to develop and advance its skills and capabilities. Our mature industry of operators, suppliers and highly skilled trades are exactly what's needed to support the development of small modular reactors. Mr. Speaker, this positions Ontario as one of the best places in the world to develop nuclear technologies. Will the Associate Minister of Energy tell the House how signing an MOU with New Brunswick and Saskatchewan will create even more highly skilled jobs in Ontario? The Associate Minister of Energy Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I thank the Honourable Member for an excellent question from Mississauga Cooksville and all the work he does on behalf of his constituents. We have already invested $26 billion to support reliable, emissions free energy and highly skilled jobs making us a leader in the world in this sector. The nuclear industry supports over 60,000 jobs across the province, many of them in migrate riding of Bruce Gray on sound and Mr. Speaker, even more jobs will be created as a result of further investment in nuclear technology right here in Ontario. In fact Mr. Speaker it is estimated that 6,000 highly skilled jobs will be created per year from 2030 to 2040 if we invest in small, modular reactors, SMR technology accordingly. In addition to creating jobs SMRs will have significant investment and export potential for Ontario. The Minister of Energy, Northern Development of Mines will outline this incredible potential in a supplementary answer. Thank you Mr. Speaker Supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker. It is apparent that investing in SMRs will support thousands of jobs while producing non-emitting power and substantial export potential. Would the Minister of Energy Northern Development and Mines tell the House about the future market potential of developing SMRs here in Ontario? Order Minister Minister of Energy Northern Development of Mines Questions referred to the Minister of Energy Northern Development of Mines. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in this place Merry Christmas and Safe Travels back to your riding. Last night Mr. Speaker we spoke at a reception with the Ontario Nuclear Advantage and the Canadian Nuclear Association. We weren't as big as your reception but we were loud and proud a full room of people who see the economic opportunity that is attached to developing small modular reactors. In terms of on-grid potential in our system, with an economic value of $108 billion, off-grid more than $35 billion in remote communities, forestry and mining operations, and of course the export, if we get this right. We will. By 2030, we see an economic potential of more than $150 billion. The Premier's leadership in signing the MOU with our partners in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, has already attracted other provinces and jurisdictions who want to get in on the action, Mr. Speaker, and make sure that SMRs are part of the energy solution for the future of Ontario, Canada and the rest of the world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Next question, the member for Humber River Black Creek. Thank you, Speaker. I want to wish all my colleagues a merry Christmas and a happy holidays. My question to the Premier. The recent utter generals report confirmed what new homebuyers have been saying for years, that Tarion protects bad builders and not consumers. The previous Liberal government ignored the problems at Tarion for 15 long years, as Ontario families struggled with cracked foundations, leaky windows, mold and other serious deficiencies in their newly built homes. But the current government is making these families wait even longer for help. The status quo will continue for at least another year. Tarion won't slowly fix itself. Why won't the Premier appoint an administrator to take over Tarion and start fixing the problems for families who are struggling right now? The question has been addressed to the Premier. Minister of Government Services. Well, one thing the member opposite and I absolutely agree on is for the last 15 years, the new home warranty program in Ontario absolutely crumbled under the Liberal Government Watch. It was absolutely appalling what they allowed happen. And the fact of the matter is we have been very decisive and we've been taking action based on what we've heard from consumers. Our reform has focused on overhauling the warranty program, enhancing claims and dispute resolution processes, introducing measures to ensure better built homes and increasing transparency at Tarion. Again, Speaker, we've been listening and we've been acting and we're bringing confidence back into new home ownership in Ontario. And I have to share with you that we need to be measured in how we go forward and we have acted on 27 out of 32 recommendations from the Auditor General. Thank you very much. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. The government is tinkering around the edges at Tarion with changes that don't go far enough and won't happen for at least another year. That's not good enough for families in Cardinal Creek Village who need help right now. This morning I provided the Premier, Minister of MGCS and other government MPPs, several letters from these families who are dealing with serious deficiencies in their new homes and can't get help from Tarion because Tarion would rather protect the developer instead of these families. Later today I will table a bill that would help these families right now. Why does the Premier think the families in Cardinal Creek should wait a second longer for help? Minister. Again, I really appreciate the question and we have been very decisive in acting very quickly, quite frankly. As soon as that Auditor General report was tabled because we care about families across Ontario who have not been properly treated and respected when it comes to new home warranty and the reality is we are moving quickly and we're going to be absolutely overhauling the board at Tarion and we're going to make sure that the consumer voice is heard and in doing so we're reducing the size of the board from 16 to 12 and home builders and vendors will not be allowed to have more than one third representation and the other third will be made up by appointments with the remaining third being experts and consumers that deserve to have their voices heard when it comes to what matters when building the biggest investment that they may be making in their lifetime and I am so proud of the work that our team has done in a short amount and I can tell you with certainty that people will have confidence in the new home warranty program that we will be bringing forward and I thank you very much for this question. I look forward to working with you on the question. The member for Markham Thornhill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Solicitor General. Yesterday, the Solicitor General announced our government is providing police services in Ontario with the $195 million investment so that they have the needed resources to keep their communities and citizens safe and compact. In my writing of Markham Thornhill, Markham and Cross the York Region, we have a strong partnership with the York Regional Police Service and I want to thank them for their dedicated service to our community. The individual need of police services across the Ontario are diverse as community themselves. That's why I'm grateful that the Solicitor General knew community safety and policing grant program allowed for the local police services to receive funding to tie to the local needs of the community safety. Can the Solicitor General tell us how the YRP is being supported through the community safety and policing grant program? I appreciate the question from the member from Markham Thornhill. I know that he understands how important it is that we keep our community safe and we provide the resources that our police need to do the important work that they do. As he mentioned, I was pleased to announce that the recipients of the 195 million community safety and policing grants were announced yesterday and in particular because you are from York Region, I would like to highlight what York Region is receiving. So the York Regional Police Services will be receiving $16 million through the community safety policing grant. They have rightfully highlighted a number of key initiatives that are going to make an important difference to the people of York Region. They are supporting an integrated and multi sectorial partnership that aims to address the issues of gun violence, sexual violence and harassment, and human trafficking. It's important for people to understand that human trafficking in particular is a funding pathway that gangs are using in the province of Ontario to fund their illegal activities. The investment that we're making in York Region and across Ontario is going to chop that funding opportunity off so that gangs are not using our young people as a fundraising revenue to assist their illegal activities across Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. I hate to say this but that concludes question period for 2019. I would ask the pages to now assemble. Is everybody here? It is now time to say a word of thanks to our legislative pages. Our pages 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 our water glasses are always full. We are indeed fortunate to have them here. Our pages depart having made new friends with a greater understanding of 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 continue to contribute to their communities, their province, and their country in important ways. We expect great things from all of you. Maybe some of you someday will take your seats in this house as members or work here as staff. We wish you all well. Please join me in showing our appreciation for our legislative pages. Before I adjourn or actually recess the House, I hope the House will grant me the indulgence of making a few concluding remarks. We've had a very interesting and busy fall sitting at the legislature and I think we've raised the bar in terms of decorum and I want to thank all of the members for their assistance in that objective. We all share our responsibilities representing our constituents and working together to improve life in the province. You've worked very, very hard this fall and you deserve enormous credit for the work that you've done on behalf of the people of Ontario. So thank you for that. I want to wish you and your families, your staff, all the staff who help us in the chamber, all the very best for the holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all the best in 2020. Thank you very much.