 here in the House. It is now time for a question period. The members conduct an inquiry. My question is to the acting Premier. We learned this morning that Jerry Lahi Jr. has been charged with bribery in connection with the Sudbury by-election. Both the Premier and the Ministry of Community and Safety stood by Mr. Lahi, despite the damning evidence that all Ontario herds when they listen to those tapes. The law-binding people of this province knew what they heard on those tapes was illegal. Now, through their good work, the OPP have confirmed that what your top liberal fundraiser did in December was in fact illegal. Jerry Lahi Jr. has stepped up as chair of the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board. Did he resign voluntarily, or did you ask him for his resignation? Of course we are aware of the charges that have been laid against Mr. Lahi, and I am very pleased that the police have informed Pat Sorbera's council that she will not face any criminal charges. Speaker, we have been open with the legislature. We have been open with the media. We've been open with the public about allegations related to the Sudbury by-election. I'm recognizing the sensitivity to this, and I will deal with it accordingly. We will put the questions quietly, and we will have the answers quietly. Thank you. Speaker, we have faith in the process. We have cooperated fully in the investigation. We will continue to combat. And Speaker, as this is now a matter before the courts, we will not have further questions. Thank you, supplementary. You can't hide behind that line. The reality is that Pat Sorbera is very an integral part of the investigation. She was in those tapes. She was part of the conversation with Jerry Lahi Jr. I believe and I quote, I am talking to you on behalf of the Premier. Pat Sorbera is part of this act of investigation. Have you removed her from the Premier's office while these charges proceed through the courts? And if not, why not? Speaker, I want to reiterate that the police have informed Pat Sorbera's council that she will not face any criminal charges. Speaker, we have confidence in the police to do their work. We have cooperated with the investigation. We will continue to cooperate with the investigation. Mr. Lahi was charged today. Part of that charge came about as an investigation that included Pat Sorbera. That included your new member from Sudbury. We need to have some assurances that what is happening in the Premier's office is separate and apart. Please finish. Shutting down my questions is not going to make this issue go away. You asked for Pat Sorbera's resignation while these proceed. Thank you. Speaker, let me repeat and I do know that the member opposite... I'm at the edge of going to warnings and I'll do so. Please. Speaker, as I have said now three times. Member from Nippee and Carleton. The police have informed Pat Sorbera's council that she will not be facing any criminal charges. Speaker, the member opposite I know has the questions prepared but that is an important new speaker. As we have said we will always cooperate with the investigation. We have confidence in our police speaker. We will cooperate fully and as I say this matter is now before the courts. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the acting Premier. Today is the day Ontarians across the province have been waiting for and perhaps it's the day the Premier has been dreading. We have the unprecedented situation of criminal charges being laid against the key Liberal fundraiser for allegedly bribing Andrew Olivier on behalf of the Premier of Ontario. This case strikes right at the heart of the Premier's office. Acting Premier, will the Premier step aside while these charges are before the courts? I'm coming to the Minister of Agriculture. It's a little late but I'm telling you this is the second time. Thank you. Well, I know your questions were written before question period. However, I am very pleased that the police have informed that there will be no criminal charges laid against her. So Speaker, this matter is before the court. We are, we have confidence in the independence of the police speaker. We will cooperate fully. The Premier has always maintained that her staff did nothing wrong Speaker and we have faith in the process. Thank you. Bigger back to the Acting Premier. We in the Ontario PC caucus have been demanding what the vast majority of people of Ontario have been asking for ever since these tapes became public. Through the actions of Jerry Loghe, Junior and Pat Sabara, the Premier has soiled and diminished the integrity of the office she holds. Nothing short of stepping aside is to justify the people of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, the Premier thinks she can defy Ontarians with a Hydro-1 but she cannot defy them when it comes to alleged criminal activity. Will the Premier step aside or does the Premier think she too is above the law? Deputy Premier. Speaker, we will not second-guess the work of the OPP. There has been an independent investigation Speaker. The police have informed Pat Sabara's council that there will be no criminal charges late against her. We will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation Speaker but the notion on the other side of the house that they know better than those who have investigated this title to those opinions but they're pretty wild opinions. Final supplementary. Thank you Speaker. Back to the Acting Premier. This Liberal Government has been mired in scandal after scandal after scandal. These criminal charges are just to start with four outstanding OPP investigations. The Premier has to stop grandstanding. Mr. Speaker, the jig is up. The Premier needs to accept the consequences of her scandal ridden government. The Premier must step aside or lose all confidence of the people of Ontario. Acting Premier, will she do it? Senator please. Thank you. Deputy Premier. Well as Speaker, I can only imagine that these questions were written before today's question period before you were informed that the police have informed Pat Sabara's council that there will be no criminal charges late against her. So you might want to refresh the questions but let me tell you again we are not going to second-guess The member from the PN Carlton is warned. We will not second-guess Mr. Speaker. No questions. The member from Simmons James B. My question is to the Deputy Premier. The Premier has defended Jerry Lawheed Jr. and refused opposition calls to force him to resign from the Sudbury Police Services Board. Now that he's been charged it does immeasurable damage to the reputation to that Board and to the Premier's credibility. Instead of defending Liberal insiders the Premier needs to put the interest of the party's experience ahead of the Liberal Party. Ontarians deserve an answer. Who ordered Jerry Lawheed to break the law? Well, Speaker, as I said before the police are doing their investigation. We have cooperated fully with that investigation. We will not interfere with that. Speaker, this matter is now before the courts and we'll have no further comment on that. Thank you. Supplementary? Deputy Premier Jerry Lawheed Jr. has been charged with one count of counseling and offence not committed and one count of unlawful influencing or negotiating appointments. We could very well see the same charges late against the Premier's own Deputy Chief of Staff. Who knows? So the question becomes, I ask again Order? So I ask the Premier who gave the order to Jerry Lawheed Jr. who asked him to break the law on behalf of the Liberal Party. Who gave that order? Speaker, maybe the member opposite missed it when I said that the police have informed the council that she will not face any charges, Speaker. So this speculation is unfortunate at best, Speaker. This is a matter that is before the courts and we will respect the independence of the courts and the police. Final supplementary? For the Deputy Premier, we all heard the tapes. We heard what Jerry Lawheed said. We heard what Pat Sabara said. And it was very clear they were acting on behalf of the Premier one Kathleen win. So I ask you again both Lawheed and Sabara said they were calling on behalf of the Premier. So again, who ordered them to break the law? Speaker, it is nothing short of astounding that the member opposite thinks he knows better than the police who have investigated this, Speaker. The police have informed Pat Sabara's council there will be no criminal charges laid, Speaker. I respect the work of the police. I respect the work of the court system. So we will have no further comment on this, but the member opposite does need to, I think, respect the work of the people who investigated this. Thank you. New question, the member from Tennis James Bay. The Premier and yourself as acting Premier both stood in this house and defended the action of both Mr. Lawheed and Miss Sabara. The Premier has publicly said with apparent knowledge that the conversation Mr. Lawheed is now being charged, the conservation Mr. Lawheed is now being charged for having or an attempt to keep Mr. Olivier involved. And the decision as to who would run and the Liberal candidate was hers. Speaker, Mr. Lawheed is now charged with counselling and offence said he was there on behalf of the Premier. So I ask again, who ordered him to break the law? Speaker, I think the member opposite actually needs to respect the independence of the police and respect the independence of the courts. Let the courts do their work, Speaker. We will have no comment on this. It is a matter before the courts, but as I said earlier that the police have informed that she will not face criminal charges. I know the member doesn't want to hear that but that is what the police have told the council. New Speaker to the Deputy Premier the Premier and yourself were like on autopilot saying that you're taking this oh so very seriously. Turns out so did the Chief Electoral Officer and so did the OPP. So the question is will the acting Premier tell us what the Premier knew and when she knew. Deputy House Leader, second time. Well, Speaker I am again repeating that the police have done their work. The courts are doing their work. That is independent from government and certainly independent from the political process. If the member opposite thinks there should be political interference in matters like this. I could not disagree more strongly. Let's let the courts do their work. We will support any investigation. We will cooperate fully as we have done and will continue to do. Thank you. The Premier and the acting Premier need finally to read that the writing is on the wall. The Premier and the acting Premier both stood in this house and defended the actions of Mr. Laid and Ms. Sabara. But now charges have been laid and holes in the Premier's story are being blown wide open. Laid said he was acting on behalf of the Premier. That's what was said on the tapes. It was clear to everybody who listened to those tapes. My question to you is this what did the Premier know and did she order Mr. Laid to break the law? Deputy Speaker We are aware that charges have been laid against Mr. Laid. We are also aware that the police have informed Patsar Bears Council there will be no charges against her Speaker. We have been open with the legislature we have been open with the media we have been open with the public we have cooperated fully with the investigation the Premier has maintained and continues to maintain that her staff has done nothing wrong. We have faith in the process the dependence of the courts and of the police we have cooperated we will continue to do so Speaker this is a matter now before the courts where it belongs. Thank you. Mr. Speaker my question is the Deputy Premier leadership is all about honesty integrity and accountability Mr. Speaker with this morning's news about the criminal charges being laid against one of the Premier's own in Sudbury the leadership of this Premier is all about of shame in the past this government was prepared to say anything in order to hang on to power they did this with the gas plant scandal the e-health scandal the orange scandal and most recently they did it with the Sudbury by election bribery scandal through you Mr. Speaker I ask the Deputy Premier the police have done their job will you do yours and we are Premier resigned. Speaker I'm happy that at least that member respects that the police have done their job independent of the police affairs and the police have informed Paso Barros Council that she will not face any criminal charges Speaker we respect the independence of the police we respect the independence of the courts that is that is the responsible position to take Speaker we have cooperated fully and we'll continue to do so Thank you Mr. Speaker back to the Deputy Premier we're asking your government to show integrity and to stand by higher principles your government is under four investigations this is unprecedented in the history of this legislature you've wasted billions of gas plant scandals you're not listening to people with a fire sale of Hydro-1 but you're not above the law will you do the Honourable thing will you as the Premier do the right thing and resign Well Speaker I know the Premier and all of us fully understand the law we are respectful of the police we are respectful of the courts we have cooperated fully Speaker and the police have informed council and that's the second time for the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek excuse me it's irrelevant please finish Speaker we have cooperated fully with the investigation it has been conducted free from political interference well it should be Speaker no charges are going to be laid against Pat Sorbera and the matter regarding Mr. Lawheed is before the court and that's where it will be dealt with Thank you Good question this just doesn't cut it the reality is this the tapes clearly say that Mr. Sorbera in his own words was there on behalf of the Premier of Ontario Mr. Lawheed you can excuse me again through you Speaker everybody has heard the tapes it is crystal clear that Mr. Lawheed was very clear and why he was there he was meeting with Mr. Mollivier in his own words because he was there on behalf of the Premier of Ontario so we're asking you one simple question will you confirm today that in fact the Premier of Ontario did give him those orders and he was acting under her direction Deputy House Leader is warned finish please well Speaker again Inspector Cluso across the way here thinks he can do a better job start the clock Order please I'm going to ask the the Deputy Premier to withdraw I withdraw Speaker remind everyone why we in this House as the tradition of identifying people either by their title or their writing I would ask you all to respect that carry on well Speaker the member opposite I know is doing his own investigation and that is certainly fine but I trust the police to do their work they have they have done their investigation they have come to a finding Speaker we are aware that Mr. Lawheed has been charged and we are aware that Mr. Barr will not be charged supplementary the facts are this the tapes were very clear and saying that Mr. Lawheed was there on behalf of the Premier the Ontario Provincial Police has conducted an investigation elections Ontario has conducted an investigation both have come to the same conclusion that in fact Mr. Lawheed offered a bribe to Mr. Olivier and said he was doing so on behalf of the Premier of Ontario so I ask you again can you confirm yes or no that if that direction did or didn't come from the Premier of Ontario one Kathleen Winn thank you well Speaker on this side of the House we believe in letting the police do their work we cooperated fully with the police Speaker we have come to a conclusion we are aware of that conclusion Speaker we trust the police we trust the court system to do their work in a completely independent way thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Health and long-term care the Institute is Canada's largest cardiovascular health centre dedicated to understanding treating and preventing heart disease the Heart Institute delivers I take care with a personal touch that shapes the way cardiovascular medicine is practised they provide care to more than 80,000 patients each year and provide training to more than 100 physicians annually they serve patients locally in my riding of Ottawa Lea which is one of the largest Francophone community in Ottawa as well as patients across the province and country you might even say the University of Ottawa's Heart Institute is close to my heart the heart of my constituent because they provide services in both official language along with my colleagues in Ottawa we work with the Minister when he announced infrastructure funding to the Ottawa Hospital can the Minister tell this House what our government is doing for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Minister of Health well thank you I appreciate the question from the member from Ottawa Orleans Mr. Speaker our government support a range of advanced cardiac services provided by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute procedures such as bypass surgery and angioplasties in fact in January of this year our government announced that we would be investing $162 million in the expansion of Ottawa's Heart Institute to help even more patients access that high quality care that they provide and since 2003 our government has committed over $172 million in capital projects alone to the Ottawa Health Heart Institute which all are either complete or currently under way and we continue to support our wait time strategy at the Heart Institute in fact since 2005 the wait times for angioplasty alone have been reduced by 52% by the Heart Institute we're extremely proud of the work the Institute does we'll keep working to support it Thank you Thank you Mr. Minister for your answer I was able to stand beside you at the Ottawa hospital to announce that our government is providing over $10 million to the 17 hospitals in our Champlain Lane including over $9 million to 5 hospitals in the Ottawa area the investment of over $9 million to improve infrastructure in Ottawa area hospital is a great news for residents of the Ottawa community and surely for Orleans I was disappointed recently when I heard the leader of the opposition suggest that our government was cutting funding to the Ottawa Heart Institute and similarly to the Ottawa hospital can the minister tell this house more about the investment made in the hospital system in Ontario and how those investments will attract the Ottawa region Thank you Thank you again for the question from the member Mr. Speaker as the Minister of Health I'm committed as this government is to a strong publicly funded healthcare system and hospital system that efficiently provides high quality patient services for all Ontarians and hospital funding in fact is increased by 56% since 2003 that's $5.7 billion and it's a total of $1.4 billion just for hospitals located in Ottawa region alone at the Ottawa Heart Institute we've increased their funding by a 68% increase of more than $48 million we're making additional investments to other hospitals in the area like CHEO the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario where we invested nearly a million dollars to that hospital and others specifically for chronic pain programs for children across this province Mr. Speaker your question Thank you Speaker my question is for the acting Premier Speaker it's a shameful day in Ontario the Premier's key Liberal operative in Northern Ontario is charged with two criminal offences we now have an influencing scandal in Ontario Jerry Lawheed was clearly heard on audio recording stating he was representing the Premier he asked a prospective Liberal nominee to step aside in favour of the Premier's hand-picked choice and he proposed to use taxpayers' money to smooth the way with the offer of a job we've all heard the tapes what Lawheed said is no different than what the Premier's Chief of Staff Pat Cerbera said so shouldn't she step aside from the charges from the Chief Elections Officer Speaker once again I have to express concern that the member opposite thinks he can do a better job investigating than the police can so the police have done a thorough investigation we have cooperated fully with that investigation we will continue to cooperate fully the police have done a better job investigating than the Chief Elections Officer we are aware charges have been laid against Mr. Lawheed and we are also aware that charges will not be laid against Pat Cerbera back to the acting Premier Speaker I heard that same stuff during the two years of the gas plant scandal so don't go be lecturing us we've always known that Lawheed and I know it to be true today the Premier's fingerprints are all over this criminal scandal much as she may protest otherwise the OPP believes Lawheed illegally influenced Andrew Olivier to step aside for her hand-picked candidate now her fall guy is paying the price for this illicit behavior Pat Cerbera is heard on tape delivering the exact same message as Jerry Lawheed allegedly offering the same bride shouldn't she step aside until we hear about the charges under the elections act I have been listening very carefully and understand the sensitivity of this topic I'm going to counsel all members to use their language very carefully to ensure that you're not making accusations of a criminal it is it was getting close I'm not saying it did but I'm asking you to measure your words please Deputy Premier Speaker the member opposite is second guessing the work of the police I have a problem with that I think the police have conducted a thorough investigation speaker we have cooperated with that investigation they have come to a conclusion speaker the fact that the investigation is superior to the police investigation is a remarkable assertion speaker we respect the work of the police we respect the independence of the police we respect the court speaker and we will let the courts do their work thank you the member from Timon State again to the deputy Premier we ask people in society to always take responsibilities for their actions we ask our children to take responsibilities for their action in this case the law we know has been potentially been broken because there's been criminal charges that have been laid against Mr. Laughey we know that in fact what was said on those tapes was by the way of Mr. Laughey that they were acting on behalf of instructions from the Premier they were there on behalf of the Premier to do the work that she wanted them to do so I ask again is the Premier as deputy Premier is anybody in this government prepared to accept to take responsibility for the actions of those people that acted on your own Premier the Premier from the very beginning has been very open and transparent has cooperated fully with the police investigation we have confidence in the police we have confidence in the court they have come to a conclusion we know what the results of that are and we will let the matter be dealt with in the appropriate place and that is in the courts thank you supplementary Speaker through you to the deputy Premier two investigations have concluded the same findings elections Ontario investigation have found that in fact there is a case to debate against those two individuals when it comes to the breach of the election act it was very clear on the tapes what was said they were there on behalf of the Premier of Ontario the Ontario Provincial Police investigation on the criminal charges site as charge Mr. Loughy so I ask you the question once again whose orders were they acting under were they doing this on behalf of the Premier yes or no well Speaker once again I have confidence in the police to do their investigation they have done a very thorough investigation Speaker I believe that is the way justice is served here in Canada to have an independence between the police the courts and government Speaker so we have cooperated fully and the matter is now before the courts thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of government and consumer services our government continues to demonstrate strong support for consumers and has enhanced consumer protection and awareness in various sectors over the years speaking with my constituents in Scarborough Southwest and speaking to other residents across Ontario I keep hearing that Ontarians want access to the services they need without being subject to harmful practices our government addressed this concern across various sectors by passing the stronger protection for Ontario Consumers Act in 2013 while Ontarians have benefited from the legislation's door-to-door protections for many months now I understand that the minister of government and consumer services was joined by the credit counselling services of Sault Ste. Marie this summer for an important announcement Mr. Speaker my question is would the minister please describe the new protections that Ontarians can count on from our government thank you Speaker Scarborough Southwest for asking about important consumer issues and certainly for his advocacy and his riding for consumers we passed bill 55 the stronger protection for Consumers Act which provides against aggressive high pressure door-to-door sales strategies especially for water heater rentals it provides reforms that help to improve debt settlement services make them more affordable and more accountable and it provides measures that make the real estate market more open and transparent as of July 1st we implemented new rules that add accountability to debt settlement in the following areas debtors cannot be charged fees until they start making payments to their creditors we've capped debt settlement fees at 15% for a series of payments or 10% for a lump sum and contracts must be clear and cannot misrepresent the services they provide additionally new rules give all consumers a 10 day cooling off period we're pleased that we're making progress to help protect vulnerable consumers supplementary thank you minister through the speaker my supplementary question to the minister of government and community services is the following with an increasing amount of Ontarians falling into debt I'm pleased to note the minister is focusing attention on implementing adequate protections I understand the stronger protection for Ontario Consumers Act also includes measures to increase accountability and competitiveness in Ontario's real estate sector that were implemented July 1st I've always felt that Ontario's real estate professionals are among the best contributing billions of dollars to our economy and providing jobs across the province efforts to help the sector grow while adding consumer protections would be welcome in my riding of Scarborough Southwest we're riding across the province my question is to the minister would I want the minister to please update the house on how our government improved the home buying and selling process for Ontarians this past summer thank you minister thank you speaker and again to the members from Scarborough Southwest a fair accountable real estate environment has been an ongoing priority for our government when the act was passed in December 2013 home sellers and buyers were immediately given to negotiate both fees and commissions when working with real estate professionals I'm pleased that the new rules that came into force this past summer provide greater protection and transparency for home buyers in multiple offer situations the rules ensure that realtors cannot mislead home buyers about offers because they require real estate salespeople and brokers to only present offers in writing they also require brokerages to retain copies of all written offers for the period of one year and they also allow a person making an offer on the property to ask about the number of offers that have been made these reforms speaker stakeholder feedback and will help the real estate council of Ontario better regulate against phantom offers speaker this is one of the important changes we're making thank you new question my question is for the acting premier this morning I had the honour of attending the opening ceremony of the national peace officers memorial room during that ceremony I was reminded of the courage and integrity shown by our men and women of Ontario's police services in upholding the law of our country that stands in stark contrast to the news today that the premier's key fundraiser has been charged with bribery those charges are laid because the premier allegedly sent Jerry to offer Andrew Olivier a job in exchange for not running in the Sudbury by-election Mr. Speaker the premier has disgraced Mr. Speaker the premier has disgraced her office the people of Ontario are demanding that she step aside during this court case Mr. Speaker to the acting premier to hold the premier's step aside thank you Deputy Premier Speaker I'm happy to hear the leader of the opposition speak about the respect that he has for the police officers we share that we are blessed in this province to have superb police officers because of our respect for those police officers Speaker we respect their work in this case among others so the independence of the police is a critically important part of our democracy we respect their work we cooperate fully with them we share the respect and that's why we have let them do the work Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker back to the acting premier during the course of the Ontario PC leadership campaign every large town in Ontario and I heard again and again that people are sick and tired of this scandal plagued government they are sick and tired of the government they are sick and tired of a government that doesn't respect their hard-earned tax dollars they are sick and tired of a liberal premier who thinks her government can get away with breaking the law they want this premier and this liberal government to be held accountable the criminal courts will now do that Mr. Speaker back to the acting premier will the premier show an ounce of integrity and step aside during this campaign Thank you Deputy Premier I think if anybody wants to talk about the integrity of politicians in this place the premier is a woman of impact the premier has cooperated fully with the police investigation she has been open she has been transparent she is committed to doing the right thing every single time speaker Thank you My question through you speakers of the deputy premier Premier what does it take for your government to finally admit its role in this its role in this entire scandal says clearly that he's acting on behalf of the premier when he goes to meet with Mr. Olivier Mrs. Savera on the phone does the same says she's doing this on behalf of the premier we have an Ontario elections investigation that found that in fact the law had been breached and we now have criminal charges on behalf of the Ontario Provincial Police against Mr. Longhi so I'm going to ask you again will this deputy premier stand in this house today and finally admit that in fact these people were acting on behalf of the premier's instructions Thank you Well speaker once again I have to say that the police have done a thorough investigation an independent investigation a non-partisan investigation they have reached conclusions speaker they have informed passers-byre's council that she will not be facing any criminal charges speaker so I understand the politics of the member opposite I understand what he's trying to do but when you think about our justice system when you think about our police system the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek is warned finish please wrap up speaker I'm doing my best to ignore some of the heckles from across the floor the independence of the police is fundamental to our democracy speaker we respect the excellence of their investigation capability speaker the matter is before the courts where it will be dealt with independently thank you again through you speaker the deputy premier the deputy premier says this is all about politics this is all about liberal politics it's exactly what's going on the government and the liberal party tried to game the system in such a way that gave them an advantage in a Sudbury by-election the tapes are clear the tapes say I'm here the minister of children and youth services I'm trying to admonish you while you're talking minister and the minister of economic development will also come to order please finish the tapes are clear they were acting on behalf of the premier of Ontario this is what they said on the tapes it's what Mr. Olivier has said as well the Ontario provincial police has come to a conclusion elections Ontario has come to a conclusion so I ask you a question will the deputy premier finally admit that in fact it was the premier of Ontario that directed these individuals to offer Mr. Olivier a bribe what the member opposite is saying is that he knows better than the OPP that is what he is saying I respectfully disagree with him speaker the OPP have done their investigation very thorough investigation speaker we have cooperated fully with that investigation and I will take the decisions of the OPP over the decisions of the member opposite any day of the week thank you thank you speaker my question is to the minister of citizenship immigration and international trade minister for 400 years francophones have been building and shaping Ontario in my writing Glenn Gary Prescott there's more than 60% of francophones and a vibrant community diversity of all sorts whether it be race, religion, nationality or language I know that francophones in Ontario have contributed in an essential way for the diversity of the province your ministry brought forward the Ontario immigration strategy with set a target of 5% francophone immigration the constituents in my writing have been equally excited and pleased to see their government commit to increasing francophone populations speaker could the minister tell us what our government is doing to meet this target question thank you minister of citizenship immigration and international trade speaker Maxie Bogo for the question thank you very much speaker I cannot agree with the member enough Ontario's francophone population is as proud strong and vibrant as any and we are committed in helping it reach that fantastic target of 5% immigration target just today speaker my ministry along the creation of a group of experts comprised of 11 francophone committee members from a variety of sector region and areas of expertise and also includes a representative for Ontario's French language services commissioner speaker this group met the first time in June this year and I look forward to seeing what they will achieve going forward and we have the tools and resources here to help francophone newcomers succeed and continue to protect and celebrate francophone culture in Ontario thank you thank you speaker I would like to thank the minister for his answer and the hard work that he does on this file I am very happy to know there is a team of experts to provide advice and I am convinced that my people in my writing agree the diverse populations our francophone community faces unique challenges when immigrating or integrating into Ontario we know our community is essential for the economic development and social development in Ontario that's why we have to continue to find innovative solutions to increase francophone immigration in Ontario Mr. Speaker what exactly will this group of questions be discussing and how will it benefit francophone immigration and my writing of the great Glen Gary Prescott Russell thank you thank you speaker for the question we are very very excited about this group of experts the 11 leaders in their field are volunteering their time and the experts see to benefit the province by helping us increase the number of francophone immigrants to Ontario and ensure the sustainability of francophone ontarian communities the group will examine how to promote welcome and integrate and retain Ontario in spring 2016 they will provide us with a report of their findings and recommendations speaker this information will be used to inform future decision making and improve existing supports for francophone newcomers building stronger francophone communities in part of the government's economic plan for Ontario and this group will help us do just that thank you thank you my question is for the acting premier speaker yesterday we learned from the auditor general of the sad state of access to frontline healthcare from the CCACs which some have described as criminal and sadly today we have learned that the liberals are willing to engage in criminal activity to get what they want so speaker simply I would like to ask the acting premier for the liberal government and the liberal party stop breaking the law to benefit their own interests deputy premier to the minister of health and long-term care thank you I appreciate the question the comment above the CCACs of course the last part of the comment we don't agree with at all but yesterday we received the report of the auditor general on that report in fact I endorsed it on behalf of the government said that I agreed with all of the recommendations and we accept all the recommendations and we plan on implementing all of her recommendations it was an important road map quite frankly Mr. Speaker for us to use going forward we're putting it alongside the actions that we've already taken this year that flowed from the expert panel to actually help us and provide us with good advice even better quality of care provided through our home that's what we're doing we're embarking on those changes and I welcome to report back to the deputy or the acting premier simply they're deferring their answers because they can't muster a proper one up because they're so busted you know what this government is right with criminal activity it doesn't matter what I'm not going to accept that the member will withdraw thank you carry on okay so Mr. Speaker the actions of the government in Sudbury perhaps it's a stark reminder that the liberals have no respect for democratic process they arrogantly believe that they're accountable to no one and therefore they act accordingly as we're seeing right now so speaker I'd like to go back to the acting premier and ask question? to act with integrity in a simple by-election how can we trust this liberal government to act responsibly introducing policies that impact just not the riding of the whole province Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I'm absolutely shocked that the member opposite would use such despicable language referring to the hard work done by our frontline healthcare workers I'm proud of the work that our thousands upon thousands of frontline workers provide on a daily basis helping more than 800,000 Ontarians over the year we've received an important report I've embraced and endorsed and accepted the member from here on Bruce come to order we're going to be transformational as we have been we've already introduced significant changes in our home and community care system we plan on doing that and referring to our hard work and frontline healthcare workers is quite frankly despicable seated please without comment thank you my question is for the acting premier yesterday we learned in the auditor general's report into the CCAC's that 62% $1.5 billion in 2014 of the funds that CCAC went to private for-profit home care service providers in a public system like care partners in Welland and Norfolk care partners continues to receive their piece of the pie even as their frontline staff nurses who do everything from wound care to dialysis have been on strike seeking a collective agreement for the last six months will the acting premier tell these nurses tell these frontline workers here today why it is that they've been left out on the street unable to provide care for thousands of patients in Niagara well the government continues to shovel money into care partners so they can pay people to take their jobs away thank you mr. Speaker I appreciate the question and I'm happy that there are members of the nursing profession here and I had the opportunity to have personal support workers as well thank you for indicating that thank you for the work that you do day in and day out on behalf of Vancouver and we appreciate it and we respect it mr. Speaker I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago of meeting with Opsu with Smokey Thomas as well as representatives those same nurses and frontline workers that the member opposite is talking about we had a significant conversation and I had a good understanding as a result of that of the challenges that they're facing as a result of that in fact even prior to that we have implored and asked both parties but specifically care partners for care partners to get back to the negotiating table and to work hard with Opsu and the bargaining agent representing those frontline healthcare workers to find a solution to this outstanding difficulty thank you mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker well last week they did go back to the bargaining table Opsu the negotiating committee went back to the table in an effort to end the strike and our partners negotiator a well-known negotiator who actually is a negotiator for Ops negotiations with the Liberal government a negotiator well-known and well-paid tabled a new proposal that was never there before that demanded that any cost added by the ORPP to care partners with implementing that plan will have to be born entirely by these frontline workers will the acting premier in front of these home care workers that are here today these healthcare professionals commit to direct care partners and to withdraw the outrageous ORPP demand immediately get serious about bargaining negotiate a collective agreement in good faith not bad faith or see care partners money dry up thank you you say that please thank you there are some people with W's a reminder minister well I know that the third party agrees with me that we shouldn't be bargaining or discussing the details of the bargaining in public certainly not in the legislature but I think we also agree that we believe that the partners both care partners and the frontline workers who are aptly represented by Opsu that they need to in a serious fashion get back to the bargaining table and resolve this long standing situation and I think it's important that the government is to ensure that the care of the people that are being that is being provided to them that that's of the highest quality I know that the ministry of labor has also provided mediators that are available as well as I mentioned I met with Opsu frontline workers just a couple of weeks ago I am watching developments very very closely we aren't directly involved in the negotiations labor stands ready to help we want this resolved as much as you do thank you Mr. Speaker thank you very much my question is for the associate minister of health and long term care speaker I know parents in Ontario want their children to grow up happy and healthy and ready to succeed in life they expect our government to work together with them to support their efforts to raise a healthy family but speaker as of 2012 almost one in every three children in Ontario was at an unhealthy weight and this is often the topic when I took my kids to their summer camp at university settlement in Chinese Spadina this problem is more severe in boys and girls and in particular our aboriginal children as a parent of two young children I'm deeply concerned childhood obesity is threatening our children's future in the future of this province through you speaker to the minister what is this house what is your ministry doing to combat obesity of most of the Ontario's youngest population associate minister of health long term care thank you speaker I want to begin by thanking the hardworking member from Chinese Spadina for that question two kids young kids himself this question this issue is important just for him because it's important in his community but it's also important for him as a father we need to invest in our children's health and that is why this summer we announced the healthy kids community challenge which provides up to $33.5 million to 45 communities across Ontario including First Nations communities the funds will be used to promote healthy eating physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices for Ontario's children I was delighted to be able to visit a number of these communities that were selected for the healthy kids challenge communities like Peterborough, Windsor Essex County, Hamilton and Windsor and I look forward to responding more supplementary I would like to thank the minister for her update and hard work at the ministry protecting the future of Ontario's children but I wish to draw up on a comment that the minister made a previous response regarding the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity on Ontario's Aboriginal children Mr. Speaker we all know that children of our First Nations community often face particular health challenges and it is absolutely vital that these communities are provided with an equality of culturally appropriate opportunity for their children to grow and thrive so will you to the minister what is our government doing to ensure the health success of our First Nations children in this province Thank you Minister Thank you Speaker and again thank the member opposite for the supplementary question Mr. Speaker our government knows how important it is that every child in Ontario has an equal opportunity to lead a healthy productive life and improving the health of First Nations Inuit and Métis people and children in Ontario is a priority of health and long-term care and that's why our ministry announced $3.5 million with six First Nations communities across Ontario to participate in the Healthy Kids Community Challenge in collaboration with our Aboriginal partners the ministry is making progress in addressing the unique unique health needs of Aboriginal people for example Mr. Speaker last month I had the privilege of visiting the Dadois-Denais Aboriginal Health Centre located in Hamilton the health centre will use 525,000 funds from the ministry to develop culturally appropriate care Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the acting premier this morning the government's suggestion this morning is that it's perfectly acceptable for the premier's deputy chief of staff to be under investigation and still employed by the government In fact the government has set a goal that as long as you don't get arrested you can work in the premier's office I know of fast food joints Mr. Speaker that hold their employees to higher standards than this government does Mr. Speaker does the deputy premier think that it's acceptable for a member of the premier's staff to continue their employment here simply because they won't appear before a judge Good question Well Speaker the police haven't formed Paso Bears council that she will not be facing any charges So I'm not quite sure where the member opposite is going but what I can say is that we have have cooperated fully we will continue to cooperate fully I respect the work of the police and I respect the work of the court We'll withdraw the word I withdraw No The member from Leeds Grenville Who was it? Let's be clear there was an unparliamentary word used I assumed it was the member from Leeds Grenville the member has withdrawn and I appreciate that and that this is where all of this confusion comes when we're not being attention to each other Here you are I'm done Thank you Mr. Speaker You know television actors have morals clauses in their contracts that cost them their job if they quote commit any act or do anything which might tend to bring the actor into public disrepute contempt scandal or ridicule or which might tend to reflect unfavorably on the network You know Speaker Pat Sorbera would be held to a higher standard of ethical conduct if she actually paid herself on House of Cards than she's held to by the premier in her office I ask again Speaker does the acting premier believe that it's acceptable for a core member of this government to continue their employment even though they were under police investigation Mr. Speaker how much lower can the public expect this government's ethical standards to go Well Speaker what I can tell you the premier has maintained that her staff did nothing wrong and in fact the police have agreed to have concurred with that they have informed Pat Sorbera's council that there will be no charges laid Speaker so as I've said before we respect the work of the OPP we respect the independence of the OPP we respect the work of the courts we respect the independence of the courts it's clear that the parties opposite both parties opposite are questioning the independence or the excellence of the investigation on our side we respect and the work of the independent police and the OPP thank you there being no deferred votes this House stands recess until 1pm this afternoon