 It is now time for oral questions. And I recognize the member for Davenport. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Acting Premier. Last year, the Ford government held consultations with parents, teachers, school boards, and students about their plans to increase class sizes and introduce risky, mandatory online learning. Why has the government kept the results from the public? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Minister has been working diligently to come to an agreement with our union partners. We have brought forward a proposal that would see Ontario still remain with some of the lowest class sizes in the entire country. Mr. Speaker, we're very proud of that, and we hope that over the coming days we will come to a resolution that keeps our students in the classroom. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question. Thanks, the Acting Premier didn't hear my question. Let me be really clear about this. Thanks to documents that were tabled at the Ontario Labor Relations Board last week, we now know exactly what parents, students, and educators told this government. And it is the opposite of what the Ford government went ahead and did. For over a week, the Premier has claimed that parents back his plan for classroom cuts, larger classes, mandatory online learning, and conflict with teachers. The Premier has obviously not read the results of his own consultation. I would direct the government members to the NDP website where we are going to do what this government refused to do and make that consultation public. This government acknowledged their wrong and parents, teachers, and students are right. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Again, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As I just said, we're working very closely. The Minister has been working for many months now to come to a positive resolution. One that puts our students first and keeps them in the classroom, Mr. Speaker. We're very proud of that. We want to make sure that our students benefit from some of the lowest class sizes in the entire country. We've heard that from parents. The member is quite right. We did have extensive consultations, and we understand that. The class sizes are at the lowest possible level, some of the lowest in Canada. But ultimately, Mr. Speaker, we want to come to a resolution in agreement with our teaching partners, one that keeps our kids in the classroom, Mr. Speaker, and hopefully we can come to that soon. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, and back to the Acting Premier, it's mind-boggling. You conduct a million-dollar consultation. I have the summary report right here. You have a million-dollar consultation and you refuse repeated requests to this public. We had to go to the OLRB ourselves to get a copy of this. Okay, but we're going to make it public so that everybody in this province gets to see what you don't want them to see. These class sizes, they claim that consultations showed support for the idea. I want to actually share a few of the quotes from this report. Quote, student achievement will be negatively impacted by larger class sizes. The decision to increase class sizes is not sufficiently grounded in evidence. It's the government that claimed that this was going to make students more resilient. Why would the forward government claim parents and educators supported this scheme when they clearly did not? Mr. Speaker, what parents want is they want their kids in the classroom. That's what parents have told us. We want to come to an agreement with our partners in the education system, one that is in the best interest of our students. I hope that the opposition want the same, Mr. Speaker. That's why we put significant resources back into education since the day we started. That's why the Minister of Education has put a plan forward to ensure that our students have better results in math, Mr. Speaker. That's why we're putting more resources to ensure that our teachers can teach math, Mr. Speaker. We want kids to be in the classroom, and I would hope that the member opposite and the members opposite would join us in getting that result. We think that we're close, Mr. Speaker. We want a negotiated settlement with our union partners in education, and I hope that we can get to that over the coming days. Next question, the member for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, to the Acting Premier. Over the weekend, news broke that school boards in Halton and Peel are now putting staffing decisions on hold because they lack answers from the government on their plans for class sizes. This is just another reason to do the right thing. Will this government do what parents, students, school boards and countless others have begged them to do and tell Ontarians that they will not be increasing class sizes? As a member will know, Mr. Speaker, we've already said that we would reduce class sizes from 28 to 25. That's very good news, but ultimately, Mr. Speaker, many of these issues can be resolved at the bargaining table. The Minister and the government, the Crown, have been negotiating with our union partners for a long time. Opposition come to order, and we would expect that time period we can come to an agreement. That's what parents want. At the same time, parents have told us they want better results for the money that they put into education. Teachers have told us the exact same thing, Mr. Speaker. They want to have a curriculum that puts our students first, and that's what we're doing. More money for STEM, more money for math, that's what parents want. Ultimately, we want the same thing as parents. We want better results for students. We want our students in the classroom. We ask our union partners to work with us because it's in the best of... The member for Davenport comes to order. Parents, it's in the best of taxpayers who are also teachers, Mr. Speaker, and we can get this done. Hamilton West has you done that, supplementary. And, you know, we keep hearing the Premier and the Education Minister claiming that parents backed their plan to expand, increase class sizes and fire 10,000 teachers. Yet the government's own report, their own... Government side come to order. They were being told the exact opposite. Quoting directly from the report, it reads, eliminating teaching positions does not allow for sustainability of program or the ability to offer courses such as technology, arts, and English language learning. The results of this short-sighted move are causing chaos in all of our schools. We'll this government just announced today that they won't be moving to expand class sizes. Government housing. Yeah, Mr. Speaker, as you know we've already announced that we would be maintaining the lowest class sizes at the elementary level, the lowest class sizes in Canada at the same time. We've announced a reduction in class size from 28 to 25 in the secondary stream, Mr. Speaker. We understand how important it is to put more money back in education. That's why we've increased education funding to the highest level in Ontario history. Mr. Speaker, we're putting more money into STEM, Mr. Speaker, because that's what parents have also told us. They want better results for their kids, so that they can participate in the progress, growth and prosperity that this government has ushered in in almost two years, Mr. Speaker. But now we need our union partners after 300 days of bargaining, we need them to come to the table and put the interest of students first. That's what we're doing, and I would hope that our union partners would do the same. Thank you. The final supplementary. Like the minister, the parents and students understand an increase is an increase, and a cut is a cut despite what you say. And the education minister have stood here and have claimed that parents and teachers and students were telling them to keep going. Yet every day when he said those words, the Premier said those words, he was sitting on a report that told him parents, teachers, school boards and students actually said the opposite. No one wants the Ford government's classroom cuts. No one wants the classroom chaos the Ford government has brought us. No one wants school boards thrown into chaos. Why does the Premier and the Minister of Education keep claiming that he is doing what parents want when the report says that they are doing the exact opposite? Government House Leader. Mr. Speaker, as I just said, look, we're maintaining some of the lowest class sizes in Canada at the elementary level. This is class size from 28 to 25 at the secondary level, Mr. Speaker. I'm a parent. I have two kids in the education system, two kids who are struggling quite frankly with math and when I go to the local math tutor it is full of parents and they pay a lot of money to get extra tutoring. That should be the responsibility of the government and that's why we are taking actions to put more money back. Because when I sit at the local math tutor and I spoke to Lois, she said to me, she said, I can't afford this. This is what you should be doing, Mr. Speaker. And we can do better and we will do better. That's why we're putting more money into the math. That's why we're giving more money to educate our teachers so that they can do a better job. But ultimately, isn't that our job to make sure that the youngest from Hamilton Mountain come to order? To the best public school assistance in the country. We're doing that, Mr. Speaker. And I would ask the members opposite to join with us in helping make the next question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Acting Premier. The Premier and the Minister of Education keep claiming that parents and students are also clamoring for more online learning and larger classes. What they never mention is what the government's own consultations have told them. First, that mandatory online learning doesn't work for all students. And second, that larger class sizes will have the most negative effect on black students and other marginalized students. Why did this government ignore this advice? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're working very closely with our partners in education to make sure that we have the lowest class sizes in Ontario in Ontario. We've done that at the elementary stream, Mr. Speaker. At the secondary stream, we've reduced class sizes. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, what we're doing is putting more money into the classrooms, more money into education. We are hitting record levels of funding while investing more into math, while investing more into sciences, while investing more into special education. That's what parents are asking us to do. We've set aside a number of record levels when it comes to capital expansion. We've had a moratorium on rural school closures, Mr. Speaker. We're getting the job done because parents need to get the job done, and now what we need after 300 days of bargaining, we need our partners in education to put the needs of students first and keep them in the classroom. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And back to the acting premier. I was actually speaking specifically about black and other marginalized students, but that's okay. Here are some quotes. These are quotes from the government's own consultation. The first, e-learning courses should be optional, sorry. The second quote, increasing class sizes at any grade level will have the greatest negative effect on black students and other marginalized students, end quote. The government was warned not to do this. They did it anyway. Why did the government ask for the advice if they never intended to listen? Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I just said, we listen to parents and we do so constantly. We've heard from parents that they want more money in education. That's why we increase funding to record levels. We heard parents when they said that their kids are failing in maths and sciences and we are putting more money into maths and sciences and not just in frontline education, Mr. Speaker, but towards our students. When it comes to online learning, we've reduced it from four to two, Mr. Speaker, but there's a lot of other things we can do. We can make sure that the best teacher can teach our students, Mr. Speaker. So that's why we're Opposition come to order. So ultimately what it comes down to, Mr. Speaker, is after 300 days of bargaining with our partners in education, it is time. It is time to put the students first to listen to parents to get our students back into the classroom so that they can continue on. We continue to build the best education system in Canada. The next question, the member for Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. The number of young people using nicotine vaping products has been increasing. We have seen promotional campaigns in retail stores and the sale of flavored products contribute to this unfortunate trend. On January 1st of this year, our government acted to end the promotion of vape products except in specialty stores which are only open to those 19 years of age or older. This was done after a extensive consultation with stakeholders on the causes and the impact of youth vaping. Last week, additional safeguards were announced. Minister, will you update this House on what our government is doing to protect our young people? Minister of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for Flamborough Glenbrook for her question. Our government heard directly from concerned parents who are worried about the health of their kids. We also heard directly from young people through our direct consultations with them. That's why last Friday we announced protective measures to curb the alarming rise in youth vaping. We are stricting the availability of most flavored products to specialty vape stores. We're also increasing access to services that help people quit vaping. This is an issue that we take seriously, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to providing more information in my supplemental answer. A supplementary question. Thank you, Minister, and Mr. Speaker, this is clearly an important step in protecting youth from becoming addicted to nicotine. While vaping is considered by some to be a valuable way to quit smoking, we have to ensure that these products do not get into the hands of young people, especially when the long-term health effects are still unknown. There is obviously a clear case for action considering the increase in youth vaping. Increasing support for those trying to quit is another great initiative. Minister, will you provide us with more details on what our government has announced? Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Now flavored vape products will be available in specialty vape stores and cannabis stores only with the exception of menthol, mint alcohol flavors. Ontario will also regulate nicotine content with higher concentration products being confined to specialty stores. We also will work with online retailers to make sure that young people cannot access these vaping products. Our government has listened to parents and youth and we will continue to do so. We are going to set up a youth advisory committee on vaping to allow for continued engagement on vaping. Minister, we take our responsibility to protect the health of Ontarians very seriously and we will continue to take concrete action to respond to emerging health risks like nicotine vaping. Thank you. The next question, the member for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the acting Premier. On Friday, the government made its latest announcement to Ontario that after burying their heads in the sand pretending that there was nothing to see here, the government has finally decided to throw it in reverse and go back to the original white plates while they try yet again to get license plates right. This week, they are admitting to what last week they were denying as the plate gate saga continues what can Ontarians expect next? I'm very pleased to share with you that I appreciate the efforts that 3M has put forward as well and we are moving forward with a plan that's going to see our license plates, utilize new technology and introduce some opportunities whereby we can make sure that we can make sure that we can get license plates right. I'm very pleased to share with you that I appreciate the efforts that 3M has put forward as well as some opportunities whereby we demonstrate over and over again that a priority for our government is to listen to Ontarians, address the situation and fix the issue. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. No one in Ontario asked for their license plate to be branded PC party blue and only the forward government could design license plates that can't be read at night in the morning. I'm very pleased to share with you that they were beautiful and that people liked them. Now that they've been forced to recall the plates, the government has committed to bringing back the white plates until new enhanced plates already. This isn't good enough when they've knowingly been rolling out defective party blue plates for weeks knowing full well despite weird public denials that we're working very diligently to demonstrate how we've listened and how we're moving forward with our plan to ensure that Ontarians have opportunities to embrace new technologies and through this process our government has incorporated feedback from our stakeholders including public safety specialists and stakeholders. We appreciate their invaluable contribution and we're continuing to work with them moving forward. 3M is providing materials to the province and testing is being completed by law enforcement as well as key enforcement stakeholder speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for the question because it allows us to absolutely confirm without doubt that our license plates are going to be moving forward in a very deliberate plan to ensure Ontarians have confidence that we listened and we're addressing the situation. Thank you very much. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Deputy Premier. Apart from the chaos that has been created by the government's inability to work with teaching and support staff across the province school boards are scrambling to plan for the year ahead. In its pre-budget submission the Toronto District School Board the largest school board in the country has outlined 10 areas of funding uncertainty and concern including online learning which are both part of labour negotiations. But on top of these the Board has asked the government to ensure that the additional funding for school repairs that has been in place for the past four years be continued. Under our government funding had been increased and in addition we were working with the Toronto Board to revamp the education development charge process. Will the Deputy Premier confirm that the additional funding for repairs will be continued this year for all qualifying and will the Minister follow the advice of the Ontario Public School Board Association and release this information as soon as possible so that boards can plan. Government House Leader to reply. Mr. Speaker with all due respect to the member for Don Valley West you know I'm a parent as I said of two kids and before they were in elementary school I couldn't understand why there was a proliferation of all of these kumans and all these different mathnasium and all of these places but now as a parent I understand it's because for 15 years they failed students and parents in this province they failed them Mr. Speaker so now what we're trying to do is catch up we're trying to catch up that's why we're putting more money back in education Mr. Speaker that's why we're putting more money in education that has ever been put in the province's history we're not going to apologize for that what we're going to do is apologize for the 15 years that they left students without access to high quality education Mr. Speaker it is unacceptable that our kids are failing in math Mr. Speaker we can do better and we will continue to do better that's why we're asking our union partners our partners in education to work with us to keep students in the classroom a supplementary question well thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I would just say to the member opposite that you can't have it both ways you can't say that we have one of the best education systems in the world which was built by government after government Mr. Speaker and you also can't say that you're increasing funding when you're actually decreasing per pupil funding Mr. Speaker I've been a trustee on the Toronto District School Board I recognize the unique position of this massive school board especially that struggles to deal with the repair and maintenance of its 500 plus school buildings but smaller boards have different but comparable issues which is exactly why under our government we put additional funding in place for capital upgrades that funding should remain in place OPSPA has also recommended that the government amend the education development charge regulation and allow for flexibility within a large board like the TDSB for example on a regional basis to collect EDCs this is exactly the conversation with our government that was underway at the time of the last last election has the conversation come to a conclusion and can the minister confirm whether the government is prepared to implement a more rational EDC process Minister to reply Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I appreciate that I guess that question really provides why we're in the situation that we're in because you know what we can actually have it both ways we can have funding that guarantees that our students have the best quality education in the country we can do better on maths we can do better on sciences Mr. Speaker I'll take no lessons from a government that closed rural schools like it was sport Mr. Speaker that ripped the soul out of community after community we can do better and that's why the people of Ontario put us in this position because they wanted a better system they wanted education that worked for students so I'm asking very directly and very clearly to our partners in education work with us after 300 days at the table it is time to put students first to get our kids back in the class so that we can continue building the best education system in the world Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Heritage Sport Tourism and Culture Industries Minister I think everyone in this legislature is aware of your passionate support for the Ontario's film and television industry we've seen you work tirelessly along studio owners, directors professional associations and other industry stakeholders to attract more productions to our province and to my riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore recently a large Apple Plus TV show called C which stars Jason Momoa and David Boutista decide to move their production from British Columbia to Ontario this is a show that budgets approximately $15 million per episode now assuming there's a second season and it will be approximately 8 episodes long that's $120 million into the Ontario economy not including all those jobs it seems to me that this type of news signifies that Ontario's film and television industry is doing well Minister can you please tell us how well the industry is varying in Ontario right now Minister of Heritage Sport Tourism and Culture Industries I sure can I want to thank the great member from Etobicoke Lakeshore for once again standing up for our film and television industry so I appointed a film panel advisory panel led by Jim her constituent from Sinisphere as well as Christina Jennings from Shaftesbury who runs Murdoch what we're doing is making sure we have stability in our tax credits that have brought unprecedented foreign and domestic production into line we're building capacity with over 9000 film friendly locations we're going to be doubling the sound stage space in this province Minister of Colleges and Universities as well as the Minister of Labour and Skills Development to make sure we've got more below the line talent so we can have crews right across our great province and we've invested in Canadian storytelling and IP with 2 million dollars to the Canadian Film Centre just last week Speaker we are open for business we are open for jobs and you better believe we're open for film, television and animation in Ontario the supplementary question well Mr. Speaker thank you for raising an amazing answer and for creating jobs in our province and that is truly excellent news for everybody and we love to see all these great productions continue in our province of Ontario and in my riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore Minister for years I saw movies and shows that are shot in Ontario but they always seem to be pretending that they're in American cities however lately I see more productions that are actually setting their background in Toronto and I often say Ontario offers a world in one province we should continue to spread the good news to create a pride of place and a pride of people Minister can you please tell us how our domestic film and television market is faring compared to international conglomerates great question Minister we continue to grow the news out of film, television and animation is great last year it was 1.9 billion dollars in economic impact it's grown by 2.1 up to 2.1 billion dollars and that growth came in Canadian storytelling and domestic content we have found a sweet spot in Ontario with an even balance between foreign and domestic production 1.1 billion dollars in foreign production with stories like Star Trek and we have also Umbrella Academy and we have 1 billion dollars in domestic content and that's Anne with the knee Kim's Convenience it's Murdoch Mystery Speaker that contributes to over 44,000 direct jobs that's up from 7500 this year alone and we have made an announcement last week that for about a thousand laid off GM workers within the creative industries Speaker good things grow in Ontario and good things are growing in the TV film and animation industry next question member for Essex thank you very much Speaker my question is to the Deputy Premier Speaker one of the details that remains obscure in this issue aside of course from the plates themselves is the cost to Ontarians first the government forced through the production of their new vanity plates then they were forced to recall them now they'll be forced to redesign and hopefully rigorously retest the new plates all on the public's dime Speaker will the Deputy Premier tell us exactly how much their plate gate boondoggle will eventually cost Ontarians Minister of Government and Consumer Services thank you very much for the opportunity to stand forward and share with everyone in this House that I very much appreciate the opportunity that we have with 3M to address concerns that were expressed by Ontarians we take those concerns very seriously Speaker and in working together with 3M we're moving forward with a remedy and as the member opposite hopefully appreciates some of this information is emotionally sensitive so we cannot share but the good news is the real message here is that 3M is working with us to address the concerns we heard from Ontarians thank you very much supplementary question Speaker the four government claims that they expect 3M to pick up the cost but sources also tell reporters that they've signed a nondisclosure agreement with 3M once again the four government seems to have forgotten the importance of respecting the taxpayer and running a transparent and accountable government Speaker will the government do the right thing and release the full details of their contract with 3M today including a full breakdown of the total cost of their plate gate fiasco today again Speaker in response to the member opposite I want to again express our appreciation to 3M for working with us and addressing the issues and the concerns that were raised by individuals in nine short days Speaker we rolled up our sleeves and we worked very very diligently to address the concerns that were coming forward and the fact of the matter is our government unlike the previous Liberal government that the member opposite propped up for years we're a government that actually listens to the taxpayer the answer is no we have to make sure that taxpayers understand the replacements will come at no cost to the taxpayer that's the important message here the member for 12 good morning Mr. Speaker my question is for the attorney general my office has received hundreds of emails from people who are appalled that the government is using valuable tax dollars in the field of a landmark human rights tribunal decision granting pay equity to midwives midwifery is a field historically dominated by women and primarily serves women in 2010 the Ontario government report found that the work of midwives is undervalued by 20% some experts say it's as high as 48% the human rights tribunal has agreed and ordered the government midwives for having earned 20% less than their comparable counterparts March 8th is International Women's Day will this government listen to the experts to the human rights tribunal and people across this province who do not want their tax dollars used to fund an appeal of the human rights tribunal case the attorney general thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank you all for the question it is something that we have in common in the House I think all of us agree the value of midwives in Ontario I think the contributions that they make providing safe and accessible 24-7 care for Ontario families and we are reviewing the decision he is correct we're reviewing the decision we've applied for judicial review in the tribunal decision up to the courts so it sits there I know Mr. Speaker when it's before the courts I can't delve down into any further to get into the details of it but we will continue to support midwives in Ontario midwifery care in Ontario we're going to continue to expand it build on the progress tremendous progress over the last several years Mr. Speaker and we want to make sure that families are receiving the service they want thank you Mr. Speaker the supplementary question the government has a strange way of showing support for midwives they have a strange way of showing their desire to save money as well midwives provide excellent care and help the healthcare system save money midwives effectively reduce hospital stays and free up beds and hospital resources for those who need it they contribute a solution to our overburden healthcare system yet this government slash funding to the college of midwives in 2018 and now they are appealing the human rights tribunal decision Speaker will the government stop the war on midwives use the money it would spend on this appeal and pay Ontario midwives the compensation they deserve Minister of Health well thank you very much we greatly value the work performed by midwives across Ontario we can't talk about the issue but what I can tell the member is that we have invested an additional $28 million in midwifery services and are examining changes to their scope of practice that could allow midwives to do even more than the wonderful contributions that they already make our investment in frontline midwifery is making sure that more families more women more families can access the care midwives provide both before, during and after birth this is something that more and more Ontarians are showing interest in and our continued investments shows the value that we put into the role that midwives play in our healthcare system next question the member for Waterloo my question is to the acting premier community providers and the official opposition have been raising red flags for weeks about the government's privatization of employment services now we've learned that not only the local jobs and the well-being of Ontarians but they are repeating the same mistakes that the Liberals did 15 years ago between 2005 and 2007 the Liberal government ran an employment services privatization pilot with WCG the very same for profit company that won the contract in Peel region the problem is and Mr. Speaker there's many problems that this independent report showed that the privatization pilot was not more effective than regular Ontario works programming was the premier and was this minister aware of this pilot and the lack of effectiveness and why are you following in the footsteps of the failed Liberal plan Mr. Labour to reply well Mr. Speaker what's been a failure in the province for the last 15 years is the fact that every single month only 1% of people on ODSP and OW are actually finding work in Ontario that is unacceptable today Mr. Speaker when 200,000 jobs are going unfilled every single day in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker the auditor general made it crystal clear in 2016 that of all people in the province seeking jobs only 38% of those unemployed were actually finding work Mr. Speaker on this side of the house we know that people deserve to put food on the table and that jobs give people a sense of dignity in the province but Mr. Speaker let's talk about other jurisdictions Mr. Speaker in British Columbia John Horgan's NDP also moved to an outcomes-based model in fact Mr. Speaker they also awarded contracts to a mix of not-for-profit non-profits and private providers so that's your question Mr. Speaker I just want to remind the minister that he's a minister in Ontario not in BC and it's about the foreign policy back to the act in Premier the independent report following the Liberal privatization pilot with WCG found that the pilot was no more effective than regular Ontario works programming didn't save the government money and outcomes were poor for the state of employment was nine months while they were in the pilot that's because most jobs through the pilot were low paying or short term jobs and that the results based payment structure may have led to placing clients in inappropriate jobs the result was that the Liberals abandoned the plan why is the conservative government dragging us backwards with 15 year old failed liberal policy and the minister didn't answer if he's actually seeing the report but I'd be happy to offer so someone could read it to him Mr. Speaker what is unacceptable is that we have 200,000 jobs going on filled every single day in the province of Ontario and the NDP want to continue defending the status quo that's keeping the unemployed unemployed Mr. Speaker when 1% of people in ODSP and OW are finding work that is unacceptable this government is going to stand with the most vulnerable in our society and give them a hand up but Mr. Speaker let's hear what the NDP government in British Columbia said and this is a quote Mr. Speaker from the NDP minister of social development and poverty reduction Shane Simpson he said this Mr. Speaker this system will make it easier for more people to find good stable jobs so they can provide for themselves and their families Mr. Speaker we will not defend the status quo that's kept people unemployed in this province for 15 years Next question Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues Speaker by 2021 one in five jobs in Ontario will be in the skilled trades these tend to be high paying jobs that have great benefits and may offer long term security when the condos are being built and to build them we need more skilled trades workers and that includes drywall specialists plumbers, foremen, crane operators and more traditionally these positions have been seen as jobs for men however I think everyone in this house can agree that these jobs can and should be filled by women can the minister please explain to this house why it is important to get women into the skilled trades and what she is doing to encourage more women next question Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues Thank you Speaker and thank you to the hardworking member from Eglinton Lawrence for your great question now that we grew up in a home of plumbers I know the value of the trades and the important role they play in Ontario's economy last week with the Minister of Labour Training and Skills Development the member from Burlington I met Lorraine and Brandy who worked at Hydro One both women spoke about how much they enjoyed their roles in skilled trades and how rewarding their jobs were these are some of the great examples of why we need to get more girls interested in the skilled trades and let them know that there are great opportunities for them out there with huge opportunities for well-paying jobs we need to change the perception of skilled trades in all of Ontario whether it is parents directing their child or counsellors at school we need to change the stigma of skilled trades especially for women in the trades supplementary questions thank you Mr Speaker Ontario faces a looming labour shortage with roughly 200,000 jobs going unfilled in our province every single day as the conference board of Canada tells us this gap costs our economy $24 billion in foregone GDP every year the skilled trades offer our young people lucrative and rewarding careers yet a sad fact is women make up just about 4.5% of all skilled trade workers in Canada will the minister please share our government's plan to encourage young women such as those in our gallery to join the skilled trades and be part of the next generation of leading journey persons across our province thank you very much to the member from Eglinton Lawrence for the question and her strong leadership of skilled trades as minister of labour training and skills development it is my mission to get more young people into the skilled trades and as a father I want my daughter to have every chance to succeed we are ending the stigma simplifying the apprenticeship system and encouraging businesses to take on more apprentices pre-apprenticeship training programs help underrepresented groups such as women and in fact Mr Speaker to support 91 training projects that reach over 1800 people I also recently announced an investment of $12.8 million into our Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program female high school students can tour trades programs participate in workshops and be mentored by female apprentices and journey persons Mr Speaker there is a huge opportunity in Ontario for young women to find a career in the field of trade The next question the member for Ottawa West Napaian thank you Mr President last week in my county a lot of people heard about the University of French Ontario a lot of them heard the speech of the minister about about what has been revealed. The ministry, the minister sees the moment to show how determined our government, how determined our government is about services offered to children. Will the ministry tell us the next steps in her plan to direct her ministry to make our economy better? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you to the MPP for his question. Our government, after years of the liberal mess, we're trying to redirect our province in a more productive way. We're building together the future of Ontario. And my work as the minister is going in the same direction as evidence of that. We have finally opened the French university in Toronto. And this is showing how committed we are. French and Terran now have a modern university that is world class and is ready to open its door to new students. We're collaborating with other universities like the University of Hearst. And I'm about to have round table to hear stakeholders about the same thing next week. I'd like to thank the minister for her questions. French organizations and mayors have noticed the exceptional work of our government and of our minister with no partisans and with a true sense of work to progress the different documents about French Ontarians, whether it's about UOF or the mayor of Toronto, with noticed positive words from our partners about our work. And we're very grateful. Can the minister tell us more about her round table on the economy and the progress of our province that will impact the people of my country? Thank you, Mr. President. It's true that all our efforts have been noticed. I'm going to have new round tables that have started in November with other French stakeholders. With Grenoferro, I will meet the key actors in terms of innovative economy. They will play an important role in our economy that is very marked by third parties. Like I told our other MPPs in Ottawa, I will work with Fidel to promote the Francophone potential so that we can invest in programs that will benefit the entire province. We will also focus on promoting French-speaking labor. Thank you very much. My question is the acting premier. Jeff and Joanne are parents in my riding. They recently gave me a call to share their thoughts about this government's education plan that makes life worse for families. Jeff's a nurse and Joanne's a teacher. They know how to navigate the education system and the health care system, and yet their family is just barely hanging on. Their daughter is struggling in school because the conservative government's cuts mean they've taken away resources she needs to succeed. Speaker, I asked them what they would say to the premier if they had the chance, and Joanne said, quote, reverse the cuts, ensure that children who struggle don't fall through the cracks. My kid matters, end quote. What does this government have to say to parents like Joanne and Jeff? Government House Leader. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I say quite clearly to parents like Joanne and Jeff, everything that we're doing is for their kids. Everything that this government is doing for their kids, Mr. Speaker. You know, I talked earlier about the proliferation of these tutoring centers across the province of Ontario. One parent told me that they had to remove their child from dance classes because they were so far behind on math. So the decisions we make have a very real impact on families across this province. I want her children, I want my kids, I want all the children of this province to have the best education possible, Mr. Speaker, and clearly we can do better. That's why we're increasing funding, Mr. Speaker, but it's not just about increasing funding. It's about looking at the programs that we have put in place, programs that have failed our students. That's why we're putting more money into math. That's why we're training our teachers so that they can do a better job of educating our kids, and that's what we're doing. We're working every day for those kids. The supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, that answer just doesn't cut it, and it's not good enough for parents like Joanne and Jeff. It's not good enough for every other family concerned about this government's cuts to education. It's just not parents who are worried. The Thames Valley School Board is also concerned about these conservative government cuts that are going to hurt their kids and students. They wrote to the minister begging him, quote, look at this from the perspective of who's watching and who's learning about dispute resolution, and that's the kids, end quote. So my question to the Premier. It's clear that the Conservatives don't have teachers, students, parents, and now school boards on their side. How many more people do they plan to ignore before they finally do the right thing and stop these cuts? Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, we've increased funding to historic levels across the province of Ontario, including an increase in funding to that board that the member mentioned. But ultimately, Mr. Speaker, this is exactly about parents. It's about kids. It's about the students who are in our school system. And for far too long, decisions made in this parliament by all sides have failed our students. And that's what we're doing right now. We're getting our students up to a 21st century education system. When we fail them on math, when we fail them on science and technology, we fail them for many, many years, and we can no longer afford to do that. When governments have made decisions to close rural schools, that has an impact on communities. It keeps them in the buses longer, Mr. Speaker. Everything we're doing is about the next generation. That's why I'm here. That's why all conservatives on both sides of the House are here. And I know all of the left-right of members of the opposite are here. And we ask our union partners to join us endless. After 300 days, the time has come to put our students first. Next question to member for Oakville. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Associate Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, our government knows that nuclear energy is the backbone of Ontario's energy system, providing more than 60% of our province's power. I understand that both the Minister of Energy and Northern Development and Mines, as well as the Associate Minister of Energy, attended the Canadian Nuclear Association conference last week in Ottawa. Will the Associate Minister please tell the House what he and the minister heard at the CNA conference last week and what our government is doing to support developments happening within the nuclear power industry? The Associate Minister of Energy. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and to the Honourable Member for Oakville for that great question. Mr. Speaker, since 1962, when the first can-do reactor went into service, the nuclear industry has become a source of innovation and specialized employment in this country. Today, with the leadership of our Premier and the Minister of Northern Development, Energy and Mines, our province finds itself well-positioned to be the leader in development of clean, safe, and reliable nuclear energy, particularly when it comes to small, modular, reactor technology, or SMRs. We believe SMRs will provide the solution for unique energy challenges, such as power in remote and rural communities in our province that currently rely on expensive diesel power. Mr. Speaker, I recently had the opportunity to visit terrestrial energy in the Honourable Member's riding to hear about the innovative work they are doing in this field. Its important steps will be taken in the coming year that will outline our government's plan for the deployment of such new and innovative technology going forward in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Associate Minister of Energy for the terrific response. The government's commitment to deployment and development of SMRs is very exciting for people throughout the province, whether in Oakville or other ridings. The nuclear industry supports 76,000 jobs in the area of science, high tech, engineering, and mathematics. This number can only go up as our province develops this groundbreaking technology. Will the Associate Minister please tell us more about the number of ways SMRs will be utilized and the next step our province is taking to ensure successful deployment? Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Member from Oakville for another great question. Mr. Speaker, SMRs will offer energy-intensive industries including the mining and manufacturing sectors a lower cost source of clean energy to enhance their competitiveness. Our next steps include working cooperably to possibly influence the federal government to make changes as necessary to facilitate the introduction of SMRs. The Minister of Energy had a very productive meeting with his federal counterpart just last week at the CNA conference and he understands that nuclear power is poised to provide the next wave of clean, affordable, safe, and reliable power. According to a recent report between 2030 and 2040, the potential value of SMRs in Canada alone is estimated to be $10 billion. Mr. Speaker, we are committed to creating an electricity system that sends a clear message that Ontario is open for business and open for job. Next question, the Member for York, South-Western. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Acting Premier. Under this government, we have seen supports for Ontarians with disabilities go from bad to worse. When they cut in half a plant increase to Ontario Works and ODSP. ODSP is broken, and this government's heartless indifference is hurting my constituent, one of whom is Kelly. She has been denied ODSP coverage because apparently makes too much money. After she pays her co-pay to her assisted living facility, she's left with only $155 per month for all other expenses. How does the Acting Premier expect Kelly to leave on less than $200 a month? Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Thanks very much to the member opposite for the question we know, this government knows, I believe everybody in this House knows, that our social services system isn't working properly, and that was just backed up by our Ontario Auditor General in her report earlier this year. The fact was abundantly clear and highlighted in her report to the legislature. The fact of the matter is, is that we can do better. We've increased the rates by 1.5% since we've taken office, and we are continuing to look at how we deliver ODSP and Ontario Works. One of the steps that we've taken was mentioned a couple of times earlier this morning, and that is making sure they're removing more people from ODSP and Ontario Works into jobs. And by doing that, we've offered three new prototypes across the province, Mr. Speaker, one in the Niagara Hamilton area, one in the Peel region, and one in Cawortha and Peterborough region as well, Mr. Speaker, those prototypes will get results for those people and make sure that we can move as many as possible from social assistance into work. Yeah! Supplementary question. The acting premier. This government cannot possibly think anyone can live on less than 200 a month. Yet this government is asking the most vulnerable Ontarians to do so and is struggling in poverty. We should not be sentencing Ontarians living with a disability to live a life in poverty. So again, to the acting premier, when will you stand up for Ontarians with disabilities and fix ODSP so people are not being unfairly turned away and actually have enough money to live in dignity? Minister, reply. Mr. Speaker, on top of moving more people from ODSP and Ontario Works into employment, we're also taking a look at how we deliver those services in the province of Ontario. We're actually reducing red tape in the ODSP sector because we realize that there are far too many people that are in the work of providing services to those on social assistance that are bound up in red tape. That's why we're digitizing and making government delivery of those services smarter, Mr. Speaker, so that we can free up those individuals. Opposition come to order. No one ever got into being an ODSP worker or an OW worker to push pencils and paper, Mr. Speaker. They got into that business and the official opposition will come to order. More time for those individuals to ensure that they are being social workers, Mr. Speaker, and ensure that they're delivering the services to those that need them. We understand that not everybody is going to be able to work, move from social assistance into the workforce, and we want to... Thank you. The next question, the member for Edluent and Lawrence. My question, Mr. Speaker, is to the Minister of Transportation. Last week, members in this legislature debated the Building Transit Faster Act, which if passed will give us the tools we need to ensure shovels get in the ground on time for our four priority projects. Every member in this House agrees that congestion is a cause for concern in our province. We need to get more people to choose public transit and our government has a plan to make that happen. Since the election, we've been clear that building better public transit and improving Ontario's transportation network are priorities for our government because we understand that the delays in getting projects built mean that commuters are facing delays in getting to work and getting home to their loved ones. Can the Minister update the House on what we heard during the second reading of the Building Transit Faster Act? Good question. The Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Speaker, and I'd like to thank the member for Edluent and Lawrence for the question. This is a piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker, that I'm very proud of and I was pleased to speak to it last week alongside my colleague, the Associate Minister of Transportation. As the member mentioned, there's certainly a consensus that we need to address the congestion crisis and we need to do it sooner rather than later. Here's what the member from University, Rosdale, said last week, and I quote, the need for transit in the GTA is certainly real. I certainly agree with the Ontario government and the Minister of Transportation, unquote. The member for St. Paul said, and I quote, a transit plan that really works for everyone would include increased coverage and frequency of service in transit deserts, unquote. Mr. Speaker, our plan will deliver rapid transit to communities with poor access right now. The Ontario line, for instance, will finally bring subway service to areas like Flemington Park, Sorencliffe Park, and Liberty Village. What does the NDP and what do the Liberals have, Mr. Speaker? They have no viable plan. They have no viable solution. The supplementary question. I'd like to thank the Minister for this answer. Our government has a plan that has been approved by the federal government, our government, and the administration. By the federal government, and this has never been done before, and I would like to congratulate the Minister for this. Our plan was approved by the municipal council, and this shows that we'll all agree. The people from my writings who are waiting to see real progress were happy to see that our government is respecting its commitment to build new public transit. Can the Minister tell us more about why the tools included in the bill are necessary to ensure that the works will respect the deadlines? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank my colleague for her question. We table this bill because we're determined to do things differently. It's a matter of reducing barriers to the construction of these public transit projects, so this will allow us to meet our deadlines, our bold deadlines, because we know there's great demand for public transit. Under guidance from our Premier, we are going to build public transit projects major public transit projects. This is truly bold action that we need in order to fight against the overpopulation and the over congestion on our public transit projects. The action that the government is taking is unprecedented, and I'm calling on the opposition to support our bill and to ensure that we can build these projects. Thank you. This House stands in recess until 1 p.m.