 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Since the news broke about the secret waitlist freeze, families have struggled to understand why the government would withhold services from their kids. Trust has been broken. Families feel betrayed. Can the Minister tell us how many children were denied service while the government imposed their secret freeze? The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. My pleasure to be in the legislature today to once again defend our government's plan to clear the waitlist of 23,000 children who were denied service from the members of Don Valley East and Don Valley West. But let me be perfectly clear. The list was not frozen. Since I inherited office, I injected an emergency $102 million into the system to ensure that we could bring an additional 2,500 more children onto the service since June the 29th. We have actually increased the children receiving service, but what I'm really excited about, Speaker, on April the 1st, 23,000 children will actually have hope at the end of the tunnel when we start to clear that waitlist over the next 18 months. That's a great news story for this government. Next question, actually, supplementary. The Minister should have read her own memo asking regionals to put a pause on this waitlist. I have yet another story of a family impacted by the government's secret waitlist freeze. Cheryl's son drew his six and has been on the waitlist since 2016. Last fall, they were told that their spot was coming up, but in the fall they were repeatedly told no spots were available and they were not told how long they would have to wait. Like many parents, Cheryl was not told that the OAP waitlist was frozen and she was strung along for months. Cheryl told me that all she wants is honesty and transparency so that she can plan her son's future and her finances. How many other families went through what Cheryl and her family did? Thanks very much, Speaker. I'm glad to hear Cheryl's story on the floor of the Legislative Assembly and there is hope for Cheryl's family for the first time. Those children who were trickling off the waitlist have an end goal in sight. That's why I went to the Treasury Board and secured an additional $102 million so that we could have an annual spend this year of $361 million and a $321 million spend moving forward up from the $256 million that the Liberals spent. But, Mr. Speaker, let me be perfectly clear. Our goal is to ensure we have early intervention and the best way to do that is to double the investment in diagnostic hubs and to ensure that we clear the waitlist of 23,000 children. Right now, one in four children are receiving service who have autism in this province. I think that's unacceptable. It is my job as children's minister to ensure all children, the other three-quarters who are being denied service by the Ontario government, receive that service and we will do that within the next 18 months. That's supplementary. Because this minister's job is to be at that table fighting for kids in this province, not by putting a program together that's done from many families that were about to enter services, only to find out that their services were mysteriously unavailable. And we have heard conflicting claims from this minister as to why this happened. Last Thursday, the minister said they froze the list because the program ran out of money. Yesterday, in a statement from the ministry, the government said they were never frozen at all. But we know for a fact that they did and we've seen those leaked emails. We've read the leaked messages. Will the minister do the right thing now? Either step down immediately or replace this plan and start being honest with the families of this province. Minister. Throughout this entire process, the last seven months, my parliamentary assistant and myself, Amy Fee, we travelled across the province, held dozens of roundtables, spoke with stakeholders, met with parents, heard some very gut-wrenching stories. And so what we did during that period of time was we needed to try and sustain the broken and broke system that we inherited from the previous Liberal Administration which allowed 23,000 children to languish on a late waitlist. Opposition, come to order. During that period of time, ensure that there were an additional 2,500 children that were brought into the program and we're going to continue to support families. But what we have to do, Speaker, is go towards early intervention where we know it's scientifically and evidence-based. We have to double the investment into the diagnostic house. Member for Hamilton Mountain, come to order. Member for Waterloo, come to order. They can choose the services that are in the best interest of their child. Whether that is behavior therapy, whether that is caregiver training, whether that is respite, or whether that's a technological aid. But I'll tell you, I will. Thank you. For Windsor West. My questions to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Yesterday, in question period, the Minister read a quotation from Windsor Mother, Sherry Taylor. Sherry has four children with developmental disabilities. Well, I've heard from Sherry and she has already written a letter to the Minister. And I quote, The statement read by Minister McLeod yesterday in the Legislature on my behalf is proof of her manipulation and outright untruths to the public. It makes a mockery of every parent who has a child with developmental disabilities, autism, or others. I have to ask the Member to withdraw the unparliamentary comment. I was reading someone else's words, but I will withdraw, Speaker. And conclude your question. Sherry is disgusted with the way that she has been used. Does the Minister think this is acceptable behavior? Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Thanks very much, Speaker. My understanding is that she provided a quote to our office, but if I use that quote used yesterday incorrectly, I unequivocally apologize. But what I will not apologize for is lifting a waitlist of 23,000 children who are being denied service by their Ontario government because of the previous Liberal Administration. Member for Waterloo, come to order. 8,400 children by March 31 will have been receiving support through the previous program. As the Minister responsible, I injected 102 million dollars in additional funding so that we could not only preserve that waitlist, but ensure, sorry, preserve the program, but also bring more than 2,500 children. Member for Waterloo, come to order. So I will continue to advocate for... Member for Hamilton Mountain, come to order. I will continue to support empowering parents so that they can choose the services that they need, whether that is a technological aid, whether that is caregiver training, breast bite, or behavioral services, Speaker. But we are going to clear the waitlist at 18 nights. Supplementary. Thank you. That is a hollow apology considering that Sherry told me that the Minister's office asked her for a statement before the announced changes to the autism program. She showed me the emails where she was told specifically to add the line and I quote, the government is on the right track. I end quote to her statement. She was not told what the statement was to be used for, nor that the Minister would be reading it aloud yesterday. What does the Minister have to say to Sherry and parents like her who have been threatened and used by her? Minister. Thanks very much, Speaker. Again, I want you two to know and parents across Ontario to know that we are committed to ensuring that we bring in parental empowerment and direct choice for families to clear the waitlist of the 23,000 children who have been languishing. It's not right that three out of four children in the province by Ontario with autism were denied support by their previous Liberal government and that's why we're committed to ensuring that we clear that waitlist over the next 18 months by investing in diagnostic hubs and ensuring that parents have the choice to invest in the types of therapies that best work for them. That's what we're going to continue to do on this side of the House. We are committed to this plan and we are committed to this plan and it's the Minister responsible for this plan. It will be implemented on April 1st. Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, Sherry feels manipulated. She emailed the Minister's office a number of times after the autism changes were announced to share her serious concerns. No reply. It's like her usefulness to this Minister has expired. The Minister has bullied, threatened and manipulated families like Sherry's and service providers like OnTabah into giving their support to a plan before they even laid eyes on it. She has taken advantage of their willingness to participate and engage with her office in good faith only to use their voices and twist their words for her own political gain. This behavior is completely unacceptable for anyone, let alone a Minister of this Legislature. Will the Honourable Minister finally actually do something honourable and resign? Members, please take your seats. Minister. Thanks very much, Speaker. I really appreciate the opportunity to once again get up and talk about our government's plan to clear the wait list of 23,000 children who have been deeply denied support from their Ontario government. It's not fair that three out of four children with autism in the province of Ontario are languishing on a wait list and the opposition come to order. That has a program that costs us an extra $100 million in the last several months. So we're committed to this plan. We're committed to ensuring that it's implemented on April 1st and to the Honourable Member Opposite, I want her to know that I will be the Minister of Responsibility for it. Opposition come to order. On April 1st. Thanks very much, Speaker. Next question, the Member for Essex. Thank you, Speaker, through you to the Acting Premier. Speaker, for months the Premier has insisted that his only vehicle request to the OPP was for a modest, possibly used van. But court documents show that the Premier's staff had sent a detailed request for a brand new van that included $50,000 worth of upgrades. Can the Acting Premier explain the disconnect between the modest second hand van that he was describing in public and the over $100,000 off the books taxpayer funded super van that he was demanding in private? The Deputy Premier. The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Thank you, Speaker. You know, a request for a used van for a Premier that actively engages in talking to the people of Ontario all across Ontario. Opposition come to order. Thunder Bay means that he wants to continue to engage the important work that we're doing in government, which is speaking directly to the people, making sure that we're working for the people to find out what they believe our government should be working on. And that includes ending healthcare medicine. Apologize to the Minister for Interrupting and ask the opposition to come to order. Ask the government side to come to order. I would ask the Minister to conclude her response. Thank you, Speaker. I simply want to reinforce that the Premier's request for a used van was to ensure that he could continue to do his work while he is travelling from community to community. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. The vehicle the Premier asked for sounds like the Taj Mahal on wheels. It includes a mini-fridge. It includes a 32-inch television. A leather-patter reclining sofa couch in the back and, of course, a Blu-ray player. Speaker, this is, of course, paid by entirely by the taxpayers off the books. When the Premier said that he wanted to stop the gravy train, Speaker, it's clearly because he needed time to get on board. Acting OPP Commissioner, Brad Blair, said no way. But Ford family friend, Ron Taverner, is on the record defending the Premier's personal pleasure wagon. Is that why the Premier offered him the job of OPP Commissioner? The member is a describing motive. I would ask him to withdraw. I withdraw. And the Minister of Community Safety to respond. Speaker, you know, I appreciate that the member opposite wants to have some fun with us. But let's be clear. To allow our Premier to continue to do while he travels from community to community to speak firsthand to the people of this province, I think, is a perfectly reasonable use of resources. He asked for a used vehicle. That's what we're talking about here. You can play games with it. Once again, I apologize to the Minister. I have to interrupt her. I can't hear the Minister because of the voices in the opposition benches that ask you to come to order. Fox ticking. Minister, please conclude your response. While the members of the opposition continue to play games, we will do what we were elected to do in June and that is to govern and work for the people of Ontario. Next question, the member for Berry, Springwater, Oral Medante. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Attorney General. Mr. Speaker, I understand that yesterday the Attorney General spoke to the Police Association of Ontario about our government's new policing legislation. Members of our caucus know the police officers, women and men, who protect our communities with honour and integrity. They risk their lives every day for our safety, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud to be part of the government that recognizes the work they do. Our law enforcement professionals, they respect the importance of their roles. We respect the importance of their roles. I'm proud that our government's legislation promotes a strong, fair and transparent partnership between police, the people, and the government to ensure safe communities across Ontario, including the communities in my riding of Berry, Springwater, Oral Medante. Mr. Speaker, could the minister please tell us what the Police Association of Ontario is saying about our proposed changes? The Attorney General. I'd like to thank the member from Berry, Springwater, Oral Medante for his question this morning. Mr. Speaker, our government knows that police officers are everyday heroes who risk their lives to keep our communities, our children and our families safe. Yesterday I spoke with members of the Police Association of Ontario and they are very supportive of our proposed changes. They said that they spent three years advocating for thoughtful modernization of the Police Services Act. They said, and I quote, Ontario's frontline police personnel welcome today's announcement by the Ontario government and are hopeful that the new comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act will serve to restore fairness and respect for professional policing, make oversight more effective and improve governance, training and transparency. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what our legislation will do once passed. Supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the minister for her work on this important file. Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Berry, Springwater or Oral Medante know that Ontario is the best place to live, work and raise a family. They want to know that our communities are safe and the police have the tools they need to get the job done. Mr. Yesterday, the very hard working parliamentary system put it best. Our frontline officers are everyday heroes and when they speak up about concerns that put public safety in our communities at risk it is our responsibility as a government to listen and to act ultimately to keep the people of Ontario safe. Minister, through you Mr. Speaker could you please share with me more about what our government for the people is doing on this important file? Thank you. I was proud earlier this year when through the CREA grant program many police forces across Ontario York, Sudbury and Sarnia received funds for important projects like fighting human trafficking. Our government is committed to keeping our community safe. One of the first things our government did was press pause on the Liberals' reckless Bill 175. We promised to fix the legislation and let me say promise made, promise kept. Police Association of Ontario knows they have a true partner in our government a partner who recognizes the importance of independent and effective oversight but also a system that treats officers with respect and fairness. Police Association has said that they are committed to working with our government to ensure that Ontario continues to be a safe place to live, work and visit and our government is committed to keeping our community safe. Thank you. My question is to the acting Premier. My question is about ethics in government and the integrity of our electoral process. Media reports late last week indicated that the party was struggling to sell tickets to the Premier's fundraising dinner and that's why the Premier staff are telling lobbyists that their access will be cut off if they don't help fill the room. Speaker, does the Premier have any justification for this blatant violation of Ontario's election finance rules? Please take their seats. Members, please take their seats. Come to order. Deputy Premier. Minister of Economic Development. Thanks, Speaker and thanks to the member opposite for the question this morning. I can tell you that no lobbyist is going to influence our Premier. The Premier of Ontario. The Premier of Ontario is so in touch with the people of Ontario. The Premier of Ontario is out there criss-crossing Ontario meeting with everyday people in communities everyday. Those are the people that we're working for in this government. It's been having $25 spaghetti dinners in communities right across Ontario, meeting with grassroots people in our communities. In fact, he had one in Kitchener a couple of weeks ago and the people were thrilled with the action that this government has been taking since we have been the Government of Ontario in the last year. Caution the House I have to be able to hear the member who's asking the question and the member who's responding the minister is responding. Start the clock, supplementary. Thank you very much, Speaker. I appreciate the minister's answer to the question but he's supposed to end with the punchline not begin with the punchline. It was hilarious. It's becoming more and more clear how things work under this Ford government. If you're a lobbyist who can help fill the empty seats at the Premier's fundraising dinner you get access and you get results. If you're a family struggling to pay the government with autism, not so much. The Ford government has absolutely nothing to offer you. Accept the bill for the reclining leather coach in the back of the Premier's personal pleasure wagon. When is the Premier going to stop worrying about his back room friends and start listening to the families that are hurt by his decisions? Please take your seats, minister. Thanks Speaker and thanks for the question. I don't know if Yuck Yucks is still operating or not. Maybe the minister from Essex could make it that night. But I can tell you that our government has been out there holding spaghetti dinners right across the province talking to people in our communities on our main streets and hearing from the people of Ontario. Our business community is thrilled now because Ontario is again open for business and open for jobs. Listen, I'm not going to talk about the success that this party has had with fundraisers because we've had a lot of success. Maybe, according to the CBC story I heard the other day, the NDP should think about having a fundraiser because they're not doing so well. Next question, the member for Peter Burrow. My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. A report released last week by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses said that farmers are struggling with the barriers caused by red tape and the time required to do the paperwork they need to fill out. I've heard from farmers in my riding, they're struggling with the same concerns. Mr. Speaker, it's an obvious thing but they've said farmers want to spend their time farming. Last week, the Minister announced improvements to the feeder cattle loan guarantee program at the Beef Farmers of Ontario AGM. Could the Minister please explain what improvements were made to the feeder cattle loan guarantee program that will help our hard-working farmers focus on what's really important, their farms. The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member from Peter Burrow, Kawartha, for the question. I was honored to attend and speak at the Beef Farmers of Ontario AGM last week where I also got to enjoy some of Ontario's, the world's best food. Last week our government announced improvements to the feeder cattle loan guarantee program that will help make sure the provinces agriculture sector is open for business, better able to create and protect jobs and grow the economy. These improvements would reduce unnecessary costly credit checks in the program which will save co-ops time and money. The revisions would also streamline the transfer of ownership of livestock once the loan has been paid off. They are the result of listening closely to the Beef Farmers hearing their concerns and acting on their ideas fix long-standing issues in the program. I look forward to continue to work with our Beef Farmers to find ways to make life more affordable for all. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his answer. I agree with the minister and I'm proud to say that we have some of the best quality food and beef here in the world. I'm happy to hear the minister I'm happy to hear the minister is tackling the red tape that's driving jobs and investment out of this province. Our government has a plan to reduce the unnecessary regulations and cut through the burdensome red tape. We're removing 25% of that burden and we're going to maintain the highest food safety and animal welfare standards. Can the minister please tell us how these proposed changes will support this government's open for business mandate. Minister. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thanks again to the member for his question. Ontario's beef farmers are among the many impacted by out of date unnecessary government red tape that's adding to their operating cost and hurting their competitiveness. These proposed changes are part of our open for business plan that add to the more than 30 red tape and regulatory reductions to reduce the burden on job creators while protecting our environment, our food safety and our animal welfare standards. There are farmers and others in the agri-food industry about how our government can make changes to eliminate burdensome requirements that slow businesses down and make them less competitive. Like I said before, we have the best quality food here in Ontario. We want to support our farmers, our producers, our agri-businesses and our agriculture industries so they can continue to provide the best food in the world from the field to fork for all Ontarians. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health. After spending a month denying that this government has been cooking up a secret scheme to overhaul our public health care system, the Minister today will be tabling a bill that will do just that. Dr. Ruben Devlin, who's being paid a million dollars to consult with Ontarians about ending hallway medicine hasn't even made a single recommendation yet. But this government is prepared to move forward with their disastrous plan to allow parts of our health care system to for-profit interest that they know will leave patients lost in the shuffle. So Minister, why is this government so insistent on plowing ahead with their ill-conceived health care privatization scheme? Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and through you, I'm very happy to address this question because there have been a number of misconceptions out there for weeks. Why the official opposition? In fact, the plan that we unveiled this morning and the legislation that I will be introducing this afternoon concentrates on strengthening our public health care system. That's the patient to their care. There is no element of privatization in this plan. It is about making sure that people continue to have access to our publicly funded system of care and they will continue to pay for their care and their own health care. The clock again, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the minister. I think we all know that privatization can happen in different ways and we know that it can happen when public dollars are siphoned off to for-profit private operators patting their profit margins rather than going towards those public health care services that everyone in this province We saw privatization creep in the last time the conservatives were in government when they privatized home care. They have a home care system that doesn't meet the needs of everyday families. So I'll ask again, why is this government ignoring what Ontarians want and plowing ahead with a disastrous bill that will outsource parts of our health care system to for-profit providers? Please take your seats. Minister. I believe that when the legislation is introduced this afternoon the member opposite and in fact all of the members of the official government understand just how wrong they are. This is about strengthening our public health care system and what we are talking about is creating Ontario health teams that consist of local providers they can come together in any way they see fit in partnerships and joint ventures in whatever they want to do and if any funds are left over from one year to the next they will be derived directly back into patient care. That's where they will be going. No presents for my years of opposition six years as health critic as my time is Ontario's first patient and as Minister of Health and Long-term Care. I have heard from thousands of people and thousands of people Thank you. We start the clock. Next question. The member for Ottawa South. My question is for the Minister of Health The Minister announced big changes in health care today. Minister I want to talk to you about something about palliative care and something that's small but really important. Being able to die at home surrounded by your loved ones is a common desire. Yesterday the member from Windsor West reintroduced Dan's law for the third time. I congratulate her for that. It was inspired by Dan Dumas who moved back from Alberta to die at home with his family to wait three months to get home care. Dan's law waives that three month wait. This shouldn't happen to any family. Minister you and I have talked about this and I know the member from Windsor West has raised it as well. There is a solution that's on the books it's been on the books since June 18th it can happen today. Speakers for you to the Minister can the Minister commit today to changing regulation 552? Minister of Health and long-term care. I would like to thank the member opposite for the question and to the member from Windsor West for her continued advocacy on this issue. The issue of Dan's law as I understand it has been something that my ministry has been evaluating to determine what options exist for patients moving back to Ontario from other provincial jurisdictions. Home care is an essential component of our health care system for patients and a key element in the issues of hallway health care. We promise the people during the election that we would end hallway health care and that we are modernizing our health care system to put patients first. So I will have further to say in the supplementary on the specific question but it is something that is very important to me as well. Thank you supplementary. I thank the minister for her response and it's something that we can all agree on. It's taken too long to do this. It's not something that can be negotiated at the federal provincial territorial table which just can't get people's attention. There's a solution on there. It affects a small amount of people so much and it happened in my riding of Ottawa south last year and it's happening right now. We just don't see it. It's happening today. So minister I'm going to ask you again I'd like you today to commit to changing regulation 552 and make sure that this does not happen to another family. Thank you. Minister. Yes I will commit to changing regulation 552. Thank you. Next question the member for Aurora Oak Ridge's Richmond Hill. Thank you. Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of community safety and correctional services. Before the last election we passed a deeply flawed piece of legislation that ignored the everyday realities of the difficult jobs of our brave police officers that are asked to everyday. Speaker our government for the people has remained committed to public safety across this great province and to fixing the policing legislation the previous liberal government broke. Mr. Speaker can the minister tell this house how the comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act will support frontline officers in their work to keep the people of Ontario safe. Minister of community safety and correctional services. Thank you to the member from Aurora Oak Ridge's Richmond Hill for this important question and your advocacy to ensure that our communities remain safe. Mr. Speaker our government sees the police and the people and their government as true partners in public safety. That includes how we do fair and transparent parent police oversight system and it keeps our community safe. Bill 175 would have weakened the public trust in police because it was confusing plagued by delays, unaccountable and based on a presumption that the police were often wrong. Imagine being subject to an investigation that could drag on for months and months simply because you were doing your job. This was the fate of the officers who responded so heroically to the Danforth shooting and it is often the fate of officers who respond to suicides. Our proposed legislation would restore trust and accountability to police oversight and support frontline officers who do this important work to keep Ontario safe. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker I thank the minister for response and I'm proud to stand here today knowing that our government is committed to rebuilding the confidence of the people and the police in an oversight system that will ultimately help build safer communities on a shared foundation of restore trust and accountability. Mr. Speaker the men and women of our police services know that our government for the people is listening to them and will continue to work to ensure public safety across this great province. Mr. Speaker can the minister explain to the house now how this proposed legislation will restore respect for police officers. Minister It would be a pleasure Mr. Speaker public safety is everyone's business and everyone in Ontario has a stake in keeping our community safe. Our government was elected with a mandate to fix the Liberals broken police legislation the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act is driven by a simple principle trust between the police and the public they serve is essential for public safety when it comes to police oversight our proposed legislation if passed would restore transparency and trust to a police oversight system that had previously left the police and the people they serve in the dark for too long it proposes to focus investigative resources where they are needed on possible criminal activity within a police oversight system that is transparent fair and effective. Mr. Speaker we are proud to be regarding police officers with the response they deserve and we will always stand by them these brave men here. Restart the clock. Next question the member for Davenport. Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of education Speaker the government's very callous changes to the Ontario autism program will mean that thousands of children will lose access to vital services as early as April 1st families are I think it's fair to say terrified and worried about what will happen to their children as they re-enter a school system or spend more time there a system that we all know is already stretched so thin. Can the minister of education tell parents what specific plans have been made to ensure that children with autism spectrum disorder will have the supports they need at school when their funding expires in just four weeks. Minister of Education Thank you very much and Speaker I appreciate the opportunity to speak about what our government is doing to make sure that we're treating children with autism and their families with the respect that they deserve and I'm speaking about all of the children with autism in Ontario unlike the previous administration did under Kathleen Wynn. So with that said I am very pleased to share with you that last fall we actually started doing some work and addressing this situation very seriously and if the members opposite would care to listen they would know that we extended a pilot project last year with regards to improving school based supports for students with ASD and again last summer one of the very first things that I did was start looking at the inconsistencies from board to board to board in this province and I found it very very concerning that there wasn't one common approach to supporting children with autism that required companion dogs and I heard from people specifically from the region of Waterloo that were discussed Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker I'm um it boggles the mind it boggles the mind we know that school boards already today spend more money than they get from the government on supports for children with special needs and we just heard over the last 24 hours from boards that came to the social policy committee that they haven't heard one single word from this minister about what's coming in four weeks and what supports are going to be there not one directive, not one word we know that our educators, our teachers and our educational assistants do their very best to support students every single day but they are stretched to the limit and the truth is this government has cut supports to students with special needs I want to know Mr. Speaker if the minister of education will tell parents and families if they are going to be hiring more teachers, educational assistants and support workers to ensure these children get the support they need in schools will the minister at least consult with the school boards minister Speaker, honestly I think the members opposite would be very well advised to take a look at what we've done thus far with regards to school boards because you know what, we've been working with the school board the school boards will be receiving $3 billion in special education funding this year and also above that I repeat the fact that we extended the pilot program examining how we can improve the support for students with special needs such as ASD another thing I would like to do I would like to thank everyone that stood in this house last week to support the passing of second reading of my bill, bill 48 safe and supportive schools because we absolutely are committed to ensuring safe and supportive classrooms for teachers and their students so parents have confidence in a system that crumbled over the last decade and again, we are moving forward and working with our school boards we've already done so much speaker and I look forward to speaking about what we're doing in the coming Thank you, stop the clock House will come to order Next question, the member for Don Valley East Thank you very much Mr. Speaker My question today is to the Minister of Children and Community Services I'd like to ask this question Mr. Speaker on behalf of parents on behalf of children here in the province of Ontario so they can get a bit of clarity on some of the numbers the Minister has been using so here's a couple of facts in 2016-17 the government expenditure for autism was $317 million the budget as of April 1st of last year was $321 million now the Minister keeps using a number of $256 million so one would conclude that they had to have made a cut for her to add the additional $102 million can the Minister please explain where she got the $256 million expenditure from Minister of Children Community and Social Services Thanks Mr. Speaker as the former Minister in this file he should know that it was his government that put a $62 million hold back on this program and I had to go to Treasury Ward not once but twice to clear up his mess when he ignored three out of four children in the province of Ontario who were stuck on a wait list without any hope and so I was able to with support of the Treasury Board get $102 million to sustain a program that his government allowed to fail if anyone should be standing here and discussing numbers it should be the honourable member opposite who led this program into bankruptcy We start the clock Thank you Mr. Speaker this is exactly why we need to know the numbers because what just came from the Minister does not sound right Mr. Speaker it takes a really strong person to admit something's broken but it takes a stronger person to stand up and fix it Mr. Speaker at this point we know that the budget was approved for $321 million by the previous government How did the Minister get to $256 million this is what we know Mr. Speaker there's been a lack of transparency on this file Parents do not believe the numbers that are coming out from the Ministry we know that people feel like they've been threatened in addition to that now people are suspicious on the wait list that it's been intentionally held back Mr. Speaker would the Minister do the right thing and step aside and let someone come into this file to actually bring some clarity to these numbers and to help the children here in the province of Ontario Minister I appreciate that Mr. Speaker for his plan they had budgeted $256 million his own government withheld $62 million which I had to go to the Treasury for in addition to an additional $40 million $100 million in emergency funding their program ignored three out of four children in the province of Ontario they had a wait list of 23,000 children since I've assumed this position we've had $100 million $102 million but we've cleared another 24 out of us through the system but I will tell you Speaker if anyone should be resigning in this house it should be the 7 independent Liberal members who will allow House will come to order start the clock next question Mr. of economic development, job creation and trade last week the Premier travelled to Washington DC and New Brunswick the group of premiers representing the Council of the Federation called for an end to American tariffs on steel and aluminum 25% tariffs on steel and 10% tariffs on aluminum have been in place since June of last year these tariffs are hurting Ontario workers and Ontario businesses over 16,000 people in Ontario work in the steel and aluminum industries including many in my riding of Durham could the minister please outline for this house what our government is doing to get these tariffs lifted Minister of economic development job creation and trade Thanks to the member from Durham for the question and the great job she's doing in Durham Speaker our government believes that free trade benefits families and workers on both sides of the border over 9 million jobs in Canada and the United States depend on our historic trading relationship as a government for the people we have a duty to protect all those jobs and that's why the Premier travelled to Washington to bring the message that these tariffs and the uncertainty they cause are harming American and Canadian workers and families while in DC the Premier met with six governors and US trade representative Robert Lighthizer who is the American trade negotiator reminding them of the damage that these tariffs are doing to jobs on both sides of the border since coming to office the Premier is engaged with 20 governors directly and delivered that same message to them Speaker we're doing everything to get those tariffs lifted and I know Thank you supplementary Thank you Speaker it's a relief for families in Durham and across our province to hear our government is doing our part to resolve the uncertainty caused by tariffs I know that during the trip the Premier had the opportunity to share the work of our government in making Ontario open for business from regulatory reform to reducing taxes our government has been moving quickly to reverse the damage caused by 15 years of liberal mismanagement could the minister inform the house that your message was received Minister Thanks Speaker I'm surprised at the heckles that I'm hearing after my last response it sounds like the NDP want to keep these tariffs in place Business leaders here in Ontario and around the world are glad that our province has a Premier and a government who actually understands business unlike the members opposite they don't seem to have a clue when it comes to doing business while in DC the Premier had the opportunity to share the work our government has done with American investors he met with 30 business leaders from big companies big companies like Apple and John Deere and Amazon and the American Chamber of Commerce very important influential businesses on both sides of the border the Premier says their hearing Ontario is serious about being open for business and open for jobs in fact the Governor of Kentucky actually gave the Premier a big red pin talking about the work that they've been doing in cutting red tape work that we're doing here in Ontario that the NDP seems to be against we're going to do everything in our power to make Ontario open for business and open for job next question the member for Toronto St Paul thank you my question is to the minister of tourism culture and sport today indigenous community members are gathering outside Queens Park to rally support for the cancelled indigenous culture fund I hope the minister will join us last week the minister made a ministerial statement to recognize Ontario heritage week where he said and I quote a full appreciation of our Ontario heritage also embraces the experiences of indigenous communities and quote indigenous culture should never be treated like some commodity the conservative government deploys when it benefits the provinces tourism industry how can the minister of tourism culture and sport encourage Ontarians to explore their heritage when he does not see their cultural revitalization projects in essence the exploration by indigenous peoples their own cultures languages and heritage through the indigenous culture fund worth funding thank you the minister of tourism culture and sport thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for that question that very important question as you know our government for the people recognizes that artists and arts organizations such as the Ontario Arts Council play an important role in building a strong economy while contributing to the quality of life of Ontario's communities unfortunately the previous liberal governments a responsible and reckless handling of the provinces finances left us with a 15 billion opposition come to order every dollar that we pay in interest could be money that could be used for programming including the indigenous programming unfortunately due to the mismanagement of the provinces finances by the previous government we have been forced to make tough decisions Mr. Speaker we were elected on a clear mandate to restore trust and accountability to the provinces thank you thank you supplementary my question is to the minister of tourism culture and the sport Mr. Speaker Andrew Goulet youth secretary of the First Nations Youth Council has traveled down to Queens Park to speak this afternoon about how counseling indigenous cultural fund will be particularly harmful for our young people one example of a funded project and her community teaches members about traditional ways of harvesting foraging and gardening and addresses the issues of food security what does the minister have to say to Andrea and other indigenous youth today who are facing the loss of their elders oral teachings traditional knowledge the way of being and the languages with the consolation of the indigenous cultural fund Minister Mr. Speaker and thank you for that question our government is reviewing the indigenous cultural fund to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently to maximize the impact of indigenous cultural support individuals who have already received grants through the ICF will not be affected during this review our government will continue to invest in the Ontario Arts Council at the 2017-2018 level of 64.9 million dollars Mr. Speaker we do have programs that are funded through the Ontario Arts Council that offer support to indigenous artists including the curatorial projects, the dance training projects indigenous artists in communities in schools projects indigenous arts projects indigenous presenters in the north indigenous visual arts skills and career development Mr. Speaker our government will continue to support the Ontario Arts Council our government also supports the arts through the Ontario thank you thank you next question the member for Sault Ste. Marie thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker good morning my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry although 10 years may seem like a long time to some those of us in the north remember the fierce debate that occurred when the former liberal government forced crippling legislation on the foreign north without meaningful consultation Mr. Speaker no one from the far north asked for the far north act this was a plan conceived by the former liberal government in an effort to pander to supporters of special interest groups living in their downtown air conditioned condos finally we have a government that is working for the people of northern Ontario finally we have a government that is listening to the people of northern Ontario can the minister please update the house on our plan to get northern Ontario back on track and to fix this terrible mistake minister of natural resources Mr. Speaker I want to thank my colleague from Sault Ste. Marie for the question and for his unwavering commitment to the north as the member well knows our government for the people was elected on a promise to finally open up the incredible resources of our north to make our northern communities open for business and open for jobs it's important that we get this right in Ontario and Ontario we are blessed with an abundance of natural resources so much of which is located in the beautiful far north the proposal to repeal the far north act was posted to the environmental registry for public input I will be reviewing the feedback once comment period closes and I look forward to working with far north first nations and the people of the region to make the far north open for business and open for jobs supplementary well thank you to the minister for that answer Mr. Speaker I know that the 24,000 people living in the far north will be encouraged to learn that they will finally be able to have their say on the far north act between this minister and the minister of northern development in minds and of course our premier the people of northern Ontario finally have a government that will look out for their interests and we finally have a government that will ensure that we are open for business and that we are open for jobs in northern Ontario of course one of the major sources to the far north act came from remote far north first nations many asked the previous liberal government to withdraw this legislation but to no avail I can say Mr. Speaker having attended many of those communities myself the frustration I heard from many of those chiefs with respect to this can the minister please expand on the benefits this will bring to first nations in the north and how we will work towards building meaningful collaborative process with respect to this minister I thank the member again for the supplementary as I said yesterday we will listen carefully to what the far north first nations have to say about our proposal to work together to make the far north open for business and open for jobs our proposal would repeal the act while retaining approved land use plans under the through changes to the public lands act and continuing forward with plans that will be ready at an advanced stage along with my colleague the minister of indigenous affairs we will have direct engagement sessions with far north first nations communities and tribal councils to gather their feedback our government for the people believes wholeheartedly in the potential of northern Ontario and we will always support development that will be beneficial to the people of the far north including our first nation communities once again we are making the far north open for business and open for jobs thank you next question the member for Scarborough south west thank you speaker my question is to the minister for children community and social services back in November two parents Ziaul and Luminous visited my Scarborough community office to seek help for their beautiful four year old son Rio they are here with us today in the legislature in June 2017 the minister has been on the wait list for those services ever since the last tile to receive treatment through this program applied in 2016 we know now that the minister had frozen the wait list and was instructing service providers to hide this from families as they made plans for their new one size fits all program speaker my question is why did this government hide the truth because the government is not going to allow why did this government hide the truth about freezing the wait list from families like Rio and his parents minister children community and social services thanks very much speaker the member opposite may want to correct her record at no time did anyone in this government freeze a wait list in fact what we did is we went to treasury board and sought an additional 102 million dollars and put forward 2500 more children into the program since I took office as the minister responsible for the autism program they have heard from parents right across this province I'm happy today that I have councillor Jan Harder here who work with me to establish the south napien autism center 13 years ago as minister responsible for this program I am proud that our government is committed to 321 million dollars as an annual budget we will double our investment into diagnostic hubs and we will clear the wait list in 18 months by going directly to parents to allow them to provide the support they need for their child and for their behavioral support technological aids respite or caregiver training we are 100% committed to making sure this is implemented on April the 1st to clear that wait list supplementary thank you speaker I hope the minister can promise these two parents right here that they will receive full support not just for ours full support through you speaker for Rio's mom had to leave her job as an assistant manager at the grocery store to take care of her son full time if she returns to work they are now facing the prospect of losing even the little bit of funding that they could have received under the new scheme because their household income would go above the $55,000 threshold how can this government justify a scheme that keeps women like Rio's mom out of the workforce and take away hope from families like Rio and many others in this province thank you minister thanks very much speaker I appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to Rio's parents under the old system that was implemented by the previous Liberal government children were trickling off the wait list I spoke and we went to the emergency measures of injecting an extra $102 million so that we could continue to move kids through the process what we're going to do is clear the wait list and finally get off the wait list speaker and get support directly to his family upwards of $140,000 per child so parents who want to either support their child through behavioral therapy technological aids respite care or caregiver training that's what we're doing we're going to empower parents so that for the first time in Ontario's history we will clear the diagnostic wait list we will also clear the service speaker we're proud of this plan we're moving forward with this plan this government is committed to clearing the wait list in 8 the member for Carlton thank you Mr. Speaker Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport late last year our government for the people announced that Ontario would be developing a new tourism strategy to make us more competitive for tourism operators more appealing to visitors and to allow for greater job creation in the industry in fact I was very pleased to join the minister this past January at his round table in Ottawa engaging with some of our key stakeholders including several from my riding of Carlton like Saunders Farm but this strategy Mr. Speaker also includes engaging Ontarians via the government's online tourism strategy and so through you Mr. Speaker can the minister please provide this house with an update on our government's online tourism strategy consultations Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Carlton for that question as of yesterday I'm pleased to report that we've received over 7,000 responses from visitors from Ontario and beyond industry stakeholders and students from across the province I'd like to encourage all members of the house to encourage their constituents to get online and take part in this important survey with a gentle reminder to everyone that you have until the end of the month to submit your ideas over the last few months I have had the chance to meet with tourism stakeholders from all areas of the province and I'm proud to say that part of our consultations have we've heard from stakeholders in Northern Ontario our indigenous stakeholders and these two sectors Mr. Speaker have an enormous potential for growth for the tourism sector in the near future that we encourage growth in this important sector as part of our government's approach to make Ontario open for business and open for jobs That concludes the time we have available for question period today Member for Algoma, Manitoulin has a point of order Thank you Speaker and on behalf of our leader and you're aware of that in our entire caucus and on behalf of everybody in this room who was a colleague of his I want to congratulate the new MP for Burnaby and I want to congratulate my good friend and the guy I referred to as my brother from another mother, Jagmeet Singh as you take your seat over in Ottawa good luck to you, you're going to do well for everybody across the country Pursuant to standing order 38A the member for Davenport has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the Minister of Education concerning supports for students with autism spectrum disorder in our schools this matter will be debated today at 6pm there being no deferred votes it stands in recess until 3pm