Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

Resuming the debate adjourned on April 6, 2023, on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 60, An Act to amend and enact various Acts with respect to the health system / Projet de loi 60, Loi visant à modifier et à édicter diverses lois en ce qui concerne le système de santé.

I’d like to thank the member from Nickel Belt for her excellent presentation about how it is wise and fiscally prudent to invest in community-based surgical centres. Not only did she highlight the safety and the continuity of care but also the better health outcomes. I would also like to thank the member for recognizing the great work of Dr. Abdel-Rahman Lawendy, the chief medical director of the Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre at London Health Sciences Centre.

Standard operating rooms are required for complex care, where there are six staff per room. They require a full set of sterilized instruments. It costs on average $469 per day, whereas these other ambulatory centres cost $172 per day. It’s 36% of the cost.

This government’s ideological adherence to the for-profit model—I wanted to ask the member, who is this government listening to, if it’s not listening to patients?

Thank you to the member from Nickel Belt for her presentation. However, through Bill 60, the integrated community health services centres will now be connected with local hospitals and Ontario Health. They will also have to post any uninsured charges both online and in person. Contrary to what the member from Nickel Belt was saying, if there were any extra charges, they would be posted and mentioned in person. This being the case, patients cannot be denied access to treatment if they don’t purchase uninsured services.

My question is to the member. We’ve heard from Ontarians. They want care closer to home. They want a better quality of life. I have to ask the member, will you support expanding access to care closer to home?

We already have. I have the Kensington Eye Institute not-for-profit. I have Dr. Sorgini. They already post their charges, and the charges vary quite a bit from one to the next. What costs $200 at Kensington costs $250 with Dr. Sorgini, and the list goes on.

It’s not because the extra fees are being posted that the relationship between the person who provides the care and the person who receives the care changes. The health providers have all the power. If, in order to have the surgery done on a fixed date, you need to buy one of those products, you will, because you don’t want to lose your driver’s licence. You don’t want to have to travel three times to Sudbury to have your surgery cancelled.

No, I will never support extra fees. Hospitals don’t charge extra fees. Care is based on need, not ability to pay.

Those people—you go on the website; they are here to lobby the government. They are lobbying me also, so I have no doubt that they are lobbying the government, and the government is listening. There are a lot of people closely tied to the Conservative government who stand to benefit by millions of dollars once Bill 60 goes forward, on the backs of sick people.

I have to ask the member: When I talk to people in my riding—I talk to people all across the province. What they tell me is that what we have a huge problem in Ontario with is access to care, access to surgeries. We are making unprecedented investments in nurses, a higher number of people into the system than ever before, building new medical schools. Everything we do in Bill 60 is about ensuring that there is more access to these surgeries, all paid for by your OHIP card.

I would ask the member—and I understand it’s difficult for her to retreat from her own philosophy and theology when it comes to public versus private. But can you not at least admit that what we’re doing in Bill 60 is going to lead to reduced wait times for surgeries here in the province of Ontario?

Questions?

Some 28,000 members of ACTRA have been unlawfully locked out for a year now by the Institute of Canadian Agencies—advertising agencies who, instead of bargaining in good faith under the National Commercial Agreement, made unacceptable demands such as a 60% cut to wages and an end to retirement contributions and benefits. The NCA used to represent a gold standard for gig workers. Now, there are performers who have not worked for a year. They have lost tens of thousands of dollars in wages. Some cannot manage their health care needs because their health insurance is gone. Some have been forced to leave their field altogether.

At a time when precarious gig work is on the rise, with limited, if any, employment protections, advertising agencies, with the support of their corporate clients and this Conservative government, are undermining workers by using scab replacement workers. Using scab labour prolongs strikes and lockouts instead of encouraging bargaining and allowing for faster resolution of disputes. It pits workers against each other. And we’re seeing this happen across Ontario, such as with the salt workers at Windsor Unifor Local 240—workers on strike being undermined through the use of scab labour.

Speaker, workers have a constitutional right to a fair bargaining process, but that can’t happen when scab replacement workers are hired. The NDP has tabled the Anti-Scab Labour Act to end the use of scab replacement workers. I call on this government to pass the bill.

I want to thank the member from Nickel Belt for your comments today and for being, like all of the members of the NDP, a true champion of public health care in Canada.

I have a friend from the United States. She used to practise medicine in Boston. Now, she’s practising in Toronto. She says that Americans pay twice as much per capita for health care, and yet 50 million do not have access to health insurance. She says it’s because they’ve got a private, for-profit delivery system and private insurance.

You are describing this Bill 60 as the death knell for public health care in Canada. Why would this government kill such a great program that provides access to health care for everyone in Canada?

The body of evidence throughout the world is very strong and solid. I would encourage the member to read from Canadian physicians for medicare. They have a four-page—so it’s very easy to read. I can guarantee you that bringing in for-profit does not decrease wait times. It’s the opposite, because the for-profit only can make profit out of the healthy and the wealthy. As soon as you have a comorbidity—remember when we debated about chronic diseases? Most people over 45 have a chronic condition, which means that they will not qualify for healthy and wealthy, where you make a lot of money. They will still be on the wait-list for a hospital, and those wait-lists will grow exponentially. Do you think that 200,000 Ontarians waiting for care is long? Wait to see what happens once the for-profits come in. Go have a look at what happened in Australia. Go have a look at what happened in the UK when the Conservative government did the exact same thing you’re doing now. Their wait-lists grew. Many of them are backtracking right now.

There are a ton of investor-owned corporations who know that there are enough loopholes to be able to make millions, hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars off the backs of sick people in Ontario. They are the ones lobbying for Bill 60 to go through. They are the ones who will benefit from Bill 60, and they are the ones that have the ears of this Conservative government. They are willing to listen to them at the expense of destroying a program that defines us, where care is based on need, not ability to pay.

Today is Yom Ha’atzmaut, also known as Israeli Independence Day. A national holiday in Israel, Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrates the country’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948.

The origin of Yom Ha’atzmaut can be traced to the early 20th century, when Jewish leaders advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland. Today, Israelis and members of the Jewish community in my riding of Eglinton–Lawrence and across Ontario celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut with various activities, including parades, barbecues, concerts and dancing. Some of these events include the Schwartz/Reisman Centre JCC’s Blue and White party, which will feature delicious catering, cocktails and music performers. Families can also attend the Beth Tzedec Congregation’s Israel Creativity Fair to celebrate Israel’s ingenuity and engage in hands-on, family-friendly activities. For young adults, Hillel Ontario and StandWithUs Canada are hosting Israel at 75 club night, complete with pizza and disco music.

In the 75 years since its founding, Israel has accomplished many notable achievements in science, technology, culture and other areas. It’s home to a thriving technology sector and several innovative start-ups. As a leader in Jewish education, Israel has also strengthened Jewish identity and continues to improve Jews’ connection to Israel throughout the world.

On this day of celebration for the Jewish people and the state of Israel, I wish all Israeli Ontarians and members of the Jewish community joy, security and peace.

Recently in my riding of Burlington, I had the pleasure of attending Halton Industry Education Council’s 19th annual Women as Career Coaches mentorship event. This is an annual event that brings together young people and adult mentors for an impactful, inspiring and uplifting evening. Over dinner, youth have the opportunity to engage in informal conversations with mentors and career coaches, as well as listening to a lineup of inspiring speakers.

This year’s event featured a panel of successful women sharing their career journeys and advice. Coming from diverse industries, speakers included a film and TV event specialist, a deputy fire chief, a board-certified lactation specialist and one of the only female boilermakers in Ontario. As a career coach, mentors shared their experiences and advice with a group of young women who are contemplating their future careers and their next moves. These conversations help young people to think about their future differently.

That evening, I met a young apprentice electrician named Allie, who had just landed an interview for her dream job. Over the next couple of days, Allie and I worked together to help her prepare. Allie informed me that the interview went very well and thanked me for the help.

Women as Career Coaches is a valuable resource for young women, providing them with the opportunity to make connections, ask questions and learn from other women who helped to pave the way.

I listened to the member opposite. I had the opportunity to sit on that side of the floor for one year after I was elected in 2017. I sat on the same side of the floor as that member opposite, and I remember for that year her speaking about the Liberal government and their cuts to health care. We remember that there were eight consecutive years under the Liberal reign of not a single increase to budgets, 0% across the board, for eight years in a row, and that member opposite still voted with the Liberals’ budget year after year after year when she had the opportunity to shut them down.

So my question is, why did you support the Liberals when they were going after health care?

Today I’m bringing some bittersweet news from Peterborough. A good friend of mine has decided to hang up the laces, so to speak. She has been an exemplary public servant in Peterborough for close to 40 years. This Friday, April 28, will be the final day at city hall for Peterborough’s chief administrative officer, Sandra Clancy.

As a resident of the city, I had worked with Sandra on a number of different initiatives long before I was the MPP. I suppose with almost 40 years devoted to Peterborough, there are a lot of people she has worked with.

Sandra was born and raised in Peterborough and started working for the city in 1985. Some might say she wasn’t able to hang on to a job, because throughout her time, she has been the chief accountant, financial manager, treasurer, corporate services director and CAO.

She worked during a few challenging times: the great flood of 2004 and, of course, COVID-19. Although she has faced her challenges, she has remained dedicated to the people of Peterborough.

Speaker, for me, she has been a great resource. All throughout my time as the MPP, I’ve been able to reach out and discuss whatever the issue of the day was and know that Sandra was working with me to resolve it.

Sandra, I’m going to miss you, but I know that you’re only a phone call away. You’ve told me that you’re looking forward to spending more time with your kids during your retirement. So please enjoy your retirement.

Khalsa Aid is a non-profit, humanitarian organization that provides support for individuals in need all over the world. Khalsa Aid is built on a strong belief in Sikh principles, and their work is by no means restricted to the Sikh community. Khalsa Aid became the first-ever cross-border international humanitarian aid organization based on Sikh principles.

Khalsa Aid has done amazing work with a number of communities to help those in need. Recently, Khalsa Aid Canada held a food drive and they were able to raise over 35,000 meals that were distributed to local food banks within the GTA.

Speaker, this is an immense contribution, and I would like to appreciate and recognize Khalsa Aid Canada’s sizable impact within the community. I would also like to recognize all of those who participated in the food drive and contributed to making a difference within their community, whether it be through donating food, volunteering or raising awareness. Your commitment and devotion to helping those in need is truly inspiring.

Le mois d’avril, qui est le mois de l’autisme, tire à sa fin. J’aimerais reconnaître quelques organismes et personnes de ma circonscription pour leur dévouement à améliorer la vie de plusieurs personnes qui vivent avec le spectre de l’autisme.

Merci au Regroupement Autisme Prescott-Russell et à ses membres pour leur travail incroyable. Non seulement ils organisent de super activités pour les jeunes; ils sensibilisent les gens et nous aident tous à en apprendre plus au sujet des personnes aux prises avec le spectre de l’autisme. J’aimerais aussi remercier tout le personnel des classes de TSA de toutes les écoles de ma circonscription. Ma conjointe a eu la chance de travailler avec certains d’entre eux et avec les élèves. Elle me mentionnait souvent comment ces gens font une différence dans la vie de ces enfants.

Je salue aussi un jeune homme âgé de 31 ans, Marc-Antoine Gagnier, considéré comme une personnalité publique pour la communauté de ces personnes atteintes du spectre de l’autisme. Marc-Antoine est également bien connu au village d’Embrun pour son implication à la littérature et la radio. Il s’est même présenté comme candidat en politique à trois reprises. Il fait du bénévolat à la radio communautaire bilingue de CJRO Radio. Il a sa propre émission de radio, style talk-show, qui s’appelle Gagnier aime se jaser, où j’ai eu la chance moi-même de passer en entrevue.

Je tiens à féliciter toutes ces personnes pour leur excellent travail.

Not once in my entire time in office has a resident called me up and said Toronto is in desperate need of an expensive and exclusive spa. Yet this government is moving ahead with signing a secret 95-year deal with an Austrian company to turn Ontario Place into an expensive mega-spa with a massive underground carpark that taxpayers are paying for.

Now, I hear the minister opposite say that no one is going there: “I drive by it frequently, and it’s not enjoyed.” The million people who visit Ontario Place do not see it that way, Minister.

Ontario Place is a park where people can go outside, visit friends, feel the breeze of Lake Ontario, play with kids, walk our dogs, enjoy the sunset for free in a part of the city where most people don’t have a backyard. They live in condos and apartments, and Ontario Place has become their oasis.

I see people being so angry about this issue because it touches this larger core, which is that this government is making sweetheart backroom deals with foreign companies that leave Ontarians worse off, and that is a real issue here. I believe Ontario Place should be a place for everyone to enjoy, a revitalized public park that families, young people, seniors and residents can enjoy.

I want to say thank you to all the residents who are organizing on this issue, including Ontario Place for All. We are on your side.

Speaker, it is estimated that approximately 1.8 million Ontarians do not have a family doctor—that means 1.8 million Ontarians without access to a primary care physician who has built a relationship with them, who understands their needs, and who can provide the consistent care that helps catch illnesses early and avoid serious illnesses. This unacceptable situation leads to inadequate health care for all Ontarians.

We need more family doctors, but attracting medical students to family medicine is becoming increasingly difficult. Family doctors are heavily overworked, burdened with way too many patients and out-of-date systems that result in mountains of paperwork.

Dr. Alykhan Abdulla is a local doctor in the Ottawa area. He works tirelessly to serve the thousands of patients he is responsible for. He says the administrative burden on him and his team is huge, occupying a third of his time. That’s 33% fewer patients with access to care every day.

By taking measures to reduce the administrative burden on our family physicians, this government can dramatically increase the time available for doctors to do what they were trained to do: provide care to patients. This would reduce the burden on family physicians, help attract and retain more family doctors, and allow more Ontarians to access the care they deserve.

Sometimes when MPPs talk about health care and long-term care, they miss the great work being done in the community support services sector.

People want to age at home, and community support services help meet that need. Caregivers risk burnout and financial burden without these services. Some may even feel pressure to quit their job to look after a loved one. No one should feel forced to make this choice.

Community support services are cost-effective, personalized and help free up beds in hospitals and long-term care. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with the Alzheimer Society, Cheshire Independent Living Services, St. Joe’s hospice and many more. Users of these services see a 43% decrease in avoidable ER visits. In addition, when community support services are available, hospital stay lengths are decreased more than 30%. Care at home costs $42 a day while long-term care is $126; in hospitals, at least $842. Saving $800 per day is pretty cost-effective. It’s literally 5% of the cost.

However, like other parts of our health care system, lack of funding means service reductions and staff are continually asked to do more with less. This sector, primarily made up of women, faces a variety of struggles, including the inability to hire and retain staff.

Ontarians want to be supported at home. I call upon this government to make the necessary investments in community support services so that people can stay where their heart is: at home with loved ones.

I believe that the success of our local entrepreneurs is crucial to strengthening the competitiveness of Ontario’s businesses in the global market and will promote economic growth and prosperity for all Ontarians.

That is why I rise to support the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs, ACCE, and their mission in recognizing the successes and contributions of Chinese Canadian entrepreneurs. The 26th awards gala was held last week, when nine businesses were recognized.

Over the years, many of Ontario’s celebrities, including Adrienne Clarkson, Vivienne Poy, Michael Lee-Chin and Jean Lumb, received awards for their lifetime achievements. I had the honour to receive their Best Community Service Award in 2003.

Speaker, I believe that community service is an essential part of being an entrepreneur, and I’m committed to working with ACCE to promote corporate social responsibility and encourage community and environmental stewardship in Ontario’s business community.

Once again, congratulations to all the award recipients and nominees, and thank you to ACCE for their important work.