I’m very pleased to welcome to this House some of our greatest leaders in the Ontario health care system right now: Michael Hurley from the CUPE Ontario council of health care unions, Erin Ariss from Ontario Nurses’ Association, and Natalie Mehra from the Ontario Health Coalition. Thank you so much for being here with us all today.

On behalf of patients across Ontario, I wish to welcome Natalie Mehra from the Ontario Health Coalition, Michael Hurley from the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Erin Ariss from the Ontario Nurses’ Association—and a special welcome to every single person in this chamber here today who is showing their opposition to Bill 60.

My question is for the Premier. This is the headline regarding agency nurses in Ontario: “‘It’s Going to Bankrupt Health Care’: Spending on Temp Agency Nurses Up More Than 550% Since Pre-Pandemic at One Toronto Hospital Network.

“As Ontario hospitals grapple with a staffing crisis, critics warn the rising reliance of temp agencies is not financially sustainable.”

Erin Ariss, who is here with us today, is the new Ontario Nurses’ Association president. She’s also an emergency nurse at Grand River Hospital in KW. This is what she has to say: “As a nurse in a unionized position, I would often make half of what an agency nurse would make. In some cases, they would make three times what we would make.”

There are 43 days until the Bill 124 appeal is decided. This government continues to fight unconstitutional legislation in the courts. It’s never too late to do the right thing.

Will you respect nurses in the province of Ontario and end the Bill 60 scheme that actually removes nurses and poaches nurses from the health care system?

I have a petition entitled “Stop ... Health Care Privatization Plan.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontarians should get health care based on need—not the size of their wallet;”

Whereas the Premier and health minister are “planning to privatize parts of health care;

“Whereas privatization will bleed nurses, doctors and PSWs out of their public hospitals, making the health care crisis worse;

“Whereas privatization always ends with patients getting a bill;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately stop all plans to further privatize Ontario’s health care system, and fix the crisis in health care by:

“—repealing Bill 124 and recruiting, retaining and respecting doctors, nurses and PSWs with better pay and better working conditions;

“—licensing tens of thousands of internationally educated nurses and other health care professionals already in Ontario, who wait years and pay thousands to have their credentials certified;

“—making education and training free or low-cost for nurses, doctors and other health care professionals;

“—incentivizing doctors and nurses to choose to live and work in northern Ontario;

“—funding hospitals to have enough nurses on every shift, on every ward.”

I support this petition. I will affix my signature and send it to the table with page Leonard.