It’s always a pleasure to rise in this House and speak on behalf of the people I represent in London West. Today I want to offer some thoughts on the Conservative government’s 2023 budget and the budget bill that is before us this morning.

This budget provided the government—its first budget following the election. It provided the government an opportunity to be bold, to take bold action to address the very significant challenges that Ontarians are facing, that Londoners are facing, that people in communities across this province are facing. I have to say, as many have pointed out—the editorial board of the Toronto Star, media commentators, and people who came to committee—this budget failed to do that in any significant way.

We frequently quoted the description of this budget: that if it was a Christmas gift, it would be a six-pack of white tube socks. It’s basically a meh budget that really does not rise to the occasion and meet the moment. I’m going to outline some of the ways that it fails to do that.

Interjections.

I want to begin with a very thoughtful analysis of the budget that was provided by YWCA Ontario. They point out that in a more-than-100-page document, the word “women” is mentioned four times, the words “girl” and “poverty” are mentioned once each, and the word “gender” is not mentioned at all.

We know that the pandemic has been challenging for everyone in this province, but in particular, women have been hard hit. We saw that earlier this week with the FAO report on the persistent gender wage gap that has not closed at all under this government.

There would have been an opportunity in this budget to take meaningful action to address the gender wage gap on issues like child care.

There was no money whatsoever allocated within this budget to create a workforce strategy. We know that ECEs who have been trained in early childhood education, whose passion is to work with children, are leaving the profession because the wages are so low. They cannot afford to feed their families, and they cannot afford housing on the salaries that they are making. We need a significant investment in wages for early childhood educators in order to fulfill the promise of $10-a-day child care. This budget could have provided that workforce strategy but did not.

We also saw in this budget no mention of paid sick days. That is an issue that I have advocated on since the beginning of the pandemic, actually. We know that women workers in caring professions, in cleaning and catering, in those care roles—PSWs, child care workers. Those are the careers that are least likely to have paid sick days. Access to permanent paid sick days through the Employment Standards Act would make a huge difference to those workers and to all workers in Ontario. Almost more than half of workers don’t have access to paid sick days through their employer, and providing those paid sick days would be a real step forward to creating decent work for people in this province.

On health care and homelessness: My community, the city of London, has launched an unprecedented, one-of-a-kind strategy, a whole-of-community response to health and homelessness. Homelessness is an urgent issue across this province, and nowhere more than in London. We have seen over 200 unhoused people die on the streets in the last couple of years, and this has motivated an unprecedented coming together of agencies and community leaders to look at how to ensure that everyone in our community has access to decent and affordable housing, and supportive housing, if necessary.

What we saw in this budget was a modest increase to the homelessness support; we saw $202 million. We saw cabinet ministers coming to London and announcing that London would get, out of that $202 million, an additional $8 million for London-Middlesex. So $1 million of that is going to Middlesex, which leaves London with about seven million additional dollars, but the challenges our community is facing will require a much greater investment than that. We are fortunate to have had a benefactor, an anonymous donor family, come forward and commit to a $25-million gift to help launch the plan that has emerged from our community. And we expect the Ontario government to come to the table with much more significant dollars than what has been allocated.

I know that this is not just a London problem. There are 444 municipalities across this province that are dealing with similar challenges. The $202 million that the government has allocated is nowhere going to meet the need of those 444 municipalities—and certainly not the additional $7 million that London has received.

There’s nothing in this budget to deal with the challenges that tenants in our province are facing. We did not see in this bill any new measures to protect tenants, to move forward with rent control on buildings that were built after 2018. This is a big problem in London West—across the city, actually. There are new towers going up, and every new tower that goes up, every new unit that is added to our housing supply is exempt from rent control. What happens is that tenants move into those units and they do not realize that the landlord basically has carte blanche to increase the rent on those units to whatever level they want because those new units are exempt from rent control. So people are economically, financially evicted, basically, because they cannot afford double-digit rent increases; they did not budget for double-digit rent increases. At a time of unprecedented inflation, this lack of rent control is particularly difficult—especially when you can’t afford the rent in the unit that you have signed a lease on, when the landlord tells you that it’s going to increase at a double-digit rate, and there’s no other option. There are no other affordable options in the city, and I hear that more and more from people in my community.

On health care: This budget doubles down on the government’s plan to privatize. Instead of making investments in hospitals across this province—like we have in London at LHSC; we have the Nazem Kadri centre for ambulatory care, which is a model of how we can provide outpatient support for those less-complex surgeries, with all of the oversight and protections in place that are offered in our public system. Instead of moving in that direction, instead of making those investments in hospitals across the province so that other hospitals could establish centres like the Nazem Kadri centre, this government is instead ramming forward with its plan to privatize health care and put those profits in the hands of for-profit corporations.

This is a budget that has failed Ontarians.

Good morning. Let us pray.

Prières / Prayers.

Resuming the debate adjourned on May 17, 2023, on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 85, An Act to implement Budget measures and to amend various statutes / Projet de loi 85, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à modifier diverses lois.

Member for London West.

I appreciated the comments from my colleague from London West on the budget. As she pointed out, the word “women” was mentioned four times in this budget.

We all know and have discussed in this room that violence against women is both insidious and increasing across communities. When we hear from victim services—in Durham region, and across the province—we know that they haven’t seen a significant increase in core funding in way too long. The burnout and low, uncompetitive wage for such important work is not retaining the people doing such important heavy lifting and caring, and what they’re having to do with not enough is just unbelievable.

What could have been seen in this budget that would have made a difference in the fight to end violence against women?

I appreciate my colleague from London West’s advocacy for homelessness in London.

Like you, I share London as part of my riding and understand it’s not just a crisis; it’s a pandemic in itself, and it continues to plague our city, our downtown and the people who are affected.

As such, I hope she would acknowledge—through you, Chair—that London received a 63% increase in its allocated budget for homelessness this year, along with Middlesex county. While it’s always never enough, and I respect that, would she not agree that 63%—which is above the Ontario average, which is still over 40%—is a generous amount to help this pandemic in the city of London?

My question for the member for London West is this—Bill 85 contains a responsible, transparent plan to a balanced budget by 2025.

The record of the Liberal government, supported in part by the NDP, was a record of tripling the debt and leaving us in the situation where the third-highest spending envelope is interest on the debt as a result of that sorry legacy.

Your federal party ran on a balanced budget platform in 2015. If the plan is to vote against this bill, does that mean that the NDP do not care about debts, deficits and passing on debts and deficits to our children and grandchildren?

Questions to the member for London West?

We all know that the pandemic has been really hard on all of us. It has been really hard on workers, and it has been really hard on much woman-dominated work. They have come to this government, they have come to us, asking for paid sick days, so that when they don’t feel good, they know that they’re going to be able to stay home, pay their rent and feed their kids, and not spread whatever made them sick to the rest of the workforce. I know that the member has worked hard on this—if she could explain the difference it would make to our hospitals, to our schools, to many areas where people gather, if every worker had paid sick days.

I want to thank the member for her question, and also for her advocacy for paid sick days over the years.

Certainly, we know that a low-wage worker—many women saw the gender wage gap that was highlighted in the FAO report. Women in low-wage professions, when they have a child who is sick, when they are sick, are faced with this impossible choice: Do they forgo a day of pay, stay home unpaid so that they can care for their sick child and recover from the illness that they themselves are suffering? Or do they go to work, send their child to school and risk spreading illness to others in the workplace or in the school? We know what happens when they make that choice, which is understandable. They risk spreading illness to others, who go to our hospital and add pressure to our overextended health care system.

I know the member is aware of Indwell, a 72-unit building that recently opened in our city. Those 72 units came at a big price tag, much more than the additional funding that the government has provided.

London is not the only community across this province that is facing the crisis of homelessness. We need a much more significant investment from this government to address the crisis.

There are many non-profit agencies—in my community, we have Anova, we have the London Abused Women’s Centre, we have Atlohsa—across this province that provide support for those experiencing gender-based violence. Staff at those agencies are burnt out. There has been no increase in base funding for years. Those staff are dealing with wages that are so low that it is challenging for them to find housing in our communities, with rents increasing so dramatically. An increase in base funding, the stabilization of support that non-profit agencies require to serve people who are experiencing violence or who are experiencing any kind of challenge, would make a huge difference. And let’s not forget, most of the workers who work in the non-profit sector are women, so that increase in base funding would make a huge difference for women in this province.

We know from the Financial Accountability Officer that this government has a track record of not allocating funding. There has been record numbers of unallocated pots of money. There has been a huge increase in contingency funds, and there is no transparency whatsoever as to where those funds will be allocated. Budget after budget, we have seen monies allocated on paper but not actually spent.

The people of this province deserve a lot more transparency in where public dollars are being invested.

Last Thursday evening, I attended the Attorney General’s Victim Services Awards of Distinction, where I had the privilege of acknowledging the exceptional work of Smiths Falls resident and award recipient Amber MacDonald. Amber has been the executive director of Victim Services Lanark County since 2015. Over the past eight years, she has worked tirelessly to establish the foundations for meaningful support in a well-respected, collaborative environment.

A strong and reliable advocate for the victims of crime and their families, Amber MacDonald works around the clock facilitating anti-human-trafficking workshops and providing free relevant training to hotel and motel staff. She helped establish the Lanark County Child and Youth Advocacy Centre in Carleton Place and was instrumental in implementing a forensic interview room to better serve victims of crime in a large service area.

When asked about her motivation to continue raising the bar in victim services, Amber replied, “The strength of our network is what allows us to give people back their voice ... to move someone from the worst day of their life to a place of empowerment and possibility.”

Today I stand before the House and echo the voices of all who have been impacted by the dedication shown by Amber MacDonald and victim services professionals across all our ridings. They deserve our utmost respect and our deepest gratitude for making a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

Today I rise on behalf of the tenants on Webster Street in my riding of London–Fanshawe. This issue has already been brought to the attention of the government countless times, with little action on renovictions. The residents on Webster Street have been served N13 notices en masse after a change in ownership at their buildings. I have received many gut-wrenching stories from constituents fearful of what this will mean for them, knowing that access to justice at the Landlord and Tenant Board is limited. Many do not want to use their names because they fear retribution from the owners, which speaks to the power discrepancy here.

One person emphasized the insidiousness of renovictions, and I’d like to share. She said, “My unit is a two-bedroom apartment that is in excellent condition and has never had any rent or maintenance issues in the five-plus years I have lived here.... My home was affordable, safe and friendly. This community and my neighbours have offered a decent quality of life, and I had hoped to live out my pending senior years in comfort.”

She mentioned that the renovations are not necessary. How can the government allow the landlord to justify evictions based on unnecessary renovations? She also highlighted that this is another way that affordable housing is disappearing in our community.

This government has made a commitment to creating affordable housing. They need to enact measures to ensure existing housing stays affordable.

I call on this government to pass Bill 58, protecting tenants from renovictions and imposing rent controls so that vulnerable citizens are not left begging for action to save their homes.

I represent the great city of Mississauga, and I am privileged to stand here in this chamber as their elected representative to speak to the third reading of our government’s budget bill, Building a Strong Ontario Act. Mississauga is a large and rapidly growing city that exemplifies the best of what Ontario has to offer. From its thriving economy, beautiful skyline, and diverse and inclusive communities, there are many reasons why Mississauga is truly a great place to live, work, worship and play. I was honored to be elected by the people of this great city, and that is why I am proud to be speaking today about Bill 85 and how our government is investing in the future of our constituents.

As representatives entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding the interests and welfare of our constituents, it is our duty to examine and discuss the financial plan that will shape the future of our beloved province.

Let me begin by reminding Ontarians of the great progress we have achieved by being fiscally prudent and evaluating the return on every taxpayer dollar invested. After all, budgets do not balance themselves.

We are on a prudent path to shrink the deficit to $2.2 billion in the 2022 fiscal year, then down to $1.3 billion in 2023, and we are projecting a modest surplus of $200 million in 2024.

Through challenging times, our government was tasked to deliver a sustained balanced budget, and well-established global integrated risk assessment firms like Moody’s have assessed that our government succeeded in a quicker return to and the maintenance of balanced budgets than Moody’s previously forecasted. The lower debt burden—we are currently at 37.8% net debt-to-GDP ratio, which is down 3.6 percentage points—and a nearly balanced budget also provide for greater shock absorption abilities than the province previously possessed, should Ontario be required to implement policies to address a markedly slowing economic environment.

I commend our government for our diligent efforts in formulating this budget as it represents a comprehensive blueprint for Ontario’s progress and prosperity. Crafted during challenging times, this budget addresses the complex issues facing our province with a resolute focus on economic growth, social well-being and fiscal sustainability for future generations.

So let me be clear and repeat: Budgets do not balance themselves. It takes vision, discipline and hard work to balance budgets, and only Conservative governments with great leaders like the one we have in Premier Ford know how to get it done.

Le fondement de ce budget consiste à favoriser la croissance économique et la création d’emplois. Il décrit un plan pour revitaliser notre économie, soutenir les entreprises locales et fournir une aide indispensable aux personnes les plus durement touchées par la pandémie. J’applaudis l’engagement de notre gouvernement à investir dans des projets d’infrastructure qui non seulement stimuleront l’activité économique, mais amélioreront également nos réseaux de transport, nos établissements de soins de santé et nos établissements d’enseignement.

Madam Speaker, we are also unlocking the potential of northern Ontario by committing $1 billion to build the road to the Ring of Fire and other crucial infrastructure that will connect the rich critical mineral deposits in the north with Ontario’s world-class manufacturing sector.

We want Mississaugans to get to work as fast and conveniently as possible, reducing gridlock traffic. We want to build accessible public transit so less people are in cars and more people are riding LRTs and GO trains. We want to invest in local employers so Mississaugans don’t have to travel to a neighbouring city for work. We want Mississaugans to have a world-class health care system where wait times are low and beds are readily available. Our budget has a well-detailed plan for all of these demands.

I would like to bring up the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit. Our government is working to lower the cost of doing business, attracting investment, reducing red tape, and getting key infrastructure built. This tax credit also allows companies to hire more workers and stay competitive by saving them an estimated $8 billion this year.

A local example in my riding is Microbix, one of many life sciences manufacturers and exporters, which received support from our government through its $840,000 grant through the Ontario Together Fund. This funding will expand the manufacturing capabilities of a made-in-Ontario business which will be expanding its capabilities and capacity for manufacturing specialized products related to diagnostic testing for infectious disease. The project will create and support dozens of new life sciences well-paid manufacturing and product development jobs in Mississauga.

Further pharmaceutical investments in Mississauga occurred earlier this year as we invested to support pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca, which will bring 500 new jobs to Mississauga. This major expansion of their research and development hub focuses on clinic studies in areas such as breast, lung, prostate cancer, as well as chronic kidney disease. These investments are saving lives.

One can take a further look at the vibrant manufacturing industry that Mississauga is home to—such as the Bombardier jet manufacturing plant opening up at Pearson airport later this summer. It is expected to provide jobs to 2,000 people and is one of many businesses that will benefit from our government’s budget.

Just last year, our government supported a $21.4-million investment by Cyclone Manufacturing, a leading supplier of aerospace components and subassemblies with manufacturing facilities in Mississauga. I want to congratulate CEO Andrew Sochaj, who truly embodies the success story of a Polish immigrant coming to Canada—an engineer with vision, with drive. And many years later, he is one of the leading employers in Mississauga. When he graduated from college with his technology degree, my brother was actually employed at Cyclone Manufacturing, as his very first job. So this is truly a success story and exemplifies what Canada and Ontario can do when we have governments that support the job creation space. This is one of many examples of our government supporting the growth of Mississauga and helping strengthen Ontario’s advanced manufacturing sector and further growing the province’s economy.

Our government is also advancing our Critical Minerals Strategy by expanding mineral exploration and development as well as strengthening our supply chains from workers in northern Ontario to manufacturers in southern Ontario. Our province’s rich endowment of valuable minerals should be leveraged and used to support our made-in-Ontario supply chain of growing industries like electric vehicles and batteries.

As our finance minister said, in 10 years, people will be choosing between an electric vehicle and an electric vehicle. And it is our job to ensure that that electric vehicle is made—where?

Interjection.

We have a competitive advantage of minerals in this province, and our government will be utilizing them to the best of our ability.

If you are one of many residents in my riding who commutes with GO Transit, you may have recently ridden a new electric GO bus that was manufactured right here in Ontario. Three days ago, our government rolled out electric vehicle GO buses to our existing fleet for the first time, as part of our plan to reduce emissions and expand clean and green transit options across our province.

The future is electric, and we are leading the charge. Of course, the recent announcement by Volkswagen of its planned EV plant in St. Thomas is yet another example of this.

These cars of the future are creating the jobs of the future. And our government understands that the potential of these investments relies heavily on Ontario’s ability to produce electricity.

With that, Madam Speaker, I move that this question now be put.

The member for Windsor West.

Ms. Kusendova-Bashta has moved that the question now be put.

There has been more than 12 hours of debate, and 38 members have spoken to this motion. I am satisfied that there has been sufficient debate to allow this question to be put to the House.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.

All those in favour of the motion that the question be now put, please say “aye.”

All those opposed to the motion that the question be now put, please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

A recorded vote being required, this vote will be deferred until after question period today.

Vote deferred.

The House recessed from 0933 to 1015.

I appreciated the comments from my colleague from London West.

We’ve heard about balancing budgets. The other day when I was in here and we were debating this bill, someone from the government side said they are fiscally responsible and responsive in this budget, and I can’t help but point out to the government side again that Feed Ontario recently released a report talking about the sharp increase in the number of people in this province accessing food banks. It’s at an all-time high, and it has continued to grow exponentially since the Conservatives formed government in 2018. That’s actually stated in the report. That’s not me saying it; that’s the actual Feed Ontario report.

We know that there are more people who are experiencing homelessness. We had a story the other day of an 80- or 85-year-old woman being renovicted from her apartment.

We know we have a crisis in our health care system. We’re seeing it all over the province, not just in my riding or in London.

I’m wondering if the member from London West could share her ideas on what would actually be fiscally responsible and fiscally responsive, when we’re talking about a budget and supporting people in this province who are struggling in incredible numbers under this Conservative government.

Point of order, Speaker.

The team staff includes coaches Wes Sudsbury, Mark Guergis, Lee Archer, Chris Maisoneuve, Lindsey Neil, Marcello Seminara, and James “Bones”, with Christine McColl as manager.

Congratulations, team, and congratulations to the roster of teammates: Landon Maisoneuve, Will Mutrie, Owen Poliziani, Colton Archer, Teagan Tiffin-Seminara, AJ Luczyk, Jack Hussey, Nolan McColl, Ben Sudsbury, Callum Roach, Jonathan Tallarigo, Logan Munshaw, Colton Proc, Eli Hardy-Plummer, Cooper Suggit, Blake Barter, and Jack Whipp, who delivered the golden goal.

Congratulations. Way to go, team!

In fact, the Middlesex-London Health Unit just wrote to this government a couple of weeks ago with the finding that households with low incomes in our community cannot afford to buy food, and that’s why we’re seeing record numbers of people accessing food banks—record numbers of new people accessing food banks in London and across the province.

What would have really made a difference is a doubling of social assistance rates, which is what social service agencies have been calling for for several years.

Speaker, my constituents Deo Marshall and Adrianna reached out to my office to share the financial struggles that they are facing due to decisions made by their building’s condo board. Recently, they discovered that their condo board has accumulated $100,000 in fees, primarily due to an eviction—$70,000—and underpaid gas bills. The management of the condo board has requested all residents to pay approximately $700 by June 15 to cover these costs. Deo and Adrianna have been informed that their failure to meet this deadline could result in collections, which would have a detrimental impact on their credit scores. They are being penalized for the condo board’s incompetence and wrongdoing. These are seniors on fixed incomes who are now burdened with an unexpected financial obligation, with no offer of an alternative payment plan.

Speaker, this is not the first time we’re hearing such a story where condo residents are suffering due to the lack of legal protection and support for them. We have heard stories where condo residents have been forced to pay over $30,000 in mere days or face a lien on their property. Condo residents in Ontario are frustrated as there’s no effective regulator, no government agency and no tribunal they can turn to that can hear disputes such as this and resolve them in a quick and affordable manner.

This government must regulate and strengthen the Condominium Authority Tribunal’s jurisdiction to protect the rights of all residents—especially residents like Deo Marshall and Adrianna.

Today I am recognizing Ms. Melania Smith, a commercial landowner and a resident of Scarborough Centre, who is sitting in the gallery with her husband, Steve Smith.

Melania has been nominated for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, in the category of social change and national impact.

In addition, Ms. Smith converted her unused parcel of land into a thriving community garden after observing signs of local food insecurity. This pesticide-free produce goes to the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities food bank.

In addition, she works with an international organization serving remote and rural parts of India, where they serve up a midday nutritional meal program that feeds thousands of students and their families, donate school supplies, and mentor women to become more confident, self-sufficient and supportive of their family and neighbours.

Congratulations, Melania, for the work you have been doing at home and abroad.

Ontario is home to over 500,000 people of Dutch heritage, and I’m proud to represent a large Dutch community in Flamborough–Glanbrook.

As we honour Dutch heritage throughout the month of May, I would like to celebrate one of the many businesses in my riding that was started by Dutch Canadian entrepreneurs. William Dam Seeds, located in West Flamborough, was started by William and Maria Dam, who immigrated to Canada in 1947. The couple met while working at a seed company in Holland, and they married in 1938. During World War II, William was involved in the resistance, helping to hide fugitives and transport weapons to push back against the occupation.

When William and Maria arrived in Canada, many immigrants were unable to find the vegetable seeds that they had grown back home in Europe. To fill this need, the couple started their own seed business at their kitchen table in Sarnia, and they eventually settled in Flamborough in 1959. For over 70 years now, this family business has provided Canadian farmers and gardeners with high-quality seeds for vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Throughout this Dutch Heritage Month, I encourage all Ontarians to visit a local Dutch Canadian business and to learn about the long history and values of liberty and democracy that our two nations share.

I rise today to recognize May as Asthma Awareness Month and to celebrate the anniversary of Ryan’s Law.

Speaker, eight years ago, my predecessor for Elgin–Middlesex–London, Jeff Yurek, introduced Ryan’s Law as a private member’s bill in this Legislature. This legislation was introduced because of a horrific incident that occurred in my riding on October 9, 2012. Ryan Gibbons passed away while at school after suffering a severe asthma attack. Ryan was unable to access his inhaler due to school policies and procedures which kept his inhaler locked in the principal’s office. Ryan’s Law mandated that students were allowed to access their inhalers and that schools were required to develop and maintain asthma policies and procedures to better protect asthmatic students.

Approximately one in five children are living with asthma in Canada. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that can make breathing difficult. That means that approximately 400,000 students with asthma in Ontario schools are now protected by Ryan’s Law.

I want to thank patient advocates such as Sandra Gibbons, Ryan’s mother, who played an instrumental role in advocating for Ryan’s Law, as well as the Lung Health Foundation for their advocacy, programming and services. We had an excellent meeting earlier this week, and I appreciate their strong advocacy.