I’m very pleased to inform the House that we have a former member in the House with us today, the representative for Essex in the 40th, 41st and 42nd Parliaments. Taras Natyshak is here.

Welcome back.

Also with us today in the Speaker’s gallery are some very special guests: Mr. David Warner, who was the Speaker of the 35th Parliament, accompanied by his wife, Pat, and Mr. Alvin Curling, who was Speaker during the 38th Parliament.

I also want to welcome the guests of Mr. Claude DesRosiers: Suzanne Labbé; his sons, Louis and Jean DesRosiers; his daughter, Lucie DesRosiers; his son-in-law, Sean Taylor; and his granddaughter Lily Taylor.

And the guests of Ms. Deborah Deller are her husband, Garry Deller; and Denise Weeks, who was the former Principal Clerk of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Finally, a warm welcome back to former staff of the Office of the Assembly: Zina Decker, former executive assistant to Mr. DesRosiers and Ms. Deller; Sylvia Nemanic, former executive director, administrative services; and Vicki Whitmell, former executive director, information and technology services, and legislative librarian.

Please join me in welcoming our guests to the Legislature today.

The member for Hamilton Mountain.

This morning, I’d like to welcome a very good friend of mine Gianrobert Santagato. It’s the first time that he has coming to the Legislature.

I’d also like to welcome a delegation that’s here at Queen’s Park this morning from Lazio, Italy—over 20 of them are here. I especially would like to welcome Luca Di Stefano, the mayor of Sora, and Fiorella Gazzellone, the mayor of Terelle.

Remarks in Italian.

I want to give a quick shout-out to Alessia Iafano who is with us today, a Queen’s University student and one of the leaders of the Ontario PC youth association. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

We also have another former member with us this morning: the member for Thornhill from the 38th Parliament, Mario Racco. Welcome back. It’s good to have you here.

That concludes our introduction of visitors.

Applause.

The government House leader.

Whereas in the year 2022, the assembly has amended the Legislative Assembly Act to authorize the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former Clerks of the Assembly the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable,” and

Whereas the government of Ontario desires to honour Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers and recognize his lifetime of public service, including service to the people of Ontario as Clerk of its Legislative Assembly from 1986 until 2006, and

Therefore, pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act, Claude L. DesRosiers of Ottawa is hereby granted the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable” or “l’honorable” effective the later of June 7, 2023, and the date this order in council is made.

And on the recommendation of the undersigned, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario, orders that:

Whereas in the year 2022, the assembly has amended the Legislative Assembly Act to authorize the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former Clerks of the Assembly the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable”; and

Whereas the government of Ontario desires to honour Ms. Deborah Deller and to recognize her lifetime of public service, including service to the people of Ontario as Clerk of its Legislative Assembly from 2007 until 2016;

Therefore, pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act, Deborah Deller of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, is hereby granted the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable,” effective the later of June 7, 2023 and the date that this order in council is made.

And both of these documents are signed by the Premier of Ontario and the Chair of the Cabinet, as well as the Administrator.

Today, we welcome in our midst two very dear friends who, while serving as Clerk, were keystones in the arch of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. May I say how delighted we are to have them back with us today. Members and invited guests, please welcome Claude DesRosiers, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly from 1986 to 2006, and Deborah Deller, our Clerk from 2007 to 2016.

Applause.

It is an honour that is truly well deserved. It is safe to say that all members have some idea of the complexities and challenges facing a Clerk, but only the very few who have actually sat in that chair really know. The Clerk is responsible not only to provide procedural advice in our historic Parliament to over 100 individuals with many differing opinions and points of view but also to administer the offices and provide leadership to the staff to help to keep things running smoothly and operational for the members, the media and the public alike. It is a job like no other.

Clerks must be absolutely, resolutely and categorically neutral. They are constantly challenged with problems which require decisions that uphold the overall best interests of the Legislature and those who serve here, whether based on parliamentary procedure and precedent or, as the situation warrants, based on in-depth knowledge and immediate recall of the standing orders about the rules of this place.

Many of us wonder, when things get heated here, how a Clerk or a table Clerk can maintain their composure and not give any sense of reaction to surrounding circumstances. When this place is erupting, how do they maintain their unfazed composure? How do they stay so calm? What is in their water?

It is because of these qualities, along with the outstanding service that the Clerk is expected to achieve, that the title “Honourable” is so fitting. And it’s worth noting that this honour is rare. Thus far, only eight people, including the current Clerk, have served in the role permanently since Ontario’s founding in 1867—an untold number of members since 1867 and just eight Clerks during that same period.

As I’ve mentioned, our modern-era Clerks have also had the responsibility of being the chief administrative officer of the assembly. For more than a century after Confederation, the government appointed the five Clerks who served here. Claude DesRosiers was the first Clerk selected by the Legislature. Claude, you were the Clerk who began the modernization of the House and, in turn, the evolution of our current organization. You were also the Clerk who welcomed me when I first arrived here as a member in 1990 and the Clerk who witnessed by first oath of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.

Claude came to us from the House of Commons in Ottawa with extraordinary expertise and knowledge of parliamentary procedure, thanks to his experience at our federal Parliament. There, Claude served in a variety of positions, many in a capacity supporting francophone activities—something that proved very advantageous here, especially with respect to interparliamentary and diplomatic activities.

With his love of history and heritage buildings, our setting at Queen’s Park turned out to be the perfect workplace for someone with Claude’s background and interests. During his time in office, our building celebrated its 100th anniversary and underwent a restoration that saw the replacement and refurbishment of original materials and the uncovering of long-hidden features that had been hidden for decades. This chamber was also transformed from the blue chairs and red carpet—colours that occasionally clashed, literally and figuratively—to the green that you see today, bringing us in line with Westminster tradition.

The sense of the significance of this place also resonated for Claude when he met new Assembly staff during orientation sessions. He enjoyed pointing out his office window and comparing Toronto’s modern skyline with the longevity of Parliament. He would explain that styles could change and those buildings could come and go, but that this one would still be here. Democracy would always prevail and Parliament would always endure.

This building is a symbol of democracy, which is surely our most precious legacy passed on to us by previous generations. Claude’s career helped to sustain it and strengthen it. Thank you again, Claude.

And to Deb Deller, along with Claude, you were another warm and welcoming face at this table when I first arrived here. Deb, we owe you the same depth of gratitude for your advice over the years. How reassuring it was, knowing that you had been seated next to Claude at the table for a considerable period of time before you became Clerk.

You’ve told a lot of people about how you got your first job in this place. It seems that while you were in university you applied to be a tour guide here, and along with your suitability for the job it also turned out that you were the perfect fit for the uniform of the guide who had just vacated the position. That made your selection that much easier, proving the old adage “if the suit fits” to be true.

Even as a tour guide, Deb always had a passion for learning about the workings of our Legislature and took a strong interest in procedural processes, sitting in on meetings of the House and committees when she could to become more familiar with how things work here when she returned to the Legislature to serve as a guide following university.

Deb then gained a position as a Legislative Attendant, reporting to the Clerk’s office. From there, her next steps included positions as Committee Clerk, Clerk Assistant, Deputy Clerk and Director of Legislative Services. Finally, on March 21, 2007, she became the first female to be Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

During her time in this role, Deb built on Claude’s strong foundation of modernizing and improving the Legislature. Among her projects were the introduction of a new Legislative Assembly website, as well as improved internal communications initiatives and technology services for members and staff, including a redesigned intranet. Better orientation services for new members, as well as enhanced training and skills development opportunities for staff, were also among her initiatives.

Thank you again, Deb, not only for being a great mentor and support to so many of us here, but also an inspiration to young women from across this province to make sure, as I quote in your own words, “they don’t feel there’s any barrier to doing something just because women haven’t done it before.”

In closing, thanks to both of you for devoting your professional lives to the functioning of our Ontario Parliament and the service of the people of this province.

Applause.

Speaker, may it please the House, Her Honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario and in the name of His Majesty the King, has made orders pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act. These orders grant Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers and Ms. Deborah Deller, presently before the House, the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable” as former Clerks of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I am pleased to lay copies of these orders upon the table.

I’m delighted to welcome leaders in our Filipino community in York Centre: Teresa Torralba and her husband Ramon Torralba; retired Toronto police sergeant Philip Mendoza and his wife Maritonne; and a special welcome to Nathan Cortes, son of the Philippine undersecretary of foreign affairs Paul Cortes, who is a student right here at Toronto Metropolitan University. Welcome to the Ontario Legislature.

I’m pleased to welcome to Queen’s Park today, on behalf of the member from Sarnia–Lambton, former legislative page Annabelle Rayson who is here with her parents.

And I, too, want to welcome former Ontario Speaker David Warner to the Legislature. He was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly when I was a legislative page back in 1991. Welcome back to Queen’s Park.

This question is for the Premier. Speaker, I think I speak for all of us here when I say that our thoughts, again, are with the people and communities that are directly impacted by the forest fires that are blazing across this province, and also with, of course, the courageous firefighters, pilots and local teams working to get them under control.

While that work is under way, millions of people across Ontario are experiencing the impacts to air quality. We are in for probably the most severe fire season our province has ever experienced, and people are quite rightly worried for their immediate future and whether this is the new reality. Does the Premier acknowledge that the climate emergency is making this fire season significantly worse?

Yesterday the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry refused to acknowledge a connection between the climate crisis and these forest fires, all while this government is doubling down on costly and carbon-intensive gas-fired power. They’re doubling down on sprawl, they failed to deliver badly needed transit, and the Conservatives also, let’s not forget, weakened their own climate targets.

I want to ask the Premier: Will the Premier show some leadership today and act on the climate emergency?

Speaker, with the very real impacts of climate change being felt by millions of Ontarians today, will the Premier reverse course on his plans to pave over the province’s largest carbon sink, the greenbelt?

Interjections.

I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. Mr. Speaker, I want to start off by thanking all the firefighters and crews working around the clock to keep our community safe. They’re literally the best in the world. Again, I want them to know that I’m sure all of us, of all political stripes, have their backs 100%.

I know that many towns and cities across our province are being impacted by smoke, not just Ontario but smoke coming from other provinces. We’re seeing this right across the country, unfortunately. This is having a major impact on many residents in these areas, particularly in the Ottawa area and in northern Ontario. It’s hurting those who are already at risk, like our young people and our seniors.

While it’s taking place right now, I want them to know that our own fire ranger crews, helicopters and water bombers are responding in full force to manage the fires.

We’re taking steps to make sure we’re prepared. Since 2017, we’ve increased spending on emergency fire preparedness by more than 37%. We have 142 fire ranger crews, which are the best in the world, ready to go right across our province, and we have a fleet of 28 aircraft that fight these fires, including nine heavy water bombers.

My number one goal is to make sure the communities and the people are safe here in Ontario. We will spare no expense to make sure that we support our firefighters and our communities.

Let me tell you the report that I’ve heard. The report that I have heard: Approximately 50% of the fires are started by lightning strikes; the other 50% are people starting campfires and not putting out the campfires properly.

So I’m asking every Ontarian: Please do not light any campfires.

All the firefighters are out there fighting against these wildfires. And yes, they happen every single year. Similar to the floods, the wildfires start every single year.

We will throw every resource we can to make sure we put these fires out.

Interjections.

Ma question est pour le premier ministre. Last week, health coalitions from all over the province brought 400,000 Ontarian voices opposed to private health care to this Legislature. Today, Brock University students are here to show their opposition to Bill 60, the government health privatization agenda. People representing Minden, Mount Forest, Palmerston, Listowel, Wingham, Seaforth, Clinton, Grey Bruce, Chesley—the list goes on—are here, asking the Premier to either re-open their ER or keep them open.

We live in a democracy, Speaker. All those people are coming to Queen’s Park because they are scared. They’re anxious. They’re worried. They want to be heard. Why won’t the Premier listen to them?

Speaker, what we will do is we will continue to prioritize making sure that we eliminate and decrease the wait times. People do not want to wait for their surgeries. How do we do that? We do that through the passage of Bill 60. That means individuals—a physician who practises in British Columbia—can come to Ontario, cut through the red tape and begin serving their communities here in Ontario. How do we do that? We do that through Learn and Stay programs that, as of yesterday, had 4,000 nurses—part of that program to ensure that as they get their tuition and education costs covered, they are prepared to serve in underserved communities. We’re doing the work. We’re making those commitments. And absolutely, Bill 60 will expand the surgical and diagnostic centres across Ontario. Why? Because people are sick and tired of the status quo and are sick and tired of waiting for their surgeries.

Interjections.

In January, it was a great honour to be able to expand surgical diagnostic centres specifically for cataracts in Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa. That means that individuals who are waiting for cataract surgery in the province of Ontario have their wait times shortened. What does that mean? It means they get back to their families. They get back to their community. They get back to work. It is exactly what your members lobby me for on a weekly basis and what the people of Ontario deserve.

“I’m here to say that Bill 60 is a good start in eliminating Ontario’s surgical backlogs. We are pleased to see this government introduce significant changes to our system that will better serve Ontarians within a publicly funded system. Overall, this bill sets up a good framework to create a system of surgical care that is patient-centred and promotes patient choice.” That comes from the president and CEO of SE Health.

Back to the Premier: In my discussions with Brock University Students’ Union executives, they voiced serious, serious apprehensions about your government’s health care privatization direction, especially concerning accessibility. Reduced health care impacts are evident in Niagara, where two urgent care centres confront diminishing access. When asked, 85% of Brock University students are concerned over Bill 60, a sentiment shared by 400,000 referendum Ontario voters. Health care in Niagara is bearing the staff crisis magnified by Bill 124 and your privatization agenda.

Premier, when will your government stop shrugging responsibility and commit to enhancing health care accessibility in Niagara through public investment?

I’m hoping for a little leadership here. Maybe take a little responsibility? You’re facing one of the—

Interjections.

To the Premier: Will the government prioritize sick Ontarians over their insider friends looking to make a buck?

Speaker, there are new reports about a growing number of registered private health care lobbyists with ties to the Conservative Party—more insiders lobbying their friends and their former colleagues. Case in point: A former staffer for the Premier is now lobbying for “publicly funded, privately delivered” care, only he registered as a lobbyist before this government announced they were starting to issue private surgical contracts. How convenient.

To the Premier: Were these insiders given a heads-up about the expansion of private surgery delivery in Ontario?

Speaker, the Office of the Integrity Commissioner reports that there are nearly 1,200 lobbyists registered to influence this government on health policy; that’s more than on nearly every other issue combined. Many are lobbyists for for-profit, private health care companies that offer nearly identical services to those covered by OHIP, only they let the richest pay out of pocket to cut the line and access services faster. They’re swirling like vultures over what’s left of our health care system, and they’re looking to cash in on Ontarians’ health.

I’m going to ask again: When will this government prioritize sick Ontarians over their insider friends looking to make a buck?

Interjections.

Order.

The next question. The Leader of the Opposition.

Interjections.

Restart the clock.

The Leader of the Opposition.

Supplementary question?

The Minister of Health.

I’ve stopped the clock as our honoured guests have to prepare for a reception and some official photographs, and they may have had enough already. They now need to leave the proceedings at this time. Congratulations and thank you again to Mr. DesRosiers and Ms. Deller for your service to the assembly and the people of Ontario.

We’ll restart the clock. The next question.

The supplementary question.

Supplementary question? The member for Scarborough Southwest.

Premier?

A few reminders: We make our comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor of the House. Secondly, once the Speaker stands, you sit. Your microphone goes off. When I can’t hear whoever has the floor because of a loud ovation, we stop the clock because there’s no point in carrying on.

So, we’ll start the clock. Next question.

I want to thank you for your question. Do the Scarborough residents know you voted against that subway line? Do the Scarborough residents know that you had no interest in delivering the first subway in the history of Scarborough? When I was at city hall, we were fighting for the residents of Scarborough, where you never even existed. You weren’t up there cheering for Scarborough. You didn’t vote against your party. You should have voted against your party.

Do you know something? I’ll tell you, the reason we have the majority of the seats in Scarborough—

Interjections.

Interjections.

Speaker, Ontario is now the innovation and manufacturing gateway to North America, and that is the result of reducing the cost of doing business by $8 billion every year.

Hydrogen Optimized recently announced a $4.6-million investment in Owen Sound. They specialize in the production of green hydrogen through an exciting new manufacturing technology. This will replace fossil fuels in energy-intensive industries like cement and fertilizer production. They’re doing this cutting-edge work while creating new jobs and acquiring state-of-the-art equipment for Ontario. With a $500,000 investment from our government, Speaker, this is how we’re supporting our innovation and manufacturing sectors.

Well, that all changed under Premier Ford. Ontario is now one of the world’s leaders in EVs, with an unprecedented $25 billion in new business, $3 billion in new life sciences, $100 billion in tech, over 660,000 new jobs created. Speaker, that’s the difference when you put in a government that gets it done.

I thank the member for his question. It’s an important question, because the Finch West LRT will give people in the northwest part of the city of Toronto what they’ve been waiting for for a long time, which is a transit system that will offer more choices to travel on their own schedule.

Mr. Speaker, the Finch West LRT will connect the new Finch West subway station, on the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, to Humber College. We’re talking about 11 kilometres of new, dedicated LRT, with 16 new surface stops, a below-grade stop at Humber College north campus and an underground interchange station at the TTC’s Finch West subway station. This also includes a brand new maintenance and storage facility for light rail transit vehicles.

This system will transform the community. Shovels went in the ground in 2018. The constructors are working diligently to deliver the system, and we look forward to having—

Back to the Premier: Residents in my community have contacted my office to express their frustration, their distress over the incessant overnight construction carried out by Metrolinx. The disruptive noise has become so unbearable that constituents are complaining—just imagine someone drilling in your backyard all night long, for a whole year. The disruptive noise has become so unbearable that constituents are complaining that children and pets are abruptly awakened from their sleep all throughout the night. However, Metrolinx has informed the residents that they possess a permit allowing them to continue these overnight operations until the end of the year because it’s related to the transit system. Whether it’s the Eglinton LRT, Scarborough RT or the Lakeshore East line, Scarborough residents are the ones, always, to suffer.

Speaker, while critical transit work is being done, what will this government do to protect local residents and mitigate the ongoing disruptions to their lives and their well-being?

Interjections.