Speech, speech.

Thank you very much.

I recognize the government House leader and Minister of Legislative Affairs.

It is truly an honour to be able to rise on behalf of our caucus to pay tribute to Todd and the extraordinary work that he has done. I think the opposition House leader is quite correct that he is probably the most uncomfortable person in the chamber today. My office mentioned to me earlier in the week that Todd was fabricating a sickness so that he could not be here today. I had actually reached out to the Minister of Natural Resources to ask for one of those tracking devices so that we could find him, and we’ll probably have to leave it on him for a couple of years so that we can find him and call him back in.

It’s funny; I was a staff member here in the 1990s, and in 2003, when the people retired that particular government, I was a young guy. When I came back in 2018, I came back to this place old, fat and grey, and Todd looked exactly the same. So immediately, we started off on the wrong foot, because he was looking so good and I thought, “What the heck? What happened?”

He has been an extraordinary public servant. It is truly hard to explain in five minutes—and I know we all feel the same way—just how important the job of the Clerk is. But what an incredible job he has done. All members should know and will know how forceful and fierce he is about this place: the pride that he has in this place, the pride that he has in all of the members and the extent to which he goes to not only protect the institution and the people who work for him, but us as members. It is truly unbelievable.

I’m told that when he signed the Bible that the Clerks sign, he signed it as the ninth Clerk, out of respect for somebody who took the job on an interim basis. That’s really just the type of person that he is.

Now, I know that certainly since I’ve been House leader, that spirit of co-operation has been so good that the job has been just so much easier for him, because we get along so much better, and I know that he is grateful for that. But colleagues, I do want to really zone in—and the leader of the Green Party talked about it—on what Parliament decided during COVID, that we would continue on as a Parliament and that we had to do the work of the opposition holding us accountable and the government moving forward. When that request was made—and, colleagues, this was literally the only Parliament in North America that decided not to stand down, all of us. That was Todd and his team, and it was remarkable. People from all over North America were asking, “How the heck did you guys continue to do this, on both sides?” Everybody—their work, his work, his leadership are what made it possible for us to continue on doing the job. So we can talk about the hours spent in debating how we got it done, but literally it got done because of Todd and his team.

It is also the work—one of the hardest jobs, I think, of a Clerk is when they look at who the next person will be and they get to decide who the Deputy Clerk is going to be, and Todd started right from the beginning looking at where he would be, when he would bring his time to an end as our Clerk, who would be the person that he could prepare to take on that job. That is probably one of the most difficult decisions a Clerk would have to make, and he did it right from the beginning. I really can’t thank him enough for just the extraordinary work that he has done.

Yesterday was another extraordinary day, probably one of the first times in Commonwealth history that four Clerks were seated around one table, one learning from the other.

As we started to talk about the process, all of us, all of the members, on what we would do with this building, how we would fix it and renovate it to make sure that it was respectful and really pay tribute—it was Todd who helped us design what it is, how we could ensure that members were protected in that process. Everything that we brought forward and everything that Parliament voted on unanimously was because of the extraordinary work and advice of the Clerk. Knowing full well that he would not be here in the chair when the time came, he never relented at any given point. He was fierce in defending us, fierce in defending this Legislature and all of the members in it.

What he doesn’t know—I know, because I truly fear that he’s just going to run out and be gone, because he just really, truly hates accolades. You could never be a politician, because we—not me. But we know how much John loves to get accolades, right? It’s just a quiet, reserved respect for the chair, so much so that I was literally terrified to even ask him a question for the first year that I took over as House leader. So I was always with Trevor, and one of my staff said to me, “Why don’t you ever ask Todd a question?” I said, “I’m afraid of him,” not because he gave me any reason to be afraid, but he was literally able to not—you say you don’t show emotion. It is hard, because there are some things sometimes, once in a while, that make you want to have facial expressions, and he has not done that.

Just the last thing, as I close: When we get elected, we all fight to get in a picture with the Clerk. It’s the one thing that will be on our walls—all of us, forever—and it’s the one thing that we will brag about and we will talk about. It is not only the person; it is also the office, and that is one thing that, Todd, you have done very, very well. You have always upheld the dignity of the office in a way that we are all grateful for. So congratulations, and thank you for everything that you’ve done on all of our behalf.

Applause.

Yes, go ahead. I’ll finish there.

Applause.

Is anyone going to request unanimous consent?

We have with us in the Speaker’s Gallery some very special guests: Todd Decker’s wife, Zina; his daughter, Natalie, and son-in-law, Andrew; and Clerk’s office staff past and present, Grace, Lucie, Nadège, Gabriela, Peter, Julia and Meghan. We’re delighted to have you here as well.

I want to thank the members for those eloquent tributes, and on behalf of the office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, I thank you, Mr. Decker. It seems strange to be addressing the back of your head. Thank you for your devoted service to the people of Ontario and their Legislative Assembly. Farewell, dear and faithful friend.

Applause.

I have personally appreciated Mike’s steady hand over the last half a year and the leadership he’s provided to the Sergeant-at-Arms and precinct properties division of the Legislative Assembly.

As of June 19, Mike will reassume his role as director of the Legislative Protective Service, which he has been instrumental in building up over the past several years. I know his advice, support and the depth of experience that he has will be essential to our new incoming Sergeant-at-Arms and to the ongoing success of the Legislative Protective Service.

I want to ask all members to join me in thanking Mike Civil for his dedicated service to the assembly.

Applause.

Speaker, it looks as though this will be the last question period for a while, and so I’d like to do a bit of a review of this government’s priorities.

This government has really delivered, if you’re a wealthy developer with insider connections. We saw this government prioritize carving up protected greenbelt lands for the benefit of deep-pocketed friends of the Premier and his party, lands that help Ontario mitigate the effects of climate change, lands of ecological significance and crucial farmland.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will he prioritize our environment and stop carving up the greenbelt for his insider friends?

The NDP proposed a solution to turn the lights back on in the public operating rooms that we already have and get Ontarians the surgeries they’ve been waiting for. The Conservatives voted no.

Speaker, back to the Premier: Will he finally prioritize patients over insiders and make health care public once again?

Speaker, investing in health care or education or housing—instead of doing those things, the government is prioritizing giving $650 million to an Austrian corporate conglomerate to build a luxury spa on top of a public park. While small-town emergency rooms are being shuttered, the company behind this elite luxury spa is being given hundreds of millions of dollars and a 95-year lease.

Speaker, back to the Premier: Will he cancel his $650-million private spa and instead invest that money in communities that desperately need it?

Interjections.

Interjections.

Before I respond to the opposition: John, the wolf was Ralph and the sheepdog was Sam. I just figured you’re Ralph; I’m Sam. I’m protecting the herd, and you keep trying to go after the herd.

And to the Clerk, there are many attributes, but one of the most important things is that you’re an Etobicoke boy, so thank you.

I think I ran half my time out, but—the supplementary question.

Mr. Speaker, let’s look at our accomplishments just over the last year, just since January: We reached a record-low unemployment, the lowest since 1989. That’s 34-year record unemployment. We landed a historic Volkswagen deal to build the largest manufacturing plant in the history of Canada. We—I’ll go to supplementary.

Mr. Speaker, we expanded GO service to Niagara, bringing the total to 21 round trips per week.

Talking about health care, there’s no government in the entire country that has invested more in health care than we have: $81 billion. We’re building 50 new sites or upgrading 50 new sites to a tune of $50 billion. We had more nurses registered last year than in the history of this country, 12,000 of them—12,000. We added 3,100 beds. We’re going to be adding another 3,000 beds—more than, again, any time in the history of this province. We’re investing in our doctors and new doctors coming online with two medical schools—

Interjection: Tell us more, Premier.

As the Liberals and NDP chase these companies out of the country, out of the province, we’re attracting companies from all over the world to invest right here in Ontario, the best place to live, work and raise a family.

Speaker, thank you. It’s a government with the wrong priorities; it’s a government that’s become far too comfortable on the government gravy train.

Ontarians across the province are writing, they’re calling, they’re rallying because they see a government that’s out of touch. So I’d like to ask the Premier some more questions about his priorities, because after five years of this government’s transit policies, the Eglinton Crosstown project is completely off the rails, years behind schedule, way over budget—not so unlike the Ottawa LRT fiasco—all while people are waiting and businesses are shutting down.

Speaker, to the Premier: Will he prioritize getting the Eglinton Crosstown back on track so Ontarians aren’t left waiting any longer?

I want to talk again about the government’s priorities—

Interjections.

Speaker, the Conservatives like to say that they’ve prioritized workers, but when push comes to shove, they let workers down every time. Exhibit A: They took away the three measly paid sick days that people fought for at the start of the pandemic. Exhibit B: They took away the constitutional rights of education workers. Exhibit C: The Conservative members from Windsor won’t lift a finger to help the striking workers at the Windsor Salt mine, out of work now for 111 days, where the company is bringing in scab labour. The list goes on and on, Speaker.

Back to the Premier: Will he prioritize workers and pass the NDP’s anti-scab legislation?

Interjections.

To wrap up: This is the state of Ontario now after five long years under this government’s watch. We’ve got a non-existent climate plan while communities are dealing with the most severe forest fire season we’ve ever experienced. We have emergency rooms closing while this government takes health care workers to court, a broken transit system held hostage by private contractors, and it’s harder than ever before to afford a safe place to live.

Ontario is a place that we are all proud to call home, but this Premier’s wrong priorities are hurting people now and, yes, they are threatening the economic prosperity and future of this province.

Speaker, back to the Premier: When will he change course? Will he change course today?

Interjections.

Order. Order. I have to be able to hear the member who has the floor; in this case, the Leader of the Opposition.

Restart the clock. The Leader of the Opposition has the floor.

The Leader of the Opposition legitimately has the floor. She has every right to ask questions. This is question period. I have to be able to hear her. If the government side continues to interject loudly, I will start calling you out by name.

Restart the clock. Leader of the Opposition.

Premier.

Final supplementary.

Start the clock. The Premier can reply.

Interjection.

Let’s start the clock again. Next question.

Thank you to the member opposite. Mr. Speaker, Infrastructure Ontario is an arm’s-length government agency that is responsible for government procurements. They have internal controls to ensure that there is accountability, fairness and competitive processes. They report to a board that also has accountability and transparency measures. And, of course, they work, like any other agency, with the FAO and the AG.

Mr. Speaker, we had a successful call for development where we had a lot of interest because a lot of people are excited about Ontario Place, as are we, and we will bring it back to life, just like we said back in 2019.

My question is to the Premier. Yesterday during committee hearings, we learned new information about the Ontario Place redevelopment procurement process. Unbelievably, we learned that there was no fairness monitor appointed to verify the integrity of the process.

We also learned that six days before the deadline for bid submissions, the deadline was suddenly extended by three weeks, even though Infrastructure Ontario had already received several bids. One bid that had not yet been received was the bid from Therme, which eventually won the redevelopment rights. So did that deadline extension give Therme an unfair advantage?

My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Like other regions across the province, communities in southwestern Ontario are experiencing population growth and business expansion. But traffic congestion and gridlocked highways through Leamington and Essex are extending travel times for all road users, while delaying vital goods and services from getting to our markets. Urgent action needs to be taken to build the necessary transportation infrastructure to keep our province moving.

Unfortunately, transportation needs in my areas were consistently ignored by the previous NDP-backing-the-Liberals government. The residents of Chatham-Kent–Leamington and people throughout southwestern Ontario deserve better when it comes to our transportation network.

Speaker, can the minister please explain what our government is doing to address the critical need for expanded transportation infrastructure?

My question is to the Minister of Education.

A staffing crisis driven by low wages is threatening the accessibility of child care for families. Programs are limiting capacity, and expansion targets are at risk.

The minister was overwhelmingly told by stakeholders in their consultations that they need to properly compensate child care workers. In spite of years of raising these concerns, the province’s contribution to the child care budget remains flat. Staff have described this current wage floor as an insult.

Will the minister implement recommendations from the experts in the field to keep Ontario’s $10-a-day program on track?

Will the minister commit today to increasing ECE wages immediately, instead of waiting for yet another report?

Interjections.

My question is for the Premier. In 2018, the people of Ontario elected our government with a strong desire for change in order to clean up the mess created after 15 years of mismanagement by the previous Liberal government. Wrong choices and wrong decisions by the Liberal government, supported by the NDP, hurt all Ontarians.

Instead of a government that supported our province’s working women and men, elites and activists lectured the people of Ontario, insisting that they knew better. Instead of a government that worked with businesses and entrepreneurs, we witnessed companies leaving our province and, sadly, hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs. That’s why it is so critical for our government to continue making the right investments to ensure that Ontario remains on a path to prosperity.

Speaker, can the Premier please outline how our government is ensuring that we are getting it done for the people of Ontario by building a stronger province for everyone?

That is why our government must set clear priorities and focus on solutions that will demonstrate our respect for the people of Ontario. We must manage our resources well and implement measures that will continue to strengthen our economy while building up our workforce and ensuring that life is more convenient and affordable.

Speaker, as we look to the future, can the Premier please elaborate on where the people of Ontario can expect to see further leadership by our government that will help to make Ontario stronger?

Thank you. The supplementary question.

Minister of Education.

Thank you to the member for the question. First the member says the parking is for Therme; then the member says the parking is for the science centre. Do you know who the parking is for? It is for everyone. It is for all Ontarians—for the moms who have three kids from Scarborough and Brampton, for the people of northern Ontario who visit Toronto and want a wonderful place to go. That is who the parking is for.

I want to thank the member opposite for the question. As we conclude the session, we can reflect back on this past year as one of progress when it comes to affordability.

Putting party interests aside, this Parliament enacted a bill and a budget that has allowed us to cut child care fees by 50% for the families we represent—$8,000 to $10,000 in savings per year—and we will go further.

Of course, we need qualified ECEs. We need to recruit them and to retain the ones who work with our kids. It’s why in the program we signed with the federal government an additional dollar per hour has been committed per year—a commitment to install a wage floor for the first time and a clear commitment by the government to go even further.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to increasing access to the ECEs, increasing affordable child care options, we’re building 86,000 spaces. This is a monumental step forward for financial relief for the people of Ontario.

We’ll continue to work with the sector, with our workforce and our operators to make life more affordable for families across—

We’ve also committed to expand access to 86,000 spaces by announcing a $213-million start-up grant, where we literally help incentivize the marketplace—more spaces and therefore more workers in the communities that have a disproportionately under-represented amount of child care spaces to their population.

We’re going to get this right. We’re going to work together. We are going to make life affordable for moms and dads across this province.

Again to the Premier: This government not only gave Therme a last-minute deadline extension, it’s also giving Therme a $450-million, give or take, parking facility that was not offered to the other Ontario Place bidders. Yesterday, we learned that the government wants to build the relocated Ontario Science Centre on top of this new parking facility. The minister told the CBC she had a business case showing that building a new science centre would be cheaper than making repairs. But yesterday, the minister said she has no idea how much the new parking facility would cost. So, Speaker, it stands to reason she has no idea how much it would cost with a new science centre as the cherry on top.

Will the minister release the business case to the public or admit that she doesn’t have one?

I want to thank our all-star member from Brantford–Brant. You’re doing an incredible job. Thank you.

Friends, our government just took a simple approach when we came into office, when the previous government had the largest sub-sovereign debt in the world, the highest hydro rates, and companies were leaving. We remember those days, Mr. Speaker: high unemployment.

We believe in giving back to the people, putting money back in their pockets, no matter if it was getting rid of the tolls on the 412 or 418 or getting rid of the licence sticker fee or dropping the gas tax by 10 cents. Just imagine if there were 10 cents on top of the buck sixty that everyone is paying already. We believe in putting money back into people’s pockets until they can stir the economy. They can go out there and buy a piece of furniture, maybe go out for dinner, maybe go on a trip somewhere in Ontario.

Other than doing what they did for 15 years—taking money out of people’s pockets, chasing companies out of this province. We have cut the burden of businesses by $8 billion to attract more companies to come here, to create more jobs—

We have more cranes than LA, Chicago, New York, Washington, Boston combined. There’s a reason why people are investing in Ontario; there are reasons why pension funds are investing here—because they know they have a business-friendly government that they haven’t seen in 15 years.

As much as the world is large when it comes to sectors across the world, it’s very small. We’re leading the tech industry in North America. We’re employing—